He shook his head and chuckled.

"Why don't I go and check with Alderic," Simeon strove to sound oh-so-helpful, "before you go hara.s.sing Ruthie again. The last I heard she was incredibly busy and-"

"Trying to cut me out, bro?" Rylan sneered, taking Simeon aback. If he didn't know his twin better, he would have sworn he was green with envy and an insane and uncalled-for jealousy.

Simeon smiled widely. He made sure to bare his fangs to Rylan, to prove his point.

"Not in the slightest, Ry. And jealousy really doesn't become you. What the h.e.l.l has got into you today? You know I wouldn't poach on her, even though at last count she had turned you down close to fifty times."

For a moment, Simeon could have sworn Rylan wanted to launch himself across the room. Simeon watched warily as his twin flexed his fingers. Without even needing to touch his mind he could feel the incredible urge Rylan had to wring his neck.

Simeon shook his head. Rylan certainly was the more impulsive and hotheaded of the two of them, yet it had been many, many years since Si had seen his twin so...on edge.

Even though he knew his twin was desperately trying not to project the image, he still could clearly see the desire Rylan had to throttle him. Simeon laughed anyway, trying to cover some of the new worry growing inside him for his twin.

"In your dreams, bro," Simeon jeered with what he hoped was a casual ease. "And you say I fret and stress over absolutely nothing. Take a good look at yourself, mate. You know you would likely be the first person to know if I had any designs on Ruthie. Even when we try not to, we still project and share our thoughts. I seriously doubt I could hide something like that from you. So just cut it out."

He waited another minute, and then Rylan fell back onto the couch and firmly s.n.a.t.c.hed the holo-zine from where Simeon had thrown it earlier, purposely opening up the centerfold and feeling up the hologram situated inside. Simeon shook his head again, sincerely hoping that was the end of Rylan's childish arguing.

"Can I leave the two of you alone?" Simeon asked pointedly with an eyebrow c.o.c.ked. "Or will you trash the place like a couple of kids the minute my back is turned? In fact, Ry, why don't you come with me to visit Alderic's antiques store?"

"To the Book Nook?" Rylan said sarcastically, smirking, his usual good humor obviously restored. "You can go there alone, Si. Get back to me when you haven't found anything and then I will happily get in contact with Ruthie and oh-so-politely request her help."

Simeon raised an eyebrow, but refrained from saying anything. More than likely the feisty investigator would whip his twin's a.s.s. Again. Simeon would just have to make sure that he asked enough questions of old Alderic so that he could set his mind at rest. He really didn't want to have to pull his twin out of the doldrums when Ruthie turned him down flat.

Again.

"Okay. Well, I'm heading out," he said slowly. "I'll catch you both later."

He smiled as Michael headed to the door with him.

"I really hesitate to mention this," Michael started, the restraint and confusion evident in his lowered voice, "but does Ry feel...I don't know...different to you, Si? I've had a funny feeling about the both of you since the D and D ball. I know that's only the second or so Vamp ball you've been to-and I bet you haven't even covered half of the delicacies on offer there-but still, you're both setting off a really odd vibe right now."

Simeon turned his mind inward for a moment.

He had been feeling restless, anxious, for a few weeks to months now. He felt mentally and emotionally itchy at odd moments, but he had simply put it down to worry about his sire.

Simeon shrugged aside the slight irritation and delved further within himself. If Michael was worried enough to be asking him about himself and Rylan then he must be genuinely concerned.

Simeon closed his eyes and probed further into his subconscious.

After a few seconds, he realized that s.e.x simply hadn't been as good as it usually felt. He probed the memories of the two vampiresses he had lain with after the ball-Celia, the redhead and Celerity, the blonde.

They had been magnificent, and he knew he had brought both women pleasure, yet he had not achieved real satisfaction himself. But again, he had just a.s.sumed his mind was busy and not relaxed, and so his physical gratification had suffered as a result.

Simeon pushed a little further, seeking anything else. He certainly didn't feel lonely, yet neither had he been connecting with his last few lovers as he usually did either. Recently, he seemed to just be slightly disconnected in general. If he were brutally honest with himself, he knew it had little to nothing to do with Gavreel's disappearance, yet there didn't seem to be anything else he could attribute his behavior to.

He shrugged and looked at his eldest brother. Blue eyes bored into his. A number of times Rylan had been known to curse Michael's slightly above average physic connection. The man had a touch of seer in him, and sometimes he knew odd things were occurring before anyone else picked up on them.

"What are you saying, Michael? You think something is wrong with Rylan and me?" Simeon questioned uneasily. "It's not like we can get sick or anything, you know that."

Michael shrugged, but still stared at him, waiting patiently. Simeon knew then his elder brother would not let this go. That more than anything showed Simeon his brother was serious, and maybe even worried.

"There are other ways of being sick besides physically, brother," Michael insisted gently. "Heartsick, emotionally upset. I can't really put my finger on it. Something just seems to be up with the two of you."

Simeon nodded his head, acknowledging his brother's comments. Smiling at Michael's genuine concern, he bit down the impulse to tease him about his own worrying, fretful nature. Simeon stepped forward and hugged his brother, a quick, brotherly show of affection.

"I'll keep an eye on Rylan, don't worry," he a.s.sured Michael as he hoped his promise would ease the worry. "I have thought he was acting oddly too, but you know how weird he is about Ruthie. As good for him as I think her turning him down is, I think it really gets to him, deep inside himself. As for me, I think it's all mixed in with Gav being missing. It's all just small, petty rubbish going on inside me. I'll be fine and should be able to sort myself out once I know he's safe and got his nose stuck in a book somewhere."

For a moment, Simeon found himself locked under Michael's stare, lost in the blueness of his eyes. He allowed Michael to penetrate his mind, and opened himself to his brother's too often all-seeing gaze.

A minute pa.s.sed, and then two. Simeon waited patiently, knowing Michael would continue to probe as much as he could until his own worry was fully satisfied. Simeon knew Michael had approached him, as in Rylan's current state he likely wouldn't have the patience to let Michael take as long as he needed.

After another minute, Simeon felt Michael withdraw.

"Ah. Right." Simeon watched as Michael smiled broadly and stepped back, obviously having found whatever he needed. Simeon felt his eyes narrow as his brother tried not so convincingly to smother his chuckles. A definite snicker or two escaped before Michael could get his voice working.

"What is that 'Ah' and the chuckling supposed to mean, Mike?"

"Nothing." Although the wideness of Michael's grin seemed to state otherwise. Simeon frowned further, but Michael beat him to say, "You'll work it out soon enough. Man, does this all make sense now. Let me know when you're heading back from Alderic's, okay? Keep in close touch."

Simeon nodded. Deciding the whole d.a.m.n conversation was simply too odd to mull over, he pushed it all away and out of his mind. He had to admit he had been a bit startled by Rylan's odd behavior, and he mentally resolved to keep a closer eye on his twin. Heaven knew what mess he was in if Michael had been able to pick up on it and he hadn't.

Besides, if Michael wanted to keep close tabs on him, then Simeon knew he really did have to keep a close watch on his twin.

Michael punched him lightly on the shoulder, and turned to walk back down the hall. Simeon watched him for a moment, slightly confused but more amused than genuinely worried. Shaking his head, he turned in the opposite direction, toward the main door and out into the street.

Simeon checked the door locked behind him, and shook his head as if it would clear it. He still felt more than slightly befuddled as he left their lodgings.

Obviously Michael had found something in his mind that he couldn't recognize himself. He frowned as the thought bothered him slightly, but not enough to truly upset him. It couldn't be something galaxy-shattering if Michael told him not to worry about it, and wouldn't even expound on whatever it was that was occurring to them both. Michael had said what, exactly? Ah, yes, he'd work it out soon enough.

Simeon shook off his worry. If it had been anything serious, Michael would have let him know. Besides, it wasn't as if he needed anything more to think and try to mull over right now.

He turned down a different block and headed in the direction of the Book Nook. Alderic was Gavreel's oldest friend, but they also both shared ownership of the ancient artifacts and tome store. They performed research, sold bits and pieces, and did a number of oddball academic tasks many people had no idea about anymore.

Alderic was a bit of a recluse, and also fairly nutty, but the elder vampire was just as fiendishly obsessed with knowledge and rare texts as Gavreel. He would be the first person to be told of anything Gav was researching, and likely had a decent idea of what the h.e.l.l was going on.

Even if Alderic had no clue where Gav had headed off to, he would have a fair idea of whatever tome, text or research the man had been doing when he left. He would likely be a font of information.

He was also the next logical person to ask and the next place to look. Simeon prided himself often on his impeccable logic and his straightforward train of thought. He had been the only son who had received Gavreel's rather uninspiring logical thought progression. Both Rylan and Michael decreed it "boring", but he preferred to think of it as a.n.a.lytical and logical.

Besides, Simeon had a feeling it would take a fair bit of logic to find their father's whereabouts. Gavreel had almost certainly used his own logic to move wherever he had gone, and so it made a certain sense that Simeon should be able to find, follow and with any luck antic.i.p.ate whatever it was Gavreel had decided on doing.

It might as well be he to follow the trail his father hopefully had left.

Chapter Six.

"b.l.o.o.d.y wretched holo-screens," Clare muttered darkly to herself. She continued to press random keys, vainly trying to unlock the screen she had been working on. Nothing, however, seemed to be working.

"Whoever invented these idiotic things should be taken out back and shot, repeatedly," she continued to mutter to herself as she pressed combinations of keys harder and harder.

After a moment of fruitless searching, she folded her hands very carefully in her lap, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After counting to ten, and then backward down to one, she felt calm enough to ask for some help.

"Alderic," she called out loudly enough to reach the back room, "the b.l.o.o.d.y holo-screen has frozen up again!"

She thought she heard a sigh come from the back room, but couldn't be sure.

"Holo-screens can't freeze up, Clare. You know that."

"Of course the d.a.m.n things can't freeze up," she repeated softly to herself, injecting some sarcasm into her tone. She continued to punch keys at random in the vain effort to find the correct one.

"So why the h.e.l.l does nothing I do seem to have any impact?" she muttered to herself. "What else would that be called?"

She continued to curse in growing annoyance under her breath. With increasing vigor and even more profane mutterings she had picked up in her three months on this odd planet, Clare continued to try and fix the newfangled computer, which Alderic called a PCC, and swear more vehemently as nothing she did affected it.

"Can't freeze up, my fat a.s.s," she said softly under her breath, unsure of exactly how good Alderic's hearing was. She pressed the "exit" b.u.t.ton. Surely that should work? Undo whatever hideous thing she had managed to do without meaning to or even realizing?

The futuristic computer just beeped at her.

"b.l.o.o.d.y stupid f.u.c.king machine," she hissed softly, not wanting yet another lecture from Alderic on how profanity in a woman just wasn't de rigueur anymore. Unsure what else she could do, as there was no power source or plug for her to pull to shut the computer down so she could start again, she pressed the exit b.u.t.ton even harder.

This time, she elicited an even more outraged-sounding beep from the inbuilt keyboard. Clare sighed, and in complete agitation, pressed the key over and over, the force she used giving her a small measure of satisfaction.

She looked around the desk for the tower, or any visible source of power so she could turn the d.a.m.n thing off and start again...or at least vent some of her annoyance by kicking it.

Clare had no inkling of just how lost in her own little world she had become, blind to everything else in the room except the frustration of the computer, until she heard the unmistakable sound of a man clearing his throat.

Embarra.s.sed that she hadn't even heard the door open, she blinked, as if waking from a dream. The husky, masculine sound of a smothered chuckle and a man clearing his throat brought her attention away from the computer as little else could have at that moment.

"Oh," she said, looking up and trying not to audibly gulp at the handsome man, "sorry, computer problems."

Clare internally groaned at being caught at such a disadvantage by such a prime male specimen, but she smiled brightly, hoping the voltage in her grin would detract from her earlier incomprehension on what nowadays any normal three-year-old could work with ease.

Knowing there was no use in trying to pretend she hadn't been considering throwing the wretched machine through the front window, Clare widened her smile of welcome and casually copped an eyeful of the luscious man in front of her.

Belatedly remembering her manners, she lightly said, "Welcome to the Book Nook. I'm Clare, may I help you?"

After three months in this strange new time, Clare still often felt as if she were stuck in a dream. So very many things seemed so utterly surreal to her, she had been trying her best to break herself in gently.

Odd new laws on alcohol, the absolute mess of driving what they cla.s.sified as cars, a million and one things had changed and after the first few, incredibly difficult weeks, both Gav and Alderic had suggested she not only stay with them on a permanent basis, but also let herself gradually acclimatize to the changes.

It had sounded like a brilliant plan to her, and so she had followed their suggestion. She had noticed the numbers of s.e.xy, handsome people seemed somehow elevated in this different time, and she had yet to find an explanation for it.

Plastic surgery and the new medical technology had increased beyond her wildest expectations, yet she felt there was more to it than that. When she had her footing more solidly beneath her, she intended to try a crash course in genetics and the interbreeding of different species to see if an explanation lay there.

Clare had never really held much appreciation for science before, other than natural curiosity, but with technology so far advanced and her curiosity completely whetted, she wanted to at least give herself a chance to learn more about the galaxy and time she had found herself in.

Half the time Clare believed she had lucked out by being "transported" into this time and place. The other half, however, she thought she had been stuck in some sort of purgatory and G.o.d, or the G.o.ddess as these people seemed to believe, had dropped her into the middle of it all as some sort of cosmic joke.

If that belief were true, she certainly hadn't managed to work out the punch line just yet. She wasn't convinced she wanted to either.

Clare had yet to travel off-planet, but she had to admit it was on her list of things to work up to very soon. As soon as she could gather her courage, that is.

As she carefully looked the man before her up and down, she realized here was one big, strong man she would absolutely love to have along for a long intergalactic ship ride. With his shoulder-length, straight dark brown hair and s.e.xy, melted chocolate eyes, he seemed to press all her hot b.u.t.tons and she tried vainly to ignore the tingling across her skin.

She certainly wouldn't have to worry about rogue mercs or s.p.a.ce pirates or any of the other horror stories Gav and Alderic had scared her s.h.i.tless with when she had first mentioned interplanetary travel with this man along for the ride.

He, too, seemed to look her over longer than politely necessary. She felt grateful for the black pants and loud orange top she wore. They were the closest things to what she considered normal clothes that she had been able to find in the nightmarish maze of clothing chains, and she had bought them to the almost insulted outcries of Alderic.

He had insisted both items of apparel were considered extremely uncool, but after two hours of trying on more skimpy skirts and odd skin-hugging "suits" than she cared to recall, after finding the fairly normal clothing, she couldn't have cared less if they had been neon green with pink and purple love-hearts on them. They were comfortable, they fit her and far more importantly, they felt familiar.

Even though the man in front of her seemed slightly amused at her choice in clothing, they made her feel safe and not like she was about to hyperventilate, or worse, flash her panties every time she moved. After the shop closed at night, Clare had to quietly admit to herself she did tend to try on some of the less skimpy items Alderic had insisted on buying her, and slowly, she found herself growing used to them and even vaguely comfortable in them, but it would be a number of weeks more before she had the guts to wear them in public, or here to "work".

Mentally she had shrugged. Who cared what was "in" in this day and age? She still felt a strong right to wear whatever the h.e.l.l made her happy and feel not quite so displaced, even if she did love their teensy, brightly colored underwear. She felt an almost indecent joy in wearing bright colors in sc.r.a.ps of a silky material that barely covered her. What she wore under her clothing could be as skimpy and indecent as she pleased, it was her outer clothing, or "armor" as Alderic called it, that they had been b.u.t.ting heads over.

For the first time since she had been on that shopping spree, she wished she had bought one, or even two of the flimsy, almost see-through dresses she had admired but not had the guts to buy, let alone wear. She made a mental note to go back to the chain stores, and buy a few more to get used to in the privacy of her rooms at night. If there were many more men as handsome as this one, she would willingly get used to the sheer items women nowadays considered dresses.

"I'm looking for Gavreel Montague," the man said, smiling charmingly. Clare felt another twist in her stomach at the beauty in his smile. Biting her lip and placing her concentration back on her holo-screen, she tried desperately to concentrate on her work, and not the man in front of her.

She tried to focus on her oddly designed keyboard, anything except the heat invading her body and the incredible urge to tug and tighten the pants and idiotic t-shirt she wore to show off her body to a better advantage.

"He's not in," she said with determined carelessness. She hoped this would make him leave and return later, when she could avoid him and not have these giddy feelings inside her to make her feel confused.

She pressed the "help" b.u.t.ton on the panel and cursed darkly again as it elicited another outraged beep from the machine. What the h.e.l.l had she done to make the PCC act like this?

"b.l.o.o.d.y stupid thing," she cursed softly again, wondering if she dragged Alderic out of the ancient text he had holed himself away to study, he'd deign to help her. These last few weeks Alderic more and more had been insisting she work out herself how to fix her own mistakes. He had proclaimed that if he bailed her out of every small thing she would never learn.

Which was all perfectly fine and good, except for the life of her she seemed unable to unfreeze the d.a.m.n screen. The last time he had pressed one simple b.u.t.ton and everything had rebooted easily.

So, where the h.e.l.l was the reboot b.u.t.ton? Bizarre squiggles covered the keys, and while she knew what a number of the important keys were, she had no idea where the b.u.t.ton to fix this problem was.

She swore she would pay more attention next time, mentally begging the G.o.ds to help her not seem like an absolute moron in front of this s.e.xy man.

Seeing the gorgeous man still standing patiently in front of her, she remembered his query about Gavreel and continued to talk as she started pressing b.u.t.tons at random.

"He's gone-" she started automatically, but then she remembered she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about his "quest". He hadn't exactly explained where he was going, or what it was he wanted to do, or if he had she hadn't fully understood what he had meant.

Most of what she had understood was the dedication in her vampiric tome had made a few pieces of a puzzle he had been working on for a number of years fall into place for him, and he had decided to go gallivanting off around the galaxy on something she really didn't want explained to her that he called a "ship".

She had easily enough worked out for herself it wasn't some huge wooden ark-like structure with a mast and sails. She had merely smiled and nodded at Gavreel instead.