name is Morgan." He rolled his eyes when he caught the look on Sam's face. "It's not like that. I don't have a girl in every port, you know."
"If you say so."
Zac let his expression drop and ran his hands over his face. "Back in the forties, when I went… I went to war. I was desperate. I couldn't take it anymore. Always feeling…" He couldn't say it. He always felt hungry . Not hungry for blood like a human is hungry for food. Hungry for violence . "Morgan pulled me back from the edge."
Sam was silent as he digested this little gem of his pathetic past. "How bad did it get before she found you?"
"It wasn't pretty, Sam." He couldn't bear to tell him the truth, it would break his heart, but he knew he had to come clean.
"How bad, Zac?"
He grimaced.
"Zac?"
He rubbed his temples. "Bad. Very bad . When she found me, I had just slaughtered twelve men. Friend, foe. It didn't matter." He let his head drop into his hands. "I don't know when I would have stopped. It was a miracle Morgan came along when she did."
"Where were you when she found you?"
"Somewhere in the countryside outside of Paris. I don't know."
"What was she doing out there?"
"She was a nurse with the British army. She also moonlighted with the French Resistance. It was right before Paris was taken back from the Germans. She helped get a lot of people out during the occupation. She had a safe house nearby, I guess she was in residence."
Sam looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to crack. When he didn't he said, "Look, I'm not happy you didn't tell me, Zac. I want to help you. I can't do that if you're not forthcoming."
"Sam, just leave it. It's past. Done. Whatever." Please just let it go.
"What is she doing here now?"
"She told me that she heard about the werewolves and came looking. She was looking for me." Before Sam could jump to conclusions he said, "It's not like that."
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Whatever," he said sullenly.
"We don't know her."
"But, I do," Zac said. "Sam, she saved my pathetic life."
Sam looked like he was going to disagree, but he threw his hand in the air. "Okay. Just be careful what you tell her. If she so much as puts any one of us in danger…"
"I'll make sure of it."
Zac would have liked to have said Sam took to Morgan like a duck to water, but he was wary of her intentions. After all, she'd just appeared out of thin air looking for his big brother right at the moment he had tried to stake himself. They'd stood in the parlor, eyeing each other with something akin to jealousy. They each wanted to protect him in their own way and it annoyed the hell out of him. He didn't want to be coddled like the psycho everyone thought he was.
He'd told Morgan that she couldn't stay at the manor. The only room they had spare was Aya's. Had been Aya's. She'd left in good spirits, but he suspected it was a show for his benefit. He'd be annoyed, too. Most of the next day he spent staring into space until Sam dragged him out to take his mind off of things.
Relief came in the form of alcohol and Max's was the perfect place to partake in it. Gabby and Liz had ambushed Morgan the moment she came in, drilling her for information. The mystery woman from his past was too much temptation, it seemed.
"I was a nurse," Morgan was explaining. "I remained one after... you know."
"Wow," Liz exclaimed. "That would have taken some guts."
Morgan laughed, "Some would say I was lucky. Blood never bothered me before. I knew some nurses that were prone to fainting when they first started out. I never had a problem with it. I guess it carried over."
"So, you still practice now?" Gabby asked, trying to sound casual about it.
"Not right now. It's harder these days to blend into the system. In the forties it was much simpler. For one, there was a war going on and they didn't care where you came from. The only thing they wanted to know was if you were capable."
"Couldn't you use compulsion?"
Morgan
"If you say so."
Zac let his expression drop and ran his hands over his face. "Back in the forties, when I went… I went to war. I was desperate. I couldn't take it anymore. Always feeling…" He couldn't say it. He always felt hungry . Not hungry for blood like a human is hungry for food. Hungry for violence . "Morgan pulled me back from the edge."
Sam was silent as he digested this little gem of his pathetic past. "How bad did it get before she found you?"
"It wasn't pretty, Sam." He couldn't bear to tell him the truth, it would break his heart, but he knew he had to come clean.
"How bad, Zac?"
He grimaced.
"Zac?"
He rubbed his temples. "Bad. Very bad . When she found me, I had just slaughtered twelve men. Friend, foe. It didn't matter." He let his head drop into his hands. "I don't know when I would have stopped. It was a miracle Morgan came along when she did."
"Where were you when she found you?"
"Somewhere in the countryside outside of Paris. I don't know."
"What was she doing out there?"
"She was a nurse with the British army. She also moonlighted with the French Resistance. It was right before Paris was taken back from the Germans. She helped get a lot of people out during the occupation. She had a safe house nearby, I guess she was in residence."
Sam looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to crack. When he didn't he said, "Look, I'm not happy you didn't tell me, Zac. I want to help you. I can't do that if you're not forthcoming."
"Sam, just leave it. It's past. Done. Whatever." Please just let it go.
"What is she doing here now?"
"She told me that she heard about the werewolves and came looking. She was looking for me." Before Sam could jump to conclusions he said, "It's not like that."
"I wasn't going to say anything."
"Whatever," he said sullenly.
"We don't know her."
"But, I do," Zac said. "Sam, she saved my pathetic life."
Sam looked like he was going to disagree, but he threw his hand in the air. "Okay. Just be careful what you tell her. If she so much as puts any one of us in danger…"
"I'll make sure of it."
Zac would have liked to have said Sam took to Morgan like a duck to water, but he was wary of her intentions. After all, she'd just appeared out of thin air looking for his big brother right at the moment he had tried to stake himself. They'd stood in the parlor, eyeing each other with something akin to jealousy. They each wanted to protect him in their own way and it annoyed the hell out of him. He didn't want to be coddled like the psycho everyone thought he was.
He'd told Morgan that she couldn't stay at the manor. The only room they had spare was Aya's. Had been Aya's. She'd left in good spirits, but he suspected it was a show for his benefit. He'd be annoyed, too. Most of the next day he spent staring into space until Sam dragged him out to take his mind off of things.
Relief came in the form of alcohol and Max's was the perfect place to partake in it. Gabby and Liz had ambushed Morgan the moment she came in, drilling her for information. The mystery woman from his past was too much temptation, it seemed.
"I was a nurse," Morgan was explaining. "I remained one after... you know."
"Wow," Liz exclaimed. "That would have taken some guts."
Morgan laughed, "Some would say I was lucky. Blood never bothered me before. I knew some nurses that were prone to fainting when they first started out. I never had a problem with it. I guess it carried over."
"So, you still practice now?" Gabby asked, trying to sound casual about it.
"Not right now. It's harder these days to blend into the system. In the forties it was much simpler. For one, there was a war going on and they didn't care where you came from. The only thing they wanted to know was if you were capable."
"Couldn't you use compulsion?"
Morgan
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