Since I have massive problems with focus (and since I totally ship Cassie and Pritkin over Cassie and Mircea), I got an idea for a fanfiction. Starts after the end of Embrace the Night and will likely ignore much/most of what comes after. Although I have stolen and rearranged some scenes from later in the series.

I don't actually write many hetero sex scenes anymore, so we'll see how this goes. But a lot of my enthusiasm for this ship is more emotion-based anyway. Despite the fact that he's half-incubus. XD

They'll be a bit squishier, so slightly OOC, but I'll do my best to make them the same lovable and dysfunctional individuals they always are.

Oh, and Embrace the Night ended a wee bit differently. XP It's really the source of the problem.

This was originally called "The Only Exception" so I have to share some lyrics:

And I've always lived like this

Keeping a comfortable distance

And up until now I had sworn to myself

That I'm content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

It fits perfectly, right? Paramour, by the way.

(-)

Something was wrong with John Pritkin. It wasn't that he was mad at me, no, that would be easier to deal with. Yelling and aggression were standard for him…although that might mean if he was actually mad, it's possible he would behave differently. Maybe he was mad.

The man had never made much sense to me, but now, for no reason I could fathom, he'd withdrawn from me. I didn't see him as much, and when I did, he didn't engage like he used to. He was much more like a wet cat than a social butterfly, but I'd (maybe arrogantly) thought he was better with me. But now I got it the worst. Much less snark, much less talk, just less everything.

Our training sessions were even more unbearable without the occasional teasing or banter. I'd asked him more than once what was going on with him, but he'd always claimed he was fine, and if I pushed the matter, I'd get a glimpse of the real Pritkin as he exploded with indignance that I wouldn't take his word for it, then he'd storm off.

It made even less sense since our situation was less stressful than it had been, at least in some aspects. Our home base, Dante's, was filled with more security thanks to our vampiric allies, mainly Mircea. We weren't alone, just the two of us, against the rest of the world anymore. The geis was gone, thank God, so that wasn't hanging over us and screwing with my feelings any longer.

I blushed just thinking about breaking the geis. The fact that Pritkin had left the room after the counterspell still had no effect and I had my brilliant idea of another way to use three of us to break the geis was the only bearable part about remembering that night. I couldn't imagine doing all that if he was watching me.

My strange life only ever got stranger. My second time having sex was a threesome with two men who were the same man. At the time, I was drunk on the pleasure and relief of finally culminating everything I'd been tortured by being denied. Having Mircea inside me at both ends was a kind of bliss that had broken my brain.

Now, without the spell, I didn't know what I felt. I was technically living with Mircea now, in the penthouse suite, but not really, since he was always away on business. It was a bit of a relief, since I was still confused on what I wanted from him, but it also hurt. The fact that the first thing he did when no longer bound to me was stay away from me cut deep, since it seemed to confirm that the geis had been the only thing between us. I knew I couldn't keep him, but I'd foolishly thought I'd still be able to have him for at least a while.

Then Pritkin withdrew from me, and I felt alone. They'd both been so important to my life that their absence left me empty, and no amount of time with friends or vampire family could fill the void. Mircea had always given me a sense of comfort, familiarity, belonging…home. When I'd had him, I'd had a whole family of people who knew me, who I could understand, who accepted me into their world.

Pritkin…it was hard to define what, exactly, he was to me. Friend seemed too mild, but he wasn't family. He was so strange and confusing, coming from a completely different world than me: the world of human magic where I was supposed to belong, but didn't. But despite not belonging in the same world as Pritkin, we seemed to fit. As chaotic as our lives were together, they worked. We got things done and we survived enough ridiculously dangerous situations that it could be considered miraculous. I most often called him my partner, now that I thought about it, because it encompassed a lot of aspects of our work and personal relationships.

I put up with his mulishness for two weeks before I decided I'd had enough. I shifted into his room one evening, just sitting on his bed waiting for him to show up. He'd gotten an actual room, not a big one, but it at least lacked much of the odor of his previous one. There were still some unusual smells, which confirmed my suspicions that his potion-brewing habits had contributed to the previous funk.

Of course, the first thing he did when he opened the door and found someone waiting for him was point a gun at me. Then he scowled and put it away, closing the door. "I could have killed you."

Short, sour, and to the point. It almost felt like I had Pritkin back. "You wouldn't," I said, because however crazy and homicidal he was, he wouldn't shoot before identifying a threat. Especially since I had a habit of just showing up in his room without warning. Which, come to think of it, was pretty rude of me. But he never actually complained about that part.

"Don't be so sure. Why are you here?" He didn't look at me, just went to hang up his coat. Then he started taking off his arsenal, presumably preparing to get ready for bed.

"I'm here to find out what your problem is," I said. I laid down, feet still on the floor, and added, "And I'm not taking 'No' for an answer. I'm tired of this."

Green eyes narrowed into slits as he looked over his shoulder at me. "We've been over this. I'm fine."

"No, you keep lying to me," I snapped, sitting up. Suddenly, all the loneliness that I'd been drowning in for the past two weeks transformed into anger that he'd abandoned me, even if only partly. "You don't yell at me, you don't make fun of me when we're training, you don't argue with me…"

A mirthless snort escaped him as he turned back to the closet. "It sounds like we're getting along."

Bastard. "This isn't funny! That's how normal people get along, but we're not normal. This is just…weird. You don't even talk to me anymore."

The slightest twitch of his shoulders at the word "normal" made me wonder. "Is this because I know your secret? Because it doesn't change anything, not really. And I'd never tell anyone. I wouldn't do that to you. You know that, right?"

"I know," was all he said in reply, and that pissed me off.

"Then why are you upset with me?! What did I do that is so offensive that you don't want to be near me unless you have to? Pushing a gun directly into your chest doesn't drive you off, so was I disgustingly polite or something?" It would almost make sense.

"You have better things to do these days, I'm sure. I wouldn't want to take up your time." His voice was tight as he said it.

"What are you talking about? While we try to figure out a way to deal with the Circle and what to do about the war, we've got time. Hell, I'm Pythia. I've got all the time in the world for you, Pritkin."

He actually growled at that. "I doubt your husband would like that idea."

I blinked. "Mircea? We're vamp-married, Pritkin, not legally. And he only did that as a strategy to keep me independent so the Consul couldn't force us to complete the geis. He doesn't want me beyond that. Except maybe as an ally and pawn." My chest got a little tighter when I said it out loud.

"So he would have you believe," Pritkin said. "He's always looked at you like you were the most precious thing he owned."

"And he's always been under the geis when you've seen us together. It didn't mean a damn thing." No, I was not getting teary-eyed right now.

But, of course, Pritkin finally turned to look at me and his face softened ever-so-slightly with concern. "What are you talking about?"

Trying to keep my composure, even as all the feelings of abandonment welled up inside me, I said, "He's been away on business pretty much every day since I moved into the suite. Even if I spend time with Francois or Tami and the kids or Sal, it isn't the same. He left me." I did not sniff. And my face wasn't at all wet as I added, "And you've pretty much left me too." I wasn't deteriorating as the last part escaped me against my will: "I really should be used to this by now."

And, wow, it was time to leave. "Nevermind. Sorry to bother you." I shifted back to my bedroom to humiliate myself in private.

(-)

Half an hour later, I heard a commotion. I'd splashed some water on my face and pulled myself together. And I pushed that brutal truth in my face until it sank in properly: I was used to this. Being abandoned was natural, not a big deal.

When I heard Pritkin shouting, I got up and went to see what was happening. I always went to see him for our training sessions, and he'd been avoiding me otherwise, so something had to be up. I found him in the small entrance hall arguing with Marco, the head of my security.

"I'll speak to her if I damn well please!" Pritkin said, green eyes flashing with rage. I'd missed this so much it looked beautiful.

"Afraid you'll have to come back another time," Marco said.

The vampire had to know I was there, but the mage seemed distracted. He certainly looked startled when I said, "Actually, he can talk to me when he damn well pleases."

Marco frowned slightly. "Orders from the boss. The mage is dangerous, so he isn't allowed up here."

Before Pritkin's indignant sound could become a tirade, I said, "Then I guess you need to leave too. Only harmless little me allowed, I guess."

"I'm not leaving you alone. Boss's orders." Marco was blocking Pritkin's attempts to move towards me, and since Pritkin was fully dressed (meaning fully armed), I didn't want a fight like that destroying the suite.

"Mircea is your boss, not mine. And if he wants me to sit around being guarded in a gilded cage, he'd better tell me to my face. Because I'd like to see him try and keep me," I said, anger pouring out at the idea that Mircea didn't care enough to see me, but still wanted to control me. He just hated Pritkin; he hadn't given any orders that I couldn't go around the hotel, so I could see the mage anyway. The bastard was just making a point by specifically barring Pritkin from visiting me in our rooms.

Marco looked uncomfortable, which on a vamp meant he was extremely nervous. "You can tell him that; I like my head where it is."

It was an obvious solution though: "Fine. Come on, Pritkin. Since you aren't allowed here, I guess I'll leave too." I might be upset that he'd been avoiding me, but the fact that he had come all the way up here and made a scene rather than allow himself to be turned away made me think he might have gotten over whatever he was upset about.

"Leave for where?" Marco asked sharply. I had allowed him to accompany me as a bodyguard when I left the hotel. I might not like it, but I also had lots of people trying to kill me.

I looked at the mage. "You hungry? I'm starving."

That got me a small smirk as he clearly caught onto my plan. "I could go for a bite."

"No health food places," I said firmly. "I need some grease."

He sighed. "Fine. I know a place you'll love."

"I'm coming with," Marco said.

I moved toward Pritkin and said, "No, you aren't."

"Boss's orders," Marco said, and I was getting sick of hearing that. "You have to be accompanied by a bodyguard if you leave the premises."

It was strange that Mircea had left such an obvious loophole. He clearly didn't care enough to put thought into it. "And Pritkin has kept me alive a lot longer than any other partner I've had." Really, he was the only person I'd gotten close enough to call a partner, aside from Billy Joe. If the ghost was here, he'd have chewed me out for that comment. "I'm safe with him. He's better than a bodyguard; he's my friend."

The mage's eyes were wide as he stared at me. I guess I might not have said it out loud before, but it still shouldn't be so shocking. And I saw that Marco was mulling it over, probably debating allowing me to use that loophole, or if he should still insist on joining. At last, he sighed. "The boss won't like this," he said.

"Your boss isn't here," I said, scowling. Taking Pritkin's hand, I shifted us down to the lobby.

We were silent for a moment as tourists jostled around us. I saw Pritkin look at our hands and I felt a pleasant hum go through me. He let it go and said, "Well, that was…interesting."

"Thanks for helping me make the point. I can't believe he'd…well, yeah, I can believe it. He's still suspicious after meeting you back in the 1700s. He knows you aren't a normal mage."

Pritkin winced. "I'd prefer he forget that. I don't want anyone to know about my past."

I smiled slightly. "Aside from your intrepid time-travelling partner, right?"

He didn't smile back. "I'd prefer you forget as well. I'm…"

Geez, this was going to get heavy, wasn't it? "Let's talk over dinner. Where to?" I asked, already moving towards the front desk. I took a set of keys and waved them at Todd, who nodded. Being an employee meant I could borrow one of the company cars for a bit without anyone caring.

The mage snatched the keys from me as we headed to the parking garage. "Hey!" I said.

That got me a smirk. "I know where we're going."

"This had better be unhealthy," I said, resigned.

(-)

Who knew that Pritkin knew where the greasiest spoon in all of Vegas was located? I moaned over my first bite of pizza, not missing how that drew his gaze and made his eyes widen. "This is amazing. How does a health nut like you know about a place like this?"

He smiled slightly around his own bite. "Sometimes you just need pizza."

Swallowing, I said, "I needed this." This was something I had no idea I needed so badly. I'd have settled for our normal banter and arguments, anything to get him back, but this? This was…nice. "Thanks. It's been a rough couple of weeks, and that's even with the lack of assassination attempts."

I noticed his eyes looking away from mine as he took another bite. It was only after he finished it that he said, "I…am sorry."

Staring, I tried to think of what to say. I didn't think Pritkin knew those words could be put in that order. "Does this mean you're ready to talk about whatever's been up with you?"

He shook his head. "I can only say it isn't your fault. It's my issue."

Well what the hell did that mean? It only made me more curious. "What issue? It isn't hard to see why Mircea walked away right after we broke the geis, but you got distant around then too. You said it wasn't that I know who you are that's bothering you, so what is?"

Instead of answering, Pritkin just started eating with more gusto. I rolled my eyes but was content to give him a reprieve while we enjoyed the magnificent pizza. It was only after we'd finished the whole thing and I was licking grease from my lips that he said, "It's hard."

It probably said something that my mind went straight to the gutter. I wish I could blame his status as half-incubus, but it wasn't just that. Over the last two weeks I'd begun to realize that, for a long while now, he'd held an attraction for me beyond just physical and sexual. Not that I didn't find him ridiculously, somewhat eccentrically attractive. No, he ticked that box with no trouble. It was the realization that he was on par with Mircea when it came to importance that made me appreciate that…other feelings had developed.

But I wasn't going to entertain that. Especially after I'd just experienced his willingness to leave me, I couldn't let him become anything more to me than he already was. For so many years I had perfected the art of keeping people at a distance. What happened? Tomas was the short answer. Allowing myself to live a normal life and letting my guard down for him had clearly opened some floodgates that wouldn't close back up again. I'd had a taste of companionship, and now a hunger raged out of control.

"What is?" Hopefully he was finally going to give me some answers.

"That…creature. Now that he has you, you're vulnerable to his influence. Even if it isn't supernatural." His eyes darted to meet mine before looking away. "I still can't understand how you can care about those things without being bespelled."

I sighed. The vampire conversation was getting old. Mostly, Pritkin avoided a lot of the traits you see develop in long-lived beings. But this mental speedbump when it came to vampires reminded me that having a certain viewpoint and mindset for a few centuries made it really hard to shift.

"They're people, Pritkin. Vampires, yes, with all that entails, but they're also people. Every single one of them started out human, lived a human life, and became a person before they were changed. Yes, becoming a vampire does change who you are some, but most of them still have their core personality intact. Most of the vamps I grew up with were monsters, but that was why they were changed in the first place. Tony wanted monsters, so he made monsters into vampires."

Now he could meet my eyes. "I fail to see how that contradicts anything I've said. Monsters-"

"Tony was also a petty bastard with a fragile ego, so when a famous painter turned down his request for a portrait, he changed him too. An artist, with the appreciation for beauty and the sensitivity to capture it, was forced to find a place among thugs and murderers. It hardened him some, but he never lost who he was in the beginning. Raph has always been gentle and kind to me, even when there was nothing in it for him. He is who he is." And it was true. If I hadn't had him growing up, I might have fallen into something like Pritkin's mindset, but Raph was the gleaming contradiction to the idea that vampires had to be monsters. Well, him and Eugenie. But talking about her was always hard.

Pritkin seemed to actually shut up and think about that. "But Mircea isn't Raphael," he said after a few moments.

No, he wasn't. One of the things I'd been dwelling on the past two weeks was the fact that Mircea was the number one champion of lying and manipulating. Thinking about the fact that some of the most dangerous vampires were the ones who appeared normal and human.

"You told me that he left you." My throat felt a little tighter until he said, "It makes no sense. You are more valuable than ever, he doesn't have to worry about getting enslaved to your will with a spell, and you are, from his view, married. He should be all over you."

Was Pritkin…attempting to cheer me up? No, more like he was indignant on my behalf. Because he sounded plenty pissed as he said it, but there was no hostility aimed at me. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how right he was. Mircea wasn't stupid. He'd made a lot of plans for me to become Pythia, and, sure, it had been to save his brother, but he knew the kind of asset I would be even after that. So why wasn't he trying to woo me?

Maybe it really was him being busy with the war. Maybe I was just being dramatic. "Maybe I'm stupid." I hadn't meant to say it out loud.

The mage's brow furrowed at my words. "Why on earth would you say that?"

"There's a war on. He's the Senate's chief negotiator. With so much to do, why would he spend time on just being with me?" I leaned back in the booth and sighed. "This whole thing is selfish and childish. I don't know what's wrong with me." Well, I did, somewhat, but I still expected better of myself. I'd spent a lifetime wanting things I couldn't have. Thinking I should have them was something I'd left behind the first time I ran away from Tony.

I wasn't expecting a warm calloused hand to cover mine, and I looked up in surprise. Those green eyes were practically blazing with emerald fire. It wasn't really anger, but there was something aggressive and intense and warm all at the same time. "It isn't stupid or selfish to believe you deserve attention from someone who cares about you. It's natural."

No, this was not making my eyes tear up, not in public. "Not for me."

The hand withdrew as Pritkin got up. "It should be."

I followed him out, not speaking for fear something embarrassing might escape my mouth. And I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Mircea and a posse of vamps loitering in the parking lot. Pritkin tensed and his hand went to hover over his gun.

"Not now," I said quietly. I put a hand on his arm, but he didn't take his eyes off Mircea. He did, however, let his hand fall loosely to his side, although I was under no illusions that it would slow him down much if he wanted to shoot someone.

"Dulceata, if you are hungry, there are better places to eat." He eyed the diner with distaste. "Ones that won't give you food poisoning."

"Not that have better pizza," I said lightly. And it occurred to me to wonder how long he'd been out here. He might have heard our whole conversation. Damn it, why did he pick now to reappear?

Pritkin was pissed. "And I suppose now you think you can scoop her up and take her where you want?"

I saw an amber fire kindling in those ancient eyes. "I suppose you think you can stop me if I want to?"

"Damn right I can, and I will. She isn't going anywhere she doesn't want to." Pritkin's gun was in his hand, public view be damned. I don't know why he thought that was the weapon of choice, but then I realized he wasn't looking to kill Mircea. We had enough enemies without killing our allies.

Before anything else could be said, both Pritkin and all the vamps' postures went tense as the smell of rotting flowers hit my nose. "Oh, crap," I said. I should have known the evening would go further downhill.

"We've been waiting for you to come out, Pythia," said a rough voice. Great. The Black Circle had joined the party.

(-)

I was unscathed, but Pritkin was pretty beat up by the time we got back to Dante's. Mircea was only slightly ruffled. I wanted to make sure the mage was okay, but he stiffly informed me that he just needed to rest and heal before disappearing to his room, leaving me to return to the suite with Mircea.

"I apologize for my absence, dulceata, but the war is keeping me quite busy," he said when we were sitting on the couch in the living room.

"I understand," I said, trying to make it sound believable.

An arm slid around my shoulder, bathing me in the familiar scent of pine as I was pulled into Mircea. "You are hurt. That was not my intention."

There was no way to hide what I was feeling. But I didn't exactly want to talk about my feelings, or my suspicions about him only feigning interest in me now. So what was there to say? "You aren't my Master."

"Of course not. You are not a vampire," was his easy response.

Evasive as always when we were disagreeing about something. "I mean you aren't in charge of me. You don't get to decide things for me."

Mircea leaned back a little so I could meet his eyes. He had one eyebrow raised as he said, "I don't recall saying that I was in charge of you."

I fought not to growl. "It's how you're acting. And keeping Pritkin from coming into the suite is petty, since he can go everywhere else in the hotel, and I can see him anywhere."

Strong hands gripped my arms briefly. "So you're saying I should ban him from the hotel entirely?"

It's possible that that had been a joke, but I didn't find it funny. I pulled away from him, shrugging his arm off. "Only if you want more trouble from both of us than you can handle." It was true, but it hadn't been the best way to say it. I'd made it a challenge. Better keep talking. "I stay here and let Marco keep an eye on me, and I've been trying to stay out of trouble. But don't mistake that for docility. I'm not a pet."

"I have never considered you a pet, Cassie. Pets are beloved yet lesser beings for companions. The fact that you are human has never stopped you from being one of our family. You belong."

He knew about all my issues and hang ups, and he knew which ones to bring up and how to appeal to them. But the hell of the thing was I believed him. He seemed so sincere. Mircea was the best at lying and pulling strings, and the more I thought about that, the less appealing a relationship with him became. Second-guessing every word, every gesture? I was paranoid enough.

So I said, "Just don't try to keep Pritkin out. It isn't like he wants to hang out anyway, and certainly not here. He just wanted to talk to me."

"Talk about what?" Mircea asked, gaze pinning me. Crap, I'd forgotten he possibly heard our entire conversation.

And without knowing what he heard, I couldn't say anything. "Stuff."

He just looked at me, face unreadable. "He takes you out to dinner to talk about 'stuff'. You and the mage are quite close…what is he?"

I knew my eyes widened and my breathing picked up. But I quickly shut everything down, retreating to the mask I used to wear at court when I was a child. I let a cool detachment take hold of me, sinking into the mindset of being untouchable.

And I said nothing. Starting a dialogue would just end with him tricking clues out of me, and I wasn't going to risk him figuring Pritkin out.

"Dulceata?"

Nope, nothing.

"I know that you know."

No.

"I can actually sit here for days until you feel like talking."

And, no, that wasn't happening. I stood up and looked at him. "I need some fresh air," I said, and shifted.

(-)

Well, I have more chapters, but I also have a bad habit of starting lots of fanfictions. Just a question of if it gets finished. Which, so far, they mostly don't. But I hope what I have is worth reading.

Let me know what you think; feedback is magically encouraging.