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"Always doing the right thing, never wanted to bring, yourself or anybody down…"

"You Need a Change" - Harper's Bizarre

I took a moment to note the needle-sharp fangs fully protruding from Ravin's mouth, so close to Gaelen's neck, but I said nothing, my mind suddenly focused and crystal clear.

Gaelen raised her eyes to mine, and I saw little fear in them, just a grim determination. Hold on, I thought at her, and hoped I saw the smallest of nods.

"Yes," Ravin continued, "Suria's gone and she's taken everything, everything that matters to me." His mad gaze scanned Star without interest and fixed on me. "She's taken my son, did you know that?" he asked conversationally. "My son is gone, they're all gone, and it's your fault, so you have to pay for it. You have to pay, and I know just the right price." His voice rose again into that shrieking laugh.

Star moved slowly forward, both hands held out, palms up. "Please, Ravin, don't do this."

Ravin stepped back a pace, dragging Gaelen with him. "You stay out of this, bright boy. Everything would have been fine if not for him." He gestured at me with his chin.

"We'll make a trade, you and I," he said, holding my gaze with irises that wanted to spin, wanted to be-spell me as I imagined some vampires could, but it didn't work on me.

"What do you want?" I asked as he paused, all too conscious of Gaelen straining to breathe against his crushing grasp.

"What do I want?" he said, and the laugh broke out again. "I already have it, dark one. You've taken my son, and now I'm going to take yours."

The shining blade moved even closer to Gaelen's flesh, and my eyes were irresistibly drawn to it, my mind whirling with possibilities. Could I reach Ravin in time to stop him?

"But don't worry. I'm not unreasonable. I'll give you back your son, once he's seen the light of day. You'll get to see your child early; I think you should thank me for that." His pale face lit up in a grin that held not one hint of sanity.

I closed my eyes. What could I do? Anything I did to Ravin might cause the knife to plunge home before I could stop it. Even killing him might not be enough, and something inside of me balked at killing, even to save Gaelen and our children. If only he wasn't a vampire….

My mind seemed to fix on that idea. I knew vampirism was the thing that made Ravin's mind unbalanced, and that weakness must have allowed Suria to influence him.

"What makes you think this baby is Evan's?" Gaelen's voice was strained, but very calm and reasonable.

Ravin started, but kept his gaze on me, only clutching Gaelen more tightly.

"I don't know what you've heard, Ravin, but Evan is nothing to me. I was just using him, just stringing him along until I got a better offer. What I'm looking for is a real man, someone who knows how to take charge." Her words dripped with promise. "And now that I've met you…."

Ravin's eyes lost focus, just for an instant, and Gaelen's body sagged heavily in his arms, the change in position moving the scalpel just one tiny increment away from her, and I took that moment to send out a bolt of energy, my only intention to stop Ravin, stop him from hurting Gaelen, from hurting anyone, from being the insane thing that he was.

When the power hit him, he went boneless. His hold loosened, the scalpel clattered harmlessly to the floor, and Gaelen slipped free and rolled away from him as he fell. Star shook himself as though waking from sleep, went to Gaelen, and lifted her in his arms. In a moment, both of them were at my side, and together we looked down at the body on the floor.

The man lay so still that he might have been dead, but I heard the faintest of heartbeats inside the long, narrow chest. A moment ago, his hair had been as black as my own, now it was a sandy brown, two tones darker than his skin. He seemed to have shrunk in on himself somehow, and I would not have believed it to be the same person if I had not watched the transformation. I had stopped him from being a vampire, and this must have been how he looked before he became one, before he first came to Earth.

I tore my eyes away from him and turned to Gaelen. Her hair was disheveled, and her throat held dark, angry marks from Ravin's crushing grip, but she smiled when Star carefully transferred her to my arms. I gulped, holding her as though she were made of delicate porcelain. "Are you all right?" My legs felt shaky.

She cuddled closer, resting her head on my chest. "I am if you keep holding me," she said.

"He didn't… hurt you?"

"All he did was come up behind and grab me. We'd only been like that a second or two when you guys walked in." She glanced again at the unmoving form. "Is he dead?" She didn't sound as though the possibility made her sorry.

"No. I think he's in shock. I stopped him from being a vampire." I felt a stab of guilt, but at least the man was still alive.

Gaelen sighed. "Vampires and aliens, don't I have all the luck."

I hugged her gently, then looked at Star. His expression was almost back to normal. "I want to have Vlad check Gaelen. Do you think there's a working phone here somewhere?"

Star gave me the briefest of smiles, then Vlad was standing next to us, Zee at his side. They both blinked, and I watched while they took in their surroundings. Zee came over to Gaelen. "Are you okay, honey? What happened?"

Star glanced my way. "I will check the rest of the house." I nodded, and he disappeared back down the hall.

Gaelen wriggled, and I set her on her feet, then righted a nearby bench so she could sit down. "Just a little shaken. Suria took off, and Ravin wrecked the place and attacked me." She motioned to the man on the floor. "Vlad, I'm all right, but I think you should take a look at him."

Vlad glanced at me, and I nodded.

"Who is this?" he said, after a few moments' examination.

"Ravin," Gaelen said, voice flat, "or what's left of him."

"But…." Vlad's voice was puzzled. "This man is not a vampire."

"I know," I said, all at once feeling unutterably weary. "I stopped him."

Vlad stared as though he'd never seen me before. "You freed him from the change?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I figured he was crazy because of his Martian blood and being a vampire, so I stopped the vampire part. Is he going to be all right?"

Vlad shook his head, still staring at me. "He seems to be in a coma. His vital signs are very weak. Without proper care, he may not survive."

I took a moment to think. We couldn't very well take a Martian to Denver General Hospital. Star had returned from his survey of the house, and I looked over at him. He shook his head; no one else was there.

Zee spoke up. "He can stay at my place, and Vlad can attend him there."

I looked at Vlad, and he nodded. "Why would you do that?" I asked. "He's been nothing but trouble for you since he came to Earth."

"The Martians gave him into my care. Whatever damage he has caused is my responsibility. I should have watched him more closely."

I shook my head. "You had nothing to do with this mess. If anyone is responsible it's Suria. If she hadn't drugged him and hypnotized him or whatever, he probably would have been fine."

Vlad nodded again. "Perhaps, but nonetheless, he is my responsibility." Vlad bent and picked up the unconscious man as though he were a child. "Star, if you would be so kind?"

Star stepped closer to them, then suddenly they were gone, and he, Gaelen, and I were alone. She stood and looked up at me, a small smile on her lips. I took her in my arms. "I'm so sorry I let that happen to you."

"You didn't 'let' anything happen. I was the one that insisted on coming along, remember?"

I smiled at her, wanting to get her alone and check her over in great detail.

"No sign of the kids?" she asked. Star shook his head. "Do you think she took them all with her when she left?"

"No," he said. "I can see traces of the energy of several people leaving out the back door and moving into the alley, but it stops there." He looked at me. "I can see no further signs."

That was strange. If Star could see any signs at all, they should have continued until they led to the people themselves. Maybe these kids were better at using their powers than we thought. Well, finding them would just have to wait.

"I want to get Gaelen back to your house, but I'll come back here later and have another look around. I don't know what the police would say about this mess. It might be best to clean it up ourselves."

He nodded. "I agree, but it will wait a bit if we close and lock the doors. I too want to be at home."

Star seemed steady now, but I didn't care for the odd look in his eyes. I held out my hand. "Let's go."

* * *

It was good to be back at Star's familiar house, and I set Gaelen carefully on a sofa in the great room. Vai and the children gathered around us, relief evident in all their faces, questions in their eyes.

I had never given much thought to our safety, here or anywhere else. Now the open space around us seemed filled with menacing potential. I had been naïve in the extreme to think that the arm of Lecurela could not reach as far as Earth.

"Star," I said, "maybe we should set some kind of wards around the place. I don't know - some kind of remote sensors that would let us know if anyone gets too close."

"Why?" Vai asked, alarmed. "What's happened?"

I looked around at everyone. "Give us a few minutes and we'll tell you everything. Star, what do you think?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, but would you do it, please? I don't trust myself."

I gave him a glance, then sent tiny threads of my attention out to the perimeter of Star's property. I'd never done anything like it before, but it only took a few seconds before we were surrounded by a sphere of energy - not strong enough to stop anything, just a spider's web of thought to let me know if anyone came too close.

Vai and the kids had made a meal, and I was surprised to realize I was hungry. My gaze lingered on Mari, now wearing some of Racho's clothing, his hair pulled back smoothly to hang halfway down his back. He must have felt my gaze, because he smiled.

"We have it all figured out, Evan. I'm going to be Lana's cousin at school." He hesitated. "And my new name is Rowan."

I smiled. "I like it." Rowan beamed.

We told the story, and no one seemed particularly surprised at Suria's running away. Roca summed it up. "Once she knew we were on to her, she couldn't very well stay."

I watched Gaelen eat her sandwich, wanting very much to hand feed her each bite, but she seemed unfazed by her experience. Even the marks on her neck had already faded. She yawned when she finished her iced tea. "I think I'll lie down for a while. I didn't sleep much last night."

I felt worry speed my pulse, but a scan of her body told me she was only a little tired, as she said. The two tiny lives inside her rested comfortably in their warm cradle, probably unaware that they had ever been in danger. I had just tucked her into bed when Star called to me from the hallway.

"Evan, may I speak with you?"

I looked at Gaelen and she nodded. I closed the door quietly on my way out.

"What is it, Star?"

"I…." He led me away down the hall, then out the back door and down the path that led to the guest house. "I want you to examine me-my mind.

"I trusted Suria in the face of all logic. Something must be wrong with me. I should have questioned Suria's actions from the beginning, and I did not. This is the first time I have been able even to think in such a way, and it still seems to me disloyal. She must have… done something to me."

Standing under the bright blue sky, I drew him into my arms. He came to me reluctantly, and I tucked his head onto my shoulder. "None of this is your fault, dear heart. I know you would never let anyone be hurt if you could stop it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Suria has influenced you, somehow. I'll have a look inside your mind…." I stopped and thought. I'd never done anything so delicate, and I might do more harm than good. Still, Star was right, and it had to be done. "But I don't think I should act alone."

He raised his head and looked at me. "Perhaps Gaelen…?"

"No, she's not ready for anything like that." Our mental rapport was sporadic at best, and I had hopes it would grow; we just weren't there yet. "I think… give me a minute, I'll be right back."

Star continued onto the porch, and I went back to the main house. Roca was in the kitchen, helping with the dishes. "Come with me," I said, and he followed, a puzzled frown on his face.

"What do you want me for?"

I turned as the outer door closed and placed one hand on each of his shoulders. At barely sixteen years of age, he was already six feet tall. I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before Star and I would be looking up at him. "I need your help," I said. "Your dad and I think Suria did something to his mind, and I'm afraid to tackle the problem alone."

He gulped. "And you want me? I don't know anything about things like that, not even much about telepathy."

I gave his shoulders a squeeze. "I'll show you everything I can. There's no one else, Roca."

He nodded, his mouth tightening. "Let's do it," he said.

I asked Star to lie down in the bedroom of the cottage - not because I thought it would make things any easier, it just seemed the right thing to do. He smiled up at us both. "My family," he said. "I love you all so." And he closed his eyes.

Following my lead, Roca placed a hand on one side of Star's head. I closed my eyes and reached out for Roca's mind, then we entered Star's.

Roca was untrained, but he had all Star's power and sensitivity. I showed him what to look for, how the healthy mind should feel, how to recognize anomalies. Instinct was all I had, that and prayer. I lost all sense of self; there was only energy.

I don't know how long we looked, but finally, at the deepest levels of Star's mind, far beyond any conscious thought, we discovered a dark knot, a twisted, pulsing energy that had never belonged to Star but only fed off him. Upon examination, it appeared to be a deep compulsion to trust and comply with anything Lecurela might suggest, and Suria, being Lecurela's representative, came under that order.

As I touched it, I could feel the thing tugging at my own mind.

Disgusted, I drew back from that ugliness, and with a deep breath found Roca still kneeling across from me, next to Star. He swallowed and looked into my eyes, but there was no need for words between us.

"Star," I said, rocking him gently with the hand still touching him.

His eyes flickered open and he smiled a little, gaze moving from me to Roca. "Did you find something?"

I nodded. "But Star, it's so deep. I don't know what removing it will do to you… if it can be removed." Without killing you, I wanted to add.

It was almost as though he had heard me. "Dear Evan. You must try. I can no longer continue as I am, wondering if the thoughts in my head are my own or those of an enemy. How much suffering have I already caused those I love?" He glanced at Roca, who had tears in his eyes. "If you can do this, then all will be well, you will have given me a great gift. If not…. Whatever happens, it will be better than before."

I nodded. The thought of losing Star was a knife through my heart, but I heard what he said… and what he didn't say. Now that he knew the truth, he didn't want to live the way he was.

Sweat was pouring off Roca's forehead, and I understood why. I brought our minds back together, using Roca's raw power to increase my own sensitivity and strength. When we again approached the anomaly, I almost felt the dark, ugly command crouching in wait. Then we reached out, encapsulating every bit of that cancer, holding it tight. We drew it out of him, away from him, into the brightness of the day, slowly opening our mental grasp until the evil bubble was swallowed in sunlight. The skin of it burst with an almost audible pop, the contents swelled and burned in the white light, and suddenly… it was no more.

I felt Star sigh beneath my hand, a tremendous, all encompassing intake of breath and an exhale that seemed to last for an eternity. A soft smile bloomed on his suddenly innocent face - and then he stopped breathing.

Roca's eyes opened wide, and he turned them toward me in shock. I had no comfort to give him - I had none for myself - and he grasped Star's shirt in both hands and shook him.

"Dad," he wailed, "Dad!"