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Zoey’s face went bright red.
    “Oh, right! Like he doesn’t know he’s got a ballistic weapon in his—”
    Enough! Zoey’s psychic voice rang in Serena’s head, silencing her in mid-joke. “It’s alright, Isaac, really,” she smiled warmly up at him and gave him a quick kiss. “We just had some car problems. Had to call for a tow.”
    “Yea, ‘car problems’. That’s one way to put it, I guess.” Serena sighed, “You know that most of what was under that hood was custom?” She drove her fist into her palm, “I am so going to make those rogues pay!”
    “Oh good! You guys are finally back,” Nikki stepped out, her hair held up in a bun and her dark skin glistening from sweat.
    “You’d better just be sweaty from an actual work out!” Serena narrowed her eyes.
    “Yeah, yeah! We just got back from the gym.” Nikki smirked. “No need to get your panties in a twist.”
    “Lord knows they’re crowded enough already,” Isaac chuckled.
    “Oh, I bet you’re just happy as a pig in shit to have had that opportunity, aren’t you?” Serena stuck her tongue out at Isaac.
    Both Isaac and Zoey laughed.
    Serena rolled her eyes and sighed, turning back to Nikki and watched as Raith stepped out, still shirtless.
    Serena stared. Though she knew that it wasn’t Zane—not in the sense of who was driving the body, anyway—it was, day-by-excruciating-day, becoming a chore to not let that fact simply be forgotten. How simple would it have been just to let herself forget that the body she was staring at—the body she’d come to know and love—no longer contained the vampire she’d come to know and love? What she and Zane had had was, though based on a fleeting and chance encounter, far more meaningful than she’d even come to fully appreciate before it was taken away. Now that she was face-to-face with a walking, talking reminder of who had been taken away, the potential to forget that pain within the actual arms of who’d been taken was a throbbing possibility.
    Except that it wasn’t.
    He wasn’t Zane.
    He wasn’t hers.
    And that hurt.
    “Did you tell her what you found out, luv?” Raith asked Nikki; the faint hint of an Australian accent riding on his words and forcing Serena’s boiling blood finally cool. It wasn’t Zane’s voice; it wasn’t Zane’s posture or gestures. Even his eyes had changed; the once silver and alluring right eye now showing as a dull brown, though the left was still the same blue that Serena remembered.
    Serena frowned, “Did you tell me what?”
    “What did you find out?” Zoey chimed in, stepping forward to join Serena at her side.
    “It looks like we have some competition heading in,” Nikki frowned. “Word on the street is there’s a new clan in the works on the South side of town and The Council has already offered their support.”
    “Why the hell would The Council agree to another clan in our jurisdiction?”
    Zoey frowned, “Do you think this is all in response to Axle and his gang?”
    Serena growled, “This is bullshit! The damn file even said that he was a minimal threat!”
    “The overall theme I caught drift of is ‘added security’,” Nikki offered. “Whether or not this Axle character actually poses a threat might not matter to them. Maybe they feel more manpower in their court will keep any potential plans to be reconsidered.”
    “Decrease the threat of crime by increasing the threat of punishment,” Zoey nodded slowly.
    “Fuck! As if there isn’t a big enough turd on the goddam table, now they gotta invite Michael Moore to dinner?” Serena shook her head, “Between doing our damn job and trying to track down that Kristine bitch I’m not sure how I’m supposed to be expected to play the charming neighbor housewife.”
    “I’m not sure who in their right mind would see you as the charming neighbor housewife,” Isaac frowned.
    Serena glared at him, “Blow me, Donkey Dong!”
    Zoey gave Serena a look, mouthing “Donkey Dong?”