It had been a little over a week since the deal was made. Kiku wounds were slowly healing. His mother and Ryou extended their visit to help with taking care of kiku. Ronan and hana and Ai would go to school and return to the house. The search had intensified after kiku had been captured and tortured. She had informed the authorities that it had been Yuki and a group of humans and vampires working out of the sewers that lined the underground. She laughed when she found out that it was now 26 girls were under the watchful eye of Adelina's pack. It started out with just four then six than that turned into eight. He would walk down the halls between classes. The fangless, with their faces, staring down at the floor trying to become invisible. They could smell him before he came around the corner. (Hana's lips would twist her eyes narrowed as if annoyed. Ronan reminded her how she felt before. She would sigh putting on her best smile.) Their hands would slowly reach out, grabbing his hand in midstride.

They would look up at him with nervous eyes and moving lips. Many times the words would become stuck in their throats, their fangless smile. Slowly their eyes would fill, pleading before the words filled the air.

"Ummm..." Their hands would tremble as they held his.

"Could I…" He knew the question and he would kneel down, smile as his hands slowly cup their cheeks.

"You are mine…" He would smile wide his eyes watching every movement on their face, "until you find a real master…" He would nod his head, and take them to the library.

Adelina shaking her head with mixed feelings, Nita would chuckle, taking out a ledger writing their names in it. Adelina sighed; she was being paid very well, from his mother. But she really didn't like it. She had lost nearly half of her girls in the bund attack many years ago. Since the proclamation about turning humans and the fact she could no longer leave the bund to travel to find more girls it was hard to fill her ranks.

"Another… One…" She rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath. She looked out the corner of her eye, "she's a pretty one…"

"what is your name.." Nita asked with her customary smile.

"Anna.." she nervously replied, watching Nita put her name in the book.

Adelina leaned forward, sniffing Anna. She smiled leaning forward reaching her handout touching Adelina's arm, twitching her nose sniffing back at Adelina. She smiled, stroking the girls head, sliding her hand down to her cheek.

"Perhaps…" She gazed at her, "after this I could be your master…hmmm..." She nodded smiling exposing her fangs. They would look up to her with eyes wide twitching their noses, taking in her scent. "Ummm... Really…"

Adelina would notice a smile beginning to dance on their lips as they looked at her face almost memorizing every line.

"Really…" Adelina would smile nodding her head.

"How many is that…" Ronan tilted his head, eyeing Adelina at work. She twisted her lips, narrowing her eyes at him, "more than you think…" She chuckled and Nita laughed, making a checkmark by the new girls' name. Ronan turned looking at the ledger, Adelina watching his every move; Nita narrowed her eyes growling, "Private…" She leaned forward in a mock aggressive tone. She leaned back raising her arms high into the air, stretching. She puckered her lips, winking at him.

"It will cost you…" She smiled, slowly bringing her hands down , cupping her small breast giving them a slight playful squeeze.

He shook his head, looking to Adelina, who waved her off, "hitomi…" She sighed.

"You… Scare… Me… Nita…" Ronan shook his head chuckling.

She crossed her arms on the desk, leaned closer in a loud whispered, "Why are you still looking…" She wore a mischievous smile on her face batting her eyes at him.

"It is true…" Adelina softly tapped him on his shoulder, Ronan laughed, "just checking the growth…" He shook his head, "a little more water for the buds…"

"Grrrr..." Nita growled not liking his response.

"Sooo..." He slowly dragged the word across his lip as he continued to speak.

"Are they potentials…?" He sighed with a smile, "Anna looked like a positive…"

"She is…" Adelina smiled, "when I asked, she reached out to touch me to see if I was receptive then she took in my scent… She is thinking about it…"

"Did she know or is it by instinct…" He inquired.

"Instinct is first… Then they will think about it…" Adelina leaned against the desk, watching Anna sit with a group of girls near the far wall. Adelina smiled, Hitomi was near them, putting books on the shelves. They were talking, watching hitomi work.

"Right now…" She pointed to the table, where Anna sat with six other girls. "They smell my scent on hitomi. They will watch for a while then talk to her about it…" She looked at him, "in the computer lab, there are five more. Makoto is working in the lab; they have already asked her many questions…" She smiled taking a deep breath.

"Well… Don't force them…" He paused, "please…"

She sighed, turning towards him as she leaned against the desk. "I am very patient. When searching or selecting my girls…" She smiled, licking her lips. "It took a month until I asked hitomi… Over 300 years ago…"

Ronan laughed, "300 years… huh…"

"Do not tell her I told you…" She laughed, looking at Nita placing her hand on hers and then to Ronan.

"She tells everyone she's fewer than 100…" Nita whispered, covering her mouth hiding her smile. Ronan released a long worried breath, "I think… They feel safe here and now…they can really think about who…" He paused, "outside these doors, they are worried just to make it to class. The stories they have heard and have experienced about the abuse and being whored out, Makes it hard for them to decide…"

Adelina interrupted, "I don't do that… I've never whored any of my girls…" She clenched her jaws, narrowing her eyes then quickly sighed. "I was sold as a child and forced into being a prostitute at the age of nine. Then one day, when I was older a little girl approached me, asking me if I wanted to join her. When she smiled I saw her large fangs and it scared me at first. But she would come and visit, over time I grew close to her, then for about a week she didn't come. I worried each day until she arrived. She was dirty and tired like she had been in a fight. I could tell, no… I knew she was hungry, fighting the urge but I'd grown to love her so… I reached out and embracing her, she told me no at first but I pulled her head to my neck…" She smiled, "since then I served her Majesty…"

Ronan nodded his head, with the sadness in his eyes, sighing.

"Adelina…" He paused taking a deep breath and was quiet for a moment.

"Go on…" She tilted her head, looking at him, wondering. "Spit it out…"

"When I get Sayomi back from Yuki…" He coughed nervously clearing his throat, "could you… Take her…"

She sighed closing her eyes, shaking her head. "If she is as weak as you say…" She brought her hand up to her chin thinking about it. Her eyes staring at the ground in thought.

She would be no use to me…"

"What if you bit her… Wouldn't or couldn't she flipped back?" He had a worried expression on his face as he bit his lip's waiting for her answer.

"Ronan… I don't know…" She reached out, rubbing his arm, "it might but…" She shook her head, "if she doesn't then… That kind of life…Being afraid of everything. She would be tormented and those who got her would rape her and do terrible things to her. She would be ostracized, no one wants that weak of an individual. It is better to kill them…"

"No…" He closed his eyes shaking his head. She could see he was holding back the tears, "that's not acceptable…"

"I… I…"

"Ronan…" Nita spoke a little loud, placed her hand on his hand, looking at him, rubbing his arm. "She will try… But…"

He already knew the answer. He had asked ryou and she said the same thing. Even if they could take her to the compound. She would never leave the room, withdrawing into herself. She would become feral and violent. She would hurt others, running away to hide like an animal feeding on rats, dogs and humans, never caring. Sayomi would be gone the dirty outer shell the only memory of her, only the animal living inside.

"Could… You try…" He looked at her, pleading. "I'll give you anything…"

She shook her head, smacking her lips. "I will try… But…" He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. "That kind of life…"

He sighed, his shoulders falling, "I will kill her then…" Ronan's voice fell, his eyes slowly closed. "If anyone else does it…" He paused for a moment; slowly open his eyes again "I would grow to hate them…"

Adelina and Nita, stared at him caught off guard by his response. Hitomi looking up as she was talking to the table of girls. Makoto was standing at the entrance of the computer lab talking to two girls. In a room full of vampires no conversation was private. Their senses higher than humans. They learn to filter out unnecessary noise or were capable of processing multiple conversations.

"This is not your…" Adelina leaned forward, grasping his hands, lowering her head eyes upturned, "fault…"

"I…"