If I thought anything would change by recent revelations I was sadly mistaken. The cat and mouse dance we all seemed to be playing hadn't changed. The kiss and his passion for me vanished like it never was. Once again he became the sullen spectre eyeing his future with baleful eyes.

I was over it.

I was so over it.

I got off his bed where Lucian lay satiated with my blood.

"Drive carefully, " he murmured hoarsely. We still couldn't indulge in sex when feeding and according to Lucian if we did so at other times it would be more difficult for him to refrain at times like this. I understood. I didn't like it but I got his point of view.

So here I was only a couple of weeks later buckling into my seat and heading home not for my city apartment but for my parents home. I was returning for a visit.

Nicky would go with me as my guard but even he couldn't save me from the woes to follow. Mum would be at her worst in match making me with everyone unmarried in her acquaintance. I groaned just thinking about it. It didn't matter whom she introduced to me they would all come up short when pitched against my Lucian. They always did.

I pulled out onto the road and drove away from my Lucian. As always the parting from him hurt but knowing that he loved me made all the difference.

I drove on my own. Nicky following behind in his own car. It was a good two hours drive away in the country. My parents moved almost as soon as I moved out of their home. It was as if they had been waiting for that day when they could leave rhe city and embrace the country.

The road was winding at several parts and car sicknesses threatened like always. The two hours was as solitary as the rest of my existence listening to music and singing along helped at most counts but there were occasions when the pain of loneliness was accute. But knowing that Lucian loved me back made all the difference. While the loneliness remained the pain was gone.

Having left the city at twilight it was well past dark when I reached my parents' home.

The blaring music and rowdy noise that spewed out of their home made me think I got the wrong home.

I glanced back and saw that Nicky had parked and was even now making his way towards me. I put in a call to Lucian to report my arrival at my parents home.

"I reached just fine," I said brusquely on the phone without first uttering the common greeting.

" Good," he murmured before the line went dead. We didn't even do conversation like a normal couple. If you could call us a couple. Especially since its only one of us in the relationship despite us both loving the other.

The door to the house opened and mum spilled out rushing over to the car to greet me. I glanced up ruefully at Nicky who stood beside my door staring at me then I was clambering out and rushing into mums embrace. It was a home coming all of its own this reaching out to her love and her warmth. Engulfed in all that was my mum Lucian, the city and its problems faded away from existence. I was as always catapulted back into childhood.

That was until she spoke.

"Come meet Ralph Brigs, " she said. "He's been dying to meet you all night. I threw a party for your home coming."

I muffled an oath and refused to meet Nicky's gleaming eyes as I followed my mother into our home.