I maintain that I don't want to demonize Mircea…but it's kind of turning out that way. He's super-jealous and suspicious of Pritkin, and Cassie choosing the mage over him is the last straw. So, yeah, this gets dark, but then we get into warm and fuzzy domestic feels, so that's a great pick-me-up.

(-)

Mircea was waiting in my room when I shifted there, and my smile and joy from everything that had happened with Pritkin died at his expression. "So it's true," he said, voice low and neutral. On someone so naturally expressive, that was very bad.

"What is?" I asked, not liking this situation.

"That you've been shifting straight to your room and taking a shower to try and hide that you've been having sex with the mage." His tone was dripping with acid now, and I was kind of afraid.

"I'm not having sex with Pritkin," I said, and I knew he would know I was telling the truth. "But even if I was, that's my choice, not yours."

Wrong answer. Mircea was up, both hands on my right wrist, muttering something that sent a sharp frisson running over my skin before I could blink. "I want to have this conversation without you running off to the mage."

Something felt wrong, something confining me. But I could move my body just fine. It wasn't until I decided I was going to do exactly what he didn't want that I realized I couldn't reach my power. In fact, all of my magic was quiet, almost like it didn't exist. "What did you do to me?"

"A null net. It will restrain your power so we can have a conversation without that wretched creature interrupting."

He'd made me powerless. You didn't do that to have a private conversation; you did that to assert control. "If you want to talk between the two of us, you say so, Mircea. Like adults. This is manipulation, and you know better than to think I'll take this well." I was afraid and angry at the same time. It was like he'd put a leash on me to keep me restrained, keep me close to him.

But I'd just established that Pritkin and I had a bond, a…Synchronization Bond. And if it was so linked to who I was and my essence that he was my soulmate, maybe I could reach him, even if my magic was contained. So I reached for that thrum, that vibration that flowed so naturally between us. I still felt it, even if our skin wasn't touching. It was diminished because of that or the null net, but it was there. I just channeled my inner panic along those threads, hoping he'd know I was in trouble and come get me. Because without my power, I didn't see any way I could save myself.

"You aren't even paying attention to me now," Mircea said. "Thinking about your mage?"

And that snide tone tipped me more towards anger than fear. "Yeah, actually. I'm thinking about how he would never do this to me, never betray me like this because he was jealous and selfish. I really overestimated you, Mircea. This is a weak move."

I was suddenly on the bed, looking up at those glowing amber eyes. "Jealous? Yes. You care nothing for me while you dote on that…thing. He isn't human; he can't be. What is he that he has you so enthralled?"

There was so much I wanted to say, but, again, I knew better than to engage a master of conversation and manipulation and think I could win. His hands were holding mine to the bed, but not nearly as firmly as they should have. I freed one of them and hit him in the face, saying, "You were family, Mircea! If that means nothing to you, then I guess it will mean nothing to me too."

My eyes stung with tears, because I always ended up getting betrayed when I cared about someone and trusted them. Except Pritkin. The one person I could always trust. And I was pretty sure he knew something was up by now, so he'd be here soon. I knew it.

And Mircea was looking at me with astonishment. It only just occurred to me that he was probably holding tight enough to restrain regular Cassie. But now that I was demigoddess-puberty Cassie, I had thrown off a hold I shouldn't have been able to.

He recaptured my hand and applied more force, making me wince, but I tried to free my hands or throw him off of me. Mircea watched my struggles with fascination. "What kind of training have you been doing, dulceata?"

"My name is Cassandra," I hissed. I was crying, still too weak to protect myself, even now. Someone I trusted, someone I had loved, was making me a victim. Treating me like prey. "And you're going to regret crossing me."

"No, Cassie, he is going to regret crossing me." That tone was sinister, and his power was spilling over the way it had when Pritkin was trying to kill me.

I didn't know what he planned to do after that statement, only that I had never been more relieved to hear a fight break out in the next room. It sounded like the doors had been thrown inward, and a couple of thuds and the sound of a shotgun preceded an eerie silence broken by swift footsteps. The bedroom door was also blown off its hinges, and Pritkin ran in, eyes taking in the scene on the bed.

"Take your hands off her if you want to live," he said, seething as rage leaked off him in waves of power.

To my surprise, Mircea did, lunging at Pritkin to tackle him. He couldn't break through Pritkin's shields, though, and he ended up thrown across the room by a spell.

"How do I take off a null net?" I asked, sniffing. I didn't need to cry now that he was here. My partner, my Mate, was on my side, and he was an intelligent and powerful predator. Mircea's betrayal didn't matter because he didn't matter.

Cursing, Pritkin dove another lunge from Mircea, but ended up right next to me on the bed. Some muttered words in a strange language paired with a finger sliding down the back of my neck and I felt all my power come rushing back. Before I could shift us, Mircea grabbed Pritkin. While they tussled, I reached into my nightstand and found what I was looking for: a panic button that I twisted to free and then pressed. Since there was no magical way to signal Tami and the Misfits that it was time to leave, we went new-school.

Mircea had Pritkin pinned down, and I reacted, dashing over and kicking him in the face, knocking him back into the dresser. Thank God for magic puberty. I grabbed Pritkin and shifted.

In his room, I could tell that he had practiced evacuation drills, because the speed and certainty with which he grabbed items and packed them into his rucksack told me he knew exactly what went where. The fact that his books were quickly and orderly piled into a wooden trunk that then shrank to the size of a music box told me that packing and running was old hat.

I just slipped on my bracelet and put on my sword before I grabbed the bag I had left there. Within five minutes, Pritkin's room was bare. Good thing, because that was how long it had taken security to come look for us there and breach the wards on the door. They burst into the room as I shifted us out.

(-)

We landed in the main room of our nest, lying on the floor. Pritkin sat up, not bothered by the fact that I was on top of him and weighing him down. For my part, I just wrapped myself around him, still shaking slightly. "Thank you for coming. I knew you wouldn't let me down."

His arms were around me, and I basked in the thrum of rightness, of how natural we were. "I thought I was having a panic attack. Whatever you did was an effective distress signal." He sighed and slid his hand up and down my back parallel to my sword. "You're safe now. You're home."

Home. I looked around and smiled, shaking calming almost instantly. "I finally get to live in our Nest," I said.

That made Pritkin laugh slightly. "Nest? Not a bad name, I suppose."

"Come on, Pritkin. When you showed me this place you were so pleased that I liked it. Tell me that you didn't put this all together with the image of the two of us living here like newlyweds." Which we kind of were.

"I can't, because I'm not going to lie to you." He looked slightly embarrassed. It was hard to believe that after everything we'd established, he could still feel self-conscious about things.

"We basically are, you know," I said, running a hand down the top of his sternum. It was the only part of his chest I could get to since he was draped in weapons and potions and ammo. I was straddling him, but I would have enjoyed it more if we were both unarmed.

The way he shifted under me told me that he would like that better too. But I also saw hesitance and guilt before he looked away. I was confused until he said, "Being my wife isn't really a good thing."

Of course. He'd killed his wife. The thrum was dying down, so I took his face in my hands and said, "Well it's a good thing I'm your Mate, then." I pressed a swift kiss to his lips and got up. "I never got a chance to shower, so I feel really gross. I'm going to hop in, okay? You can get settled, since most of my stuff is already here."

He got to his feet and nodded. I went into the bathroom and stripped down, noticing the runes on the taps. No water heater, so he enchanted the shower. I needed to ask where he'd learned all this. It worked like normal, so I let the hot water pour over me as I tried to relax. It was so surreal. Even if Mircea hated Pritkin, I never expected him to do something like that. And what he'd been about to do…

I stifled a sob, knowing that I was fine now, that it hadn't happened. And I couldn't be sure he'd been about to rape me. Mircea was too attractive to ever need to resort to that. Except…with me. I was someone he wanted that he couldn't charm. So maybe he would.

Trying to cry quietly, I jumped at a knock on the door. "Cassie? Can I come in? I have a towel for you."

Knowing I hadn't been quiet enough, I said, "Yeah."

Sniffing and trying to calm myself, I heard the door open and close and knew Pritkin was on the other side of the curtain. With candlelight, the glow wasn't strong enough to cast a definite shadow, but I could feel him. After a moment of silence, he said, "'Are you okay?' is a stupid question, but…what's wrong?"

I grabbed the shampoo, trying to occupy myself so I wouldn't start crying again. "You just…you came right in time. It was about to get…really bad."

The sudden rage that rolled off Pritkin was tangible through the curtain. "Was he going to force you?" For the amount of power radiating from his anger, his words were oddly calm.

"It's hard to be sure, but it felt like things were headed that way." I lathered up my hair and somehow, telling him made me feel better. Someone I could share anything with, someone who was always on my side…after how most of the people in my life turned out, Pritkin was far too good to be true. But he was. I felt it.

"Do you want me to kill him?" The question was so composed, so matter-of-fact, that I realized there was absolutely nothing joking about it.

"You can do that?" I mean, it would be a hell of a fight. Pritkin might get hurt. "I don't want you risking your safety."

"Easily," Pritkin said, surprising me. "There's no risk. In fact, the only thing stopping me is your answer, because a monster like that can't be allowed to live. It has nothing to do with being a vampire, and everything to do with what he is."

He was asking me if I didn't want him to kill Mircea. And he made it sound so easy, to murder a master vampire, a Senate member, like a simple chore. "How would you do it?" I asked, thinking it crazy to even entertain the idea. I rinsed my hair out and grabbed the body wash.

"A potion. After we first met in Paris, I started thinking about how dangerous a vampire could be if I met them more than once. So, taking into account what gives vampires their power, their life, I started working on a blood curse. A few centuries later I've only tested it once, but I know it works."

But a vamp's nose would spot that a mile off. "He'd smell it before you got it anywhere near his mouth."

"I can do it from here," Pritkin said. "I got a sample of his blood from that fight at the diner, so I have everything I need. I was only hit with that curse because I was distracted gathering it."

Since I hadn't brought a washcloth in, I was just running my slick hands along my skin, giving the most basic cleaning. And I was stunned that Pritkin was seriously ready and able to kill Mircea. "I don't want him dead yet," I said after a moment's thought. It was a bad time to make a decision like that, when I was still upset at what he might have planned on doing. "But there was another spell I wanted to ask about."

"What spell is that?" Pritkin asked, and I could hear some frustration at my answer. But he accepted it, that tidal wave of rage receding.

"I want to be able to lie to a vampire. To hide my emotions. I want to project calm so they can't read me like a book." I slid my slick fingers between my legs, biting my lip at doing so with just a very thin piece of fabric between me and Pritkin. To distract myself, I asked, "Is that doable? Because if I have to interact with them, I need to be able to lie. Especially to protect you."

"I'm sure I can do it," Pritkin said as I kept washing the rest of me. "It's just a question of how. Your pulse gives you away, along with other physiological indicators. And their senses are especially attuned to human blood, you said."

I'd possessed three vampires at that point, and I could still remember hearing heartbeats in the houses and buildings. Even if I wasn't listening to the people in those buildings talking or moving around, the heartbeats called to me. "Yeah, everything goes back to blood."

"Well, controlling your heartbeat with magic could be extremely dangerous if I don't do it right, and that will also be affected by how it's cast." Talking shop seemed to calm him.

Finishing rinsing myself, I turned off the water, standing for an awkward moment before Pritkin held a towel out the end of the curtain. "Here," he said as I took it, "I'll just wait outside."

"You don't have to," my mouth said before my brain could stop it. I started drying my hair and body so I could wrap myself in the towel.

There was a still silence after my statement before Pritkin said, "I…I'm not sure about-"

"Please?" I asked, because that sick, vulnerable feeling was creeping back. Even if it hadn't happened, even if it maybe wouldn't have happened, and even if it would never happen, I still remembered the helpless feeling being pinned to that bed. Knowing Mircea had the power to do whatever he wanted to me.

"Okay," he said.

Making sure the towel was secure, I opened the curtain. Pritkin was leaning back against the counter, gripping the edges and looking at the door. He was down to just jeans and a t-shirt, and it looked welcoming. But I kept myself to myself. "I'm sorry to ask, but…I'm still feeling sort of…vulnerable."

"Anything, Cassie." That got him to meet my gaze solidly before looking away again.

"Then maybe…" I knew he would do it, but I didn't like being so needy. But I did need it. "Could you stay with me while I fall asleep? I could at least use a nap, and-"

"Of course," he said, and he pushed off the counter. "I'll need to get the blanket from my room since I have yet to replace your old one."

It was cool down in the Nest, and I shivered as the bathroom door opened. A warm hand stroked my shoulder, eliciting that thrum briefly before the hand was gone and Pritkin said, "Go get dressed and I'll be in in a second. I'll start the fire going and get the blanket."

"Thank you," I said softly. The way he cared about me, showed he loved me…this place felt more like home than anywhere I'd ever been. But only because it was his, ours, because he was here. Pritkin was home.

In my room I swiftly put on some underwear and my comfiest pajama bottoms and a form-fitting tank. I liked the built-in support while I slept. There was a soft knock on the door, and I said, "I'm dressed."

Pritkin came in with a green blanket, and it looked so soft and fuzzy. When he handed it to me, I petted it, enjoying the sleek side. And it smelled like him, even if it smelled like it had been cleaned recently too. Gunpowder and magic were a balm to my frazzled nerves. And given that he'd already said as much to me: "I like that it smells like you."

That got me a grin. "Maybe we'll swap blankets every now and then to get the best sleep possible."

Or just keep him in my bed forever. But, no, I wasn't going there. I was spreading the blanket out and crawling under the sheets so I could sleep. I curled up on my side, facing the door. There was a nightstand between my bed and the wall, and Pritkin went around to sit behind me. When his hand started stroking up and down my back, I sighed. "Thanks, Pritkin."

His voice was soft as he said, "I need to check on Tami and the kids, so I'll do that after you fall asleep. I don't want you waking up not knowing where I am. But nothing will hurt you if you stay down here. There will be an alarm if anything comes into the warehouse that isn't me, but that will just mean that someone is dying a horrible death. You're safe."

"You know, for having such a cozy interior, it's like the outside of the Nest is covered in spikes and cyanide." I smiled.

"How did you know about the spikes?" Pritkin asked, clearly amused. But I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Probably not.

That hand was lulling me to sleep. I was drifting as I said, "There are too many reasons to love you."

The motion paused for a moment before he replied, "You took the words from my mouth."

(-)

I woke up hungry. I went to the kitchen, looking at our options. Cooking had become something I was mildly skilled at. I couldn't tell if Tomas complimenting my cooking was part of the ruse or not, but I also didn't know if he legitimately didn't know how to operate household appliances. Given how old he was and the fact that all his meals were likely made for him, that was probably one of the genuine aspects of our cohabitation.

The inside of the fridge felt like it normally would, although it was a really old one, the kind with the lever handle. And after checking in the cupboard and finding pancake mix, I'd decided. He'd stocked the fridge with a lot of different ingredients, and I had a feeling it would take a very long time for any of it to go bad. I needed to ask him about his domestic-savvy magic, because this was extremely cool.

He showed up while I was mixing the batter, which was good because I was unsure about operating the stove without his guidance. It looked normal besides the runes, but you never knew when it came to magic. When he got off the ladder, he looked at me with a small smile. "Hello."

And, yeah, this felt very much like being newlywed, with the pleased flutter in my stomach at his obvious approval of me making something. It didn't feel like any kind of gender role thing, though. Just pleasure that I had a skill to contribute to our home, our life together.

"Hey. Want to show me how to work the stove?" I asked.

"Sure. And when you're stirring, if you hold your wrist-"

He didn't finish his sentence before I set the bowl and whisk down and groaned loudly. "You cook too? You suck so much; stop being good at everything."

That made him laugh, hard. I was annoyed that one of my few domestic skills was eclipsed by his. But eventually I was laughing too. When we calmed, he was wiping the corners of his eyes, wearing the biggest grin I'd ever seen on him. This place was good for him too.

"I'm not good at everything. But you might recall I've been alive for a rather long time, and during that time, I've had to eat regularly. It makes for a lot of practice." When I scowled at him, he chuckled and said, "I'd be happy to teach you all the tricks I've picked up along the way."

"Fine. Show this lowly youngster the benefits of your ancient wisdom," I said. The age gap didn't really matter most of the time, but it was times like these when I was reminded of how old the man I loved really was. Pritkin had every reason to hide his age, so he made a lot of effort to learn new technology and advances in learning and science. Vamps liked to flaunt their age, so being outdated was a point of pride for most of them. I was surprised the Senate vamps knew what cell phones were, let alone possessed them.

My words made him laugh again as he joined me in the kitchen. As he demonstrated the technique he'd been talking about, it seemed his thoughts were in the same direction as mine, because he said, "You really don't mind my age?"

I shrugged, saying, "Not really. All the time you've lived made you into the man I love. And, honestly, most of the time I forget. However long you've been alive, you never seem old, Pritkin."

"Good to know. After so many decades and centuries, learning new things becomes the best use of time. Especially if you have to isolate yourself. Your brain will stagnate, and you'll go mad."

It was kind of sad to know that, for so much of his long life, he'd had minimal human interaction because he was so afraid and ashamed of what he was and what he could do. "That's a very wizardly attitude," I said, trying to lighten things up again. "While we eat, you'll have to give me the full story of how Merlin evolved into Martha Stewart."

At that, his hand slipped, and the bowl started tipping over. It would have been all over the counter if I hadn't grabbed the other edge with startling speed. And he was nearly howling at my remark, having trouble breathing with tears leaking from his eyes as he doubled over.

The picture was so un-Pritkin that I made sure to lock it in my memory, so the image of his total amusement and joy would be with me forever. It was beautiful.

After far too long, he finally calmed down, still crying a little. "That was a horrible thing to say," he gasped.

"Really? Because it looked like it tickled you silly." I loved this man so much, and he just kept giving me more reasons.

"Cooking doesn't make me Martha Stewart," he said, but he was still beaming.

"Pritkin, we have enchanted water taps in the shower, an enchanted fridge that I'm certain makes 'perishable' a relative term, and a magic oven. And that's just the things I know about. Not to mention stocking the fridge and furnishing everything, including putting away my clothes in an extremely orderly manner. 'Homemaker' is definitely one of your hats."

Now he was blushing, concentrating on the batter. "Again, I've been alive long enough to have put together quite a few heavily-warded homes. And while the time I was born in didn't have anything like this, after you get used to the creature comforts of technology, it becomes hard to give up. So I used my magic to improvise. It's why all of this didn't take too long to put together."

"You're amazing," I said. Historical figure, master spellcrafter, magical powerhouse, the best war mage I'd ever seen, and he was somehow mine. My knight. I was just Cassie Palmer, clairvoyant screw-up who was very good at managing not to be murdered when she had extremely powerful help. Although now I was Cassie Palmer, pitiful demigoddess and clueless Pythia who so far hadn't completely screwed up time. Either one was a little wordy for a business card.

Pritkin tapped the whisk to get as much batter as possible off of it before setting it aside. He looked very pleased, but he just said, "Let me show you how to control the stove."

Once I knew how that worked, he stepped back and let me cook. As he sat at the table, just watching me, I felt a little self-conscious about my performance. But then he said, "You know, I didn't think this kind of happiness and contentment existed."

I looked over my shoulder and beamed at him. "Me neither. I mean, I have Tami and the kids, so I'm not alone. But love…well, you've seen how my love interests normally pan out. It's why I try not to let anyone in too close. Eventually, it all boils down to…"

"Trust," Pritkin said at the same moment I did. "You can't trust anyone to get that close, to be able to hurt you that badly." After a moment, he said, "To know the things about you that you never want to admit to, that you feel nobody could forgive you for."

"Yeah, I didn't think you existed either, Pritkin. Too good to be true, but you are. I trust you. And I can't imagine anything I wouldn't forgive you for, even if I was mad for a while."

"If we're talking about something being too good to be true, you win."

Rather than argue about it, I grinned and said, "After all, I forgave you trying to kill me."

He groaned, and a glance over my shoulder showed him with his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. "Why do you insist on bringing that up?"

"Because it's hysterical," I said. "You tried really, really hard to kill me. You even used a damn grenade." When he groaned again, I added, "And look where it got us: a life neither of us thought we could have. Because of attempted murder. How is that not funny?"

"It isn't funny to nearly destroy the most important person I'll ever know."

That sobered me slightly, but I was still smiling. "You didn't. I'm right here. And I'm yours."

When he raised his head and looked at me, his pupils were large. I inhaled sharply, not in fear, but in excitement. I was feeling warmer than even the stove could cause, and it took effort not to go to him. He closed his eyes and a few moments later, he opened them, and they were normal. It was a little disappointing.

"Seeing that should scare or repulse you," he said.

"I love your eyes," I said. "Human and incubus. They're both beautiful." I finally got the last pancakes on the serving plate. "Dinner is done."

While he got out the dishes and silverware, I hunted around the cabinet with the condiments until I found the syrup. We settled in to eat, and it wasn't until we were nearly finished that I said, "Hey, Pritkin? Do you think you can have some of those tests for our energies ready by tomorrow?" When he looked up, startled, I said, "I really want to exchange some energy with you."

Those pupils exploded, only a thin line of green around the outside. He gripped the table with both hands, but other than that, he didn't move, just looked at me. And I understood. There was no question that the creature looking at me now was a demon; even if it was only part of him, right now, it was in control. And it wanted to frighten me, prove that I was bluffing about accepting him. But I just smiled at him. "You don't scare me, Pritkin. Keep being exactly who and what you are; I'll only love you more."

"I could kill you," he said, voice strained.

"Never," I said, meeting that dark gaze without blinking. "We're Mates. I'm as important to you as you are to me, and that's why I know you'd never hurt me."

"You're too important," he said.

"Exactly," I agreed. "That's why, even if your instincts scream at you to feed on me, they'd never let you kill me. Because if we have the same wavelength, that means your incubus side is just as connected to me as your human side."

When he said nothing, just stared, I decided to change the topic. "How are Tami and the kids?"

A few concerted blinks and his eyes were normal. "They're settling in well. The kids love the bunk beds." He seemed to remember something and said, "Jesse was worried when you weren't with me. I told him you were resting. And Jeannie wanted to make sure that I told you that she's very sorry about what she said. She doesn't hate you."

"That's sweet. And now I'm hogging you all the time. Is Tami doing okay?"

He nodded. "She was trying to keep their exuberance to a minimum. The kids were really excited."

"Where did you put them?"

"An abandoned laser tag arena." At my disbelieving stare, he said, "I couldn't ward it, so I needed to give them some advantage. After having that as their playground for a week, they'll know every hiding spot and ambush point by heart. The sleeping area is past the main battleground, so if anyone comes in the front door, the kids have time to get out. There's an escape hatch I built in."

I just stared for a few moments before I said, "Have I told you that you're amazing and unbelievable and I love you?"

That got me a smile. "A few times…today."

"I'd better stop slacking then," I said. "I love you, Pritkin."

And I would never get tired of him looking at me with the same level of amazement and admiration that I reserved only for him. He said, "I love you, Cassie."

(-)

So, we're trying to contract diabetes here. But it gets better and worse as we go.

Feel free to review; it fills me with magic and rainbows. But review or not, I hope you enjoyed this and keep reading.