Aleks was across the table before he could even reason with himself, "You touch her. I will fucking end you."

He grabbed Dorian by the chest pushing him off the chair and landing on him. His hands wrapped around his throat.

The last thing he could recall before the blackout was Ari standing over them both shaking her head.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: What Cure

Hanna

She looked at her red dress and smiled, she had never felt so alive. She walked from the room and down the long hallway to the staircase. She looked down at Roland and smiled.

"You look lovely my dear."

She laughed, "Thanks Roland. You look pretty good your self."

She was careful on the stairs. She took his arm and let him lead her to the huge dining room table where a huge feast was set for them.

"This looks incredible. You made it all?"

He laughed, "Yes of course. Now have a seat." He pulled the chair out for her.

She heard a knock at the door and looked puzzled at Roland who grinned like the Cheshire cat.

He left the room quickly.

She could hear voices but not well enough to pinpoint the owner.

She stood as Andy walked around the corner.

He looked handsome in dark brown cords and a navy polo. He was considerably under dressed, compared to her and Roland but his muscles made his clothing inconsequential.

"Andy, what a nice surprise." It was.

"Hanna you look stunning. I feel under dressed."

"No you look great."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She savored the scent of him. It was a natural smell.

He pulled her back and kissed her cheek softly. She felt dizzy. She forced herself to think of dinner but the smell of the detective was too overwhelming.

She stepped back and walked from the table, "I forgot something up stairs, I'll be right back."

She climbed the stairs quickly to get the vial. She hated the idea that he too would see her as a normal girl, but she owed him that. She hadn’t been able to get the charm bracelet made.

She picked it up out of the purple sack and held it in her hand tightly. She wanted to cry realizing he would feel nothing. It would leave her still be attracted to him, just as she was with Aleks. She wondered if there was a cure for the way she was attracted to the opposite sex?

She picked up the Christmas gift she had bought him and walked down the stairs.

She went into the kitchen first and looked at Roland, "I need his glass of wine."

Roland looked at her confused, "Why?"

She held up the vial, "I need to free him."

He looked at it and nodded. He passed her the glass and watched as she drained the vial into the glass. He took it back and poured red wine into it.

He passed her a glass as well. She smiled and carried both in with the gift under her arm.

"So what are you plans over the holiday?"

She passed Andy the wine still smiling even though a small part of her heart was breaking.

"Well I was thinking that maybe I might see if you wanted to go to the outdoor rink and skate. Then I have dinner at my moms." He took the wine from her, "Thanks."

She nodded watching it hit his lip press against the glass. He swallowed nodding, "Bit tart for me."

She grinned, "Drink up and I will get you a glass of white."

He laughed, "You trying to get me drunk?"

"What, me? No way." She knew her eyes were dazzling him, her charms were at their peak. Any second he would realize there was nothing special about her. She couldn’t feel her heart beating. The absence of a beat scared her.

His glass emptied, he made a face making her laugh. He took a step toward her looking at the gift, "Is that for me?"

She nodded passing it to him, he looked at her as if nothing had changed.

"Can I open it now or will you come with me to my moms?"

She nearly spit her wine across the room, "Oh uhm, what?"

He laughed, "I'll just open it now. I left yours at my place, so you'll have to come and get it."

Her face flushed, "You want me to come to your house? No don't open it. I will come to your house."

"Its an apartment not a house, it is definitely not this place. My dad owns a pharmacy so, yeah we don’t have a Roland at my moms."

She laughed, "No one has a Roland."

Roland walked into the dining room with a fresh glass of white wine, "I am taking that as a compliment Hanna dear."

She giggled nervously giving him a look, "It was meant as one. Andy wants me to go to his house over Christmas." She gave him her best-panicked look, "What day am I free?"

Roland looked as if he were thinking but Hanna knew he was processing, "Boxing Day. Unless you want to hit the shops?"

She frowned, "No I'm cool. No shops for me."

Andy looked at her glass of wine, "You drink? You're how old?"

She laughed, "Well I am nineteen, but my mom was European so I've always drank wine with dinner. My aunt and uncle were good with it."

Roland nearly choked with laughter.

Andy raised an eyebrow, "Well it's twenty-one for legal age."

Roland smiled, "I believe there is something about your parent or guardian allowing it in the home though is there not."

Andy grinned back, "Maybe something like that."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Maturing is optional

Aleksander

"That was rude, it was bloody rude. How was I to know you'd spit on her like she was the last donut as Aimee always says? For bloody Christ sake I am your oldest friend." Dorian dabbed the bit of blood from his forehead.

Aleks snarled, "You are a terrible friend."

"Well that doesn’t make me less of a friend."

Aleks looked homicidally at Ari, "You ever do that to me again."

Dorian growled at him, "My turn to warn you of the boundaries of our friendship."

Aleks felt himself about to leap from the chair but Ari laughed at him.

"You both are retarded. This is nuts. I get she's hot, but honestly."

Aleks looked at Ari and nodded, "You're right, our behavior was atrocious."

Dorian grinned wickedly, "Speak for yourself. I haven’t murdered anyone today. My behavior has been impeccable."

Aleks rubbed his jaw where Dorian had punched, "You hit like a girl."

Dorian laughed, "You better be nice to me or I'm going to hit your girl."

"She isn’t mine."

Dorian laughed, "Yeah because she doesn’t know how strongly you feel about her."

Ari rolled her eyes, "I'm outtie, peace out daddy." Her tone was sarcastic.

Aleks felt for Dorian in a small way, even if his efforts had been sad and he was reaping his own rewards. Ari still had not accepted he was her family. Her only family. Her uncle was kept safe by believing he'd won a free winery in Italy that he couldn’t sell. In reality it had been Dorian's winery.

Dorian waved, "Thanks for hanging out."

Ari laughed going upstairs.

Dorian wiped the last of his black blood from his eyebrow. He groaned rolling his eyes exactly the way his daughter just had, "Look mate you need to tell her how you feel. She's fucking sexy. I've thought about the things I would do to her since the minute I saw her. Had she not been on deaths door I might have. Now she looks ungodly hot."

Aleks growled again.

Dorian put his hands in the air, "I'm just being real with you. She's a smoking hot vampire. Her sex drive is going to explode. One of us is going to be there for that."

Aleks laughed, "You're awfully confident for someone she barely knows.

He shrugged, "I only need a minute."

"Wow, not something I ever imagined I would hear you admit to. I mean there have been rumors."

Dorian stood up quickly, "Oh that’s it."

He was gone in a wink.

Aleks realized what was happening and quickly flashed from the room to Giselle's room. It was ajar.

Dorian was hovering over her bed, he whispered in her ear. She moaned in her sleep.

Aleks crossed the room in a step grabbing his arm, "You are sick." He whispered harshly.

Dorian grinned, "Look at that face. Can you imagine your…"

Aleks dragged him from the room quickly before he could finish his sentence.

Aimee was standing in the hallway with an eyebrow raised, as they wrestled their way from the sleeping girls room.

"What's going on?"

Dorian grinned at Aimee, "Aimee James. My favorite death dealer."

Aimee looked at Aleks who shrugged, "Nothing. Just making sure Giselle was comfortable. You know."

Aimee nodded giving Dorian a disgusted look, "I see."

She walked around them to the door and peered in, "Don’t mess with her." She spoke more to Dorian but Aleks felt his share of the anger.

Aimee walked away shaking her head, "Perverts. You're acting like frat boys. Act your age."

Dorian licked his lips watching her walk away.

Aleks shoved him, "Get a grip. Find a girl I haven’t been in love with, please."

Dorian raised his eyebrow, "Like that new Hanna. I hear she's a siren. You know what they're like in the sack. I barely survived the one I was with a while back. She was nuts, it was amazing."

Aleks rubbed his temples, "Being around you is like being around a sixteen year old boy. You walk around letting your cock do all the talking."

"Least I use mine for something beyond getting rid of the odd glass of wine."

He was gone from the hall before Aleks could attempt choking him again.

Chapter Forty: All worked up with no where to go

Hanna

Andy had kissed her goodnight, he'd let his hand run up her back, he'd done everything a guy really into a girl would do.

She sighed filling her wine glass up again.

"He called you a minor." Roland chuckled.

"I am a minor, eternally."