FOURTEEN (ISELEN POV)

"Iselen, wake up!" Terra's voice seems to come from far away and I decide to ignore it. Actually, even if my brain hears the knocking on the door and nervous whispers and understands that something weird is going and I should be paying attention, my body is too tired and sleepy to be able to do something besides being lying in my bed comfortably. "Move, you stupid useless vampire!"

"She didn't tell me that last night," I think and smile inside my mind despite I'm still groggy. "She didn't think I was useless when my tongue was swirling around her..."

"Iselen, Ruby is in danger!"

Okay, those words manage to wake me up and I open my eyes slowly, making a great effort to be able to sit down on the mattress although I feel dizzy. I realize that the werewolf is getting dressed near the door, that's slightly open, and I can see a small black feather floating above her head which means that Raven was here and she left in a rush, probably. A barking coming from the bathroom startles me and the human opens the door, walking into the bedroom putting a hoodie on followed by her dogs. I look at her puzzled, I don't see how Ruby could be in danger, in fact, she looks as beautiful as always and smells so sweet that makes my mouth water.

"Iselen, are you okay?" The pretty lady sits down on the mattress next to me and cradles my face while I stare at her entranced. "It's two hours until it gets dark outside, you should be sleeping, there's nothing you can do in this condition."

"Vampires..." Terra growls jumping on one foot while putting her boot on. "Wake up, we're besieged."

"Sorry, what?" I ask yawning.

"The Wind Rose is under siege: there're demons trying to break through the protective barrier, a bunch of evil wizards is digging a tunnel to avoid it and lay their hands on the key sneaking into the garden, there're crows flying over the house nonstop and several half demons have set fire to some trees near the south gate. Maeve, Raven and our friends are really scared, the magical fence is strong and can stop everything, supposedly, but it never got struck by so many spells at the same time. I told them to stay in the house and ordered the ghosts to climb up to the roof to keep an eye on our enemies."

"Okay, I understand... This is not good," I mumble shaking my head to try to clear my mind. My brain is working slowly but it concludes that I should get up and put some clothes on although I don't know how to do that because my muscles feel weak and numb. "I need..."

"What?" Ruby asks worried, leaning closer to my torso: I can see the pulse beating in her neck and I swallow hard. I can't jump on top of her right now, someone is attacking us and, in addition to that, I wouldn't be able to stop... This human is too great a temptation, I'd drain her completely and would have to turn her into a vampire to save her life... there's nothing I want more than to drink that sweet nectar greedily.

"A bag of blood, from the fridge in the kitchen," I answer grimacing when feeling my stomach clenching. To be honest, that viscous and cold blood I drink every day is disgusting if I compare it to the delicious liquid running through her veins. When did I become such a gourmet? I used to settle for a bit of 0+ in my glass of wine and sporadic contributions of the werewolf's powerful blood when she took pity on me and let me bite her. But now I only want them both, all the time.

"I'll be right back with it," Ruby leaves the room and her wonderful perfume goes with her, it helps to clear my mind a little.

"Are you all right?" Terra asks worried, watching me getting up slowly and dragging my feet to the bathroom. "I'm sorry, babe, but I really need your help if things get ugly here. I hope that barrier won't fall apart..."

"It won't," I answer leaning on the doorframe. "I'm fine, I'll take a cold shower, drink a whole bag of blood and..."

"Strong coffee?" the wolf asks confused because I fell silent suddenly, trying to find out what else I need.

"Yes, coffee, a lot... Good, thank you... Fuck, I'm really useless when it's daylight." I shake my head, dismayed, and she chuckles.

"That's one of your bloodsucker charms and I wouldn't love you if you were different. Come on, get your shower."

Around twenty minutes later, I'm sitting down under the vine that provides shade to the side porch, drinking the last sip of blood and wearing my sunglasses to stop my headache while Ruby brings a tray from the kitchen. Necromancers and witches are watching the sky anxiously, a large flock of crows is cawing out loud making a hell of a noise while monitoring our movements but they can't get close, sometimes colored lightning strike the barrier and sparks of fire float above the trees, threatening with setting the branches on fire... It'd look like an amazing firework show if it weren't for the fact that they're powerful spells that are trying to tear down our defenses. And the last thing we need right now are dozens of human firefighters arriving in big trucks.

"A double expresso, a classic cappuccino and a mochaccino with cream and caramel," the human smiles proudly while I blink surprised, looking at three mugs in front of me.

"You're lucky that vampires can't have a heart attack," Zara whispers shocked. "All that caffeine and sugar can't be good for you."

"I need a stimulant if you want to see me awake at this hour," I growl grabbing the expresso and drinking it in two gulps like it's some kind of medicine. "Wow, that was delicious." Coffee warms my stomach up and the bitter taste is balanced by the sweet mochaccino, I lean back in my chair enjoying the cappuccino slowly smiling at Ruby who sits down next to me and takes Chance in her arms. "You're a good barista."

"Thank you. Usually, I only have mild coffee in the morning because I don't want to get too jittery but bought a fancy coffee maker when I moved some months ago and I like making special coffees for my friends. It all seems such a long time ago but it's only two weeks since the last time I was in my kitchen." The human sighs wearily watching the sky turning green and blue while spells keep striking the invisible barrier. "What are we going to do? Do we have news from Raven's sister?"

"No, unfortunately, but we have food and bags of blood enough for a month," Maeve states walking through the door while holding in her hand a list where she noted down all the supplies we have in the pantry.

"And other ways to get out of this property that they don't know, some of them involve magic and some others do not," Terra whispers winking at Ruby. "In addition to that, we have lot of allies and grateful supernatural friends because we helped them years ago, they'll come to defend us if we need them. Don't worry, we'll be fine as long as the barrier withstands the spells... What's going on now? Why are those half demons screaming?" The wolf gets up and looks at the forest, worried. "Georgina, can you see what's happening?"

"The hunters have arrived," the head of the ghost appears through the wood planks that hold the vine above us and looks at me smiling wickedly while I take the last sip of coffee.

"Don't you dare," I growl angrily when I realize she wants to float through my body to see me shivering with cold.

"You're in bad mood when you wake up early..."

"Go back to the roof, Georgina," Terra orders upset and the ghost obeys sticking her tongue out at me. "There's too much magical energy building up in this forest and it drew demon and sorcerer hunters, they'll kill each other and will leave us alone, if we're lucky."

"I could've stayed in bed comfortably," I grumble quietly but the wolf has super good hearing, unfortunately, and stares at me with a furrowed brow.

"I didn't know if the barrier would withstand the attack and was worried because I thought you were capable of sleeping soundly while demons kidnapped Ruby and kicked our asses," she answers angrily.

"Oh baby, I would've taken revenge later, ripping their heads off and hanging them from those trees," I smile amused. "No demon has the right to kick your furry ass, that's my privilege, although I prefer to kiss it before..."

"For God's sake, don't say it out loud," Maeve grimaces while the necromancers laugh and witches shake their heads, amused.

"Will it always be like this?" Ruby asks wearily. "I'll spend my life listening to you fighting despite we all know you can't keep your hands off each other..."

"Well, if you don't like listening how I make fun of the plush toy, there's an effective way to shut me up," I whisper leaning towards the human. "Sit on my face..."

"Iselen, it's not the right time for that!"

"Fuck, Terra, it's never the right time according to you... Bummer," I complain crossing my arms over my chest. A blue lightning crosses the sky and strikes the barrier above our heads, shooing the crows away and making the foundations of the house shake. I jump from my chair like a spring yelling furiously. "Can you stop it now, you bunch of assholes? You won't be able to take the key with you, this is a total waste of time, I'm getting a headache and you're annoying the hell out of me..."

"Too much caffeine, definitely," Zara whispers behind me and they all chuckle. I turn around to look at them, frowning upset, but Ruby cuts me off before I can scold them.

"Terra, I haven't been able to take a closer loo at your wolf yet. Would you change for me?" she asks with sweet voice.

"Yes, I guess I can..." The werewolf stares at me puzzled and I shrug, I don't know what the human intends to achieve but this change of subject is welcome because, otherwise, I'd be the one crossing the barrier and I'll start ripping off the heads of demons and wizards. And I bet I'd enjoy it because I really need some action, it's really boring to be locked up in the Wind Rose every night. "I'll go to the living room to take my clothes off..."

"Don't be shy, Terra, we're used to see your... tattoos..." I smirk mischievously and my mood improves immediately when I notice she's blushing.

"Be a good girl and maybe I'll put on a private show for you later," she answers winking at me before walking into the house. I flop down on my chair again, feeling better now that the sky is getting dark finally, Ru and Charlie lie at my feet and a fairy sits down on the edge of a flower vase that's on the table, lighting up Ruby's face softly while she pets Chance absentmindedly. I can't help smiling, watching her closely, ignoring caws and explosions over our heads. It's pretty obvious that the barrier won't fall apart and we're safe in the Wind Rose, there's no reason to be anxious and everybody seems to understand it and get relaxed.

"I'll go to make lunch," Maeve gets up and Raven follows her.

"Girls, would you like to watch a movie?" Alfonso asks and the witches nod but they all start fighting again to choose the movie while walking away from us. Ruby is focused on petting her dog and I'm staring at her mesmerized when I realize that the color of her eyes changes from green to blue like the lightnings in the sky, only they're more lethal when she fixes them on my face.

"What a beauty," Ruby whispers and I smile, thinking that she's right because she's stunning... till I realize she's talking about the wolf. The massive animal with black fur as dark as night and blue eyes gets closer to the human slowly and sits down in front of her quietly. "Can I touch her?"

"Are you asking me?" I answer bewildered. "I don't know, the plush toy has to give you permission, I guess." Terra sighs and tilts her head, pushing Ruby's hand with her snout till she raises it to touch her head and scratch her ears, burying her fingers in the thick fur. "You look like a lap dog, your delighted face is very funny..." I whisper laughing while the wolf's tongue hangs from her mouth and stares at the human adoringly.

"You're so soft..."

"But make no mistake, she's dangerous...Those fangs tore my flesh many times and her strong jaw broke my bones," I answer smiling but there's a hint of sadness in my tone of voice I can't hide. The werewolf moves closer tome slowly till she's leaning her big head on my thigh, whining till I raise my hand to scratch her ears too. "I know, I'm sorry too, I hurt you so much... Damned war, I just wish I had realized earlier that fighting with you was a stupid thing to do, my love..."

"All wars are stupid," Ruby answers and a powerful thunderbolt suddenly flashes across the sky that's covered in dark grey clouds. "I think it's going to rain again, where did this storm come from?"

"I bet it's a goodbye present from those asshole wizards before they had to escape from hunters," I answer getting up angrily when feeling the rain drops falling on my head from the vine leaves, Ruby gets up too taking the tray with the empty coffee mugs and Chance. "We better go to the living room, I don't think the storm will last for too long but I'll ask Lea and Zara to keep an eye on it and cast a counter spell before the house floods and we drown, or something like that."

"I'd be very upset if they ruin my garden," Terra growls while getting dressed again behind the couch. "I worked hard taking care of those azaleas last spring and..." I stop listening to her while watching her out of the corner of my eye buttoning her shirt up over her gorgeous ad perky breasts, covering her tattoos, and come back to reality when the human fidgets next to me and puts her dog back on the floor. I try to hide my amused grin when I realize that she was ogling the girl too... We cannot help it, I guess, because the plush toy is an extraordinarily beautiful woman. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, are we interrupting something interesting?" I ask while sticking my head through the door the wolf have just opened. Maeve and Raven jump back, blushing, and shake their heads nervously trying to hide the fact that they were kissing each other in the middle of the corridor a few seconds ago. "Are you sure? Okay, you're grown women... but be careful, we don't want to be grandmothers yet. Safe sex always, please." Terra laughs her ass off while winking at Maeve and gesturing at the demon's wings, Ruby stares at us puzzled while I shake my index fingers both sides of my forehead pretending that they're horns and mouth the word 'careful' looking at the druid. Both girls shoot angry looks at us and escape to the entrance hall, stomping on the hardwood floor while we keep laughing.

"What's so funny?" the human asks confused. "I think they're cute together, it's pretty obvious they like each other, I don't think anyone would be surprised in this house if they see them kissing."

"You must be careful when you get playful with half demons," the werewolf answers. "They spread their wings completely and take a lot of room."

"And depending on the position you could end up stabbing your own buttock with a horn," I add with a knowing expression in my face before turning around and head to the kitchen, I think all that coffee didn't land well in my empty stomach and it hurts a little. Ruby follows me, lost in her thought and perplexed, probably, till she opens her eyes wide when she finally understands what position I was talking about. Her cheeks turn red, of course.

"Is that a knowledge derived from personal experience?" she asks with curiosity.

"Eh... well, I..." I stutter while opening the fridge, the truth is that I'm not very proud of that episode of my life and I'd rather forget it. "What's this?"

"Hummus, you can dip this grissini if you're hungry... but answer my question. I get the impression that there's an interesting story here that you want to hide from us," Ruby pushes me towards the table and gives me a plate with some snacks while I think how to avoid this awkward conversation.

"Oh, God," Terra sits down in front of me and steals some almonds from my plate before sighing tiredly. "Michaela?"

"You too?" I ask shocked and relieved at the same time because I'm not the only idiot she managed to fool.

"Of course, I mean, that's her specialty, right? How do you think she earns a living? I wonder how many magical creatures that bitch managed to fool..." The human clears her throat and looks at us, raising an eyebrow while making some sandwiches, and we fidget on our seats. It's raining heavily outside and another thunderbolt flashes across the sky, the lamp hanging from the ceiling flickers for a few seconds and I wonder if we have enough candles in case the light goes out. "Michaela is a half demon..."

"With horns and wings, I presume," Ruby gives her a plate and she nods, biting the sandwich and chewing slowly. I guess this means I'll have to give the explanations.

"She's smart, pretty, sexy... Red hair, green eyes, flawless skin, golden freckles sprinkled over her nose and cheeks, plump lips, nice breasts... It's hard to resist temptation when she smiles, sits down on your lap and whispers sweet nothings in your ear. As the wolf said, that's her specialty... The lying bitch seduces everyone that crosses her path, fucks the brains out of you till leaving you exhausted with your muscles feeling like jelly and steals everything you have as long as it's valuable: jewels, money, watches, paintings, books... She tricked me like I was an idiot and almost managed to see me going bankrupt 400 years ago. My blood father helped me and told me it wasn't the first time the bitch did that, everybody knows what she does for a living but no one can resist her. He didn't make me feel better, to be honest, I'm still upset because I fell for her trap so easily."

"I was lucky because my father caught her trying to open the safe where they keep the money the pack needs to pay for communal activities and services and managed to kick her demonic ass out of the refuge while I was sleeping satisfied like a stupid puppy," Terra shudders while holding her sandwich. "He was livid, I've never seen him so furious with me before... I can still hear his screams echoing in my brain. He scolded me in front of all my young friends because I was fooling around with a female demon... It was an abrupt way to get out of the closet."

"And where is Michaela now?" Ruby asks worried.

"Who knows? But she's making trouble, that's for sure," I answer licking my fingers.