((This story occurs in June of 2009.))

Michelle Goya had always been a bully. Even from the time she was three years old, she'd been meaner, crueler and more vicious than the other kids. Things had gotten worse as she'd grown older. By the time she was seventeen years old, she'd been a member of a gang for five years and had a juvenile record that included arrests for assault, drug possession and distribution, and armed robbery. There wasn't a high school in Nogales, Arizona, that would accept her as a student, so her parents sent her to live with her aunt in Tucson. Despite the move, or perhaps because of her new-found freedom, Michelle's attitude did not improve. She dropped out of high school a month shy of graduating and then spent the next three years behind bars, after being arrested and imprisoned on a weapons charge. She was attacked by a leopard Lycanthrope while in prison and once released, she sunk to a whole new level of cruelty.

Michelle joined the Baboquivari Lepe a year after her release from prison and spent another two years slowly working her way up the chain of command. Everyone she butted heads with disappeared or was involved in some sort of deadly accident. Tucson Police detectives investigated each accident and disappearance but could never uncover enough evidence to do anything more than merely question Michelle. It was common knowledge, however, that she was responsible for the deaths of at least five people. Michelle began to enjoy a new reputation, that of a clever and calculating killer.

Two years after joining the Lepe, Michelle challenged its Queen, a Lion named Celeste McNamara. Michelle killed Celeste in a bloody, savage contest and took control of the group. In the year that followed, Michelle cemented her power base by killing off all of Celeste's friends and driving away the more powerful Lycans who belonged to the Lepe. The Lepe's ranks were decimated, leaving only seven members of the original twenty ? five women and two men, Cats Michelle knew to be too weak to challenge her. It was then that the real cruelty began.

Using her Cats as sex slaves, Michelle began trading their services in exchange for cash, guns and drugs. She held the Lepe in such an iron fist that the weaker members were terrified to report their Queen's activities to the authorities, especially after Michelle threatened to kill their families. Michelle made powerful friends throughout the preternatural community, namely an equally cruel and vicious Leopard named Rafael. Together, they terrorised Tucson...until Riley O'Rourke ruined everything by revealing the existence of Lycanthropes and vampires to the world.

The Night Of Revelations changed things for Michelle. She now could be freely open about what she was, but this openness and the formation of special federal, state, and city police forces created specifically to handle preternatural citizens was a double-edged sword. She could no longer kill so casually because each death would be investigated more closely, more thoroughly by detectives who were specially trained in preternatural politics and society. And since the Night of Revelations had occurred in Tucson, special attention was now paid to her Lepe. It was used as a model for similar groups throughout the world and Michelle found her actions and decisions were being scrutinised. She knew that it was only a matter of time before things fell apart and she lost control of the Lepe and quite possibly wound up on death row.

But thanks to a new powerful ally, Michelle knew who to blame for the precarious situation she now found herself in. What had the Night of Revelation done for Michelle anyway? Nothing, and even the Preternatural Amendment hadn't given her any rights she hadn't had before it was passed. If anything, the Amendment had made her life more difficult. Yes, the blame lay squarely on Riley O'Rourke's shoulders and Michelle would make the bitch pay.

((This portion of the story occurs in September of 2009. Rhys has been missing for approximately two months.))

?Riley, there's a call for you on line two,? Elaine's voice said over Riley's intercom.

Riley glanced up from the brief she was reading and sighed softly. ?Is it him?? she asked.

?No. It's...well, she wouldn't tell me her name but she said she has some information about Chris's disappearance. I think you should talk to her, Riley,? Elaine answered.

?Chris's disappearance?? Riley frowned, clearly stunned. ?Okay. Put her through.?

Riley's phone buzzed and she answered it, ?Riley O'Rourke.?

There was a short pause before a woman's voice with just a hint of a Mexican accent said, ?I know you ganked him.?

?What? Who is this?? Riley fired back.

?That don't matter, b*tch. I know you and Bristol killed Miller. I want $10,000 by tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. or I go to Lindley with what I know.?

Riley's face drained of its colour and she gripped the phone so hard it creaked in her hand. She took a deep breath and said softly, ?I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I don't know anyone named Bristol.?

The woman on the other end of the phone laughed. ?Yeah, you do. You and your f*ck buddy killed Miller. Bristol shot him twice in the chest with silver and then you ate his heart. $10,000 by tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. I'll call your cell phone in two hours to give you details where to leave the money.? The phone clicked and the line went dead.

Riley moved like she was underwater. She very carefully put the receiver down and sat perfectly still for a moment, trying to formulate a coherent thought. She glanced at the clock on her wall, mentally calculating the time in New York City. Then she shook her head; it didn't matter what time it was back East, he wouldn't take her call anyway.

She stood up, grabbing her purse and walking to the door. She dialed Onyx's number and as she was waiting for him to answer, she said to Elaine, ?Take messages. I'm taking the rest of the day off.? Elaine nodded but gave her a concerned look.

?Hello, Riley,? Onyx said by way of answering his phone.

?Onyx, I need your help,? Riley said as she unlocked her car door and slid inside.

?What with? Are you in trouble??

She nodded, though he couldn't see it and said softly, ?Yeah, I think so. Big trouble. Can I come over and talk to you??

?Of course.?

?Okay, I'll see you in half an hour.?

?I'll be here,? the vampire answered.

Riley sighed with relief and set her phone aside as she started the car. She drove out of her office's parking lot and headed towards the far eastern fringes of Tucson, to Onyx's house. She followed Speedway Boulevard until it dead-ended at the boundary of Saguaro National Park East and then turned left, pulling into the private drive that led to Onyx's 300 year old house. The building was typical Mission-style architecture ? flat roof, exposed beams, small and widely-spaced windows. It was made of river rock, rather than adobe and wasn't large, but neither was it small. The public part of the house consisted of an unused living room, an unused kitchen, five unused bedrooms and five unused bathrooms. Apparently, when Onyx had built the place back in the early 1700's, he thought he'd be doing a lot of entertaining.

What made Onyx's house special was the basement. Houses in Tucson didn't typically have basements, but this one did, for obvious reasons. The room was huge ? easily forty feet square, with fifteen-foot high ceilings. Two entire walls were covered floor-to-ceiling with books; another wall and the floor in front of it was covered with works of art ? paintings, sculptures, sketches, anthropological artefacts, weapons...the list went on. Onyx had had his collection appraised at more than $300 million dollars five years ago; Riley felt reasonably confident that the estimate was low. The remaining wall of the basement had a large, stainless-steel industrial-sized refrigerator and a single mattress on the floor, which Riley jokingly called Onyx's monk's pallet. The center of the room was dominated by a sectional couch, a coffee table and an entertainment center with high-end electronic gadgets: a flat-panel plasma TV, Blu-ray player and a surround-sound home theatre system. He probably even had a gaming console or two tucked away as well. It had always stuck Riley as amusingly ironic that the vampire had developed such a taste for modern electronics. He had, after all, been around since shortly after the invention of the wheel.

She parked her car directly in front of Onyx's house and climbed out, shielding her eyes against the harsh desert afternoon sun. Though he'd tried to explain it to her on more than one occasion, she had never quite understood why Onyx no longer required sleep during the daylight. It had something to do with his age, she was sure, but beyond that, she had no idea.

She took the three steps that led to his deep front porch and rang the bell next to the front door. The door opened almost immediately, revealing Onyx, a soft smile on his somewhat androgynous face. Riley smiled back and stepped into the house, stooping to hug the vampire and kiss his cheek. She was always surprised by how small Onyx was ? he barely topped five feet tall and probably weighed at least twenty pounds less than she did. His hair was jet black and very long. He usually wore it pulled back into a tight braid, the tail of which hung down to the small of his back. His skin wasn't pale like a corpse's; instead it was the tan of someone who had spent a lifetime out of doors. He was dressed in his typical tailored black pants and charcoal grey silk shirt and there was a look of concern in his dead black eyes.

?Do you want a drink or something?? Onyx asked. ?I have soda, water, juice, milk...?

Riley's mouth curled in a tiny smile. ?You know, I really miss your martinis. Water's good, though. Thanks.? The vampire nodded and looked Riley over carefully, waiting for her reaction before speaking again. Riley sighed softly and folded her hands over her stomach. She could tell that Onyx was waiting for her reaction to the fact that she was now two months pregnant and looking at the life of being a single mother. ?It's good. It really is. It'll be hard, you know. Without...him, but it's good.?

?I'm happy for you,? he said with a smile. ?It is one of the very few regrets I have about being a vampire.?

?What is? That you can't have children??

He nodded and said, ?I never had any children when I was human and now I cannot, at least not in the conventional way.?

She smirked and turned towards the stairs that led to the basement. ?You're not exactly the conventional type, Onyx. I honestly can't see you as a father.?

?I think I would make an excellent father. I don't drink, I don't smoke. I'm certainly going to be around for the foreseeable future, and if 3,000 years has taught me anything, it's patience.? He followed her down the stairs.

Riley laughed and looked up at him over her shoulder. ?Wanna help me??

His brows rose minutely in surprise, a reaction equivalent to a jaw-dropping, thunderstruck expression on a normal person. He recovered almost instantly. ?You know I will be there if you ever need help with anything, Riley.?

She nodded and gave him a grateful look as she walked down the last stairs and crossed the room to his couch. She sunk down on it and sighed deeply. ?I think I'm really up sh*t creek here.?

He sat next to her and said, ?Tell me about it.?

She relayed the conversation she'd had earlier with the mysterious woman on the phone. ?$10,000? Who asks for such a small amount? Either she's planning something else or she didn't do her homework on me before she called. She could easily have asked for a million,? Riley said.

The vampire nodded. ?Asking for such a small amount is either, as you said, an indication of unpreparedness or, more likely, an attempt to draw you into a trap. Anyone who has done even the slightest amount of homework would know that you have easy access to far more than that amount. $10,000 is small change to you.?

Riley chewed her bottom lip. ?I have to meet her, Onyx. You know I do. This could really hurt Rhys.? She sighed and closed her eyes, having just spoken the unspeakable ? Rhys's name. ?I don't... I don't want to hurt him anymore than I have already.?

Onyx nodded again. ?I agree. Assuming it is a trap, which I am, the best way to diffuse it is to spring it, of course. Or to avoid it entirely, but that is not a viable option for us.?

?Us?? Riley's brow rose in question.

He shrugged. ?You're here, asking for my help. I can only assume you want back-up for this meeting. And knowing that it's difficult for even your kind to detect my kind makes me the logical choice, does it not??

She nodded and gave him a quick, impulsive hug. ?Thank you,? she said sincerely and sighed softly. ?I really hope it doesn't come down to a fight though; I'm still recovering from the sh*t in New York. The silver poisoning really messed me up.?

Onyx returned her hug. ?It's always better to avoid a fight, but we must prepare as though we know there will be one. The only thing left to do is wait for the phone call with the details.? Riley nodded and settled back, closing her eyes and trying desperately not to think about Rhys.

Riley pulled up slowly into the yard of the abandoned ranch. She glanced to the southwest of the barn at a small copse of mesquite and chaparral bushes where Onyx was hopefully still hiding. Then she looked back at the barn and the house, her eyes moving over the buildings slowly as if she could read them for hints of an ambush. She'd spent the past hour and a half trying to convince herself that the meet would be easy, that she would get her answers and then she and Onyx would kill this woman and whomever was with her. And then pigs might fly and Elvis would be discovered still alive and managing a Burger Barn in Honolulu.

She parked the car as far from the barn as she could without looking suspicious, as she and Onyx had discussed earlier. She slowly got out, holding a thick envelope stuffed with $10,000. She shut the car door and shaded her eyes with her hand as she continued looking over the property. The front door of the house opened and two people walked out, headed towards her. Riley moved away from her car and took three steps forward and paused, waiting for them to come to her.

The woman was short but powerfully built, like a boxer. She moved with preternatural grace, reinforcing Onyx's impressions of her being a Lycanthrope. She was definitely of Hispanic descent ? she had dark skin, black hair and dark eyes. She was dressed in black jeans, a red t-shirt and black tennis shoes. Riley was certain that she had never laid eyes on this woman before and was still perplexed as to her motives for blackmail.

The man behind her was tall, probably two or three inches over six feet and also powerfully built. He, too, was of Hispanic descent, though his face was more angular, indicating possible Native American blood. He was wearing blue jeans, a black sleeveless shirt that revealed huge biceps and black biker boots. He moved with preternatural ease and had a smirk on his face. Riley felt the overwhelming desire to slap that smirk right off his mouth and she was forced to curl her hands into fists at her side as she controlled her anger.

The woman stopped about fifteen feet away from Riley and gave her a careful once-over. ?I must admit to being a little disappointed, O'Rourke,? she said. ?I was expecting more of a fight. You got the cash??

Riley nodded and held up the envelope. ?Tell me something?? she asked.

The woman's lip curled and she shrugged. ?Why not??

?How did you find out about Chris's death? Who told you??

The woman laughed. ?This chick, Lilith. She looked me up and told me all about you. She explained to me how you're the one who was responsible for f*cking up my life. You see, I had it so good until you outed us. Now I gotta watch my ass all the damned time and I got Cats whining to me about how I'm violating their civil rights or some bullsh*t.? The man standing behind her snickered.

Riley's blood ran cold at the mention of Lilith. She only knew one Lilith ? the demon who had sent the Wild Hunt after her. That explained everything and instantly she knew that this was a set-up and she was in more danger than she and Onyx could handle. She thought for a split second of trying to talk her way into safety, but abandoned the idea and Shifted, instead, knowing that letting her Cat out to play would improve her chances ? and more importantly, the baby's chances ? of surviving.

Riley crouched down and opened up the flood-gates, letting her Cat take over. Her bones and muscles rearranged themselves with a rippling, crunching sound, hands and feet becoming paws that were tipped with razor-sharp claws. She gained a foot and a half of height and another two hundred pounds of muscle mass. Her face elongated, becoming a muzzle that was lined with deadly fangs. Her jaw muscles were now strong enough to bite completely through the skull of a bull elk. Black fur poured out of her body like water and she threw her head back, screaming a challenge that echoed throughout the surrounding area.

The two others changed as well, both becoming Leopards. The male was much larger and heavier than Riley, but that didn't bother her at the moment. She knew Onyx would be there to watch her back and so she lunged at the male, swiping at him with her claws. She raked them across his face viciously, hoping to distract him so she could concentrate on the woman. He screamed and staggered back a few steps, clapping his hands to his face.

The female attacked Riley an instant after she launched herself at the male, driving a heavy punch into Riley's ribcage, cracking her ribs and tossing her off her feet, launching her sideways. Riley landed on her feet, and began to turn but the female had already charged in again. She raked her claws across Riley's back before she could turn around completely, tearing through skin and muscle. Riley scrambled forward, yowling in pain. The wound was serious but not disabling. She was not out of the fight yet.

Hearing the female rushing in again, Riley dropped forward onto her hands and kicked her leg straight out behind her. Riley's foot speared into the other Lycan's gut, claws puncturing her skin. The leopard folded up around Riley's foot, her breath whooshing out of her. Riley corkscrewed to the side, twisting the claws stuck in the female's gut and brought her other foot up, kicking the Lycan in the face. The female was sent staggering sideways, giving Riley time to scramble to her feet.

The male, recovered now, launched a flying tackle at Riley, nailing her and sending them both to the ground. She landed heavily on her side and was pushed onto her back by the male's momentum. He was now on top of her and snapping at her neck. Riley managed to twist to the side and jerked her shoulder up, ramming it into the side of his mouth, forcing his head up and away from her neck.

She rammed her forearm into the male's throat, crushing cartilage, and he made a desperate choking sound as he rolled off her. Riley staggered to her feet. She was feeling pretty ragged now, and the lingering effects of the silver poisoning weren't helping any.

Riley heard the crunch of gravel behind her and turned to face the sound. The female's smirking face was scant inches from hers. She felt a weird, cold, tearing sensation and looked down to see the other Lycan's hand buried to the wrist in her stomach. It didn't hurt yet, but Riley knew that she was as good as dead. ?No,? she whispered. ?Peanut. Oh, god, baby. I'm so sorry.?

The female raised her other arm to tear out Riley's throat but before she could, there was a hideous crunching and tearing sound from behind Riley and the leopard froze, a look of utter shock and disbelief on her face. ?It's not possible. You can't be here...? she said.

This was the only chance Riley was going to get. She grabbed the sides of the female's head and pulled herself down, stretching her jaws open as wide as they would go and bit into the Lycan's skull with all the strength she had left. Three-inch fangs pierced the bone, driving deep into the female's brain, killing her instantly. The Leopard collapsed and Riley fell forward on top of her.

Onyx's hands came into view and gently disengaged her teeth from the female's head. He rolled Riley carefully off the body, pausing to remove the hand from her gut. The vampire pulled off his shirt and wadded it up, pressing it against the wound to staunch the flow of blood, then slid his other arm under her and began to pick her up.

?No, wait,? she gasped. ?The heart...I need her heart.?

He looked at her for a second and then nodded, laying her down carefully and reaching for the corpse. Riley could hear a few cracking sounds and a wet squelching and then he held the Lycan's heart to her lips. She closed her eyes and took a bite and swallowed without chewing. She opened her eyes and looked up at Onyx, nodding, and then passed out, succumbing finally to her wounds.

The next time Riley surfaced from her morphine-induced sleep, the first thing she saw was Mama-san's worried face hovering just inches from her own. ?Watashi no musume, choushiwadou?? Bright tears streaked down the tiny woman's face and she crushed Riley's hand between her own, significantly smaller ones.

Riley nodded and said in a broken voice, ?Hai, Mama-san, genkidesu.? She flicked a look over her mother's shoulder and saw her father standing there. He moved closer and pressed a gentle kiss against Riley's forehead. ?Daddy,? she croaked and fresh tears sprang to her eyes. ?Gomennasai,? she said through her tears.

?Hush, Riley. There's no reason for you to be sorry. None of this was your fault, okay?? Her father's voice was firm but gentle and it did a lot to alleviate some of her more irrational fears ? that they would be upset with her for losing the baby...and Rhys. Her parents exchanged a veiled look over her head, a look that held more meaning than she could discern. ?What?? she asked. ?What's wrong? Has something else happened?? The heart monitor's beeping began picking up more speed and Dr O'Rourke stepped away from Riley's bedside, moving around to study the machines.

Mama-san took a deep breath and said, ?Riley-chan, I do not want you to upset yourself any more than you already are. There's been an accident, though...?

?Rhys? Is it Rhys? Is he all right? Where is he?? Riley struggled to sit up, wincing at the shooting pain in her lower abdomen. Her father gently pushed her back against the bed and gave his wife a sharp look. ?Can't this wait, Keiko?? he asked her.

?No, Michael, she needs to know.? Mama-san turned back to Riley and said in a soft voice, ?Takamatsu-san's plane has crashed above Iowa. The airline is not releasing names of survivors or the dead until the next of kin can be notified.?

?No, Mama-san. Please, no.? Riley's mind was reeling; somewhere in the back of her head, she heard the heart monitor and other machines alarms sounding, but she didn't connect the noises with herself. There was a sharp prick in her forearm and she turned her head to give her father a traitorous look before darkness swept over her once more and dragged her down into the depths of sleep.