I woke in the morning to room service Eric had ordered for me, and was surprised at how attentive he had been. There was also a handwritten note of apology on the table next to my notes in beautiful script that read: Forgive me for the harsh behavior and reactions I had this first night here. There is still much I don't understand, and coming to terms with this new reality has been harder than I expected. I hope that your breakfast will soften your heart toward me that we might talk more when I rise this evening. –E

Torn between wanting to crumple the paper and display it proudly next to my own hard work, I refolded the paper and began to eat while reviewing more documents. As the morning progressed into afternoon I had a simple draft of what it was I wanted to put into a law, and what was already in effect on separate pieces of paper. Although I hadn't found anything that was in effect and met all of my needs, I knew there were a few that were possible but still long shots.

One law left me in control only if Eric, Kayden, and Adria were all dead. Another left the power with me if Eric abdicated but would still leave me in contention with Kayden, and put in the position to prove myself a worthy ruler. Still another law would give me complete ruling power without the need for Eric, Kayden, or any other bedmate if I could defeat either one or all others claiming a right to rule or those chosen as a requirement for my ability to rule. None of those options were appealing or even seemed likely to work out in my favor, and the option I kept returning to was to create my own law, while simultaneously revoking or dismembering the previous laws surrounding the legitimacy and right to rule without a mate.

The workings of a few different possible laws were still scattered on pages of my notebook and I worked to condense them to a few pages to make it more coherent and likely to become usable. I was worried that I wouldn't understand enough about how to write laws and what goes into them for this to work, but knowing Eric and the many contracts he had likely signed in his long existence, I was likely to come up with something passable with his help.

I took a break and practiced my creative skills in the bathroom and went down to the hotel's highly recommended restaurant for a late lunch before returning and refocusing my efforts on what exactly I needed out of a new law and what I needed its purpose to fill. Eric rose shortly before full dark and came to sit with me while looking over what I had gone through. It was possible there were more documents I could look over that had better information for me than what I had been given, but without contacting the elders and stating exactly what I was looking for I would be searching blindly.

Eric revised some of my notes and tightened up the language to ensure it was not misinterpreted. Some of the mistakes I had made were because I was tired and not fully aware of what I was writing, while others were obviously my inexperience. It was slightly more awkward than I had planned at first, but I warmed up and allowed Eric to see that I was moving past his reservations and focusing on the common goal. He sat close enough to touch if we had been playful enough, but I wanted to focus primarily on business to ensure that the results we mutually wanted were executed when the time came.

Eric hadn't made plans for us this evening and Irial hadn't contacted me for any further questions so the night was ours to decide what to do with it. I wanted to talk about what had happened about as much as I wanted to toss it out the window in an iron clad box with shackles and a lock without a key, but the former was more likely to happen. I knew that the next night we were leaving for Finland and the gorgeous igloos you could watch the Northern Lights from your bed in. To go from this giant room to something so small and enclosed, after we had a disagreement that left us thus far unable or willing to talk about it, seemed too soon, and yet that was the plan. So tonight, we would order in and talk about the difficult things that hurt and made me feel things I would rather forget.

As I got up to pour myself a glass of wine from a new bottle delivered this evening, I turned and looked at Eric from the bar. "Would you like a drink?" I asked casually. "I can heat something up for you if you'd like." He met my eyes and shook his head once, not in a gesture as if to clear his thoughts, but rather, an expression of doubt and his own sense of being unsure.

"Thank you, but I might order in," Eric said politely. His eyes never left mine, he was testing the boundaries to see what I would allow and was comfortable with. I knew the nourishment was the same, basically, but it was much tastier and sometimes if the donors were boosted with vitamins and other immunity-boosting things, better for the vampire. I shrugged and came back to the couch with my glass of wine.

My expression wasn't as carefully guarded as I had hoped, but I knew that Eric recognized I was trying, and really, if we were trying to get rid of each other, continuing the façade of having emotions for one another wouldn't help. I watched as he picked up the phone from the end table next to his seat and dialed the desk to request a donor.

"Yes, blood type O- please, female if available. No? Male will be fine," Eric said politely as he finished the conversation and hung up the phone. He had been watching me from the side all the while, and I had quietly sipped away at my wine, trying to keep my emotions in check and my heartbeat from showing my feelings either. I wouldn't say I was successful, just that I wasn't as obvious as I had been before.

"Eric," I said, having worked up the courage to talk about what had happened the night before. "I understand that while we were out last night, you were protecting me and you put yourself at risk to ensure my safety by coming with me rather than finding an escort for us both. Thank you."

Eric looked at me as he turned to face me from across the couch, and thought for a moment before he looked as if he were going to speak. As his lips parted, a quiet knock sounded at the door, and he rose to open it. The male donor they had sent was beautiful but looked so young that I felt rude for staring. Eric led him to the couch, and he sat between us as Eric prepared himself to feed. This was less jealousy inducing, but to watch this young man enjoy the ecstasy and euphoria from Eric's bite while I sat beside him and drank wine the color of his blood, made me glad that there were no female donors available.

Eric didn't feed long from him, but he drank deeply enough to leave the donor in need of help to the door and some water and snacks before sending him on his way. The already pale complexion he was born with had become sallow and reminiscent of a cancer patient instead of a donor. I sometimes forgot how fragile humans could be while I became less and less of one every day.

Before I could lose my nerve again, I tried to open up the conversation before we fell into another bout of silence. "I realize that it is difficult for you," Eric began before I had a coherent thought. "To watch me feed from someone else, not because I am feeding, but because of how intimate it is. But Tristan, I need you to know, I drank only enough to be sated for a small time. Humans are too weak to be a meal without nearly draining them."

I stared at him, unsure of what he was saying exactly, and asked for clarification. "Do you need a bottle or two more? I can fix that up if you're still hungry," I said, rising to return to the bar. Eric's hand on my wrist stopped me before I was standing and drew me back to the couch beside him, closer than I had been before he had fed.

"Tristan," Eric started. He stopped, watching me to see my reaction to what he had to say. "If you are willing, Tristan, may I feed from you?"

My lips twisted into some expression I couldn't fathom and I kept my eyes fixed on the collar of Eric's shirt. He was a very clean eater, and that is a feat when the only nourishment he has comes from a bottle or a person. Crisp, clean cotton met my eyes and I blinked to clear them and answer his question. I lifted my gaze to meet his stormy blue-grey eyes, still unsure of what I would tell him. I was confused and wanting, but that was my problem and not Eric's.

"Yes," I said finally. "On one condition, though." Eric quirked an eyebrow, his eyes lightening in interest. "Don't make it feel good. I need to know how painful it can be. If it becomes too much for me, I'll let you know, but I want to know what could happen. With anyone else."

Eric's eyes darkened as I finished and he set his lips as though he wanted to argue. I could see he was uncomfortable about it, but there were so many things about our relationship that weren't normal, even for vampire standards or any supernaturals. He decided against an argument for whatever his own reason was, and placed a hand behind my head, grasping my neck and the bottom of my skull before looking into my eyes on last time to be sure.

When he struck I didn't see the movement. I wish I could say I didn't feel him bite, but I would be lying. True, his fangs were razor sharp, and the initial puncture was almost painless but when they slid past that and he began to suck at the wounds, I could feel how tender all the muscles were around my neck, and the angle at which my head was pulled strained the muscles further. As painful and frightening as it was to be without the numbness and euphoria, the pain I suffered now was nothing compared to the humiliation and defeat I had lived with from my brother. It gave me a frame of reference for how I reacted to things and I knew that if I could disassociate, remove myself from my memories and keep them from interfering with my present, I could face nearly anything.

Eric drank greedily and lapped at the stains my blood would have made as it dribbled across my collarbone and down to my breast. I sat back into the couch, not entirely motionless, but not whimpering and weak either. Eric's eyes met mine once, checking to see if I had lost myself in the pain or could go on further. I nodded slightly, and he continued, feeding until he was sated and full. I don't know how much he took from me, but as he finished, he cleaned me meticulously, and sealed the wounds before righting himself beside me. We sat together silently as he cleaned himself up, with the small mess, and I thought about how to approach him with my thoughts. It would be difficult after his feeding, but simpler because he wouldn't be distracted by that while we talked either.