Grey turned Ash three years earlier, leaving her as a half-breed vampire. She is massively addicted to chocolate, but other than her lack of fangs, seems to fit the norm for vampire kind. Ash and Grey’s love has grown deeper, and their lives are filled with passion and commitment.
Now the high board had decided it’s too dangerous for Ash not to be in protective custody. They are given twenty four hours to pack up their things and get ready to leave.
Grey is an ex-con, and the idea of being locked up in the board’s house seems unbearable to him. Yet they have no option but to do what they are told or be hunted down and killed.
Ax and his brother Diaz are twin Werewolves who do the moving for the board. Ash finds herself instantly attracted to the brothers.
Drake is a high board member in the most luscious set of caves the board controls. He knows the real reason why Ash and Grey have been commanded into safe keeping.
Ash is an anomaly among half-breed vampires, and when her life it threatened, all of them realize that keeping her safe may not be as easy as it seems.
He kissed Ash through her moan.
“Um,” she purred, sucking ravenously upon his tongue. His fangs snapped, narrowly avoiding her flesh as he returned the kiss and rolled on top of her.
“Good evening.”
“That was a nice way to wake me,” said Ash as she licked her lips. “Have you been eating chocolate?”
“No. I just coated my tongue with it. Want a piece?”
“Please.”
Grey reached into the jar on the headboard, then traced her lips with the truffle, watching as it melted on her skin.
“Food of the ravenous,” she commented, sucking the candy from his fingers. “Why did you wake me so early? The sun hasn’t gone down yet.”
“I know. I thought you might like to watch the sunset. We can try out the special window we had installed last night.”
Ash nodded, and Grey leaned over, slowly sliding the door of their bed open. He winced, grabbing his sunglasses, and putting them over his eyes. He had become slightly more adept at dealing with sunlight, but his eyes were still extremely sensitive. He allowed Ash to shift from under him, and she hung her head out of the enclosure. She needed to check the attic for him. The window could have deadly leaks where the full light of the sun was shining through.
“It seems okay. My skin’s not crawling. Oh, shit,” she said as she swung her body off the bed. “Look, Grey.”
He peered out slowly, his instinct to avoid the sun warring with his curiosity. He had not seen a sunset in more than five years, and the sight was enthralling. “I think the glass alters the colors. I don’t ever remember a sunset being that bright.”
“Maybe it’s our eyes that alter the color. We see things differently. It’s so beautiful.”
Grey dragged her back into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. “I agree. Everything I’m seeing is beautiful.” He inhaled the wild smell of her auburn hair, groaning with delight. Her scent rarely changed, sweet and sugary with an undertone of green tea. Her hair had captured the odor of her last human shower but was altered slightly by her obsession with chocolate.
Ash turned in his arms, gently running her palms over his jaw. Her fingers drifted up into his hair, and she smiled, her blue eyes sparkling with emotion. “I love you, Grey. We’ve been together three years, huh? It doesn’t seem that long.”
“It has been. Do you ever regret becoming?”
“Never. What do I have to regret?”
“I don’t know. Leaving Ike?”
“If I’d stayed with Ike, I’d be in a grave, decayed by now.”
“What if you hadn’t been dying of cancer? Would you still have left him?”
Ash nodded. “Yeah. I wanted to be with you, Grey. It was right.” She was gazing at him oddly, but he knew she couldn’t penetrate his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”
Grey lowered his eyes, unwilling to meet her gaze. “Jeg called me into his room last night before we went to the bar. He said the high board of five is coming here tonight to talk to you. He’s not sure what it’s about, but a board call is never good.”
“Why would they want to talk to me?”
“We don’t know, but the board is all powerful. They are the final say in any vampire matter. Their word is law, and we’re expected to obey without question.”
“Who are they?”
“The board has twenty members total. Every one of the high five is over two hundred years old. They can be requested if two claves are having a major problem, or they can come on their own. They conduct an inquiry and then make a ruling. Jeg and I think it’s because you’re a half-breed. You’re unique and special, but you’re also dangerous just because you exist.”
Ash stared at him, and he could sense the rising terror in her mind. “They could have me put to death, couldn’t they?”
Grey reluctantly nodded and then flexed his neck to relieve some of the tension building there. His sleep had been restless and filled with nightmares of Ash’s death. “I love you, and I have no idea why I would want to go on without you. Whatever they decide, it’s for both of us. I’ll remain with you during the inquiry. I won’t be allowed to speak or touch your mind to influence what you say. Everything you say must be the absolute truth. They’ll know if a single word is a lie.”
“Whatever will be, will be,” she sang softly, a smile touching her lips. “I think you should throw me into the bed and pounce on me. If this is to be our last night together, I want it to be spectacular.”
“Are you saying I’m not always spectacular?” he asked, trying to do as she was, and lighten the mood.
Ash pursed her lips, looking up at the ceiling loftily. Grey narrowed his eyes into slits as he began to tickle her. “Answer me, woman!”
“Yes!” she screeched. “You’re always spectacular. Stop, Grey.”
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