AN: Thanks, Chelinda, for the inspiration. This was fun! I love Neph's personality...

Nephamael quickly downed the last of his wine and reclined back on his bed, endeavoring to ignore the peculiar taste of the iron-preventative powder and his increasing restlessness. He had taken far more than he should have, he knew, but he would not allow any weakness to show as a result of the iron burning on his brow.

It was beginning to have delightfully strange effects on him, he noticed vaguely. The shadows were beginning to dance on the walls, and the dim candlelight seemed to hold a different quality, though he couldn't have said how. He looked down to find that his skin had taken on a faint bluish cast, but instead of alarming him as this should have, he found it oddly fascinating.

A chill shot up his spine, and he gasped, then sighed and relaxed, running his fingers lightly down the side of his neck, the side of his body. This was very nice indeed. The light in the room began to assume a deep crimson glow, and the air became chokingly thick and sweet. He could feel his heart speeding; the taste of the powder and wine was rapidly being replaced by that of blood. He ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth, and moaned softly as it was cut by the sharp point of his canine.

"No," he mumbled gently to himself, not even really sure what he was referring to. He smiled, and a sharp, random laugh escaped him. After a moment he realized that his nails were deeply imbedded in the flesh of his arm, and licked at the blood, shuddering at the sweet taste.

He jumped when the door opened, and something silver flashed before him. He felt a hand connect with the side of his face, but surprisingly enough, he felt no pain. "Ethine..." His voice came out rougher than usual.

"What have you gotten my brother involved in?" Nephamael laughed, and the sound seemed to frighten Ethine. "Tell me!" she shrieked, hysterical with the thought of Roiben getting into some sort of dangerous situation, for she knew he would fling himself into death intentionally, given the chance. She hit him again, frustrated at the fact that it had no effect on him.

"When are you going to learn that isn't going to work?" He seemed calm, almost too calm, in fact. She noticed that his normally yellow eyes were now a deep sapphire color; his skin held the palest blue tint. The air was strange and sweet and it was becoming very hard to breathe. Then she saw the empty goblet of wine and the shimmering of amber powder that clung to the inside.

She looked back at him and he was gazing at her as if lost and smiling. His mouth was bleeding. He reached forward and touched a strand of her hair that hung down as she leaned over him. She jerked back, dreading his touch.

"I have gotten him involved in nothing. Well, sort of...Anyway, he is supposed to be getting the sacrifice for the Tithe. However, she is not human, but a changeling; a pixie, in fact. He is simply besotted with her, although he still thinks she is mortal. He'll find out soon enough...once she's dead!"

She shuddered at the mad sort of glee that seemed to radiate from him. "What's the point of this? Are you trying to kill him?"

"No my dear, I'm trying to get Nicnevin killed. They...will be very angry once they find out she tried to trick them into unnecessary bondage. No, they won't like that at all... And when they aren't bound to us for seven years...So much death..."

"And if you don't manage to get her killed? What then? Surely you'll be held accountable. Either you or Roiben. Most likely the both of you."

"She wouldn't dare accuse me of such a thing. I would kill her without hesitation if she did, and I believe she is aware of that." Ethine noticed his appearance beginning to return to normal, though he was still bleeding..

"Then why does she keep you around, if she knows you're such a threat? You don't even belong to her, not anymore."

"I never belonged to her," he snapped, somewhat defensively. "I own her as much as one might say she once owned me. She has a certain fondness for me...Perhaps that was why she chose to send me away, to keep me at arm's length. In fact, I might even pay her a private visit once you're finished pestering me. I know she would like that." He smirked, as if at some inside joke with himself.

She thought of something insulting to say to him, something that would feed him a bit of the hate she was beginning to feel for him. But what would insult him? After a moment of pondering, she realized the answer was sitting right in front of her.

"You wear that...that iron...to feel stronger, don't you? You can handle it. You can handle anything...as long as you have help. Excessive help. You couldn't handle it without that Never, could you?"

He turned and gave her a look so intimidating that for a moment she thought he was going to kill her. Then he grinned, and it was the most horrific expression she had ever seen. His teeth were much sharper and longer than she'd realized before. She watched with growing horror as he reached up and removed the iron circlet, releasing an unintended gasp at the charred and blackened skin underneath, scarred so deep that it would never heal. She nearly choked on the smell of burned flesh.

But that wasn't all he was doing. A raw scream of pain tore from her throat as he set the circlet on her head. "Want some Never now?" she heard him offer silkily, holding it on her as she continued to shriek and claw at his hands ineffectively. "Such a pity. I'd just hate to ruin your beautiful skin."

He released her as her leg shot out and she kicked him hard in the stomach. He doubled over and coughed, glistening garnet blood spattering the bed. After a terrified moment, Ethine shot out the door, a streak of silver terror.

Nephamael gasped in a rattling breath and called after her, "Roiben wants this, Ethine! You are a fool to keep him from the death he desires! He will find some way to die!"