She closed her eyes as she took a deep, steadying breath, and tugged anxiously at her torn shirt. "He's all right," David said kindly.
Sera nodded. "I know."
"Can you sense him?"
She frowned. "Sense him?"
"Yes, can you sense him, feel him?"
"No. I just know he's all right, for now."
"He'll be okay. He's strong."
"Who were they?" she whispered.
"Probably some of Beth's friends. I'm sure she's created a few others along the way, and some of them stayed with her. Or, she's gathered some here to help. We're not all the same, Sera. Some of us are brutal killers. They relish in their power, thrill in it. The more you drink, and the more you kill, the stronger you are. They may be here just because Beth promised them a bloodbath."
Sera's hands trembled as she anxiously pulled at her shirt. "Liam, Jack, Mike, and Doug aren't killers. They won't be as strong as them."
"No they're not, but they will be all right. Liam's fury alone will be enough to overpower them. They just want the pleasure of the blood. He’s trying to keep you safe, that is a far stronger motivator."
"Oh God," she moaned. "He needs to come back."
"He will. They'll drive them away, but he won't follow them. He won't go far from you, not now."
She felt numb as tears slid down her face. She had to believe David was right. If Liam didn't come back, if he got hurt, if he was killed....
Her heart shattered at the thought as she began to tremble. Please God, she prayed silently. Please let him come back to me. "I can't live without him," she whispered.
David clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "No, you probably can't."
Sera choked on a sob as she bowed her head and fiddled with her shirt. "Can they come in here?"
"No, they weren't invited. Only Beth can come in here. Sera—"
"You okay?" Sera jerked around as Mike appeared in the doorway.
She leapt instantly to her feet. "Where is he?" she demanded.
"In the kitchen, but..." Mike blocked her before she could go through the doorway. She glared at him as she tilted her chin defiantly. "You need to stay here."
"I—"
"No, Sera, not now." His stance was so rigid she knew arguing with him was useless.
"Is he all right?"
"He's fine; he's just a little, ah... he's a little crazed right now. Jack and Doug are with him."
"Are you sure?" she asked anxiously.
"Yes, why don't you sit down and relax."
"What about you guys, are you all right?"
She scanned him, but he seemed fine. "Yeah, we're all fine. They took off when we went outside. I think they wanted to let us know they're here. That they're watching us."
Sera's gaze flickered toward the kitchen. She wanted to go to him; she needed to go to him. "I can calm him down," she whispered.
"Not now you can't," David said. "Now, you will only push him over the edge."
"But he needs me!" she cried as she whirled to face him.
"Yes, he does, but not like you are. Not with what is going on. He will finish what he started earlier, Sera; don't doubt that for an instant."
For a second, she didn't care, but it was only for a second as she recalled the way he’d been earlier. He would never listen to reason now. He would only attack her again. He wouldn't even give her the chance to offer herself to him. As much as she wanted to be with him, she knew she couldn't let it happen like that. He would harm her, no matter how unintentional, he would. And he would hate himself for it.
She bowed her head as she turned and walked back to the couch. Her heart was breaking as tears rolled down her face. She slid limply onto the couch and hung her head in her hands.
"Do you understand now that what I told you all yesterday was true?" David asked.
She lifted her head to look at him through blurry eyes. "I understood earlier."
David frowned as he glanced over at Mike. "You want to be changed?"
"I won't lose him. I can't. It... it hurts to even think about it, to say it. You can't imagine how much it hurts."
"No, we can't."
"Why hasn't he done it already?" Mike asked his voice filled with confusion.
She turned her eyes to him. "He said I would need blood, and Kathleen and Danielle... I can't. I just can't."
"Crap," Mike muttered. "I never realized... I forgot."
David dropped his head into his hands. "We need to get out of here."
"Maybe the roads will be open tomorrow," Mike said hopefully.
"I doubt it. We're miles from the highway, on a bunch of back roads. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't get here for another week."
"He doesn't have a week, and neither does she."
"I know that!" David retorted.
"What happens if I don't have blood?" she inquired.
They both turned wary, troubled eyes on her. "If you don't get it within the first day, the transformation won't be complete. You'll die."
"Or turn into a creature stuck between the worlds. Something completely twisted—an utter monstrosity. You would have to be destroyed."
"You could have left it at I'd die," she said dryly.
"We'll figure out something," David said.
"What?" she muttered.
"I don't know, but we're going to have to do it soon. Very soon."
The feathery touch on her cheek woke her the next morning. She smiled as she nuzzled into Liam's hand. Then, the events of the night crashed back over her, and her eyes flew open. He was kneeling before her, his eyes clouded and his face impassive.
She sat up slowly. Her neck and back were stiff from sleeping on the couch, what little sleep she had managed to get. She waited for him to come to her
