Still there drips in sleep against the heart
grief of memory; against our pleasure we are temperate
From the gods who sit in grandeur
grace comes somehow violent.

-Aeschylus, "Agamemnon"

A great deal has happened in the months since Nathan's death, and many new inhabitants have come to theValley of the Moon. Most notably, Shane and Lucy are now married according the the Norse custom. Lucy was thrilled with the proposal, if not its implementation. She knows that Elizabeth is happy for her, but also knows that her other self is saddened by the lack of a love in her life.

Lucy's hope is that Eric's return will change that. She has always liked Eric, and though he is now less flippant than he was before his journey to confront his father, she still hopes that the father of one of Elizabeth's children will make her sister happy again. With the gift of knowledge given to her by the Lady, Lucy knows that upcoming events could lead to a great deal of sorrow, and she wants Elizabeth's happiness to be secured before they happen. As the old saying goes, if wishes were horses .... At least now Elizabeth may have new allies that she can count on in the upcoming crisis against Huizilipochtli.

The newest arrivals to the Valley, Keith and Lil, are two on whom Lucy is counting to join the gang. The only one of the pair she really deals with is Keith, since he's in human form during the night hours. She doesn't have Animal Speak, so Lucy cannot communicate with Lil (Laura) in the same way. Lucy finds him very attractive in a dark way - just her type. But she is also drawn to the slightly lost gentleness she senses just beneath the surface of his hardened facade. She pushes the limits when flirting, but knows when to stop. She likes Keith and she knows he would end up dead if she ever took things any farther. But just because she's married, doesn't mean she can't window shop.

Alan Cowles is another window Lucy likes to shop. She finds him charming and attractive. If she found out about his true nature, though, her ardor would grow cold. She likes powerful and handsome men, and though she is the more monstrous of the two sisters, she does not find it alluring to dabble with someone incapable of really caring for her and those she loves. Even if Shane is ruthless and threatening, she knows that he cares for her and her sister deeply.

Lucy's relationship with Greg is still a bit off-kilter, but less so than before her reconcilliation with Elizabeth. Lucy hasn't had any contact with Holly since the first days after her transformation. The Fae aristocrat hasn't been in the vampire's thoughts for quite some time. Frank Shaw is still an unknown. Lucy is grateful for his help in hunting down Adam, and she thinks there is a great deal they could share that no one else in the Valley could provide for either of them. Frank's conscience could put a wall between them, but the younger vampire has high hopes for a friendship.

Lucy's relationship with Howard remains rocky as ever, though. She finds it unfortunate, but her identity and beliefs will always clash at some point with Howard because of his essential nature. She's realistic enough to be able to accept this, but the constant bickering that she engages in with Howard wears on her at times. His recent behavior in front of the Aztec sun god was not something she would expect from someone who considered himself a friend. She never expected Howard to be friends with Shane, but she would have thought he would have the decency to keep their differences out of sight when facing the enemy. She is affraid that his actions will cost them dearly in the days to come. Luckily, Lucy made preparations some time ago for just such an unfortunate eventuality ...