Hi there, sorry for the wait. This is a long chapter for me (due to the homage to Tasmanian Devil sex in the middle, book readers will know what I'm talking about), and the final proper chapter in the story. It is not over though, I have two more parts to go- an interlude and an epilogue, coming soon. Your feedback is awesome and brightens my day, so gimme ;)

When this fiction turned from a bit of smut into a proper romance, I found a lot of inspiration in a favourite album of mine- Grace by Jeff Buckley. Something about that beautiful voice, and all those songs about dysfunctional love and regret. It kinda fit well. Anyway, pretentious moment over. On with the story...

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Part Ten

The multi-storeyed, glass and steel office building stood at the edge of the old part of New Orleans like an architectural insult, a rude gesture to the gracious, weathered beauty of the buildings surrounding it. We had been directed to a side entrance that was unguarded, Juliet having asked me not to enter through the main lobby due to the conspicuousness of Eric, who looked like the kind of person that would stir any bored security guards sense for trouble. Dusk had just fallen, and I was still somewhat groggy and definitely thirsty; but I was obliged to bring Eric for his free consultation with the girl he had so helpfully rescued. Damned if I would allow him to meet with Juliet without my supervision, so I had left the house after a quick shower and drove to our rendezvous, exchanging only a few stiff words in greeting. I glowered, he smirked, but a debt must be paid, and he wanted Juliet to work her magic on his bar, nothing more it seemed.

He had passed me a USB stick with a set of drawings and images of Fangtasia last night at the palace, before I had paid a little visit to the dungeon in the basement to deal with the vampire that had attacked Juliet, with the Queen's blessing; an action that I would never tell my human about. I had cleaned up carefully afterwards and made sure I visited her when she was on the verge of going to sleep for the night, so she could not read any traces of lingering rage and horror in my mood.

Despite grumbling about the unpaid commission at length before curling up in my arms and going to sleep, Juliet had been working on Eric's project all day secretively. When I called her from the car on the way to her office she had sounded harassed and irritable, her voice clipped and without warmth. I knew many things had been preying on her mind in the last three days of uneasy peace, as certain as my looming departure had been eating away at mine. I still had not told her; acting the coward and avoiding the inevitable, but tonight I must. My few belongings were packed, and the Queen was getting impatient with my dithering. Washington was expecting me; I had an office, a basement apartment, a generous salary and a tedious schedule of meetings already lined up.

Grief dragged at my feet as we mounted the stairs to the tenth floor. I was focused inward, contemplating my empty future, devoid of the warmth of my human to brighten my nights. It may be selfish, but part of my reluctance to tell her of my move was due to my constant inner battle over whether to ask her to come with me. I knew I was not worth the price of giving up everything in her settled life to live with me in Washington, and handing over her fate to a man who was not a man, but a monster, who was incapable of returning her love, and who put her in danger by dragging her into his shadow world.

The hulking figure who crowded the staircase before me halted, and he looked over his shoulder with an exasperated gleam in his blue eyes. 'I can hear you angsting from here,' he said dryly. 'For fuck's sake, Bill, why don't you ask the girl to come with you to Washington?'

'It is none of your concern,' I said, my voice flat and final, but Eric wasn't deterred. He turned around, blocking my path, dressed for a night of sneering at the humans in his bar, as he intended to fly back to Fangtasia as soon as Juliet had given him her new designs for the interiors.

We were truly like chalk and cheese; Eric flashy and sinister in tight black leather, myself in a conservative button up shirt and trousers in navy blue. It was very strange that out of all the vampires I knew, Eric was the one I had the most time for, though he was irritating, arrogant and patronising. 'You know I will pursue her once you leave,' he taunted, his shark like grin signalling mischief.

I laughed without humour, not bothered at all by his words. 'She will tell you to go to hell, you're not her type,' I said with confidence, knowing what was in my human's heart, despite the chemistry between them at the palace.

'I will just take her then. She's worth the effort of some...persuasion,' he replied, with a provocative roll of his eyes. 'I like a woman who will fight back.'

My fangs threatened to emerge, pressing painfully against my jaw, but I didn't react the way he was hoping. 'There are two types of humans,' I said coolly. 'The type you take and use and throw to one side when you tire of them. And those that you hope will come to you of their own accord. I do not think you have met many of the second. Juliet is worth more than a quick glamour and fuck, and you know it.'

'You have me,' he conceded with a tight smile. 'She is beautiful, intelligent, brave and useful. The answer to all your fucking angst is staring you right in the face. Pam has been a wonderful companion to me for many years. I saw the value in her when I met her, I even loved her in my way, and I still do.' I stiffened and turned away, the disgust and panic welling in my chest, seeing the direction of his words and not wanting to hear it. 'No one would harm her if she was your child, and you wouldn't have to keep her in the dark as to your activities.'

Such cold logic, but underneath all the teasing cynicism, the infuriating, know it all bluster, rested a thousand years of experience. To Eric, there was only one option for humans of worth, to mould them into an image of yourself, but I could not abide it. 'I would rather meet the sun than curse her with the life I live,' I hissed, the words echoing in the empty stairwell.

I felt him go rigid, the temperature of the air between us dropping like a stone. 'You utter contempt for our kind is downright insulting, and stupid,' he said, his usually mild voice sharp. I turned back, finding his handsome face contorted with anger before it was smoothed away in an instant, replaced by his usual bland expression, revealing nothing. 'It will probably be the death of you,' he added in a bored tone, turning away with a shrug of his shoulders. 'Shall we proceed?'

'Yes, this conversation is over,' I growled, following his tall figure up the remaining stairs, struggling against the nauseous feeling in my stomach. Flashes of my life as a newborn assaulted my senses, my imprisonment in a blood soaked hell with a woman I despised and desired all at once. I would not, I could not, ever do that to a person, no matter how lonely and desperate I was. I had little control over my existence, blown hither and yon by my service to the Queen and the machinations of my peers, but at least I had control over myself.

In silence, we reached the tenth floor and I swallowed all that I was feeling and plastered a small smile on my face as we entered the glass doors stencilled with the logo of Juliet's firm. The grey and white office space was deserted, the black granite reception desk empty, rows of cubicles greeting us, filled with computers and drawing desks and the bright clutter of humans who were stuck at work for most of their daylight hours. Juliet was bent over a computer with two screens, surrounded by potted plants and a mosaic of pictures, dressed in wilted work attire, a red shirt and black pencil skirt and hose, a pair of ridiculous stilettos on her tiny feet. Her dark hair was drawn into a messy chignon, and I found it oddly sexy that a pen was stuck through the bundle of hair so she could access it easily on the move. Eric halted and whistled, and Juliet looked up, smiling at me with tired eyes before shifting her gaze to glare at him.

'The sexy secretary is in,' Eric drawled, and she snorted, getting to her feet and planting her hands on the swell of her hips.

'Don't be sexist,' she snapped. 'I find it bad enough I'm doing interior design like some dingbat who went to a crappy community college. I'm an architect, damn it.' He laughed, and she turned away from him with a flounce and came towards me. I drew her into my arms, and she laid a brief kiss on my cheek. She was warm and soft as always, and desire flamed in my chest, cut with a burst of anguish that near made me wince. She felt so good, to contemplate leaving her without a backward glance was impossible. 'Hey baby,' she whispered. 'I've had a hell of day. I want to go home and have a bath soooo bad.'

I squeezed her waist and kissed her furrowed brow. 'I need to talk to you about something,' I murmured, forcing the words from my lips.

Her green eyes widened and a shadow flitted through them as quick as breath. Something was definitely bothering her, something more than the events of three nights ago and the emotional turmoil caused by taking my blood. She was completely healed and glowed with health despite her long day in the office, but I knew she had suffered internally from drinking from me. We had not made love since that night and seen each other only briefly, but I could feel her mind much stronger than before. 'What a coincidence, I need to talk to you as well,' she sighed, then wriggled free from my embrace. 'Lets get this over with, so we can go home.'

She walked over to Eric, who was bent over her computer, squinting at the screen and nodding with approval. 'This is very well done,' he said. 'I was right to trust you...I love the red and grey. I insist you come to the reopening after the renovations are done.' He flashed her a seductive glance, his eyes travelling up and down her small figure, but she wasn't in the mood for sparring with him.

'I'll be washing my hair that night,' she said tartly. 'Now sit your big ass down so I can explain the designs. I'm tired and grouchy, so do not fuck with me.'

'What a woman,' he murmured, with a significant look in my direction. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a stony stare until he turned his head and meekly complied, his big, graceful body looking absurd in her office chair. I watched my Juliet as she talked to him rapidly, waving her hands around expressively and reaching over him to click through the images she had prepared. He was right of course, as he often was. She was too good a prize to let go.

*

Despite our brief but warm embrace at the office, Juliet remained cool and businesslike when we returned to her apartment. She was shut down, like she had magicked a veil between her emotions and myself; opaque and unreadable. She flitted around the room, shedding her work clothes and donning a robe, and fetching a snack from the small kitchen. If not for her bringing me a warmed bottle of Tru Blood, I could have imagined I was already invisible, vanished from her life like mist, and I it stung me more than I expected.

I waited impatiently for her to emerge from the bathroom, unable to prevent myself thinking wistfully of a different night, when I had barged into that little room and joined her in the bath, and had proceeded to take her and bend her body to my will, my lust and loneliness luring her free spirit into a trap that was now more pain than pleasure. The stirrings of life that had tugged at my still heart as my need for her grew and grew could be ruthlessly crushed this evening if I did not act, but I sensed it was already too late. My inability to open myself to her, her treatment at the hands of my peers, the brutal attack she had suffered and my boorish reaction, all that would now be added to with a last minute, clumsy plea for her to give up her life to accompany me. As if she already knew what I was going to ask her, she was steeling herself to deny me.

'Tell me what is on your mind,' I said wearily when she emerged from the bathroom, her damp hair curling around her shoulders, a pair of decidedly unsexy pyjamas obscuring her lush body. She sat on the foot of the bed cross legged, her face solemn but her brilliant eyes following me as I rose from the couch.

'I've got trouble at work, big trouble,' she said abruptly. I froze in my path towards her, watching her face grow dark with anger. 'Someone saw me at the palace the other night. I don't know who, and they talked to one of the big shot shareholders of my company. They're all a bunch of good ole boys. Republicans...so called Christians,' she said contemptuously. 'My boss told me today that they want me out, in case I sully the reputation of the firm by being a fangbanger, a vampire slut.' She laughed bitterly and shrugged. 'Not my boss's words of course, but I know what they're saying to each other down at the country club. Outside New Orleans, this state is redneck puritan central.'

I didn't know what to say. I was furious on her behalf, wanting to find those men who had called for her dismissal, find them and persuade them such a move was very unwise. I clenched my fists, torn between offering my help or offering her my escape. She would not have to worry about money if she came with me. I would care for her. She would not have to put up with the demands of hypocrites and fools, and she would not have to come home exhausted and frazzled like she had tonight. 'So you are fired?' I finally said.

'Not exactly. My boss Chad is a good guy. He went into bat for me, telling the bastards I was excellent at my job and an asset to the company.' She gave another acid laugh and looked away. 'I can resign and get a reference, or be transferred. To Las Vegas. They need someone in the office there, and Sin City is an appropriate place for someone with my dubious morals. I even get a payrise, thanks to Chad.' She curled in upon herself like a kicked puppy, her dark hair falling in an obscuring curtain around her face. Raw grief leaked through the bond, but her determination was stronger. 'I'm going to take their offer. I have a week to pack up and move.'

Here it was, my chance to disentangle myself on her terms, an unexpected gift, but I did not want it. The panic that I always suffered at the thought of losing her gnawed at my insides like a host of rats. I shifted on my feet, the contentment and happiness I had felt in her company too precious to cast aside. If we had more time together, without any of the outside forces that had worked against us, maybe I could find the peace I so desperately sought. Maybe I could open myself to her completely, and love her as she deserved to be loved.

'You do not have to take their offer, Juliet,' I said huskily. 'You are mine, you can stay with me. I will provide for you, I will take you with me wherever I go.' I paused, wishing she would turn so I could look into her eyes and compel her, make her consider, not with glamour but with all I had meant to her over the past weeks. But her face remained averted, her posture highly defensive. 'I am also being sent away by the Queen, to a post in Washington. Tonight I intended to ask you to come with me.'

There was a long, awful silence. I reached through the bond to feel for her mind, but all I felt was anguish and regret, a poison that leached into me, dousing the flame of hope that had burned briefly. 'You will not come,' I said dully. It wasn't a question, it was the answer.

The still figure on the bed gave a shuddering breath, fighting back tears. 'All my life I have tried to be independent. To stand on my own two feet...not let people hurt me...never, ever give up my power to anyone, especially not a man,' she said in a bleak voice. 'I've never really been in love, until now. I've never been so utterly powerless, until now. I can't follow you around forever, Bill, hoping you will be the man I want you to be, and hoping I don't get killed in the meantime by one of your friends. You're not a man, and I am a fucking fool. It is not fair on you, and not fair on me.' She turned her face towards me and brushed her hair away, her pain filled eyes sheened by tears. 'If you loved me, maybe I might have said different. But you don't. It's time for me to say goodbye, before I end up going mad.'

I absorbed the acid of her rejection as she jerked her eyes away, swiping at them furiously. Eloquence deserted me once again. The practical side of me agreed with her, though it struggled in a death match with my raging impulses, the base desire to leap upon her and force her to obey me like a good human should. The silence dragged, broken by her heaving breaths. I did not move, but eventually I roused myself with a shudder and a determined clench of my jaw, unable to stand the pain any longer, logic winning out over the inhuman need to take and dominate.

I turned to go. 'I see no need to linger,' I said, my voice as cold as a Northern winter. 'I will take my leave. I release you from our bond, go as you will...' I halted and swallowed the jagged lump of ice in my throat. 'I wish you good fortune.'

There was an angry stirring of movement behind me; bare feet hitting the floor and a small, fragile body bristling, razor sharp eyes boring into my rigid back. Then there was a desperate, heartrending sob, and a torrent of withering words. 'Oh my God...the fact you can say goodbye and walk out like that just proves me goddamn right! You fucking cold bastard. God, I wish I'd never met you!'

It was too much. My temper snapped; too many days of holding it back wearing me down, the agony unendurable. I whirled around and flew across the room, throwing myself upon her, sending her crashing backwards across the bed. Her shriek of surprise quickly turned into an enraged struggle, thrashing and scratching and punching, my blood in her giving her frail body additional strength. Once again she slapped me hard across the face, and I bared my fangs at her. As brave as a lion she stared me down, bucking against the cage of my thighs on either side of her. I was instantly hard, and I felt no self disgust, surrendering to the twisted impulse to take her, fuck her and drain her.

Words reappeared in my frenzied mind, and I caught her flailing hands and held her still, the glittering fury and fear in her emerald eyes belied by the rising scent from under her rumpled nightclothes, the siren call of her blood in her veins. She could not hide from me. 'You have given me your blood and your body,' I said fiercely. 'You have invited me into your home and given me your trust and your love. And in exchange I have given you nothing except trouble and anguish.'

She blinked back her tears and went to speak, but I would not let her. 'You are right to refuse me. I should walk out of here and leave you in peace. And yet I cannot.' I lowered my head, licking the droplets from her cheeks, savouring their sweet taste. She had gone limp, the air heaving from her lungs as if she had been running for miles. I kissed the hammering pulse on her throat, hearing a tiny moan of response, and lowered my voice to a sibilant hiss. 'I still want to fuck you and mark you and feed from you...rub my scent all over you so no man will dare come near you for the rest of your short life. Because, as you say, I am not a man, I am a vampire. You should have run from me the night we met, I would have let you...do you want to run now, Juliet?'

She moaned again, louder this time, struggling anew against my weight, my relentless words, the swelling lust in her belly that filled my nose and hers. 'You fight me, you claim you don't want me, but I can smell it, I can feel it...you know you can stop this happening...' My left hand trailed down her arm to her breasts, enjoying their ripeness, the hardening of her nipples under my palm. 'Get rid of me for good,' I challenged her. 'Speak the words I taught you to make me leave, or let me take what is mine one last time.'

Her inward dilemma flitted across her face, but she was as addicted to my touch as sure as I was to hers, and the withdrawal was too terrible to face just yet. 'God damn you,' she growled. I took it as acceptance, but she continued to squeak and scrap and hurl insults as I divested her of the awful pyjamas, tearing them in my haste to get at her, the flowered cotton reduced to rags around her naked, flailing limbs. My smirk was a real one, a taunt that made her lovely eyes snap with annoyance. Sitting firmly on her legs I began to undress swiftly, her gaze fixed on the white hands parting my shirt, unhooking my belt. Deceptively still, she exploded into fresh defiance as I drew down my zipper, sliding sideways with a rich curse, her body fishtailing violently, her hands clutching at the edge of the mattress.

It was suddenly a dark game, and I actually chuckled as I grabbed her shoulders and hauled her back under me easily. 'Where are you going?' I teased her, rising up to straddle her chest. My flapping belt inspired me; I needed to put my hands to uses other than restraining her. I whipped the length of leather from the loops and twisted it around her wrists, securing it to one of the iron bars of the headboard faster than she could see. Bound, she quieted, her expression a goading blend of excitement and frustration. She looked so delicious, her body straining against the belt, her breasts bouncing, her thighs bent, exposing her glistening sex to me. The blinding ache in my loins lured my hand to close tightly around my cock, stroking myself for some relief. My other hand palmed her slick flesh, then formed into a threatening fist, the knuckles rubbing against her nub, teasing it out into the open.

She whimpered and arched her hips from the bed, watching the movement of my fingers over my length. She was tied up as tight as her wrists, craving release. The scent of her arousal was filling my senses, making me forget all that had been said. 'Please...' she breathed as my fingers traced the shape of her petals and dabbled just inside, her nectar coating them. She jerked and pleaded again, I licked the digits clean and quieted her with my growl of pleasure, her cheeks flushing crimson in response. I then wriggled out of my clothes, wanting to cover her completely with my chill, lifeless body. I was in a hurry, but I wanted her to feel every cold bastard inch of me as I entered her.

Bending her legs backwards as I moved, I lunged forward, found her with the head of my cock, and plunged into heaven, her sex taut and closed up with tension, and she screamed out in agonised pleasure, her muscles grabbing me and sucking me down in a sweet ripple of fire. I dipped low over her shaking frame, holding fast to her upper arms, feeling her brace her calves on my backside, and nipped at her neck and shoulders as I pounded into her, the slap of my pelvis meeting hers harsh and violent. Thousands of tiny sparks surged through my veins, forming into a sharp pain in my loins, and a burning thirst in my throat, demanding instant gratification. And she would come with me, and again and again when I pleasured her at length afterwards. This was not lovemaking, but a vicious, bruising possession.

I rolled my hips, and my woman's frantic sobs were broken by the loveliest moan. I felt her lips on my ear, so I shifted my hands under her back to hold her closer to me, the belt cutting into the flesh of her wrists, and turned to meet her kiss, my tongue dipping to stroke hers. Then I was yanking at her hair, twisting her neck to expose the vein I sought. I stiffened inside her clasp, thrusting home and home again, forcing her to cry out at a higher pitch before I punctured her soft skin, drawing deep pulls of hot blood, growling low as I erupted inside her. I was thirsty for her, so thirsty, knowing it was my last chance to feed from her. It took all my strength of will to drag myself away in the midst of release, my skin tingling with the life I had taken, my cock bathed in the pulsing warmth of her sex.

Blood dripped from my mouth as I gasped in reflex. Glazed eyes looked up at me, tears leaking from them slowly. I used my thumb to erase them, sucking it into my mouth. 'No, don't do that sweetheart,' I said roughly. 'Not yet.' I would keep her so distracted by pleasure she would not cry again, for I could not bear it. I lowered my head to her breasts, burying my face between them, nuzzling the sweat sheened hills and valleys, my hips still moving, circling, giving her small jabs, the friction of her rippling walls keeping me hard as stone.

'You're not done with me, are you?' I heard her say in a weak voice.

'No,' I murmured, lifting my head just enough so my eyes met hers over the swell of her breasts. She hissed when I drew a nipple into my mouth, my fangs scraping the sensitive peak.

'Good...that's good,' she sighed, arching into me, inviting more, happy to push cold reality aside and surrender. My mouth and hands roamed over the contours of her breasts, belly and hips, my length slipping free from her body with a twitch of protest as I slithered downwards, kneading and pinching her buttocks, dragging her thighs further apart so I could kiss the yielding flesh of them. Her pleasure grew louder, purrs and mews and emphatic movements of her hips beckoning me to thrust my tongue between her swollen folds and taste the mingling of our juices. I used both my hands to pull her apart, exposing her pink core, rumbling in my chest when I licked her with wide, slow strokes, then grazed my fangs over her clitoris.

She keened my name, wrapping her legs around my shoulders, the belt buckle clinking as she struggled again to get free. 'Oh baby...' she moaned. 'Please let me out. I want to touch you.' I crawled up her body and loosened the belt, pausing to take her lips. Her wrists were marred with red welts, and she flexed her fingers for a moment before grabbing at me with force, guiding me backwards onto my haunches. Her cheek rubbed against the hair of my chest, her mouth trailing to taste a nipple, her teeth pinching, her warm fingers tracing the muscles of my back. I rolled my head back and closed my eyes, enjoying her gentle touch, the sweep of her hair across my skin as her mouth moved downwards. Then her head was in my lap, her hands reaching for my backside to guide me upwards so I filled her throat completely.

A groan exploded from my lips, the pleasure immense, but it wasn't enough, I needed to serve her as she served me. I fell backwards and drew her over my supine form, grasping her hips and turning her so she was straddled across my face, her plump backside and dripping sex within easy access of my hands and mouth. Her cry of shock was stifled, but I felt the charge of excitement through her blood. She was as soft as butter, as sweet and liquid as honey, as wanton as a whore as she ground herself onto my lips and tongue, and the fingers that invaded the tight entrance between her cheeks.

She paused here and there to lift her head and cry out, unable to keep sucking without giving voice to her bliss, but she always returned to take me in again, the skillful movement of her mouth over me enhanced by the small, hot hand that cupped and tugged and rolled my testicles. My belly grew rigid, the muscles straining as I arched off the rumpled bed, needing to be engulfed, a hoarse shout escaping as she obliged and took me deep, her lips grasping the base of my cock for a long moment before they slid back. I pushed my thumb and forefinger inside her, stretching her as the rest of my hand plunged between her buttocks, flicking my tongue over her nub firmly, her sobs vibrating around me as she dipped to take me in again.

There was a great leap of sensation in my core, and I surged upwards, giving a helpless moan. The flesh under my mouth began to pulse, so I turned my head, burrowing my face into her thigh and sinking my fangs deep, tapping into her sweet vein. As her blood began to gush into my greedy mouth I clamped my arm down on her bottom to hold her still. She was shaking like a leaf, choked moans wracking her body as I came in her mouth in great spurts. I would never forget how delicious she tasted, how good it felt when she swallowed what I gave her, and how erotic and abandoned she was, writhing on top of me as she climaxed.

She lifted her head and called out to God, then collapsed on her side, rolling off me and lying there as if stunned, her chest rising and falling rapidly, licking her swollen lips. I roused myself from my daze and moved to curl my body around her protectively as she dozed for a few moments. I wrapped my fingers in her thick, shiny curls, nuzzled and kissed her flushed face; sheer gratitude voiced in caresses. In other circumstances she would be smiling contentedly and teasing me with sly, loving words, but now she hid from me behind heavy lids, her expression achingly sad. 'You're wrong, you know,' she said in a slow, soft voice. 'About giving me nothing. You gave me this.' She lifted a hand, blindly reaching for my face, brushing my cheek and jaw before sliding her fingers down my chest, ending by cupping my groin, which was still hard for her. 'We had so much happiness in this bed, and for a while it was more than enough.' Her eyelids flickered, a breathy sob rising from her wounded heart.

'Ssh, sweetheart, lets not speak of it, not yet,' I begged, shifting behind her so my hardness was pressed firmly against the cleft of her buttocks. 'I am still not finished with you,' I said firmly, my hand skimming over her breasts as I bent my head to silence her with another kiss. She sighed, opening her lips to me and then gasping in renewed pleasure when I bent her leg over mine and slid back into her inviting heat. There were still several hours until dawn, and I intended to fill them. There was no need to ruin this with the inevitable. When I left the apartment, it would be for the last time.

*

Like a condemned man with his last meal, I gorged myself on her, seeking every path into her body, reopening the wounds on her throat and thigh to drink in her sharp, sweet essence. She was like a wild feline, purring and growling and biting, clawing at my back, clawing at the sheets, lost in madness until she finally collapsed with exhaustion. I left her to sleep for awhile, her limbs tossing off the sheets and blankets as she wandered in a restless dream, her body rosy with exertion and marred by bruises and marks from my rough treatment. I wished I could bear the marks of her passion for me and cherish them, but my skin was smooth, cool and featureless as always, save for the scars of battle I carried from my human life. Dawn was not far away, and misery was a solid, unmoving weight in my stomach; that last meal settling like a stone.

Juliet twisted on the mattress, her dark brows creasing in distress, and she called out my name. I scooted towards her, gathering her up in my arms. 'I am still here, my darling,' I whispered into her fragrant tumble of hair. Her green eyes opened, taking a while to come into focus. 'I saw you,' she said sleepily. 'I saw you in my dream. It was weird...it was so real.'

'What did you see?' I said gently. Her red lips curled, the little smile contrasting with the dull grief that lingered in her bright irises.

'I was in a garden by a pond. My feet were in the water though it was cold outside...I could see goldfish swimming around them in the dark,' she told me. 'I could sense I wasn't alone, and then I looked up, and you were there. I was really angry at you, but then you smiled at me and put your hand over your heart, and I was happy.' She gave a little laugh. 'Some people think dreams mean something, that they're trying to tell you stuff. But I've always thought that was bullshit.' Her lids closed in a wince, the light in her face vanishing. 'You've got to go soon. I can see the sky changing.' Her jaw clenched in determination, and she climbed from my lap, lying down on the mattress, but her fingers reached for mine and squeezed them. 'I would like it to end like this. I don't want you to come back again before I go. If you do I will completely lose it. This is hurting me enough.'

She was still set on letting me go, to re-find her independence and a normal life without me, but it no longer had the power to anger or wound. My soul was numb, the weight of pain gone as I squared myself to face the final rejection I deserved. 'Are you happy to move to Las Vegas?' I asked her. 'You know I can arrange for you to keep your job here. It is of little consequence to seek out the people who wish you gone and glamour them.' I would do far more than that if it was necessary; my reluctance to kill overwhelmed by my fury at her ill treatment at the hands of vile humans who had profited from her hard work.

'No, Bill,' she said firmly. 'You can't interfere with people like that. I'm not comfortable with it.' She shot me a sharp glance. I did not understand her reluctance but I muttered a 'very well', and nodded grudgingly. 'Don't worry about me.' she said more gently. 'It's about time for me to move on anyway. With the money they're bribing me with to go away, I'll be able to save more and start my own firm, like I always wanted to,' she explained. 'And I'd rather be out of New Orleans for a while. I don't want to meet the Queen again. She looked way too interested in me. And then there's Eric. I've had enough of mean ass vampires to last a lifetime.'

She wrinkled her nose in disdain, and the expression made me smile. I reached for her cheek, cupping it delicately, She relaxed into my touch, holding out her arms with a brave smile in return. She hugged me close, drawing my head to her breast. I nestled into her like a distressed child, savouring the slow thump of her heartbeat. 'Will you try to forget me?' I could not help asking, my voice raspy and weak.

Her breath hitched, but she smothered it with a short laugh. 'I think you've made damn sure tonight that's not going to happen.' Her chest rose and fell with another sob. 'I don't want to forget any of it. Not even the bad parts.'

Encouraged, I spoke again. 'I do not want to lose you.' I looked up into her pretty face, using my blue eyes on her. 'You are mine, you should come with me.'

She visibly flinched under my gaze, tears streaming suddenly down her cheeks. 'Please don't start with that again,' she pleaded. 'Being your possession isn't enough for me. I want it all. I want to know you. I want to love you and be loved in return. You're a stranger to me, from a life I don't really understand. With thousands of secrets you don't want to share. It's cruel to ask it of me.'

Courageous as always, she faced me down, utterly vulnerable and honest. It shamed me into backing off. I let go of her and sat up, the brightening of the city outside the french doors tugging at my feet along with the finality in her voice. I turned away, sitting on the edge of the bed we had shared, staring blankly at the pile of my clothes on the rug. The numbness in my core froze over, dousing the flames of life, my passion and pathetic longing for her human softness and warmth, and the torturous glimpses of a good life that was completely closed to me.

I was vampire; a hunter, a creature of darkness who lurked in the shadows, spying, preying on the weakness of others. Who worked for a Queen he disliked and a cause he despised. Cursed by the selfish whim of another pitiless woman who had stolen him from his humanity. And now rejected by a human girl, cast out to wander this world alone as before, not hating life enough to want to die, but not happy, never happy. I would never let that vampire be tormented by another woman again.

I willed myself to pick up my clothes and depart without another longing glance at the girl on the bed, without wallowing once more in the ecstasy we had shared there. But then I felt her hand on my back, holding me still for one more moment. 'You know you can find me whenever you want to,' a sweet voice whispered. 'When you are ready.'

I could scrub her from my mind, shut off the bond, coldly ignore all the feelings she had awakened in me, but it would all be in vain. I knew the temptation inherent in those words would haunt me for a long time. Would I ever give into it? I did not know.

***