"Enough," a woman's voice said from behind them. "Anthony, be good." A small, dignified woman swept into the room, commanding everyone's attention with her regal manner. She bent a stern look on Mia that made her feel about five years old before she addressed Tony again. "Unless you mean to rescue this young woman from an untenable situation."

"Should the need arise, Lady Serisa, it will be a privilege."

"Good. Come along. We've been waiting to settle this long enough."

Serisa left, and they all followed without a word. Colin reached for her hand as they walked down a wide hallway, but Mia sharply s.n.a.t.c.hed it away.

Don't touch me!

Fine.

Mia realized that neither of them had spoken aloud. Telepathy? It made sense that a vampire was a telepath, but how could she send thoughts to him, as well? Come to think of it, she remembered hearing his voice in her head even before they met, telling her to calm down. How had he gotten into her head like that? How did she get into his?She had to put her speculations on hold when they entered a large room full of people. Full of vampires-just because they looked like people didn't mean they were. They were all attractive and well dressed, though mostly in black. They were all staring at her.

A tall, barrel-chested man came forward. He had gray at his temples and deep lines around his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deep and mellow. "I am Barak, elder of Clan s.h.a.gal. Welcome to our Citadel." He glanced toward the woman. "Serisa is my lady. She is Matri here."

Then he smiled at Mia, and the expression in his gaze was so kindly and concerned that it left her wishing that Barak was her great-grand-father. She couldn't help but smile back.

He took her hand and made sure she was seated comfortably in a deep black leather chair on one side of the room. Then he moved to stand in front of Colin.

"Sit," Barak ordered him brusquely.

"I'll stand," Colin answered. He looked around the crowded room. "This looks like a trial. What am I being accused of?"

The atmosphere in the room grew even tenser as Barak and Colin stared at each other for a few moments. When Barak nodded and Colin came striding past him to stand next to her, people relaxed. There were even approving looks and a few smiles when he put his hand on her shoulder. Mostly, Mia was aware of the comfort that came from contact with Colin in the midst of all these strangers.

She looked up at him. "You confuse the h.e.l.l out of me, Foxe."

He looked down at her. "The feeling's mutual, Luchese."

"Which brings us to the heart of the matter," Serisa said. The small woman stepped to the center of the room. "We are not dealing with accusations, but with concerns. Some facts must be verified, acknowledged, and addressed. She turned to Tony Crowe.

"Thank you for bringing the situation to our attention. Perhaps you should explain what you saw that alerted you."

"Alerted him to what?" Colin questioned.

"What are we being accused of?" Mia demanded.

"Kids," Tony said, and shook his head. "This is for your own good, so shut up and let's get this over with." He addressed Serisa.

"One of my impressions about the girl is that we have an amateur vampire hunter on our hands."

"Amateur!" Mia piped up indignantly. Even if it was true, this Crowe person didn't have to announce it to the world. "I came to you for help," she told him.

He smiled. "But you didn't recognize me for what I am, did you? You had no idea what Colin is, after months as his lover. He didn't tell you anything, did he? And whenever you figured anything out, he tried to make you forget, right?"

Mia couldn't help but nod, and shoot Colin an angry look.

Tony addressed Serisa once more. "The boy has her so messed up, she isn't really sure of what's going on."

"Boy!" Colin shouted. "Messed up? I've never done anything to her. Except make her forget things she isn't supposed to know.

For her good, and ours," he added.

"You haven't forced your blood on her?" Barak asked.

"Of course not!" "If she didn't have your blood in her, would the Tribe pack have decided to hunt her? If you weren't linked, would they have come after her?" Serisa questioned.

"That isn't why they're hunting me," Mia said, but everyone's attention was on Colin.

"I've tasted Mia, yes. I freely admit that I've taken her blood. But I have never,never shared my blood with her. I wouldn't do that with a mortal woman."

"I don't think hethinks he has," Tony said to Serisa.

"Yet you are certain of the mingling."

"I am."

"Why are you listening to him? I'm right here! I know what I did with Mia."

"I don't think you do," Tony replied. "I met the young lady when Alec, Domini, and I answered a call for help from Colin against a Tribe attack. My impression from the first moment was that they were bonded. I quickly came to understand that neither of them were aware of it."

"Bonded?" Colin's hand squeezed her shoulder. He was utterly stunned, and unaware that he was hurting her.

She shrugged off his touch and rose to her feet. While there was a tension in the air, she wasn't feeling physically threatened. But she did fear she was in danger of being talked to death.

"Does the termbeating around the bush have meaning for you people?" she demanded. "You've kidnapped us, and now you're interrogating us. Why? What business is it of yours, what Colin and I did together?" Had she known he was a vampire, she certainly wouldn't have slept with him, but she wasn't going to try to claim that the s.e.x hadn't been consensual. "Maybe he messed with my memories, maybe he bit me, but that's n.o.body's business but ours."

And why were they so concerned about one of their own drinking someone's blood? That was what vampires did, wasn't it?

"Besides, we broke up," she went on. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"You can't break up," Serisa said. "You're bonded."

"We aren't," Colin insisted. "It's not possible. She's human."

He sounded desperate, appalled, and this hurt Mia as though he'd slapped her. She spun to face him. "Is there something wrong with being human?"

Ignoring her, Colin stepped up to confront Serisa. "This is impossible. You can't put this on me." His expression was stricken.

Serisa's answer was cold. "I do."

Domini stepped forward. "I'm sorry no one's bothered to explain bonding to you," she said to Mia. "They forget that a mortal isn't going to automatically know what they're talking about when they speak of bonding and bondmates. Basically, you and Colin are married. You are physically, spiritually, and psychically connected."

"Don't be ridiculous," Mia snapped.

"And it's permanent," Domini added.

Part of her recognized the truth of what the other woman said, but the rest of her rejected it with almost hysterical fervor. "I cannot be"-she couldn't bring herself to use the wordsbonded ormarried -"attached to a vampire."

"We have the blood tests to prove it," Dr. Casmerek spoke up. "You can't argue with science."

"Yes, I can," Mia said.

"I amnot bonded with this mortal," Colin a.s.serted. "I did not give her my blood." He glared at the doctor. "I don't care what your tests show. You're lying."

"What reason would I have to lie, Prime?"

"Can you bear to be away from her?" Tony asked. "Don't you miss him when he's gone?"

"It's more than love," Domini said. "It's a wonderful craving."

"What's so wonderful about it?" Colin demanded.

"Bonding is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a Prime," Barak said.

Colin sneered. "With a human?"

"Watch it," Alec warned. Several other males echoed this sentiment.

Mia was tempted to join the argument and defend her rights, but part of her also wanted to defend Colin. After all, whatever was going on was between them, and not this loud, outraged crowd. She forcefully reminded herself that these werevampires, not concerned family members. Vampire in-laws? Good Lord, what an awful thought!

If only there was some way she could sneak out unnoticed while the others argued. She began to sidle slowly away from the arguing group gathered around them.

"Wouldn't I know if I was bonded?" Colin demanded.

"Not necessarily. You wouldn't be as aware of the signs as a more mature Prime. The tests show positive, but I'm not sure how it was triggered," the vampire doctor said. "You're rather young for the biological imperative to have kicked in."

"Much too young," Barak said. "What were you thinking of?"

"It's not the sort of thing you think about," Tony said.

"I-" Colin started.

"A traumatic event could have triggered the need," Serisa cut him off. "If their minds met while she was in danger, he would have responded instinctively. His desire to protect his mate could have kicked in and accelerated the bonding process. How did you meet your bonded?"

"Hostage situation," Colin answered. "I rescued her."

Mia swung back toward him. "Hey!" She curbed her outrage to acknowledge, "He and his whole team rescued us."

Tony Crowe's arms suddenly came around her from behind. "But will he rescue you now?"

The words were a seductive whisper in her ear. He pulled her closer, making her aware of hard male muscle and inescapable strength. She didn't let her shock stop her from thrusting a heel toward his shin and her head back toward his jaw.

But Colin was there before either blow connected. She caught a glimpse of bared fangs and burning eyes; Colin's handsome features were transformed into those of a bloodthirsty animal.

The next thing she knew, she was on her hands and knees on the carpet, and her mind was full of Colin's psychic voice shouting,She's mine!

Her soul greeted this declaration with the harrowing knowledge that shewas his. She belonged to Colin Foxe, a vampire who fought another monster for possession of her.

Gentle hands reached for her and helped her to stand. Domini looked into her eyes and asked, "You okay?"

Mia shook her head. "It's all my fault."

Domini glanced over her shoulder. "It's already over."

She turned Mia to face the center of the room. Colin was being held between Barak and Alec; he still looked ready to kill.

Tony Crowe stood a few feet away, looking smugly satisfied, even though a b.l.o.o.d.y cut scored his cheek. "Always a groomsman," he said with a mock sigh. "Never a groom. Are you bonded or not, Colin?" he asked.

"Mia is mine!" Colin looked around, the fire in his gaze challenging every male in the room. "She'smine. "

"I think we were all aware of that," a new voice said. A beautiful, slender woman walked out of the shadows on the far side of the room. She put a hand on Colin's cheek, and he seemed to calm down instantly.

"Matri," he said, and leaned his head into her caressing touch.

A bolt of jealousy shot unexpectedly through Mia, but Domini put a hand on her arm when she would have stepped forward.

"It's okay," Domini whispered. "She's Anjelica, the head of his clan. His great-aunt, I think."

"She doesn't look like anybody's great-aunt," Mia whispered back.

"You flatter me, Prime's Chosen," Anjelica said, turning to Mia. The older woman smiled and held a hand out toward her.

"We've had enough of wrangling and explanations. You've been through enough. I came here to celebrate the happy occasion of a bonding ceremony. I think we'll have the ceremony this evening." She shot a stern look at Colin. "Don't you agree, Reynard Prime?"

Colin didn't even look at Mia. He bowed his head and looked up at Anjelica from under his heavy dark brows. Mia saw that his gaze was defiant, and felt his seething anger-anger he directed at her.

But his voice was totally neutral when he spoke to the other woman. "Tonight, Matri. As you desire."

Chapter Thirteen.

"Look what we caught."

"Caught him sneaking outside the house."

"He didn't put up much of a fight."

Laurent kept silent and didn't offer any resistance as the trio of Manticore Primes man-handled him into the room and shoved him to his knees before the pack leader.

"So you've come back," Justinian said, stepping up and slapping Laurent's already b.l.o.o.d.y face. "We thought he'd run for good," one of the Primes who'd caught him said.

Justinian sent a look around the room that reined all his pack into silence. Even though the lesser Primes backed off, Laurent was all too aware of the malevolent attention focused on him. They were hungry for any excuse to vent aggression, and right now he appeared easy prey to them.