A mild ed look came over Sylvie for a couple of seds, “Jester and Amos. That will be an iing reunion.” Feeling Casey tighten her grip, Sylvie fidently looked at her partner. “Not like that. Amos aer don’t particurly care for one another. flict of personalities.” Sylvie took direand, “At least we have to tend with Amos and An this evening.” She took a breath, “Martin, leave something to record the events tonight, I want to review it.”

  Imbued with a tiny bit of blood that Sylvie didn’t think about, the tacts Sylvie had fotteed began to send green check marks in her vision seds before Sylvie heard Code’s voice. “Experimental mode for visual and audio rec avaible for use with ten pert blood reserve.” Code paused, “tinuing prior query for odd news..”

  “Code stop!” Sylvie blurted and actally startled Martin. “Sorry, Martin. Somehow these tacts activated and I record the stuff myself.”

  Tilting his head to the side, Martin swirled his finger in a small circle. “Was that the little green lights I just saw? That’s wicked.”

  “Just a little gift from Kody.” She winked, “I guess I use these and they will be he wiser.” Sylvie touched the flower that somehoeared in her hair, then graciously thanked her ward. “Martin, You are the best.” Temporarily, Sylvie pulled herself away from Casey’s grip and gave Martin an. “You go on and finish what you o do, I know you are busy.” Sylvie added, “I know you offered, but I want to put this in writing so to speak.” Sylvie looked at Casey, then baartin. “Listen to her ands as though they were my own, subject to ge only by me.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Martin grinned wide, “Wele to the small family, Mistress Rivers.” Bowing a final time to both vampires, Martin headed back to the loading dock. “Mistress?” Martin waited for Sylvie to aowledge him, “ I left the proposal for ‘In The Dark’ that I discussed with you on your desk. Let me know if you want to take a it.”

  “Will do.” Sylvie waited for Martin to disappear from view before walking Casey to the front bar. “I am not a fan of my maker showing up.” Opening a small cooler marked private, Sylvie pulled twht red bottles out and twisted the caps off then handed oo Casey. “We arely the best of friends these days.” Drinking some of the blood itle to soothe her ag throat, Sylvie set the bottle on the bar and shook her head, “We haven’t spoken since before Phantasmagoria opened.”

  Holding the bottle under her o relish the aromatic st that percoted out, Casey tipped the bottle to her crimson lips and allowed the thick iron-rich fvor to cool her own throat. Taking down about half the bottle, Casey licked her lips pyfully. “Ahh. Good stuff.” Trying to lighten Sylvie’s mood. “Oh e on, it ’t be that bad?” She set her bottle beside Sylvie’s and leaned back against the dark wood. “s, so tell me what happened.”

  “Short version? He was much like Vivienne. He thought that Phantasmagoria was a rotten idea and would make the city reliant on vampires to survive.” Sylvie shrugged and took another drink from her blood bottle. “What I mean is that he hated the idea so much, that he actively went to the cil and tried to show his point.” Frustration in thinking about the past made the elder vampire pinch the bridge of her nose. “What he didn’t know was that Franco was involved and the head of the regional cil, so his protest fell on deaf ears.”

  Deep within her mind and body, Casey felt the struggle that Sylvie was trying to expin. Walking to her partner, Casey lightly rubbed Sylvie’s back. “I know hindsight is terrible, but it looks like the guy was right. He might not have nailed exactly what would happen, but he did get close.” Reag for Sylvie’s , Casey urged Sylvie to look at her. “If he’s ing with this dude An, I doubt it’s to rub your fa failure. He could have dohat days after the attack.”

  Swiftly tilting her head down, Sylvie mao kiss Casey’s soft hand. “Thank you.” Sylvie tugged Casey close to her by the belt loops on her jeans, “How is it that you know more than I do, and I’m two-hundred ay-five years old?”

  Happy to once more be within Sylvie’s arms, Casey walked her hands up and over her partner’s shoulders and into the blue-gray locks. “Mmm, I am not really sure. I have an oddball artist mother, who will tell you every practical thing in the world.” Casey twisted a few strands of Sylvie’s hair, “Based on what happened with Viv, I think, I was kind of a party girl.” Casey pced a delicate kiss on Sylvie’s nose. “I don’t holy remember, the fog is still there.”

  Intensely feeling the charged air between them and seeing the soft gold look in Casey’s eyes, Sylvie’s light ay disappeared and was repced with the desire to kiss her girlfriend. “We’ve been skirting this for a few hours now.” Drifting her lips over Casey’s ruby-colored lips, Sylvie stopped so her hot breath could pass between the couple. “Only if you are ready, Paramour.” Sylvie whispered soft as silk.

  tent to let Sylvie take her into their first romantic kiss, Casey’s melodid erupted with an older song that she instantly recalled her mother pying. Rather than first delving headlong into the kiss that she knew she wanted, Something within Casey told her to let the soft tune from her lips to Sylvie’s.

  -Jackie Wilson..good call Rivers. Mmm..Higher and higher, let her know how you feel.-

  “Oh..mmm, my Chatein..” Casey’s coaxing murmur escaped her lips, “Nothing would please me more..” Casey began to lightly the lyrics pulsing in her head;

  “..I'm so gd, I've finally found you Yes that one, in a million girls And I whip, my loving arms around you, honey I stand up, and face the world Let me tell ya, your love (your love keeps lifting me) Keep on lifting (love keeps lifting me) Higher (lifting me) Higher and higher (higher) I said your love (your love keeps lifting me) Keep on (love keeps lifting me) Lifting me (lifting me) Higher and higher (higher)..”

  Once Casey reached the end of her impassioned song, she o her creator and lightly bit Sylvie’s partly pouty lower lip. “Ready when you are..”

  Uhe hyper-sexual tension that Sylvie saw and experienced for Vivienne and Faye at the beginning of their lightning bolt retionship, Sylvie had the be ariment of knowily how experienced Casey was in the realm of love and passion. While Sylvie had little fshes of heat running the length of her nerves, She didn’t want to do what others had done and make this special moment a blip in history.

  -Just do what you’ve been doing, be yourself…Oh, that bite! Sun above she’s amazing.-

  Worry turo a white-hot fme when Sylvie had the feeling of her lip being teased. Sliding her hands from Casey’s waist and along her slender body, Sylvie stopped when she reached the nape of Casey’s ned massaged lightly as she dropped her fangs into pce with a soft clibsp; Finally toug their lips together, Sylvie suckled Casey’s lower lip while making sure that her sharp fangs lightly scraped Casey’s tender flesh. Hearing the pleasurable moan ing deep from Casey’s chest, Sylvie took a sed to use the small amount of blood that came from her fang-py. Spreading the ardently charged psma over both their lips, Sylvie gracefully pushed herself into their first kiss. Easily swirlioh Casey’s, Sylvie moved her head and mouth so that her fangs grazed and scratched her girlfriend’s supple digit.