A Hollows series short-Kim Harrison. 
 This short story is an breakfast outing between Kisten and Rachel that becomes a run. Kisten's sister Chrissy crashes the breakfast date with her son Audric. Audric's father is trying to take permanent custody of the 6 year old as a gift to his Master. 
 *sorry about the spoilers* 
 This story was not about the plot at all for me. I miss Kisten so very much. Reading this brought forth so many emotions. I wish I had a time machine and I could go back into time and beg Harrison not to take him away from us. I will hold out hope since the series has not completed yet, that somehow Harrison brings Kisten back from the true death. 
 The dialogue between Kisten and Rachel is heart wrenching. It would have been difficult to read even before Kisten's death, now it is pure torture. The discussion runs the gamete, from marriage to children. Kisten's nephew, Audric, looks exactly like his uncle. That is a picture I can not remove from my mind. It is amazing as I read book that I find such a strong connection with characters and not so much with others. It is all about the journey. 
 Here are a few of the quotes that almost had me bawling like an idiot! 
 "I told you, Rachel." he said in my ear to start a warm spot in me. "I've got your back. Nothing alive will ever hurt you if I have breath in me. And nothing dead will hurt you if I don't." He leaned in to give me a kiss, and this time, I let him, my lips moving against his to turn it into a spine-tingling, stomach quivering kiss that delved deep and set my pulse racing. 
 "Are you and Ms. Rachel going to get married?" he asked from nowhere. My mouth dropped open, and Kisten started. "Ah, not today. Sport. Maybe someday." Oh God, I'd forgotten kids were like that, and I warmed. "Do you kiss her?" the boy asked. 
 Kisten grinned as his hand fell from Audric's shoulder. "Every chance I get." Audric thought about that for a moment as he picked at a bit of mortar and dropped it into the water for the bridge troll to eat, 
 "Mommy says if you love someone, and you like kissing them, and they don't ever, ever hurt you, you should marry them" If only it was that simple. 
 Audric squinted up at me, and I panicked, not knowing what had come into that little brain and was now going to come out his mouth. "Do you hurt Uncle Kisten?" he asked. 
 I opened my mouth to answer--it was a disturbing question for anyone but a vampire child--but Kisten beat me to it. "Only my heart, Audric," he said. "Ms. Rachel is like the sun. See her sparkling there with the wind in her hair and fire in her eyes? You can't catch the sun. You can only feel its touch on your face. And if you get too much of it, it burns you." 
 More Wicked Reads reviews are posted on: vkwickedreads.wordpress.com