Destiny opened her eyes and waited for the terrible rush of pain to sweep through her body. Agony upon awakening had always robbed her of breath and all thought until she could find a way to simply breathe, to function. It was always then that Nicolae merged with her. Destiny's pain drew him to her, allowed him to find her in the broad expanse of the universe. This rising was different. The pain was there, in her blood and bones, a burning acid that pulsed and throbbed, but without the terrible torment that had been such torture over the last years. Nicolae had given her some relief with the infusion of his ancient blood.

Although it is less on this rising, I still feel your pain. Come to me. My blood runs in your veins, it will be easy for you to find me. Come to me and I will do my best to heal you.

It was the softest of whispers, a sweet seduction.

Destiny stared up at the night sky, entranced by its natural beauty. Over her head tree branches swayed gently, the leaves glittering a strange silver. She was enthralled by Nicolae's beautiful, musical voice. It wasn't simply that she found herself wanting to just listen to it, she neededto hear him speaking to her. She couldn't count the times she had crawled into the refuge of her mind to avoid the atrocities of her life, and found him there waiting where she could just listen to the magic of his incredible voice. The strength of her need for him seemed to be growing, not diminishing, as she aged.

While you think to find reasons to fear me, you might remember I could have taken your blood, tied you to me for all time, but I did not. Why would I want a woman unwilling to come to me on her own? If I were attempting to ensnare you, I would have taken your blood, not given you mine. You have power over me now. You know I speak the truth.

Destiny lifted her chin in a kind of rebellion. She did not need him to state the obvious.

I will work things out for myself, Nicolae. I have no need or want of your unsolicited advice.

He laughed softly, the notes joyous and pure, slipping into her mind to twine unexpectedly around her heart. Destiny sucked in her breath, her eyes widening with shock, with realization. A part of her wanted him close to her. She had awakened expectantly, eager for the sound of his voice, for the connection between them.

Crimson color crept up her neck and into her face as she floated from her resting place. She considered herself well disciplined, took a certain pride in it, yet she could feel butterfly wings brushing at her stomach and warmth spreading treacherously through her body at the mere sound of his voice. At the knowledge of his nearness.

I don't want you here.

She said it with a certain fire. Shocked at herself. Shocked at the way she felt toward him.

His answering laughter was pure male amusement, sliding into her mind, under her skin, dissolving her bones. He had been too long in her mind not to recognize her confusion for what it was. Destiny hissed out a slow breath.

Emotions betray one, Nicolae  - I learned that lesson from a master. It's a truth I accept.

Emotions had allowed Nicolae to find her. If Destiny hadn't heard Mary Ann speaking to one of her clients, if her words hadn't been the very thing Destiny had been starving to hear, she would have continued her nomad existence and Nicolae would not have found her.

I would have found you.

There was complete confidence in his infuriating, beautiful voice.

You know I would have found you. Then there will be a battle between us.

Now there was a smoky edge to his laughter.

There has never been a war to fight between us, there never will be. We are two halves of the same whole.

She winced at his words. To her, they were an accusation. She had seen his kills. She had touched that dark, crouching beast deep within him. As hard as she wished it otherwise, she was still what a monster had made her. For a moment she pressed her fingertips to her temples, closing her eyes, shutting out the beauty of the night, the beauty of his voice, the magic of the things she had become aware of.

Shape-shifting, soaring through the sky, running on four legs like a well-oiled machine, stars glittering like a shower of diamonds overhead - the sheer power of what she was. Destiny found it impossible to hate her existence. That realization only added to the weight of her guilt. She had always had choices, and she had chosen to live. Chosen to hunt and kill monsters. Chosen to stay close to Mary Ann Delaney. And she had chosen to listen to a depraved monster. He had murdered her family and turned her childhood into a living hell.

Stop it!

Nicolae said sharply, a command from an ancient accustomed to instant obedience.

You were a child, a little girl, with no knowledge of such evil creatures. You could not possibly have prevented what that vampire did to your family, nor were you responsible. You have rare gifts. There are others in the world such as you, other young women, possibly young men, who inadvertently draw the monster through their incredible gifts. They are in no way responsible for what a vampire does. The vampire chose his way of life. At one time he walked in the light and had honor and respect. At some point in his life he knew he was risking his soul if he continued. He knew what to do but chose to become the undead. Look into my memories; I offer them freely to you. You cannot believe you are responsible.

Destiny was silent a moment, wanting to believe him. Wanting to be absolved. Wanting the magic of his voice to wrap her up and take her away from all that had ever happened to her.

Your voice is a weapon.

She whispered the words to him aloud as well as in his mind. She needed the sound of her voice to believe it.

You are afraid. It is natural to fear what you do not understand, little one.

His voice was so gentle she wanted to cry. She wanted to reach out to him and be held. Her reaction was so strong, so foreign to her nature, it shocked her. Frightened her even more. She felt off balance and indecisive, and she didn't like it. He hadn't called her "little one" in a long while. She tried to tell herself the endearment had thrown her, but she knew better.

She might be afraid, but she was no coward. She could at least be truthful with herself... with him. Her chin went up and she straightened her shoulders.

Yes, I am afraid. I don't know how to trust anyone. I don't know that I even trust myself. I trusted the beauty of a voice and I was deceived. You were a child.

His very gentleness caught at her, turned her inside out.

Does that excuse me? You did nothing wrong. And yet you blame yourself for surviving. You were meant to survive. Let me help you.

She raked her hand through her hair so that it fell in a dark cloud around her face. Hunger was burning through her body, gnawing and crawling. She tried to ignore it, tried to ignore the knowledge that feeding was no longer as repulsive to her as it should be. Just as she tried to ignore how easy it was to control her prey. She winced.

Prey. Did you hear me? I thought of them as prey, not people. That's what I've become. That's what he made me. How can you help me? How can I trust you? I know what you are. You helped me to kill him. You taught me to be what I am. I see the darkness in you. Do you deny it? Of course I do not deny it. The beast is a part of me. It is my strength as well as my weakness. But there is much more to me than a mindless beast bent on death and the torment and pain of others. Just as there is more to you than what he tried to make you. There is darkness in me.

She wouldn't lie. Not to him. Or to herself, not anymore.

My love.

He said the two words softly, wrapped her up in his magic.

His blood flows in your veins, haunting you, tormenting and whispering, but it is his darkness you feel, not your own. Carpathians are great healers. The soil here is adequate, but the soil of our homeland is like no other. His tainted blood can be removed. His shadowing can be dealt with by our healers and the soil of our homeland. How can I trust anything you say to me?

She repeated her question almost desperately, wanting something from him he could never give her. Reassurance. She wanted reassurance, yet she didn't dare believe ever again.

That is something only you can answer. There was no impatience in his voice, no anger, only a soft gentleness that threatened to fragment her heart.

You have to find that answer for yourself. If you truly cannot see a difference between me and that unholy monster who dragged you from the safety of your home and subjected you - subjected both of us - to his depraved tortures, then I have nothing with which to defend myself. And I never will. You have to see into my heart and soul. Look past the beast and see the man. See what you are to me. My heart and my soul. My everything. See me, all of me, not just fragments, and you will have your answers.

She hated him for whispering the words in her mind. For tempting her. His touch was feather-light, brushing the words against her hideous memories with the caressing stroke of an artist's brush. He was luring her deeper into his web. She was mesmerized by him. By everything he said. Everything he promised. By what he left unsaid. The strength and power he possessed. His knowledge. The way he had sheltered a helpless child. Even the way he had given her his blood and had not taken a single sip of hers. Blood was power. Connection. He had cradled her to him as no other ever had. Held her as if she mattered to him. He said things that pierced her armor like arrows. Beautiful things she needed, she craved. Beautiful things that terrified her.

Strangely, as she filled in the earth where she had rested, restoring it to its original state, a slight tremor in her legs caught her attention. Alarmed, Destiny lifted her hand in front of her face. It was shaking.

Damn you, I don't want you here.

What if she had to kill him? What if he gave her no choice? He was making her so weak, her body trembled. She couldn't afford him. She wouldn't have him in her territory.

You are worth the risk to my life; you always have been worth the risk.

Nicolae spoke sincerely, as if he meant every word.

Destiny shook her head in denial. He wasn't going to leave, and as hard as she tried, she could not believe him evil. He wasn't going to make it simple for her by disappearing. Did she really want him to? The thought came unbidden. Sneaking in and tugging at her conscience.

"I'm fragmented." She said it aloud as she looked up at the sky. She wished she were truly friends with Mary Ann and could talk to her about Nicolae. "A part of me would be disappointed in him if he didn't stay. If he didn't want me." There, she had admitted it to herself and she hadn't used the word devastated.

The word might have floated for one second in her brain, but she hadn't acknowledged it aloud. Given it life.

How could she survive without him? She had lived with him for years. Shared his mind on every rising. Listened to the magic of his voice. She didn't know, hadn't known when he had begun invading her heart. She had known she needed him for the continual battles with the undead. She hadn't realized she needed him to be alive.

Destiny could find him now, anytime, anywhere. There was a blood tie between them. She could monitor him at will, touch his mind to see what he was doing. It gave her an advantage over him. She would know when he was hunting her. And she would know if he made a kill.

Resolutely she turned toward the city teeming with life. She had left her business with Mary Ann for too long. She preferred to get it over with. Three running steps and she launched herself skyward, spreading her arms as feathers sprouted and the wind took her higher. The earth fell away, taking her fears with it. She blocked out all thoughts of Nicolae and Vikirnoff and allowed herself to indulge in the sheer joy of flight. She would never tire of taking on the form of an owl and used it often when she traveled.

The world was a thing of beauty when she soared through the sky, when the air washed her body clean and she felt whole and pure and alive. She cut through the clouds, not taking the time to play. She had business. She searched familiar places, looking for traces of Mary Ann. Her scent. The sound of her voice. Her soft laughter. She found what she was looking for in a small bar where the locals hung out to exchange the latest gossip.

Destiny sat on the roof of the deli across the street from the bar and surveyed the street. Despite the lateness of the hour, Velda Hantz and her sister Inez sat in their chairs on the sidewalk in front of their apartment building, watching the world go by. Both in their seventies, they were permanent fixtures on the street, greeting each passerby by name and yelling out friendly advice or motherly admonishment if the situation warranted. It was impossible to miss either of them, dressed as they were in their favorite colors of fluorescent pink and chartreuse green. Velda's pink-tipped gray hair was in its usual artsy windblown style, while Inez's rich purple do was swept up on top of her head. They both wore the latest running shoes, which they carefully scuffed as they sat in their chairs. Destiny found the sisters oddly endearing. More than once she had allowed them to see her, and always they called out friendly greetings and waved her over for a quick interrogation.

Knees drawn up, her chin propped in her hand, Destiny watched the two women, unaware of the smile on her face. She had moved often from city to city, state to state, always hunting the undead. Always staying ahead of Nicolae and his relentless pursuit of her. She knew the way his mind worked. He had given her access to his battles, his strategies, his very thought process. She had soaked up his knowledge, knowing her life depended on it, knowing other lives would depend on it. That had enabled her to stay ahead of him. Until she had heard Mary Ann Delaney speaking, counseling a young woman whose life was a shambles. That soft, clear voice, the things Mary Ann had said, kept Destiny chained to Seattle. To these streets. Eventually she had come to secretly think of all the people in the neighborhood as her responsibility.

Destiny sighed and straightened very slowly. She had made a conscious choice to stop running and allow this city to become her home, to allow herself to care about its inhabitants. It gave her a semblance of normalcy she desperately needed, a purpose to continue her life when she knew she was evil.

Not evil. Carpathian. You carry the tainted blood of the vampire, but you are not vampire. I have explained this on more than one occasion.

There was a patient note in Nicolae's velvet-soft voice.

What is troubling you?

Destiny sighed softly, blew at a strand of hair that fell across her face.

Don't you have anything better to do than harass me? Are all men as annoying as you?

There was a brief silence. She could feel him struggling not to laugh. No one ever spoke to him the way she did, and he was shocked as well as amused. It made her feel all the closer to him. Connected to him.

Good God. You are going to give me more trouble than I ever thought possible. You have no idea.

There was a certain feminine satisfaction in having the last word, delivering her line smartly and breaking the connection between them quickly and decisively. Just that brief communication between them had given her the courage necessary to do what had to be done. She forced herself to leave the safety of the rooftops.

The sounds of music and people talking seemed to burst from the walls of The Tavern. Destiny stood outside the bar, as she had so many times before. Her small teeth tugged nervously at her bottom lip. She never entered but perched instead on the roof, just listening to all the conversations. She always found it comforting, as if she were really a part of the neighborhood.

Tonight Mary Ann was inside the bar; Destiny was certain of it. And Mary Ann would have questions. Lots of questions. Destiny would have to remove the woman's memories, something she was reluctant to do. She liked and respected Mary Ann, and the idea of deliberately removing her memories disturbed Destiny. She had avoided the issue for two risings, preferring to stay hidden in the solace of the earth, healing the wounds on her body and hiding from the ancient warrior hunting her. Hiding her dark soul from Mary Ann. Now she had no choice but to face her.

The door to the bar swung open and two men emerged, laughing, talking together as they walked past her without seeing her. She recognized them. Tim Salvadore and Martin Wright. She whispered their names under her breath, as if greeting them. They lived in a small apartment over the little grocery store on the corner. For business reasons, they tried to hide the fact that they were a couple, but everyone in the neighborhood knew they were more than roommates. No one cared; most liked the two men. Still, no one alluded to the relationship out of respect and courtesy.

Destiny bit her lip harder as she watched the two walk down the street. She enjoyed watching their lives unfold. They were nice, ordinary people who seemed genuinely devoted to one another. They were so much a part of the small community Destiny protected. Her gaze remained on the two men until they turned the corner and she lost sight of them. Then she looked back at The Tavern with a frown on her face.

She would have to go in and face Mary Ann. She was certain there would be revulsion and fear in Mary Ann's soft brown eyes after they spoke. Compassion and friendship would be replaced by the knowledge of what Destiny was. Destiny knew she could erase that knowledge from Mary Ann's mind, should she not be able to accept her as she was, but there would always be a barrier between them. Nothing would ever be the same again. Destiny would never be able to even pretend they were friends, and Mary Ann's friendship was important to her. She wanted Mary Ann's acceptance, but how could anyone accept her when she couldn't accept herself?

For a moment she stood outside The Tavern, her shoulders slumping, her heart heavy with dread. At once she felt him. Nicolae. He stirred in her mind, his touch gentle, inquiring, drawn by her deep sorrow. The ease of the connection surprised her. His gentleness warmed her. The way she craved his touch alarmed her. Destiny slammed her mind closed to him. She couldn't afford to risk his finding out about Mary Ann. It would be a certain death sentence for the woman. He would not allow the continued existence of a human who knew about vampires. Lifting her chin, she squared her shoulders and decisively pulled open the door.

At once the noise and smells assaulted her, jangling and jarring until she managed to turn down the volume in her mind. Nothing could stop the way her stomach knotted and twisted in protest of what she was about to do. Her gaze went unerringly to Mary Ann.

Mary Ann, sitting on a barstool, half turned toward the door. She was laughing at something the woman next to her was saying. Destiny knew Mary Ann so well, she could hear the forced notes of merriment. Destiny didn't look at the woman speaking with Mary Ann, or try to identify anyone else in the bar. She focused on Mary Ann and willed her to look up, bracing herself for the horror and knowledge she would find in the depths of those soft brown eyes.

Mary Ann turned her head slowly until her dark gaze met Destiny's. Joy lit her face, banished the worry from her eyes. She jumped from the stool, leaving her companion in mid sentence, and rushed to Destiny. Time stood still while Destiny watched her hurtle across the room like a small rocket.

"You're alive! Thank God! I was so worried. I didn't have any idea whom to contact. I checked the hospitals, even the morgue." Mary Ann nearly flung her arms around Destiny but checked herself when she saw how uncomfortable the younger woman was.

Destiny stood staring at her, her mind numb, a perfect blank. Her carefully worded apology was wiped from her memory; she could only stare dumbly. Twice she cleared her throat.

"Come on, let's move away from the crowd," Mary Ann suggested gently, drawing Destiny a few steps out of the crush of people.

"You don't have a single ounce of self-preservation," Destiny accused. "Why don't you ever try to protect yourself?"

"I don't know. All I could hear was the sound of his voice. It was so melodic - hypnotizing almost. I couldn't see him clearly until you spoke to me. Then he sounded horrible and grating and he looked..." Her voice trailed off as she sought the right word. "A monster. His teeth, so jagged and sharp. His fingernails were something out of a horror film. But at first he looked handsome. I would have gone to him if you hadn't pushed me into the church. Thank you, Destiny."

Destiny could only stare at her in a kind of shock. "I'm not talking about him. You wouldn't have had a chance with him anyway. He was a vampire. They aren't easy to defeat, and you don't have the necessary knowledge or skills. I'm talking about me . You're happy to see me - "

"Of course I'm happy to see you!" Mary Ann interrupted. "I was so worried, Destiny. I looked for you every day, all the places you might go, but I couldn't find you anywhere. Don't ever scare me like that again. You should have come to my house. Didn't you think I'd be worried?"

"Yes, I thought you'd be worried that I might kill you by draining every drop of your blood," Destiny said. She could hardly endure the conversation.

Mary Ann was telling the truth; Destiny could read her anxiety. It made no sense, and Mary Ann's lack of fear, lack of self-preservation, angered her.

"That's silly. I saw your injuries. I wanted to take care of you."

Destiny studied her hands. "How can you say that? You must know what I am."

"What is it you think you are?" Mary Ann asked softly, her voice as gentle as ever. There was no hint of condemnation. No hint of laughter. Just Mary Ann's quiet acceptance. Unconditional acceptance.

"You saw me. And you saw it . The vampire. You must know I'm one of them." Destiny couldn't look at her. She couldn't bear to see the revulsion looking back at her in those trusting eyes. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have allowed our lives to touch. You won't remember, but I want you to know that I give you my word of honor I will never harm you."

There was a small silence, and her stomach churned and knotted. She felt Mary Ann's touch. Light. Her fingers settled on Destiny's forearm. "Why do you believe you are a vampire?"

Destiny stiffened as if she'd been struck. "He took my blood. He forced me to drink his. I think that's the accepted way of making a human into a vampire."

Mary Ann nodded. "Well, of course, from what I've seen in movies. Is that where you're getting your information, too? The movies?"

"You don't have to believe me," Destiny pulled her arm away from Mary Ann. She could hear hearts beating. She could hear the ebb and flow of blood. The whispers of private conversations. "I'm not crazy." She said it firmly, more for her own benefit than for Mary Ann's.

"I know that. I couldn't leave the church, even though I knew you were in danger and I wanted to go help you. I sat there until morning, although I prayed for the strength to leave. But I couldn't. I saw him, Destiny. I saw and heard everything he said." Mary Ann shivered delicately. "He wanted you to call me out of the church."

Destiny nodded her head. "Yes - to share your blood." She said it bluntly, wanting to conclude this conversation. She had forgotten how emotions could tie one up in painful knots. She preferred physical pain.

"Let's go back to why you believe you're a monster. What makes you think so, Destiny? Because this maniac, this vampire, exchanged blood with you?" Mary Ann asked. "I can only go by what I've read in books or seen in movies. I know little of vampires and didn't for a moment believe they existed until I witnessed that horrible man. Now I'm open to the possibility, but I still can't believe you are one. Garlic, for instance..."

Destiny shuddered. "I never go near the stuff. I don't know what it would do to me, but I don't dare try it." She pushed an unsteady hand through her hair. "

I haven't looked in a mirror in years. I don't think I have a reflection, but I don't know for certain. I want so much to enter the church, but I can't take the chance."

"Sweetheart - " Mary Ann caught her firmly and turned her. "Your reflection is just as clear as mine in the mirror there. And you happen to be standing directly under a string of garlic. You haven't even noticed it."

Destiny's brilliant gaze found herself in the oversized mirror above the bar. She looked pale. Startled. Frightened. Did that face really belong to her? The last time she had seen herself she had been eight years old. How long ago had that been? She didn't know. She didn't recognize the woman staring back at her. Hanging above the bar where deli sandwiches were advertised were various food items, including strings of garlic in nets.

Afraid that if she took her eyes from her image it would disappear, Destiny watched herself shake her head. "I've never looked before. I was afraid of what I might see, or not see."

"Honey," Mary Ann continued with great gentleness, "when you pushed me into the church, you went inside with me. I was still struggling toward the man. I didn't have control of myself until you spoke."

There was a small silence while they both turned her words over in their minds. "I went into the church?"

"Then you had control of me," Mary Ann mused. "Destiny, whatever you are, you're not evil. You're not anything like that monster." She shuddered, remembering the fangs, the jagged teeth stained with blood. She glanced around the bar, spotted a small empty table in a corner and steered Destiny toward it. She was beginning to understand why the young woman had such troubled eyes. How long had Destiny lived with the knowledge that such monsters inhabited the world?

"Sit down, Destiny." Mary Ann used an authoritative voice. Destiny was so pale, so shocked, she looked as if she might fall over. When Destiny seated herself, Mary Ann took the chair across from her. "Did that man really take your blood and force you to take his?" It seemed a silly question to ask, something out of a Hollywood horror film, but Mary Ann had seen the creature, and she had known he was evil and that he was not human. She'd been a witness to the blurring speed Destiny had used in attacking the thing.

"Not him." Destiny's voice was so soft, Mary Ann strained to hear her. She sounded far away. "There was another. A long time ago. He..." Destiny trailed off, one hand going to her throat defensively. She covered her pulse, pressing her palm to her skin as if covering a ragged wound. For a moment she looked so vulnerable, so young and fragile, Mary Ann had to force herself to remain silent. "I can't think about it. I don't dare think about it."

"What do you think would happen if you did, Destiny?" Her voice was neutral. "Burying bad things only allows them to surface when least expected."

"Sometimes it's the only way to survive. Whom do I tell? The police? They'd lock me up in a mental institution." She met Mary Ann's gaze squarely. "How do you think I live now? You asked me to come home with you and have a cup of tea. For you that makes perfect sense. I'll never have a cup of tea again. Never." She pressed her fingertips to her temples. "My mother drank tea. I remember that now. I'd forgotten. Every morning she made tea in a little teapot and put a cozy over it to allow it to steep. She'd make mine with milk, more milk than tea really, but I felt so grown-up and close to her when we shared it." She closed her eyes, wanting to keep forever in her mind the memory of her mother's face, her scent and the way she smiled when she handed her the teacup.

She looked across the table at Mary Ann. "Thank you. I haven't thought of that in years. The last memories I had of my family were... bad. Frightening. I made myself forget everything so I could forget that. My mother was such a beautiful woman."

Mary Ann smiled. "I'm certain you must look a great deal like she did. What a wonderful memory. Do you have brothers or sisters?"

Destiny shook her head. "I was the only child."

"Other family?"

Nicolae popped into her head instantly when she should have said no. His voice, his presence. Destiny felt him strongly. What was he to her? Mortal enemy. No, never that. Destiny raked her hand through her hair, shaken by the depth of her attachment to him.

Mary Ann was waiting for her answer, seeming comfortable with the silence. Destiny's life was silence. She hadn't talked so much with anyone in years. Other than Nicolae.

"How do you know when you can trust someone?" Destiny asked softly. "How do you know they won't betray you?"

"I think sometimes it's instinctive," Mary Ann answered carefully, "although it is always possible to make a mistake. Usually you reserve judgment until you've been around someone, until you've seen their true character."

"Is that what you're doing now?" Destiny tilted her chin.

"With you?" Mary Ann's reply was mild. "You want something from me I can't give you. You want me to condemn you. You've saved my life at least twice. I like you as a person. I know you're troubled, but that doesn't make you the monster you want me to name you."

Destiny heard the swell of conversation in the bar, the blare of music. Laughter erupted from a table only a few feet away. She waved her hand. "This isn't real. You think you live in reality, but this isn't real."

"Of course it is. It's as real as your life has been, just completely different. You can't go back; I can't go back either, but we can go on."

"That's not true," Destiny said softly, raising her vivid eyes to meet Mary Ann's gaze. "It isn't true that you can't go back."

For the first time Mary Ann looked uncomfortable. She rubbed her fingertip along the tabletop as she composed her thoughts. Weighing her words. Thinking it through before she spoke. "I presume that means you can do something to my mind to alter my perception of reality."

Destiny nodded slowly, hearing the sudden increase in Mary Ann's heart rate. "I can take away your memories of me. Of everything you've learned about vampires. You won't remember and you won't ever have nightmares. You won't be in danger from... anyone."

"You can do that?"

Destiny smiled suddenly. There was no amusement in the depths of her eyes. "You would be shocked at what I can do. Yes, easily. I'm one of them, Mary Ann. I'm one of them, and I've become comfortable being one of them."

Mary Ann shook her head. "You're something different, Destiny. I don't know what, but you aren't anything like that creature who wanted my blood."

Destiny leaned across the table. "What do you think I exist on?" She placed her palms flat on the table, leaned closer still. Her voice was a soft hiss of warning. "I can hear your heart beating. I hear the blood rushing in your veins." She ran her tongue over her small, perfect teeth. "I have to fight to keep my incisors from lengthening. I haven't fed in two risings. I think about hunger every moment I'm awake. It crawls through me, an addiction I can't overcome. Don't make the mistake I did. Don't ignore the fact that something beautiful, something alluring, can be the most dangerous thing you will ever encounter."

Mary Ann's frown slowly disappeared. She leaned closer still. "It isn't going to work, you know. I know what you're doing. Of course the idea of vampires is frightening to me. I had no idea such things existed outside of movies and books, but I've had two days to think about that thing. He felt evil. I'm not scared of you, but you're deliberately trying to frighten me. You want to drive me away from you. I threaten you in some way, don't I? Why are you so afraid of me?"

Destiny pulled back as if Mary Ann had slapped her. She forced air through her lungs, forced the roaring in her head to a semblance of quiet. "I can't breathe in here. How do you breathe inside a place like this? I have to get out of here."

"Destiny, don't. I don't want you to remove my memories, and I don't want you to try to drive me away from you. I just want to be your friend. Is that really such a difficult thing? Do you have so many friends that you can't use another?"

"I can't breathe," Destiny repeated.

It was a measure of her discomfort that she didn't realize someone was approaching their table. He moved in silence, a stalking predator, and was upon them before she had a chance to scent him. Nicolae laid his hand on her shoulder, his fingers curling almost possessively around the nape of her neck.

Yes, you can, little one. I am here; just inhale and the air is there. If not, I will breathe for both of us. I will be your air.

The words whispered in her mind. Soft. Sensuous. Robbing her of her ability to speak.

Nicolae lifted his gaze from Destiny to the woman sitting across from her. His eyes were flat and cold as his gaze rested on Mary Ann. "What are you doing to her? I warn you, she is under my protection, and if you have done anything to hurt her, you will answer to me."