"You want to tell me why I suddenly can't access my bank account?"

Mercy was angry. She'd gone online to check her account balance only to discover the account no longer existed. She absolutely knew she could lay the blame for that at the feet of the man-child who watched her with a sheepish look on his face.

"Your new account information should arrive in a few days. I'd expected it to be here already."

"Which doesn't answer the question of why my account is gone in the first place. What's going on Godric?"

"I closed down your accounts so that your brother couldn't attempt to access them," he finally confessed. "Our attorney is drawing up a trust to cover Ava's education and other expenses, but I could not allow Ethan the opportunity to avail himself of your fortune. Not after what he did to you."

"At the moment I'm less concerned with what Ethan might do than with the fact that you shut down MY accounts. That shouldn't be possible."

"It was accomplished with a minimum of difficulty."

That was absolutely the wrong answer, and Godric knew it. Mercedes was no longer simply annoyed with him, she was positively livid.

"I don't care what sort of 'Maker' mentality you've gotten stuck in Godric, but I make my own decisions! You don't get to start moving everything around just to suit you!"

"In point of fact I do, Mercedes. I protect what's mine, and that includes my children. I will do what is necessary to protect you."

She must understand that her safety came first, and that he was fully within his rights to ensure that. He'd known she wouldn't be pleased, which was why he'd delayed telling her. He would take care of her by any means necessary.

"I'm not a child, Godric!"

"You are MY child, älskling. And I could never bear to see you hurt."

The knock on the office door interrupted their argument, to Godric's relief. One of the human guards wanted confirmation that a vampire was allowed entry. Godric looked to his clock to see that it was indeed time for his first meeting of the night.

"Try not to stay angry for too long."

He wanted to kiss away the anger on her face, but he knew that wouldn't be welcome. Instead he left her fuming in the office. He hoped she would calm down before Heather and her brother arrived. He was making every effort not to have to resort to a command to gain her compliance in minor squabbles. He would no abuse his power over her in such a way, simply because he could.

His mood was not improved by his meeting. It had been bad enough as Sheriff of a single area, dealing in politics on behalf of the Authority. To do so as a King, even for so short a time as the post had been his, was pure hell. He was never meant to be a bureaucrat, worrying over proposed tax increases and meeting with the TrueBlood manufacturers to discuss their wishes to raise prices. The Japanese were clever, but apparently not quite clever enough to realize that with other blood substitutes coming on the market they were not the monopoly they believed themselves to be. This was just the sort of thing he abhorred, and now he was condemned to deal with it for the next fifty years.

Even when his infernal meeting finally ended, he gained no peace. His phone rang, and with it a call from Lucian. The Magister seemed determined to keep his promise/threat of checking in once a week. It could be considered a positive thing, to have the Magister's ear. Many kings would fight for that very thing, if they believed having Lucian's ear would help keep him out of their business.

In a way it was good to speak with Lucian: there were few vampires Godric could speak with that were of a similar age. Even Eric couldn't fully understand sometimes because he was so much younger. Time moved so differently for them as they aged, that he'd had a great problem with it when Mercedes was mortal. Eric had not yet reached that point, which was one of the reasons he'd never understand the bond Godric had shared with her when she was human. His child had not yet learned to value things precisely because of their fragility, and brevity. That would come later, if it ever came for Godric's oldest child.

"So, how's the wife? I trust your honeymoon isn't interfering with work."

-And then Lucian opened his mouth and Godric was reminded just why he DIDN'T like talking to the man. Lucian's rather perverse sense of humor was much more grating when one was the source of it.

"You receive my reports, Lucian."

He sent them every two days, just to ensure that the Magister couldn't invent an excuse to come in person to check on them. He wanted to keep Mercedes and Lucian apart from each other as much as possible, to maintain peace in his home.

"I do, not that they tell much."

What had Lucian expected of him? That he would begin to make sweeping changes from day one? That would be unwise. It was better to allow time for things to settle before making great changes. Jumping head first into a situation that worked well and mucking it up was never advisable.

Waiting also allowed time for anyone who might try to move against him time to hang themselves. Once they did that he could see to their punishment and remove with no trouble. There were a few that he was keeping a watch on, and it was only a matter of time before they did something foolish.

"Roman wants to see you, soon. He's planning a visit to Texas in the next several months; as soon as he can get away."

That was surprising enough news to startle Godric from his thoughts. Did Roman not trust that he would fulfill his role? No, that was unlikely. Roman had been the strongest voice in pushing for Godric to take over a state, Before. More likely the other vampire simply wanted to see him, in the flesh. Godric would daresay that they had been friends before he settled permanently in Dallas, when he'd done a fair bit of roaming.

"I'll expect his call then."

When he was finally able to call an end to the conversation, he nearly sighed in relief, even as he went in search of Mercedes. At least Lucian only called once a week. If these conversations took place daily, Godric knew he would go slowly mad.

He was curious about Mercedes' new students. Of course he knew Heather from his sojourn in Shreveport, but he'd no idea what type of student she would make. And he knew nothing of the brother. He'd barely spoken ten words to the boy his entire residence. Eric's opinion couldn't be taken entirely as gospel, not when the Viking had so little patience for anyone.

He found them in the classroom, where Mercedes was laying out the basic plan she intended to follow. He was certain it was similar to the discussion she'd had with Jessica. Heather was listening attentively, but the brother—Godric could already foresee the difficulty they would have with him. Such insolence would not be long tolerated, but he would try not to interfere unless Mercedes asked him to do so.

"Godric. Are you finished already?"

His arrival had been noticed. He'd hoped to have longer to observe his newest charges, but no matter. Their conduct in the coming days would be telling enough.

"I am. Have you already begun your lessons?"

"Oh no. We're taking the grand tour right now. We'll start tomorrow night, after Heather and Wesley have the chance to settle in."

"Very good. Have you shown them the first floor yet?"

Following the tour as Mercedes led them through the house was distraction enough that, for a while at least, Godric could forget the endless problems awaiting his attention. Heather proved to be as lively as he remembered, but Wesley remained sullen. He would have the human staff pay close attention to that one.

They seemed pleased enough with the amenities the house had to offer; the pool was likely to see a drastic increase in night time use, and the rec room that housed the enormous television and couches. Godric didn't understand the human fascination with video games, but Mercedes' newest students had retained that from their mortal life. He overheard Heather telling Jessica that his was a far cry from Eric's home, and smiled to himself.

It wasn't until several hours later, when the sun was close to rising and they were readying for bed, that the subject of the money came up again. He'd hoped that Mercedes would have gotten past this issue, but she was still angry.

"You can't just move everything around to suit you, and take away my decisions," she answered when he finally questioned her. "What I do with my money is my choice."

"You know the probability of your brother trying to lay claim to your money as well as I."

"And if I decide to let him do it, that's my choice to make. Not yours."

"You can't expect me to sit back and watch as he hurts you. I will not do that."

"You can't keep me from getting hurt, Godric. It's going to happen at some point whether you want it to or not."

"It is my duty to protect you, Mercedes."

She underestimated him if she believed he could not keep her from being hurt. He would move mountains, as he had done for Eric and Norah, to keep her safe and well.

"No one can make such a claim, Godric. People get hurt. That's life."

"It shouldn't happen to you."

For him it was that simple, and Mercy wanted to both give him a hug and a smack to the head. That was incredibly sweet, but he couldn't protect her from every little hurt. And she wasn't going to give up making her own decisions to let him try.

"Are we done fighting now? It's exhausting."

"Are you done trying to order my life?"

Godric sighed before reaching for her. He wanted this argument to be over. He was ready to put an end to this night, and he didn't want a disagreement with Mercedes to carry over into the next one. But he wouldn't lie to her.

"I cannot promise that, Mercedes. But I will try to respect your decisions."

He would make the effort to allow her to make her own choices. He couldn't promise it, for he knew himself too well. But he would try. Mercedes seemed to accept that answer as the best he could give, because she dropped the subject as she changed into a chemise. It was a genuine shame to see her cover up, but Godric said nothing to it. He simply shed his clothes before he slid into the bed. He would enjoy stripping her out of the garment. He would have to take care not to damage it, though. She didn't find his destruction of her clothes amusing.

"What do you think of your new students?"

"I think Heather and Jessica will be fine. I think Wesley could end up being a problem. He has issues," she answered as she slid into the bed and pulled up the sheet, settling into the pillows.

"If he becomes too difficult," Godric replied as he leaned over her to drop a kiss on her neck," you must not hesitate to tell me. He is here only on his promise to behave," he continued as one hand carded through her hair, "I will not stand for any sort of trouble making."

"If you really think I can't handle some kid with an attitude, you don't know me very well."

Further conversation was abandoned in favor of more pleasurable pursuits. The sun would be up soon enough, and they would sleep. Godric refused to waste their limited time talking about students when Mercedes was so receptive to his advances.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two nights later, Mercy found herself once again in Arnold Sullivan's office. It had been—was it really only a year?—it felt much longer than that. She hadn't planned on making the trip, but the phone call from the bank, that her brother had indeed tried to access her funds and then raised hell when he couldn't, convinced her that Godric's idea to create a trust for Ava had merit. She'd hoped for better from her brother, but his behavior wasn't unexpected. Why did money have to make people such jerks?

"Good evening, Mrs. Gaulman. Sir."

Would she ever get used to the way Godric was deferred to by most other vampires? It was bad enough when Godric was simply Sheriff, but now, as King? She expected the respect from the attorney who'd worked with Godric for years, but the receptionist had practically tripped herself fawning. It was positively ridiculous. Should she expect that next they would bring out an actual crown for the man?

"I have the basic terms of the trust drawn up, for your approval. If there's anything you wish to add, simply let me know."

To Mercy's surprise, the document was handed to her, rather than Godric. She hadn't really expected to have much to do with this meeting, given Godric's history of acting in her name. Sure, he'd said that he would try to respect her decisions, but she was shocked he was actually doing it, and so soon. She'd expected to have that same fight many times before he got it through his head that she was right.

She perused the document, and was pleased to see that Sullivan had covered bases she hadn't even thought of. Five million dollars was more than enough money to see to any of Ava's expenses for years, and her education, but the funds would only be paid on a reimbursement basis. Godric and the attorney would serve as trustees, and they had discretion over when to issue such reimbursement, so Ethan would have no choice but to submit requests to them; he wouldn't have the chance to use any of the money for himself. And since he was only getting reimbursed, he would have to take care of Ava himself first, before he could try to get the money he wanted. He wouldn't be able to simply sit home and expect to draw money.

It was a tad worrisome to try to guess the reason Sullivan had included a clause mentioning disposition if she met the True Death. On the one hand, she could say they were only preparing for any eventuality, and that was almost comforting. On the other hand, the stipulations included, that her death did not change how the funds were to be disbursed for her niece's care, seemed to suggest that they thought Ethan might try to kill her just to lay claim to all of the money. Surely he wouldn't do that? He was her brother.

"With such a fortune at stake, there's no telling what humans might do, älskling."

"Do you have any questions, Mrs. Gaulman?"

"No. But I'd like to add that these trust distributions terminate on Ava's 25th birthday. After that time the only expenses the trust will pay for are educational."

If Ava decided on a career that required lengthy education, Mercy was happy to pay for it, but the girl would learn to stand on her own feet. She wasn't going to support the child for the rest of her life. Ava would know what it was to work for a living, and be able to support herself. It was just about the only thing Mercy could still do for her niece to make sure she didn't turn out like her father or grandmother.

"That will not be a problem."

It truly wasn't. The attorney pulled up a file on his computer and after a scant two minutes typing he was printing out a new copy of the document, and it contained the clause exactly as she'd stated it. Mercy read through it one more time before giving approval, and once she and Godric signed their names to it, it was done.

A trip to the bank followed their departure from the law firm, Sullivan following them in his own vehicle. Mercy wasn't surprised the bank stayed open late simply to accommodate them once she learned it was vampire owned, but she was surprised to see that the owner had come to personally handle the transactions involved with creating the trust account. She hadn't met this one before, but Sullivan seemed to know him, and he certainly seemed to at least know of Godric, even if there had never been a personal introduction before. More paperwork followed, but it didn't take as long as Mercy thought it should to set up the account. Soon enough, it was all said and done, and she would never have to see Ethan about money again. Sullivan warned that the human might try to get an attorney involved and take them to court, but even if he did, it was unlikely that he would win. No, her interactions with Ethan were more than likely over.

"What is wrong, Mercedes?"

She wondered what expression she wore that Godric asked that question as soon as they were back in the car. This somehow felt more final than the confrontation at the hotel. The odds of her seeing Ava again were never very great—at least, not until Ava was a woman grown who could make her own decisions—but now if felt like they were nonexistent. Ethan would keep her away out of spite, now that he was denied the money he tried to claim.

"The years pass quickly, Mercedes. It will not be long before Ava is an adult, and can choose to seek you out."

It was the only real comfort that Godric could offer. Ava could very well choose to contact her aunt once she was capable of making those choices for herself, and the years until she reached that age would pass quickly.

It was a hollow comfort, and he knew it. Still, there was much to do, especially with her new students, so he hoped that Mercedes would not fall into the same melancholy she had after her brother took the child.

"You told Sullivan that you know where Ethan is?"

"I do. They have a place to stay, Mercedes. Ava is safe, and Ethan will be served the documents explaining the trust."

"Where did they go?"

"They went to Kate. She took them in."

Of course she would take them in, Mercy thought to herself. That explained why she hadn't heard anything from her friend in days, before she'd even had a chance to try to break the news herself. Ethan had done it for her. Of course she wouldn't hear anything from Kate after that news. In that case, she would half expect to get hate mail from the Fellowship, but maybe Kate actually valued the last twenty-six years enough to hold off on that.

"We won't have to go back to the lawyer's office, will we?"

"Not unless something unexpected occurs. Why? I thought you got along well with Arnold?"

"I do. But his receptionist looked as though she couldn't decide whether to faint or throw herself at you. I think you overwhelmed the poor girl."

"That is not so difficult a feat."

"Just keep telling yourself you're irresistible."

Godric smirked. That sounded like a challenge, if ever there was one. It was a challenge he was determined to win. With the touch of a button, the privacy screen rose to divide the back of the car from the front, and he leaned in until he was pinning her to the seat.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Proving just how irresistible I am."

"I am not going at it in the back seat of a car," Mercy protested. For goodness' sake, she wasn't a horny teenager, even if the man-child accosting her was.

"Then you should stop me," he answered as he started working his way down the buttons on her shirt, leaning in to reach the sensitive spot on her neck with his mouth. She cursed him as he teased her; he knew exactly where to go. She couldn't even tug him off of her: they'd discovered that he really enjoyed hair-pulling. Still, she wasn't about to give up that easily. She brought a knee up right next to a very sensitive organ, and managed to knock him off her. Winded, he looked up at her from the floor where he'd landed, beside the seat, and she gave him a smug smile.

"Told you: not irresistible."

"I'm going to make you pay for that."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll try. Just remember that I do bite back."

Now that WAS a challenge, and quite possibly the most suggestive comment she'd ever made to him. He loved it. Still, he was far more experienced in this area than she was, and much more determined. Mercedes enjoyed their lovemaking, there was no doubt, but she didn't seem to miss its absence. He, on the other hand, needed that closeness to her the same way he needed blood.

In less time than it took to blink he was on her again, his hold much more secure. She wouldn't be able to just toss him off again. He wouldn't dream of forcing anything if he truly refused him, but he was fairly sure this was more about teasing him, and the general embarrassment of possibly being heard, than an absolute lack of interest. He could work with that.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me, Mercedes?"

"Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you if you keep this up?"

"Hopefully the same delightfully wicked things you did to me last night."

If she was still capable of blushing, he was sure her face would be crimson by now. Yes, she wanted him, and she wanted him immediately. The reluctance he attributed to a holdover of her human ideas of what was appropriate. He would have to break her of that. He might not be an exhibitionist, but he did enjoy spontaneity.

When they finally reached the nest, both looked decidedly disheveled when they climbed out of the car. The aide who stood waiting for the king kept a carefully blank face that spoke of long practice in such service, but Jessica wore the widest smile Mercy had ever seen on the girl.

"Did y'all have fun?"

"Shut up."

Godric would have followed them inside the house, in hopes of continuing their activities, but he was stopped by the expression on his aide's face the moment the women disappeared.

"What has happened?"

"The Fellowship of the Sun. They have made threats to your consort."

His fangs dropped before his aide even had the chance to finish his sentence. If Steve Newlin was so foolish as to threaten Mercedes, Godric would end his existence.

"What threats?"

He was handed a digital camera, and the photos he saw sickened him. How could people be filled with so much hatred? When he considered how they would know Mercedes had been turned, it only made him angrier. The news could have only come from a few sources: her brother, her friend Kate, or the headmaster at the school had told the church. She would have been betrayed by someone she'd trusted, no matter who it was. Mercedes had done nothing to these people, yet they wished to destroy her. Her former classroom had been absolutely destroyed, several of the desks set on fire, and the message written across the whiteboard, in what looked to be blood, was clear: Mercedes would suffer a similar fate if they ever managed to acquire her.

He was less concerned with the threats to himself. He was used to those, and he could take care of himself. But he worried for Mercedes, who might not defend herself against the humans.

"Ensure that security around the house is aware of the threat. I want constant surveillance of the grounds."

"Of course, sir."

He would keep her safe in their nest. If any human made it past the guards and into his home, he would personally rip out their throats with his teeth. Keeping her safe if she left the house was more difficult. He would have to tell her about the threats, so that she would know to be vigilant. He would not lose her to these humans.