Claire paced Erik's bedroom. This was not happening. She accepted he was a Dark Hunter, or whatever it was. She excepted there were these Daimons which were like vampires, but she could not accept that she was a dragon.A dragon? As in firebreathing, wing flapping, scale-ridden dragon?

Erik watched her from his bed furs where he insisted he'd stay for a while. She knew he was not wearing pants, but seriously, it was no need to be shy about it. She could tell that he was about as freaked out by Acheron's announcement that she was a dragon as she was.

Clairehad come to lying across his lap, and at first was pleasantly surprised to be there until he reached to smooth the hair from her eyes and she caught sight of that mating mark-brand thing. She had literally leaped away from him faster than he, with all his Dark Hunter skill, could react to.

"You know, you should get dressed. Acheron will probably be back soon and you are lying around naked." Claire said matter-of-factly.

Erik shrugged. "So. Most Dark Hunters are from ancient civilizations that have no qualms with seeing warriors meander about naked."

"If you haven't noticed, I am not from an ancient civilization and I am not used to men lying about naked while other men who are just as unbelievably attractive come in to discuss matters of a supernatural nature with them! I feel like I am stuck in the middle of a very odd gay porno!" Her voice was raising, and she felt the increasing urge to shriek at him.

"I assure you Acheron and Sebastian would not care. And it is most assuredly not a gay porno. Sebastian is married, and Acheron...well he has some weir thing with Artemis, I believe."

"Whatever. Is Artemis supposed to be a Virgin?"

Erik shrugged. "I think you have her confused with Athena."

"Artemis, Athena...they both start withA."Claire plopped back onto the wooden chest and contemplated which of Erik's weapons would kill him the best.

After a long moment of awkward silence Erik shifted uncomfortably. "You are staring at that battle axe with far too much intent for my liking."

"I am just admiring it."

"Not for the mother of pearl inlays, I'd wager."

Claire sighed. "So, what exactly is this whole mating thing? It seems shady if you ask me."

"The Fates are cruel bitches. They match people, or mostly just the Weres but they can mate with humans as well, and those people are destined to be lifemates."

Claire effectively rolled her eyes and snorted as she pulled a bronze javelin off the wall and tested it's weight in her hands. Erik tensed wondering what she was thinking of doing with that now. It was not a considerably heavy weapon, that particular one at least; the gold one still on the wall was far heavier. He saw her arm muscles strain slightly, but she kept a firm grip on it. What was it about a woman holding a weapon that turned a man on? Why did Norse weaponry have to be so phallic? Gods, she could be preparing to stab him through the heart and he's thinking about sex. He shook all those traitorous thoughts away and stood up, letting the furs drop away.

Claire looked from his exposed lower abdomen to the javelin and obviously had similar thoughts to his. Crossing to the chest beside her he opened it and pulled out his leather pants. He then plucked the javelin out of her hands and put it back on the wall.

"What? I wasn't going to hurt it." Claire said innocently.

"Sure you weren't, elskling."

"Don't try to sweet talk me now, damn you." Claire crossed her arms and sneered at him. God lord, would Elvis ever envy that upper lip.

"What?" Erik asked, abashed. For as well as she took the whole Dark Hunter's exist speech the night before, she could not accept that she may or may not be a dragon, and that they were mated. He wouldn't let himself consider how many Dark Hunters have recently been freed. If he even thought that there would be a chance for him and Claire, his focus on the job would fail. Besides, she obviously wasn't taking it well; what good would it be to be mated if they didn't get along?

"How did you become a Dark Hunter?"

He stiffened. "That is something I do not wish to discuss with you."

Claire shrugged. "Nice to know that the Fates decided to mate me with someone who won't talk openly with me." She waved her mating mark in his face.

Erik was saved from having to retaliate by a knock at the door. It opened a bit to reveal a young man about Claire's age, with dark brown hair in a pony tail and deep green eyes. His squire, Noah, had returned from where ever he had been hiding. Seriously, Noah was never anywhere to be found it seemed like.

Noah gave Claire an interested glance before he saw the unimpressed look Erik was giving him. Noah opened the door all the way before heleaned against the doorframe. "I thought you might want to know that I closed all the shutters in the house."

Erik yawned. "And why were they not closed before? Thought I wanted a bright, sunny view, did you?"

Noah rolled his eyes. "You usually sleep all day, and contrary to your beliefs, I do not like sitting in the dark all day."

Erik scoffed. "You aren't ever really here!"

"I live here too!"

"Boys!" Claire interrupted, causing both men to give her offended looks. She gave them both irritated looks in return. "Well you are bickering like children." Focusing on Erik, "Like you couldn't close the blinds when you got home last night."

"Exactly!" Noah threw his hands up for emphasis.

"Oh, fine!" Erik said, even more offended. "Side with him even though you just met him."

"I will."

Erik gripped her shoulders and had to force himself not to shake her. "It isn't my fault that you had to find out about yourself this way." His eyes pleaded with her to see it, but she was still too much in shock of it all to be rational about it.

"Maybe not. But this," She held her mark up again, Noah, noticingit, looked at her handand then to the matching one on Erik's and hismouth fell open comically. "This is your fault. I am twenty one years old, Erik. I am not ready to worry about who I should marry or breed with, or any of this."

"No one is asking you to marr-"

"It might not mean it out right, but the Fates pick two people, creatures, and decide who is their true mate? How can someone possibly turn their back on that knowing that they were meant to find each other? How?"

"One has an average life, and the other is destined to fight evil and live in darkness for eternity; that's how."

Claire shook her head and walked out of the room.

Noah sputtered, eyes locked onErik's hand. "Don't let her leave the house, Noah. Acheron and Sebastian Kattalakis are coming to talk with her, but someone's trying to kill her…or something. I don't even know anymore. It hurts to think."

Noah looked like he was suppressing a smart ass comment, and headed after Claire. Erik was left alone to find himself deep in thought and memory. He saw the hurt on Claire's face mingle with the hurt from long ago on his wife's when she discovered what he'd done to betray her. He was worthless then, and now he was only going to repeat it all over again. A man cannot change what he is. Though he went from human to Dark Hunter, a Dark Hunter is what he was. He had a code to follow, one of which was to never fall in love. What use was a mate if he was forbidden to care for her other than a charge to protect? Damn the Fates, the Norns, and any other force that had a hand in his fate.