Hello Everyone! Thanks to all of you who are still reading and to those who send me reviews. They really make my day. A super huge thanks to my beta LazyChestnut. She rocks. I've got the next couple of chapters already written so I just have to edit! Yay! I still have the poll up about Soren on my profile page and I also updated my blog page (link on the profile page, as well) if you'd like to check those out.

The beginning of August brought an end to Ginny's bountiful garden. It had yielded much for her and Lucius, but the vines were now barren. After Ginny pulled up the empty stalks, she conditioned the soil and then planted pumpkin seeds; she hoped to have her own homegrown jack o'lanterns in the fall. Lucius, who loved pumpkin pie, hoped at least one of them found its way into the oven.

With the help of a cookbook that she'd purchased a few months ago, Ginny's meals had greatly improved. Chicken was moist, vegetables weren't mushy and she could make soda bread with no problem. Though preparation and cooking time took longer than when her mother had fixed meals by wand at home, Ginny found a sense of accomplishment in the task and she didn't mind the extra time that it took.

Lucius and she were tremendously thankful for the car that Soren was letting them borrow. He was able to take her to the Adairs in the morning on his way to work instead of Evie or Veturia picking her up. Because she worked fewer hours than Lucius did, Mr. Adair had agreed to drive her home. Occasionally, he dropped her off at the antique shop if he had errands to run and then she'd ride home with Lucius. It was much better than having to rely on hitching a ride with him and Keiran every morning.

For Ginny's birthday on the eighteenth, they drove to Keiran and Milana's for dinner. Little was mentioned about her working for the Adairs anymore, but every once in awhile the Quinns managed to slip in a snide comment about her employer. It made Ginny and Lucius uncomfortable because the other couple had been nothing but wonderful to them.

Lucius and Ginny were relieved when dinner was a pleasant event. Since it was the first birthday without her family around to celebrate with, she'd been sad all day and really needed a nice evening with their friends without feeling defensive about her job.

"Here you go, Shayla," Milana announced, placing a small wrapped box in front of her at the table while they waited for coffee to brew. "Just a little something from the two of us." She glanced at her husband and winked.

"You didn't have to buy me anything. Dinner was quite sufficient, but, thank you." She tore off the festive paper and opened the box. After a soft gasp, Ginny lifted a pair of ruby earrings from their velvet confines. "These are absolutely beautiful!" she complimented. Two faceted oval shaped rubies sat in a white gold setting encircled by sparkling diamond accents. "This is too much, though," she said modestly.

"Nonsense," Keiran contradicted. "We thought that the ring and necklace that you always wear were incomplete without a pretty pair of earrings to match."

Ginny blushed. "Well, thank you very much," she fawned. "They're just amazing."

"You're welcome, Shayla," Milana replied. "Now, I think it's time for some homemade carrot-raisin cake."

***

"I can't believe that they gave me those earrings," Ginny commented as they drove home. "They look so expensive."

"It was extremely generous of them to give you such a lavish gift," Lucius agreed. "I'm almost surprised, to be honest." He was more skeptical, but he chose to say 'surprised' instead.

"Me, too, considering that they despise my employer."

"Personally, my favorite was the gift basket that Madame Adair gave you," Lucius remarked. "I hope to use some of the items tonight, in fact." Earlier, he'd given her a sheer black floor length nightgown and he hoped that it would accompany the basket of goodies later.

Ginny smiled. Madame Adair had given her what she called a "honeymoon fun" basket and had said that while it wasn't her usual birthday gift, she'd thought that Ginny and Lucius would enjoy celebrating together. In the basket had been a pair of black silk boxers for him, a black satin chemise for her, a handful of jasmine scented votive candles, a blindfold, fuzzy handcuffs, chocolate body paint and edible body dust. Most of the items Ginny had never used before and she was quite anxious to try them out. She hadn't been completely surprised by the contents because they'd been getting to know each other and they had had some very interesting "girl talk" as of late. In many ways, Madame Adair was becoming the older sister that Ginny had never had. Admittedly, she was desperate for any type of sibling interaction, even if just perceived, since it was such a huge void in her life.

"I got dibbs on the dust," she informed Lucius, quite anxious to return home.

***

"You're so beautiful, Cridecan," Soren complimented from his stately seat behind his intimidatingly regal desk. "More beautiful than any woman I've known."

"I'm not worthy of your compliments," Ginny replied demurely. She tried to locate the door in his ornate office, but she was unable to see it for some reason. The door had to be somewhere.

"Of course you're worthy," Soren insisted, standing up and walking towards her slowly, like a lion stalking his wounded prey. "You're worthy of them and much more."

"Have you seen my husband?" Ginny asked nervously, wrapping her arms around her body. "We were supposed to have lunch."

"I'm afraid that Teague has been…detained," he answered with an evil gleam in his eyes. "Do you not find my company pleasing?"

"You're company is…acceptable," Ginny answered hesitantly.

Towering in front of her small frame, Soren whispered, "What must I do to make it more than acceptable?"

Ginny swallowed thickly as her eyes lowered and then darted around, wishing someone would walk in the door that she was certain was there, though she still couldn't see it. "I…I'm not sure," she stammered, tightening the fold of her arms.

"Don't be nervous, my Cridecan," Soren soothed, lifting a hand to caress her cheek and wishing she hadn't flinched from his touch. "No harm will come to you while under my protection."

"I don't need your protection," she quickly contradicted, bravely meeting his eyes with hers. "I'm not in any danger."

Soren chuckled. "You would be if I wasn't protecting you," he informed her. "And like all worthwhile services, there is but a small fee for such generous protection."

Ginny was confused. "You want money for something that I don't even need?"

Harshly gripping her shoulders, Soren elicited a tiny gasp of surprise to slip past her red lips. "Oh, I assure you that you need it," he confirmed, his hungry eyes devouring her. "But money wasn't exactly the kind of payment that I had in mind."

When his hands slid down her arms and landed on her hips, he gripped them and pulled her to him.

Immediately, Ginny pushed away from him, incensed by his indecorous proposition. "Surely you don't expect such a thing. I'm married and so are you."

"My marriage is irrelevant." His eyes were ablaze with lust and anger. "As is yours."

Ginny tried to back away from him as voracity burned in his dark orbs. Her heart raced expectantly as fear and excitement simultaneously coursed through her veins. "Mr. Noir, with all due respect –"

"You know, Teague has been demonstrating exemplary leadership skills the past few weeks," he interrupted, reaching to twirl a lock of red around his finger. "And there happens to be a management position opening up. It would be a shame if he somehow lost such a valuable opportunity to advance himself."

"You wouldn't promote him because of me?"

"I wouldn't put it quite like that."

"How would you put it then?"

Soren grinned and allowed his twinkling eyes to wander down to her heaving breasts before poignantly lifting them to her fear filled irises. He lightly ran the tip of his finger along the bare skin just above her covered breasts. "You cooperate with me," he began, emphasizing the words gently, as if he was caressing her mind with them. "And I'll cooperate with him. If not – " He stepped back and shrugged. "Let's just say that unemployment doesn't pay much these days."

Ginny couldn't believe his audacity. "You're unbelievable," she seethed, trying to ignore how her skin burned from his touch. "I'm telling my husband."

Soren chuckled as she searched for the door. "If you breathe a word to anyone," he warned. "He'll be fired and you'll be out on the street tomorrow."

Ginny whipped around to face him. "On the street? What are you talking about?"

"I own the cottage, Shayla, and I can evict you anytime I choose to should you displease me."

And then Ginny woke up, panting and sweating.

What the hell kind of dream was that, she thought, slowly slipping from the bed where Lucius was still sleeping to wash her face and calm herself. It was just a dream, she told herself. I'm just being paranoid, is all. The cold water that she splashed on her face was refreshing, but it did little to calm her nerves. The dream had seemed too real. And the skin above her breasts actually felt like it was burning, just like it had in the dream. That had certainly never happened before.

Opting for tea, Ginny padded her way to the kitchen as quietly as she could. Soren's apparent, and disturbing, fascination with her chipped away at her sanity. She desperately wanted to believe that he was just in a lonely marriage, but she couldn't. Her gut told her that he was up to no good, even though she couldn't prove it. As she waited for the water to boil, Ginny shook her head. Part of her wanted to know what was really going on, but a bigger part of her did not. Ignorance was bliss sometimes.

It was Wednesday afternoon and Ginny was at the antique shop waiting for Lucius, but she didn't mind; it gave her ample time to get to know Evie and Veturia. They were wonderfully sweet to her and she thoroughly enjoyed being around them. Between them and the Adairs, she almost felt like she had family again. The void that she thought she'd have to suffer with for the rest of her life was finally being filled somewhat.

While Ginny helped Evie sort through a box of china that had been purchased at auction, she decided to see if Lucius's boss had a known reputation.

"Are you familiar with Soren Noir?" She'd told Evie about some of his odd behavior, but she had never mentioned him by name.

Evie looked up while she flipped through her mental rolodex. "Noir," she repeated. "As in Noir Indraic Echairs?"

Ginny nodded, recognizing the old Irish name. The modern name was Noir Legal Solutions. "Yes, that's it," she confirmed. "Do you know anything about him?"

"I know that he's highly influential in the community," Evie answered as she matched tea cups together by design. "He's always in the local paper for something or other. He must control over half of Donegal town."

"What do you mean 'control'?"

"His money talks and it speaks volumes," Evie expounded, reaching for the matching saucers next. "The past few years, I've heard stories about just how much of it he tosses about. He's got the authority kept in his back pocket, he does."

Ginny's heart fell at her words. "I see," she said dejectedly.

Evie looked up and noticed the trepidation clouding Ginny's face. She forgot about the dishes momentarily. "How do you know him?"

Ginny sighed. "He's Teague's boss."

Evie's eyes widened. "The one that was in the bedroom alone with you? The one that kisses your hand all the time?"

"One in the same." Ginny couldn't miss the concerned expression on her friend's face and it made her nervous. "He's dangerous, isn't he, Evie?"

She nodded. "While he's known for his generosity in some circles," Evie prefaced. "He's known for his ruthlessness in others, but those stories don't usually make the paper."

Ginny shook her head as fear coiled deep within her gut. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Milana called Ginny that night to inquire if she and Lucius had dinner plans for Friday. They had been invited over to the Adairs, along with Evie and Veturia, but Ginny chose not to divulge that information. She politely declined, telling Milana that they were going to go for a long drive and explore a bit, but that she'd love to see them Saturday night if they were free. She wasn't surprised when Milana said that she'd have to call her back and let her know.

Milana just hadn't been herself lately. If Ginny didn't know better, she'd say that her friend was jealous. That was silly, though. Why would Milana be jealous? Ginny could certainly have more than one friend. That just didn't make any sense.

Lucius told her that Keiran had seemed more stressed at work lately, so Ginny assumed that Milana's odd behavior was stemming from that. She hoped so, anyway. Time spent with them was becoming increasingly strained and to say that it made her uncomfortable was a gross understatement.

Percy's birthday was August twenty-second. Lucius helped Ginny with his plant so there were now seven vibrant forget-me-not plants beside the garden. Arthur, Ron, Fred, George, Draco, Lucius's unborn child and now Percy were represented by the pretty flowers.

Percy had been estranged from the family for the last few years, thanks to the Ministry of Magic and Cornelius Fudge, so Ginny hadn't been as close to him as she'd been to Ron, Fred and George. She remembered how blind he'd been to the truth and how he had all but disowned his family. He'd even sent back Christmas presents one year and that had broken their mother's heart. It hadn't been until the war began that Percy finally realized the error of his ways, but by then, it was too late.

Ginny didn't hold it against him, though. Percy had always been interested in a job that held clout, but because of his blind ambition, he had ended up a little gullible. He'd readily believed what anyone had told him, not so much because he truly believed it, but because he hoped that it would get him one step closer to his goal. And she couldn't blame him for turning a blind eye to Voldemort's return. She'd wanted to countless times. At least he'd apologized to the family before the battle had begun. It hadn't lasted long, but the Weasley family had finally been reunited and Ginny tried to find comfort in that.

"Mind if I join you?"

Lucius looked up from the newspaper that he'd been reading over lunch. No one usually ate with him. Occasionally, someone would chat for a couple minutes in passing, but then they'd go on their way. He never minded the solitude because it gave him time to read…and think. However, there was only one appropriate answer to his co-worker's question.

"Of course I don't mind, Etainia," he politely replied to the young lady, gesturing to an empty chair. "Have a seat."

"Thank you," she replied, sitting down and taking her lunch out of the bag that she'd been carrying. "I just didn't feel like eating alone today."

Etainia was twenty-three and a recent graduate of Galway University. She worked as the receptionist and had begun helping Keiran on select projects. Etainia was also beautiful and had been the subject of many conversations between the men, both single and married, and Lucius was not impervious to her physical attributes, either. Her skin was the color of fresh milk, her long tresses resembled pure spun gold and her dark chocolate eyes were friendly and inviting when she spoke. Her pleasant voice was dreamlike and carefree, which helped to make her smile and laugh infectious. Her youthful figure was both taut and slender and she often wore skirts to accentuate her shapely legs and blouses to display the tops of her buxom breasts. A man would have to have been blind or gay to not find her attractive.

"Don't you usually go out?" he asked, mostly to make conversation.

"I do…well I did," she answered, lazily stirring the contents of her salad. "I don't suppose I will be anymore, though."

Lucius was almost required to ask, "Why?"

Etainia sighed and looked at him with sadness brimming in her eyes. "My fiancé and I called things off last week," she explained, swallowing the emotion that was bubbling up. "After two years, he said that he wasn't ready to be married."

"I'm sorry," Lucius automatically replied. "I didn't know."

She shrugged. "I haven't told many. I think that he's found someone else, though. Why end the relationship just because he didn't want to get married right now? I would have waited. I wasn't in a hurry."

"Men mature at a much slower rate than women, I'm afraid," he commented. "Better for you to find out now rather than later."

She sighed again. "I guess so," she half-heartedly agreed. "Since he's moved out, it's been so lonely, though. I hate it."

"Perhaps you should consider a roommate or a pet." Lucius was a little uncomfortable with such personal conversation. He'd chatted with her previously, but always about work topics. He preferred those.

Etainia smiled a little. "I might," she considered. "I've always wanted a Chihuahua. He hated dogs."

"There you go," Lucius remarked with a smile while he gathered up his newspaper sections. "Forgive me, Etainia, but I have to leave you to your lunch. My allotted break time is up."

"I didn't mean to keep you," she said quietly, her doe like eyes offering a silent apology. "Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome," he replied and walked back to his desk. He tried his best to stay out of everyone's personal business, and he rarely discussed his own, so he was relieved to return to work.

"Good afternoon," Evie pleasantly greeted the dark haired woman who had just walked in to the shop. "Can I help you with anything in particular?"

Milana confidently strolled to the counter where Evie stood. "Why, yes you can," she answered with an antagonistic smile. "The O'Haire's need a little space, I'm afraid, and they are incapable of telling you themselves."

The smile slowly disappeared from Evie's face at the odd mention of the couple. "What are you talking about?" she asked as her heart rate increased. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is irrelevant," Milana informed her, narrowing her eyes and dismissively waving her hand. "Shayla and Teague need some space and you will give it to them."

Veturia appeared from the back room then, looking none too happy to see the woman at the counter.

"Kela gothen gothamin," she spoke deliberately and slowly.

"Well, well, Veturia," Milana patronized, ignoring her statement and tilting her head to the side condescendingly. "Certainly you can be nicer than that. I'm a potential customer in your little shop, after all."

"Get out and get out now," Veturia commanded through clenched teeth, the warmth of her eyes replaced with ice cold hate. "Or you will regret it."

Milana's fake smile thinned out to an angry scowl. "Amin feuya ten' lle, Thaurer," she growled. "Uumama' ten' rashwe, ta tuluva a' lle. Gurth gothrim lye!"

After glaring at both of them one last time, Milana turned and stormed from the shop.

"Mother," Evie whispered, heart pounding so hard inside of her chest that it hurt. "What just happened?" She'd heard arguments before, of course, but she'd never experienced the kind of fear that had just knotted in the pit of her stomach. She was sweating and freezing at the same time and her hands were shaking. She hadn't understood the language, but somehow she knew that they'd just been threatened and not emptily.

Veturia took a deep breath in an attempt to slow her racing pulse and then she looked at her daughter gravely. She could no longer shield Evie from the dangerous truth that surrounded them. "There's something you need to know."

A few translations:

kela (go away)

gothen gothamin (foe of my foe)

amin feuya ten' lle (you disgust me)

thaurer (abominable one)

uumama' ten' rashwe, ta tuluva a' lle (don't look for trouble, it will come to you)

gurth gothrim lye (death to our foes)