cold and dead. Theroen did not move, did not change, and Two had wrapped her arms about the corpse and wept.

She knew only that she could not bring herself to burn Theroen, and so left him there, returning to Abraham’s study, closing the iron doors and piling objects in front of them. Stone statues, marble tables, anything heavy. Tori helped her move them.

Two hoped Theroen had found peace. She hoped he was somewhere with Lisette, loving her, telling her stories of Two and what fun they would have whenever Two finally joined them. She wondered if she had the strength to go on without him, and could not find an answer.

She wondered if some night she might awaken to find a vampire hovering above her, eyes like fire, bringing retribution for Abraham’s death.

She wondered if any of it even mattered.

* * *

Chapter 7

The Search

An apartment in SoHo. Fifth floor.

“One fish... Two fish...” Tori read haltingly, struggling with the words, anxious to please. She looked up at Two, frustrated. “This is hard, Two! It’s hard.”

Two smiled, nodded, dragged at her cigarette. “I know, sweetheart. You’re doing fine.”

“Can I stop now?” Tori closed the book. Forty minutes of reading seemed to have worn her out.

New York. Two had been back in the city on a full-time basis for three or four days. The mansion had provided her with enough money that she would never need sell herself again. Jewelry, clothing, cars... Two had sold them for prices so low they were obscene, and still pocketed an unbelievable amount of money. The Ferrari alone had brought her a quarter of a million dollars. Two wondered how much the heavily modified car would have been worth if sold legally.

She had spent the past few weeks opening safety deposit boxes, speaking with lawyers and accountants, looking for ones who could help her to retain this sudden influx of wealth. She was not concerned with legality or morals, only that no investigation would occur which might disturb the mansion.

At some point after she left it, and whether by man or vampire or errant bolt of lightning Two could not say, the mansion burned. Two had not been able to bring herself to search the ruins and see if the sub-basement remained intact. If Theroen was still there. It would have been more than she could bear. Her physical wounds were gone, but those that scarred her soul felt fresh still. She left, choosing to believe that somewhere below the ash, buried in a chamber of stone, was the body of her lover. Would he ever be found? Puzzled over? Dissected?

Two tried not to think about it.

She sighed. “Sure, Tori. You can stop. That’s fine.”

Tori handed her the book. “Do you want to read, Two? You read good, like my big sister.”

Two looked at her, puzzled. Tori had been mentioning this mystery sister for a few weeks now. When asked if she meant Melissa, Tori would shake her head. No. Someone else. A human sister? A mother? Two wasn’t sure. She breathed smoke, exhaled, let the fingers on her idle hand flip through the book.

Tori wrinkled her nose. “Why do you smoke, Two?”

“Because a girl can only give up so many addictions, Tori. I gave up the heroin. I gave up the blood.”

“Is heroin the needle stuff?”

“Yes.”

“That’s bad for you!”

“Yes. Very bad for me, and even worse for Abraham.”

Tori growled at the mention of her vampire father’s name.

“Don’t growl, sweetheart. Dogs do that, not people.”

“Okay, Two.”

Two knew she should call Rhes and Sarah, knew that she should let them know she was not dead. She desperately wanted to know how Molly was doing. She was waiting until she felt safe that she wouldn’t burst into tears at the sound of Rhes’s voice. She though maybe tonight she could handle it.

“Do you want to go meet some friends of mine, Tori?”

“Sure! who?”

“You remember Molly? The girl we saw when I took you to Darren’s apartment?”

Tori pulled at her hair, miming pigtails, her eyes questioning. Two nodded.

“Yes. Her, and a man named Rhes, and his girlfriend Sarah. You’ll like them, Tori. They’re good people.”

“Okay, Two.”

“Today should be one of Rhes’s off days. They’re probably at home. Should we call? Bed Stuy’s a long ride from here ... but it would be fun to surprise them.”

“I like surprises!”

Two grinned. “Okay, Tori. Let’s go meet some friends.”

* * *

It was Rhes who opened the door, and the expression on his face brought tears to Two’s eyes even as it caused her