thrall!"

"That's not true, I've been suppressing since she arrived, well...mostly."

"Oh, my G.o.d! Tell me you didn't, Byron," said Rita as she walked over towards Violet,

clearly having seen the mark on her neck.

Violet backed away.

"Idiot!" shouted Rita at me. "How long?"

"Maybe six or seven hours ago," I told her. "It can't be undone. More importantly, I don'twant to undo it. I love her," I said defiantly.Rita began to laugh. "Are you stoned? You're going to throw everything away for her?"

"Hey!" interjected Violet.

Rita continued, "This isn't love, Byron. Your chemistry's been upset. This is nothing more than that. Her presence here has weakened and distracted you." She held her hands out in front of Vi and then took an unsteady step back. "She's strong, very strong.

I'll give you that. You nasty girl! Have you any idea what you've done?"

"Back off," I told Rita, stepping between them, intent on protecting my mate. "This isn't-"

"She's a mistake!" Rita hissed. "There must be some way..."

"Will you two stop speaking as if I weren't here!" shouted Violet over my shoulder.

"Sorry, honey," I said turning to face her, and reaching out to smooth down her mussed hair.

Violet was inconsolable. "Don't you honey me! What does she mean that my presence

here has weakened you? Tell me the truth!" she commanded, poking me in the chest.

"Nothing," I said, flashing Rita an angry glare. "Pay no attention to the jealous shrew, who is fired by the way."

I couldn't have her drive a wedge between Violet and I. Not now. Not ever. But she was starting to do just that.

"Bulls.h.i.t! You're panicking, Byron," Violet accused.

s.h.i.t. I forgot that she could read me like an open book now.

"Talk to me," she pleaded.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful when you're angry?" I asked.

"You're stalling. If you don't start talking-" she threatened.

"Jealous shrew?" interjected Rita. "Please! I'm you're friend and you know it. They'll make you step down, Byron. And that won't be good for anyone. The trust will fall apart.

Think about the future of the children. Think about the example you-"

"Children? You have children?" cried Violet, outraged.

"That's enough!" I cried out.

My ears were ringing and my head was spinning. I grabbed a sweatshirt out of the

closet and fled, pulling it over my head on my way down the stairs, slipping my arms into the sleeves. Both Violet and Rita followed me-like a pair of persistently annoying pit bulls. I ignored them. I sat down in front of my computer and fired it up, intent on drowning myself in the exciting world of stock a.n.a.lysis.

Think about the children? What had Rita imagined I'd been thinking about, day in and day out, year after year? I'd dedicated myself to serving the Chosen and to serving the Clan. How dare she?

"Are you just going to ignore us?"

I figured the best way to answer that was to remain silent and hope that they took thehint and went away. I needed time to think."Byron-" began Rita.I held up my hand to silence her.She was unrelenting. "It's Sat.u.r.day, the markets are closed. We must sort this out. You have to-""Stop!" I growled standing up, my eyes flashing red. "You don't tell me what to do.""Well, someone obviously has to," she mocked."I am still Dominie," I reminded her."Your status won't matter. In this case, it's likely to work against you. You will be expelled and you know it. As soon as they find out-""They're not going to find out.""They always find out eventually and-"Anger was rising in me like I have never experienced before. A part of me knew that Rita was speaking the truth, but I didn't want to hear it. I had earned my status. I had

worked hard to achieve it. I wasn't about to just let it go without a fight.

Violet must have sensed it building, the emotional tie that now existed between us telegraphing a portent of what was to come. She scrambled backwards, practically

tripping over the coverlet that was still wrapped around her. I was within the s.p.a.ce of a moment all red eyes and fangs and towering over Rita, an indignant roar echoing throughout the room.

"That's better," I declared once the roar faded to a low rumble. I looked down upon Rita, kneeling before me, her eyes downcast in subjugation. "You forget yourself," I growled.

"Yeah?" asked Violet. "Well, I still remember who I am," she declared, walking up to me. "Put the fangs away, Byron. We need to talk this out."

Un-f.u.c.king-believable. She was going to challenge me in front of someone? This I couldn't have. The rumble in my chest remained steady and I gave her my most menacing glare.

Violet leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "I get it. You need to save face. But I'm not going to back down here. And I'm certainly not going to kneel before you, not like that. We're connected, Ren. I know that you don't want to hurt me."

"That doesn't mean that I won't," I barked.

She looked at me, a bit shocked at first, then she smiled and said softly, "Don't ever play poker with me, baby." She leaned up and nuzzled my neck. "It's going to be all right," she promised. "We'll figure this out, Ren. We're in this together."

Together. I felt the need to connect with her again, to wrap my arms around her and reaffirm our bond. There was so much we had yet to experience of one another. I remembered the handcuffs and an image of Violet tied to the bed swam before my eyes.

"Rita, go home!" I said as I reached for Violet's hand and began to lead her towards the stairs.

"I can take her with me!" Rita shouted, jumping to her feet.

"What? No!"

"You plan on holding her prisoner here, Byron? Like your father held your mother prisoner? Is that what you want?"

"She's not my prisoner!" I insisted. Then I looked at Violet. "You're not my prisoner."

"When do you plan on releasing her?"

Violet's anxiety was rapidly rising. "I can't stay here forever, Ren. I have patients back home, a life-"

"We don't have to stay here forever," I a.s.sured her, reaching up to caress her neck, rubbing my thumb across my mark to soothe her.

Almost instantly her heart rate and pulse began to slow down, just as I knew it would.

"He's manipulating you, Violet. He's manipulating you through the Claim," said Rita.

Violet looked up at me, her eyes flooding with tears. "He doesn't mean to," she said.And I didn't. I wanted her to stay with me, yes. But more than anything I wanted her towant to stay-to choose to stay. I wanted to deserve her, to be worthy of what she hadgiven me. I just...wanted to love her.

I swallowed, hard, and then I said it. "I love you, Violet."

"I know," she nodded as the tears began to spill over. "Please don't ask me to give up who and what I am."

I felt as if I were drowning.

"I'm not," I insisted.

"What does it mean to be Dominie? Tell me about the children," she asked, tears now

rolling down her cheek. "What have you risked for me?"

"It doesn't matter," I insisted, practically choking on the words as I wiped the tears from her face.

She sat down on the bottom step and just looked up at me, waiting for a response.

Several minutes pa.s.sed before I took my place beside her. I wrapped my arm around

her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I've devoted my life to serving the Clan, Violet. My conduct has been exemplary. I've followed the rules. I've obeyed the Canon. I've served as Treasurer of The Trust for the past three hundred and fifty years or so."

"The Trust?"

"I was appointed to the position of Treasurer right before Fred and Grace became

mates. It has grown tremendously under my direction. It supports our Chosen children.

It's large enough now that the Dominie draw an annuity from it."

"What do you mean by chosen children, Ren? What are they chosen to do?"

"Children born from a mating such as ours, a mating between a male vampire and a female mortal, can be either mortal or immortal. The mortal children are believed to be blessed, favored by the highest power."

"Favored how?"

"They will someday join Him in the afterlife."

"And those that are immortal?"

"Are here to serve. If we serve well...we get elevated. In the end, those that are

elevated, the Dominie, will get their reward."

"What end, Byron. You're immortal...or...you were."

"This world won't last forever, Violet. The end will come. And when it does, the Dominie