Three hours later, Bones' house was positively full. Élisabeth still slept in his bed, though she'd woken briefly to have a bit of the bread and cheese he brought home. Ancille stayed with her. Bones was settling Liliane, Magdalena, and Ésmee into his largest guest room.

The house he was staying in was not large, nor was it small. There were three bedrooms, a sitting room, kitchen, bathroom, and small parlor. He debated letting Ancille and Élisabeth have the room they were in, but decided against it. They could move to the other guest room in the morning. He was also considering relocating to his home in the country as he now had humans to look after. Staying in the city was one thing when it was just him, but five women and, hopefully, a new baby would need more space.

Still, that could wait a few days. After he had the girls settled he went into the sitting room to his writing desk. He penned a note to Ian, asking if he would be interested in a new piece of property, one he had already laid claim to in at least one way. Then he bundled in black again and went for a walk.

Around noon the next day, five women sat at Bones' kitchen table. He smiled at them, and they regarded him with expressions varying from friendly to cautious to, in Liliane's case, fearful.

"Right. Do you all understand why you are here?"

Nods all around.

"Excellent. You understand that in exchange for my protection, you allow me to feed from you, but you are permitted to leave at any time with no ill will. However, if you betray me, I will kill you."

Liliane gasped, but Ésmee nodded. "If you betray him, you betray all of us." She added.

"Too right. Ésmee, I've written Ian but of course, a reply will be some time in coming. In the meantime you have my protection as a member of my sire's property. Out of respect for him, I will not feed from you."

She nodded. "Thank you, Bones."

"Élisabeth, you've lost too much blood and I don't want to risk your baby, so I will not feed from you until after your confinement is over. Though until then you're not technically mine."

Élisabeth looked pensive and he continued in a more reassuring tone. "A human comes under a vampire's protection as property one of three ways. Either they are bitten and turned, they're drank from, or they're taken to bed. Rest assured I will overlook these technicalities for the time being.

"That leaves Liliane, Magdalena, and Ancille."

"Me first," said Ancille. She stood up and went to him, pushing aside the collar of her sweater, and tilting her head.

Bones nodded once and fastened his mouth over her pulse, probing with his tongue for the perfect spot. Then he bit her, hands on her shoulders when she swayed at the sensation. He took three deep swallows, scored his tongue on a fang, and healed the punctures, then helped her to sit.

She looked up dazedly. "It didn't hurt," she said softly.

"No, it didn't. Juice from my fangs, that."

"Will you bite all three of them now, so you may claim them?" Ésmee asked.

Bones thought for a moment and nodded. "May as well. Magdalena?"

She stood and bared her neck as Ancille had, and Bones bit her in the same manner. She whimpered when his fangs pierced her and her hands went to his shirt front to steady herself. Two swallows and he disengaged, leading her back to her chair.

"Liliane?"

Liliane's blue eyes were huge in her delicate face, but she stood and took a step towards Bones. The fear scent reeked from her.

He smiled at her, dark eyes softening. "Not to worry, luv, I won't hurt you. Shall I use your wrist instead?"

"Oh. Um, I suppose."

He took her hand and brought her wrist to his mouth. He bit with care and her eyes widened at the warmth that he knew would be flooding her.

"There, nothing to fret over," he said, healing the punctures. She sat down and her fear scent gradually changed to wonder, confusion, and a faint addition of lust. Absent-mindedly she rubbed her wrist.