"What the hell are you still doing in bed?"

Jenna cringed as her father's voice sounded from the doorway. She turned away from her sister Rowan, who was lying in the bed, to face William Stone.

"Rowan is sick." She didn't meet his eyes. William could always tell when she was lying and she couldn't afford for him not to believe her now.

"She looks fine to me."

This time Jenna let her eyes skim over his face. Her handsome father stood at six feet. His green eyes flashed with charisma and, for Jenna and her sister, danger. His distinguished silver hair was combed back to perfection and he wore one of his thousand-dollar suits, befitting the guests that had been arriving at the house for the last fifteen minutes.

"I have senators, congressmen, a house full of people who expect to see all of my family." He had an almost musical voice, one that had swayed countless people to support his various causes with an eager blindness. Now he used that voice like a weapon against Jenna, pressing with the sheer weight of his will to get his way. It was the same tone he'd used for all of her twenty-nine years, but tonight it lacked its usual power over her. Tonight Jenna and Rowan were going to take back their lives.

"Father, she's been ill all day." They'd made sure of it. "Do you want her vomiting on your guests?" Jenna kept her voice low, as befitting the bedside of her sleeping, sick sister. Turning back to Rowan she brushed the hair from her eyes, surreptitiously covering her sister's furrowing brow. "I think she should see Jordan."

William laughed a cynical, nasty laugh Jenna hated.

"Our dear doctor has better things to do than come up here because she isn't feeling well. Rowan can tough it out." He moved further into the room. "You, however, are not ill. So get yourself into the dress that cost me extra for the additional fabric to cover your rather large proportions, and get downstairs."

God, please let this work. Jenna stood, forcing the trembling in her legs to stop. "I think it might be better if I stay here with Rowan. She may need me."

The slap shouldn't have been a surprise. He'd done it hundreds of times before. The sting never got better.

"You're not here to think. Your only function in this family is to stand behind me and try to look like a faithful daughter and a true believer."

Jenna didn't rub the place on her cheek that throbbed with pain. William would only hit her again.

"I'm sorry Daddy, please forgive me." Hanging her head, Jenna waited in silence. She'd played this game with her father on more than one occasion. William tipped her chin up with one elegant finger and examined the red mark glowing against her pale cheek.

"Fine." He shook his head in disgust. "You can stay up here this evening. I have Erin. I find it humorous my adopted child obeys me better than the two daughters who are my flesh and blood." He threw a copy of his planned speech for this evening on the bed. "I expect you to memorize every word of this speech. If you won't support me at public functions, then you will start doing print interviews. Your first one is in two days."

Jenna's breath eased when he father turned and walked to the door, only to catch when he paused and let his glittering green gaze rake over her.

"Jenna, remember that I am the only man who will ever love you, ever take care of you."

Oh, God help her if that was the truth.

He shut the door and Jenna collapsed on the side of the bed, her heart thumping in terror and exaltation. Step one of their plan had worked.

"Okay Rowan, you can stop sleeping now," she whispered, sotto voce.

Rowan flipped the blanket aside and sat up, touching Jenna's face. "You should have played the sick one, not me."

"Right," Jenna scoffed gently, "and let father whip you again? I won't let him do that to you."

Rowan sighed as she rose from the bed. Walking to the closet, she pulled out jeans and a sweatshirt.

"I can take it, Jen. Better me than you." Rowan pulled the sweatshirt over her head, quickly shaking out her chestnut tresses.

"Why? Why is it okay that you take the brunt of his anger? I can't stand the guilt." Jenna went to her sister, placing her hand on Rowan's arm. "I'm not as weak as you think I am."

Rowan hugged her. "Jenna, I don't think you're weak. Now come on. Let's get going."

Rowan and Jenna made their way down the back stairs. Her father's guards were too busy checking for snipers and guests not on the invitation list to notice them. Too busy looking for the Night Creatures William Stone had dedicated his life to exterminating, one way or the other.

The irony of it made Jenna smile even in the midst of this chaos. Her father's bigotry had never affected her ... she was fascinated by the Night Creatures, had always been. Perhaps it was his legacy to her.

Over the years their father's fundraising galas had become bigger and more extravagant as more and more humans fell under the spell of his hate-filled speeches. He was a brilliant orator; his handsome face and natural charm had warmed crowds across the country. But his other face, his "real" side was just as brutal and bloodthirsty as the creatures he denounced. It was a side Jenna and Rowan knew all too well.

Humanity for Our Children, his organization, was touted as a political movement working to keep human rights in the forefront of the political agenda. The ugly truth was William despised every Vampire, Were and Shifter to walk the earth. In public he was a leader, in private he was a sadistic killer of Night Creatures. A modern-day Dr. Mengele who created creatures beyond imagining for his own entertainment and profit.

His "cherished" daughters were actually pawns he used as he saw fit. No one knew about the emotional and physical abuse he heaped upon Jenna and Rowan every chance he got, or the pleasure he took in meting it out.

Jenna swiped clammy hands down her thighs, trying to block out her rising dread at the thought of her father's retribution should they be caught.

A picture on Rowan's dresser snagged her attention. The three Stone sisters stood arm in arm: Jenna, her golden brown hair tumbling over her shoulders, stood between Rowan and Erin in front of a blindingly blue lake. That had been a glorious summer, the last summer before Jenna and Rowan had fallen prey to their father's evil machinations.

Erin, the youngest, was luckier than her sisters. Stone had kept from her the worst of his crimes. Consequently, she believed all the garbage their father spewed, eating up every word. She was the loyal daughter, the true believer, so she'd escaped his punishments.

Jenna wished like hell they could have brought Erin with them, but they had known better than to try. She wished things could be different, but the frustrating truth was that Erin was determined to turn a blind eye to their father's evil ways. It broke Jenna's heart and enraged Rowan to see what Erin had become when they could remember the mischievous, playful toddler with big blue eyes and a fluff of wine red hair who'd filled their lives with such joy. Erin would not leave Stone willingly, nor would she allow Jenna or Rowan to do so. So in order for them to escape, they needed to leave their baby sister behind.

She and Rowan were getting out of here tonight, or they would die trying, because Jenna knew if her father caught them, he would surely kill them. Or at the very least he would make them wish they were dead.

They managed to make their way into the garden behind the house.

Rowan rubbed her hands together as they huddled behind the large lilac bushes.

"Okay, so we meet tomorrow morning at nine. You remember where Corey's diner is, right? Corner of Ninth and Rose?"

"Rowan, I remember. We've been over this. Please be careful, I can't lose you." Jenna wrapped her arms around her sister, squeezing her tightly. "I love you, Rowan."

Rowan held her just as tightly. "I love you, too. Are you sure you want to split up?"

Jenna pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I think we have to. It increases the odds one of us will actually get away."

Rowan nodded, not bothering to wipe her tears away. She slowly backed away, taking the path leading south off the property. Jenna gave her sister one final wave before heading north.

Jenna wanted to cheer when she made it to the woods surrounding her father's compound. It had been easier than she'd anticipated, but the patrols on the property were thinner because of the extra security in the house. It had been the perfect opportunity to escape. Maybe their last one.

Treading carefully she increased the pace of her steps.

Alone in the woods, really alone for the first time in her life, Jenna let her mind wander just a little bit to last night's dream.

Nico had come to her, as he always did, finding her in a gothic stone bedchamber. His mouth grazed her earlobe. "I have missed you." His dark-velvet voice caressed her while his cool hands drew circles around her shoulders and down her arms.

"I missed you, too," Jenna whispered. Her body ripened with his simple touch. It was hard to find her voice. She sighed as his full lips found her neck, sliding slowly over the sensitive length. His arms came around her, pulling her back against his solid chest. She smiled as she felt a familiar bulge digging into her lower back.

"You smell delicious," he growled, nipping the delicate skin at her nape.

"Do I, now?" She pushed her ass against him and wiggled. His cock pressed even harder against her soft derriere, and she smiled.

A noise behind her jerked her from her reverie and brought her to a standstill. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the glare of several flashlights moving closer. Jenna started running, a flat-out sprint toward the edge of the woods where, God willing, a car was waiting for her.

It had taken over a year to plan their escape. Each step had been more dangerous than the last. Getting a hold of two cars to take them away had been the most precarious step of all. A sympathetic housekeeper who had been molested by Sal, her father's head of security, one time too many, had helped the girls to procure the cars and arranged for them to be placed during the night of their escape.

The clearing leading to the road, the one that led to her freedom. came into view. She heard rough shouts behind her, but Jenna didn't slow down. Her thighs were burning, her lungs were on fire, but she continued to run.

They weren't taking her back, she'd die first.

Jenna burst from the forest, hitting the side of the car as she skidded to a stop. Dropping quickly to her knees, she felt along the front wheel well until her fingers touched the cold metal of a key. Desperately she grabbed the key, scrambling on adrenaline-filled legs she opened the car door, throwing herself inside.

It took two tries to jam the key in the ignition. Finally the engine roared to life, and Jenna threw it in reverse, spinning tires and throwing gravel in her wake.