"Hey guys! Come on!" Kathleen called. "Let's play cards!"
Liam glared at them before turning and leaving the room. "What is going on?" Jack demanded.
"I don't know," Mike said.
"What are we going to do? He's snapping."
"I don't know."
"You're not being helpful!"
"I don't see you putting forth any ideas!" he retorted.
"We're not going to figure it out now," Doug intervened. "And he will shred us to pieces if we even try to interfere."
"Yes, he will," Mike agreed.
"Maybe it just needs to work itself out," Jack muttered.
"Well it's going to have too, or he's going to lose it, and the consequences of that will be devastating. Come on, let's go."
They followed Mike out of the kitchen and into the living room. Candles had been set out around the room. Their tiny flames cast shadows over the walls and added a cozy aura of warmth to the room. Kathleen and Sera were pulling the cushions off the couches and plopping them around the coffee table. They settled in as Danielle began to shuffle and deal out the cards. "Five card draw," she announced. "Nothing wild."
Sera poured herself a glass of peach tree schnapps and orange juice. Everyone gathered drinks and sat back to stare at their cards. Liam slipped his hand onto her leg and squeezed her thigh.
Liam stared at his cards as everyone laughed and joked around him. His thoughts were tumultuous; he couldn't get a handle on himself. Sitting this close to Sera, he could smell her temptingly sweet blood; hear it pounding in her veins. He had always been able to smell blood, and hear it, but not like this. Before, he had always been able to shut it out. Before, it had never pulsed inside of him in an answering rhythm that enhanced his hunger. It had never called to him like this.
It took every ounce of control he had not to take her again. Not to brand her again.
Time seemed to drag at an excruciating pace. Every second was pure torture. His hands clenched upon his cards. Sera placed her hand on his thigh. He shifted as he instantly became erect. Seizing hold of her hand, he forced it to remain still. The smile she sent him was completely knowing, and utterly enticing.
"Witch," he murmured.
"Yep," she agreed happily.
"Okay," Kathleen announced. "Let's see what we've got."
He laid his cards on the table as a knock on the door resounded through the living room. "I'll get it," Sera volunteered as she hopped to her feet. She had already lost most of her change, and she knew that she stood no chance of regaining it.
"Who could that possibly be?" Kathleen pondered as she scooped her winnings up, again.
Liam turned to watch as Sera disappeared into the foyer. The minute she stepped out of his sight, he wanted to go and make sure that she was safe. "Hi," she greeted. "Sure, come on in, you must be freezing. Have you been out there all day?"
"Yeah," a girl replied. "I got lost. I just found this place again."
"That's awful," Sera said. "Come on in, we were just playing a game. I'll introduce you to everyone."
Liam frowned as he stood. There was something familiar about the girl's voice. Mike, Jack, and Doug rose as Sera entered the room, followed by a small girl. Liam's heart began to jack hammer rapidly, the breath froze in his lungs as he gaped in disbelief at the beautiful woman behind Sera. "Guys this is..."
"Beth," Mike breathed, silencing Sera in mid-sentence.
"Hello everyone," Beth said, a sly smile on her face. "Am I interrupting something? Dinner perhaps?"
Liam's breath gradually returned to him. Jack and Doug remained frozen, staring in awe. Kathleen's eyes were wide as she looked everyone over. Danielle stood beside her, her eyes narrowed as she watched Beth. Beth scanned the room as she idly trailed her hand across the back of the couch.
"Lovely place," she commented as she moved closer to Liam. "How are you doing Liam?"
Liam glanced over at Sera. She was only ten feet away, but it suddenly seemed like a mile. She stared at him in confusion, her eyes startlingly violet in the candlelight. "You know each other?" Kathleen asked in disbelief.
