Sorry it took so long. Thank you to all that review and read. i love you all. haha. it may be just as long again until the next chapter. i have lots of school work, and i have a job too. luvs ya. Julianne

The flight was long and monotonous. Elaina remained in the little bedroom with her new posse for the entire flight. By the time they landed, she'd added two more followers to her little court. There was a man named Colin Makkenly, who was the half brother of Nikoli and Kegan Marchette, and Brittany, Colin's cousin. Colin was a young man with a curly mane of copper hair and grey-green eyes. He was attractive in a boyish way, quite the opposites of his brothers' rugged handsomeness. Brittany was a rather plain woman, as plain as a Pure Blood gets, which is still intensely beautiful, with straight sandy brown hair, and clear blue eyes.

Each of Elaina's new companions had their attributes. Pete was the one who laughed at any jokes, taking pure amusement out of any situation. But he certainly couldn't tell any jokes. Victor was the perverted joker. Anything said around him became a sexual innuendo. He'd set Pete in stitches by simply raising an eyebrow at the right time. Colin was the serious one, which must have been an inherited trait of Marchettes, as both Kegan and Nikoli were as serious as undertakers at times, though Kegan was the liveliest of the three. Colin though, with his boyish look, ended up looking more confused than anything. Brittany was the clear head of the group. She seemed to always be calculating what to say, searching out any repercussions of what she would say; playing a sort of mental chess with the conversation. It was Maggie though, who proved the most valuable. She knew everything that happened anywhere. She was the gossip queen. Almost instantly she worked at getting Elaina up to speed with the political situation among the Pure Bloods. She even knew who the potential fathers were for Elaina's Child Contract. Maggie was as good as any spy. And she was perfectly what Elaina needed to figure out the complex inner workings of the Vampire under-underworld.

As soon as the plane touched tarmac, Jordan entered, motioning for his sister to follow. They stood side by side as a man came bounding up the stairs from the ground. He smiled in a businessman's fashion and firmly shook Jordan's hand. "Sir," he said, "for your protection your party will be broken into five groups. You are accompanying me, and I advise the missus go with the mobile group," he nodded at Elaina.

"Define "mobile,"" Jordan ordered, raising an eyebrow.

The man blushed a little, and ducked his head, "Bikes sir," he said. "Easier for escapes during pursuits."

Jordan glanced at Elaina out of the corner of his eye. She caught the look and said, "I'm fine with that."

Jordan nodded and the man looked relieved. "Right this way sir, madam." He gestured out the door behind him. He turned and left, Jordan right behind him.

As Elaina moved to follow, she suddenly found that several others obstructed her way. They moved forward with practiced ease, hindering Elaina's progress, but remaining within arm's reach of Jordan. She supposed it was for security purposes, as Nikoli Marchette took a shielding position in front of her. But the positioning of her own bodyguards was different than it was with Jordan. To any observer, Maggie was being shielded, Elaina being part of said barrier.

Clever, she mused; Maggie is known to the Neskabs, if they wanted to break this treaty, now would be a perfect time to assassinate her. She's a decoy.

Their group, Maggie striding along in the center of the pack, Elaina slightly inside the ring, trouped over to a pack of about twenty motorbikes. There were already six riders, the rest of the bikes were vacant. The pack split as the new riders mounted. As Elaina pulled on her helmet, a speaker crackled near her left ear. "Alright, can everyone hear me? If you can, raise your right hand," the voice said. Maggie's posse raised their hands. "There is a number on your helmet. That is your code number. You get in trouble," he explained, "call out this is blah blah blah, I have a problem, or something like that. Please check those numbers. I don't want names used. Agents hack our frequencies too often. Understood?" Maggie's posse nodded. "We're splitting into three groups. You, you and you go now with them." Two bikes roared into power and rode off. Maggie, Colin and Victor sped off behind them. "You and you, you're with those two. Go." Two more bikes left, going in a different direction, hotly pursued by Kegan Marchette and Pete. "You and you are with me." Brittany and Nikoli Marchette gunned off behind their guide, racing to catch up to him. The only remaining biker raised a gloved finger to his helmet, at the approximate level of his mouth. He wanted silence. Elaina nodded. He tapped his helmet three times, and then made a motion as if he was twisting something, and pointed up. Elaina stared, an expression lost behind a tinted visor. He repeated the motion. She realized he was telling her to change channels. She reached inside her helmet and felt a small knob beside the mike that rested by her chin. She twisted it and heard three clicks. Suddenly a voice filled her ears. It was a different man speaking now.

"Good morning," he said. "I hope your flight was pleasant."

Elaina snorted, "It was fine. Surely we didn't go onto a secure network to exchange pleasantries?"

The man chuckled. "If you could follow me please, its safer to speak on the road."

The engines of their bikes roared to life simultaneously and they sped off in a direction completely opposite of Elaina's companions. They raced along in silence until they reached the edge of a forest.

"Where are we going?" Elaina asked, as they bumped along a seldom-used path.

"Detour," the man replied simply.

"Well I can see that," Elaina scoffed good-humouredly.

He chuckled as well. "We're entering the city from the south, as opposed to your friends, coming from the east. You supposedly don't exist, we don't want you making a grand entrance."

Elaina raised her eyebrows, impressed, "makes sense." They were silent for a bit. "So," she said, "We're on a secure frequency. Can I find out your name?"

"Sorry, but no," he replied. "One never knows whose listening. I promise a proper introduction at the compound. Deal?"

Elaina sighed theatrically, "fine."

They'd run out of things to talk about around then. Every once in a while, he'd ask how she was doing, and she'd ask about their path. Going into the city was tense, as there was a barricade set up. But thankfully, the one watching traffic leaving the city was operational, while inbound was completely void of Agents. Elaina commented nonchalantly about how there weren't any Agents, and the man's answer was, "Maybe they're all getting coffee. Or they have the flu."

Elaina chuckled, thinking of all the times she or her classmates were put on barricade duty in the quietest sections of town, whenever they were under the weather. There was this one barricade office that always smelled like vomit, and if you weren't sick on the way in, you most definitely would be, going out.

The rest of their conversation was the man telling Elaina which way to turn as he fell in behind her. When they arrived at what Elaina supposed the Neskab compound to be, a wave of people rushed out to meet them. Some of them still had helmets on.

"There you are," Maggie's voice cried from beneath a helmet, her face peeking out the slot of a pushed up visor. "We wondered where you were."

Elaina smiled slightly as she pulled of her helmet, trying to smooth her now frizzy hair. "We took the back-road." She looked around for her guide, but his bike was being led away by a Faithful and none of the men in the crowd were unknown to her. He'd disappeared. "Where'd he go?" she asked, still looking around for the man.

Maggie pulled of her helmet as well, shaking her immaculate blond hair free, and looked around as well, then raised an eyebrow at Elaina. "You rode up alone. There was that other rider with you in the beginning, but you were alone just now."

"Then where did he go?" she asked incredulously.

Maggie gave her a wry look. "How should I know?" she replied, "You're the one who lost him."

Victor, who was standing beside her, snorted, and put his arm around Elaina saying, "Don't worry Elaina. You still got me." He wiggled his eyebrows and licked his lips suggestively.

Elaina just rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach as Maggie and Brittany howled with laughter. "Where to?" Elaina asked, once her people had quieted.

"This way, ma'am," Colin said briskly, taking Elaina's arm and leading her towards the compound and the inner sanctuary of the Neskab family.

As soon as they entered, Elaina felt out of place. This was a much more hostile and lavish place than any other compound she'd been in. In plain sight, guards stood with guns. Those they passed in the corridors barely hid glares, and elbowed rudely past. Maggie was once more moving in the forefront of the group, walking with the assurance of a woman with authority. Elaina flanked her, taking most of the shoves from the ill-mannered Neskabs.

The suite they entered was gaudy and brightly coloured to the extent of being tacky. Gold leaf and inlay adorned the walls, hiding ancient hardwood walls behind its glitter. The furniture was accented crimson, teal, turquoise, and copper embroidery. The rug had thousands of threads in them, all of violent hues. Everything clashed and yet melded perfectly together in a riot of colour.

Once the door had closed, Elaina made a face as she looked around. Maggie caught the expression of disgust and giggled. "Allison Reich rather likes bright colours. She designed this guest suite herself."

"You don't say," Elaina mumbled, looking around in apprehension. Pete snorted, cackling at Elaina's lack of enthusiasm.

Several rooms branched off of the room they stood in, the sitting room. There was a bathroom and five bedrooms that appeared behind the six doors that lined the room. Within the suite, Elaina, Maggie, Pete, Victor and Kegan, were given rooms. On either side of the suite, there were more bedrooms, which were divided between Brittany, Colin and Marchette. They'd just sorted out who got which of the five suite bedrooms, Elaina of course getting first dibs, when Jordan walked in with two of his bodyguards.

"Is everyone here?" he asked Maggie. His niece nodded. He motioned for one of his men to shut and lock the door. "I want all of you to understand why we are here," he said softly, looking around the room at each person, his gaze resting longest on Nikoli Marchette and his sister. "We are here to reforge a weakened alliance with the Neskabs. This is not a pleasure trip, nor is it one where our image may be tarnished by foolish actions. The allegiance of the Neskabs has been weak since Allison's revolt, so we must step with caution. Everything lies on getting this contract finalized." He looked around the room again. "If I hear of any misbehavior, you will not only be on the first flight to Cordalla, but you'll be answering directly to Lord Nichelle, have I made myself clear?" His voice had more of a snap to it, and his eyes whipped to Victor.

Everyone looked at the floor, excepting Elaina, and murmured, "Yes, my lord." Elaina just looked troubled. She wondered what happened to make Jordan look at Victor.

"Now," Jordan continued, "up until this point, Elaina Nichelle has been considered dead. We must keep the miracle of her life within the family, in fact, within this room. The Neskabs are known to have loose tongues and they have been known to slip information to the Danalli. So for now, Maggie is the object of the Contract. She and Elaina will attend the negotiations." He paused, "is there any questions?" He looked around. The room was still and silent. To his sister and niece he said, "Get yourselves cleaned up. Deliberations begin in two hours." He turned on his heal and strode out, his bodyguard pulling the door shut behind him.

As soon as the door clicked the room exploded with sound as people regained their courage to talk. Maggie swore. "The Neskabs sure wanna give us time to prepare for the discussions." She groaned loudly. "Not only do I have to get dressed, but I have to make sure you know what the hell is going on!" She said to her aunt.

Taking her by the hand, Maggie dragged Elaina into her bedroom, wrenching the closet open. In a frenzied manner, she started pulling clothes from there. One after another, articles of clothing ended up in a pile on the floor. Finally, she pulled something out that pleased her. "Here," she said, turning to her aunt, tossing the shirt to her, "This'll do."

Elaina caught it easily. "What else am I wearing?" she asked, looking at the rather large pile of discarded items. Maggie stared at her as if she'd sprouted a second head spontaneously. "Its just a shirt," Elaina pointed out, waving it in front of her niece. "I'm going to wear pants when I meet these people." Maggie was still staring at her. "What?" Elaina snapped.

"It's a dress," Maggie simply said. "And it's not for you."

Elaina was plain confused. "I'm not wearing this?" she asked.

Maggie snorted. "No," she laughed. "I'm wearing it."

"Oh," Elaina said, slightly taken aback. In her opinion, the dress was rather slutty. It was rather high-cut, but the skirt would have barely passed Maggie's thighs. Indeed, when she put it on, it might as well of just been a shirt. Some of Elaina's inner thoughts must have shown on her face, because Maggie scoffed a little and pulled on a pair of black leggings.

"There. Are you happy now?" she asked, holding out her hands and turning on the spot.

Elaina grinned nervously. The Amazonian princess looked stunning; seductive and feminine, rather than smutty and whorish. The brilliant cranberry red dress contrasted beautifully with Maggie's blond hair and blue eyes, and the black leggings merged with her knee-high boots, making them appear to extend up into the dress. "What am I wearing?" Elaina asked.

Maggie tossed her aunt a pair of sensible dress pants. That's where the conservatism ended. Next, she passed a rather transparent, lacy green t-shirt, with puffy sleeves, that was a delicate lime green. To go over the shirt, was an article best described as a corset. It was a woodsy brown, and contrasted with the green in a lovely fashion, but was all rather revealing. The tight laces of the corset pushed her breasts together and lifted them, so ample cleavage peeked out from the green shirt's swooping, rounded neckline. Her stiletto ankle boots added height to her stature and sway to her step.

Elaina grimaced in the mirror as she surveyed herself. "What's wrong?" Maggie asked jokingly.

Elaina made a face. "I'm here partly to testify that I wasn't asking for Liam Neskab to rape me. I don't think this is the best thing to wear," she answered.

Maggie looked confused. "Why not?" she asked incredulously. "You look hot!"

Elaina laughed tiredly. "Hot is not what you want when you're trying to convince someone that you're after sex," she replied, raising an eyebrow, finally turning away from the mirror. "Is there something else I could wear?"

For the next ten minutes, Maggie and Elaina argued out what she would and would not wear. Finally, it was decided to keep the dress pants, wear flats, and wear a vividly blue wrap shirt that was accented with green embroidered leaves.

By the time Jordan had returned to get them for the Deliberations, Maggie and the rest of the posse had prepped Elaina as well as they could have. Elaina felt a thrill of terror as her brother led them down the corridor to the conference room. Within, there were three people already seated at the table, with Faithfuls arranged around the room. Elaina instantly knew them all from the descriptions of her little gang.

Seated closest to the door was Marissa Neskab, Liam's older sister, and the second in line to the Neskab title. The Neskab's heir, Lawrence, who'd had some spat with his parents, was absent. Marissa was kindly looking, though her features were harshly pointed and sharp. She looked rather disinterested in the entire proceedings, but was the only of the Neskabs to smile as the Nichelles filed into the room.

Mathew Neskab was the only man in the room, excepting some of the Faithfuls. He looked rather like Liam, but he didn't have the same malicious glint in his eye. Instead he looked tired and worn, as if a great stress had been on his shoulders for an insurmountable length of time. He was very handsome, but his age and world-weariness showed, detracting slightly from his appeal.

Then there was Alison Reich. It was clear who she was. The air around her seemed to hum, as she demanded respect from others of the room. Never mind that Mathew had all the power; Alison was the true leader of the Neskab family. Of any Pure Blood Elaina had met, Alison would have been the least attractive. She looked rather rat-like, with a pointed nose and chin, and small, beady eyes that seemed to see everything. She sat erect at the center of the wide oval table, watching Jordan and Maggie with a look of distain, even though they both far outranked her. Elaina was apparently beneath her scrutiny, for Alison never looked her way.

The three rose from their seats, Alison slightly slower than the others, and gave small bows. "Welcome once more to Haljir, once more, Jordan and Margaret," Alison said. She gestured to the two chairs directly across from her and her husband. "Please, sit." Jordan sat in the proffered seat, but Maggie pulled her chair out and stepped back. She jerked her head slightly at Elaina, who took the hint, as well as the hint. Alison looked mystified. "I'm sorry, and who are you?" she asked, barely politely.

Jordan raised and eyebrow and said, "Allow me to introduce Elaina Nichelle. Oldest daughter of Lord Zachariah Neskab, and Heir-of-the-Heir of the League of Nichelle." Alison was speechless. Elaina tried to look important. "It is with Elaina that your son seems to have had a, what was it you called it?" he asked mockingly. "Misunderstanding?" Elaina stared accusingly.

"Well," Alison, a flicker of doubt crossing her face for an instant. "Boys will be boys. And you know how things are among the young people. They're always experimenting."

Elaina raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. She was exceptionally glad now that she hadn't worn Maggie's choice outfit. It would have ruined her credibility, as well as making her look hypocritical. So instead she channeled the cool Agent that she'd been schooled to be, allowing contempt to show in her features enough to allow her opposition and skepticism. "Of course," she replied, sarcasm roughening her voice. "That must have been what he was doing."

Alison sneered, "Perhaps he misread the signals you gave him," she put a great deal of emphasis on the words 'misread' and 'signals.'

Elaina wanted to reach across the table and throttle her. Less than two minutes she'd been in the room, and already she knew she hated Alison Reich. Thankfully, before Elaina could retort, Jordan cut in, "Madam, perhaps it is unwise to insult my sister. She is still rather young, and prone to violence. And we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt." His tone implied he didn't care if there was injury. "Now," he continued, in a businesslike tone, "I believe that the candidates you've put forward for the contract are inappropriate."

Alison looked 'shocked.' "How so, sir?" she asked, faux astonishment colouring her tone.

Jordan gave her a look that indicated that he knew she knew the candidates were also unworthy, and wasn't impressed with her theatrics. "You've proposed no one related closer than a grandchild, they are all incredibly young and therefore inexperienced. I also know that there are older Neskabs who are perfectly able to join the contract; your husband is among them. Also, four of the candidates proposed only align with my sister's Time of Fertility for under twelve hours." He cocked an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. "I'd like to see your other options."

"Yeah, Alison," a somewhat familiar voice said from the doorway. "Show him the other options."

Alison's face drained of all its cockiness and filled with fury as she surveyed the figure at the door. "You," she hissed, livid. "What are you doing here?"

Confused, the Nichelles turned in their chairs. Elaina nearly leapt to her feet to attack him, confusing him for Liam Neskab. They looked so similar. They had the same bone structure, making their faces so near to the same. But this man had blue eyes, brilliant sapphire blue, and his hair was a mop of tight coal curls. He was sneering slightly at Alison, giving him an evil-sexy look. He flopped down into the chair next to Elaina and extended his hand.

"Lawrence Neskab," he said, shaking Elaina's arm. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself better earlier, but I wanted to surprise dear mother." He grinned at his mother, who wore a murderous expression. Now Elaina realized how she knew the voice. He was her vanished guide. She smiled tentatively back, unsure. Releasing Elaina, he leaned around and nodded at Jordan, murmuring "Sir." He grinned at Maggie and half waved.

"What are you doing here?" Alison snarled through gritted teeth.

"Well," Lawrence mused, "you lose all brain function when it comes to my dear baby brother. So, I took it upon myself to help you see the light." He grinned again. He glanced down the table at his sister. "Sorry to bring you into this for nothing, sis."

Marissa shrugged. "Does this mean I can leave?"

Lawrence made a face. "Best not to. Mother may send a hit man after you. Seeing how desperately she wants to get Liam out of another jam, and place him in our spot. He can only get the position if both of us are gone." To his mother he said, "must suck to have your favorite child come in third." He smirked, "or rather, come out." Marissa snorted, but wiped her face blank when her mother shot a glare at her.

The room fell silent under the burden of hate that channeled between mother and son. Elaina briefly wondered what could have been done to sew such a powerful seed. The room crackled with electricity. Glancing around the room, Elaina read the emotions as bemused, being Maggie, calculating, in Jordan's case, resigned from Marissa, and tired from Mathew Neskab. Lawrence looked relaxed, but anger sizzled hotly in his eyes. Alison was livid and not hiding it at all.

Clearing his throat, Jordan broke the silence. "Perhaps we should reconvene late?" he suggested, getting to his feet.

"Perhaps that would be wise," Mathew Neskab said tiredly, getting to his feet as well. "We seem to be rather indisposed at the moment." He glanced hopelessly from his wife to his son.

"Tomorrow then," Jordan said, turning on his heal and strolling out, his sister and niece right behind him. Once they reached Elaina's apartments and were settled, did Jordan allow the satisfaction to show in his features.

"What are you so happy about, Uncle?" Victor asked, flopping down on the couch next to him.

Jordan smiled calculatingly. "The Neskab Heir has arrived."

Slowly, an evil grin spread over Victor's face. "Excellent," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Let the chaos begin."

"What exactly was going on there?" Elaina asked, highly confused.

"Nobody will ever truly understands why, but Lawrence blames his children's deaths on his mother." Colin explained, dropping onto the couch opposite next to them. "You see, about six hundred years or so ago, Alison Reich decided to the family should from the League of Nichelle. They assassinated a few high ranking Nichelle children and started a war. Finally, your Father beat them down, and as punishment, he killed all Neskab children who were yet to be Awoken. Lawrence's first born daughter and son, ages nineteen and six, respectively, were killed."

"Oh," Elaina said quietly, suddenly saddened. "So he blames his mother, and not Father? Why?"

"Because, if mother hadn't been so ambitious, my children would be alive," Lawrence said, striding in through the open door. "I don't blame Lord Nichelle because I would have done the same in a similar situation. Also," he continued, "dearest Liam, who is five months younger than my daughter was, was Awoken two months before the retribution." A look a fury passed over his handsome features, "He was Awoken two years ahead of schedule." With a hard expression, he added, "She knew that Lord Nichelle would do something like what he did. She protected him, and didn't warn me."

The room was silent. It remained so until Lawrence turned to Elaina and asked, "Would you like to walk with me? I assure you it'll be safe."

Elaina, unsure, glanced at her brother. He gave her a minute nod. Hesitantly, she got to her feet, waving her entourage back to their seats as they rose to follow. She intuitively knew that Lawrence wanted to talk with her alone.

The pair walked in silence for a while. It was rather awkward. "I'm sorry about your children," she said quietly, not knowing what else to say.

Lawrence smiled sadly, all traces of the cockiness washed off his features. "Thank you. That's important, coming from a Nichelle." He fell silent for a moment, before suddenly asking, "Did my brother really attack you, or did you lead him on?"

Elaina stopped dead in her tracks. Fury bubbled in her veins. "If you're implying that I lied, then you are quite mistaken, Neskab," she snarled.

Lawrence looked apologetic. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, holding his hands out in a peace offering. "I knew I'd determine your true character from the question. Forgive my insensitivity." Elaina glared some more, but fell back into step with him.

"Why did you bring me out here?" she asked as they rounded another corner.

Lawrence shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to spend some quality time with someone who hates my brother as much as me," he joked.

Elaina could see that he was baiting her, but she walked into the trap anyways. "Why do you hate your brother?" she sighed.

"Because my children died, and he became mommy's precious little angle," he said bitterly.

Elaina was flabbergasted. "You're not telling me that you want to be doted upon by your mother?" she asked in amazement.

Lawrence snorted, realizing what he'd said, "Oh god no." He shuddered. "No," he became quiet. He looked at Elaina and there was a great hurt in his eyes. "Its been hundreds of years, Elaina," he sadly said, "Since I was forced to bury my children. Hundreds of years since I felt any affection for my mother." His face twisted. "She's never even said she was sorry. Did you know that?" He turned to the younger woman, his eyes manic with sorrow. "Hundreds of years since she caused my children's deaths, and not once has she claimed responsibility. Instead, she dotes upon Liam, ever so thankful for his survival, and has completely forgotten her grandchildren. And Liam," he snarled, his voice hard and violent, "is perfectly content to be a lapdog. He wields his power over others as a cat does as it plays with a trapped mouse. When I learned of what he did to James, I wanted to kill the bastard. But mother," he snarled, "didn't lift a finger against him. Father, the useless puppet that he is, barely did anything to chastise Liam, merely lecturing at him for about ten minutes, and then sent him on a boring diplomatic mission. He barely acknowledged his other son's pain either." He trailed off, fuming.

As silence stretched between them, something that Lawrence had said clicked in Elaina's mind. "What do you mean, other son? You mean you?"

Lawrence barked a bitter laugh. "No," he replied, "I meant James."

Stopping in shock, Elaina blurted out, "But James is a Half-Blood!"
Stopping as well, Lawrence smiled wearily at Elaina's confusion. "Yes," he assured her, "James is a Half-Blood. He is the son of my father, and a human woman named Liza." Elaina groaned in disbelief. She'd slept with a man, then had his half brother rape her hours later. It was disgusting. She couldn't believe that James shared half the genes of that dipshit. Lawrence saw her expression and laughed again. "You look so happy to hear about my brother," he chuckled. "Let me guess," he prodded, "You slept with him." Elaina stayed silent. That was enough. Lawrence roared with laughter, clutching a stitch in his side. "Well," he wheezed, finally regaining his composure, "you certainly know the Neskab men intimately."

Elaina looked away, tears forming in her eyes. "I didn't ask for either of their attention," she whispered.

Lawrence instantly sobered up. "Elaina," he breathed, laying a large hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I was insensitive." Elaina looked up and saw the sincerity in his eyes. An awkward silence filled the corridor. "Did James…?" he trailed off.

"Rape me?" Elaina finished. She gave a bitter smile. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have screwed him. But it defiantly wasn't rape."

"What do you mean normal circumstances?" he probed, a furrow forming on his brow.

Elaina smiled disapprovingly. "James was demonstrating the proper techniques for painless bloodletting. Things got out of hand." She shrugged, "not that he did anything to stop them, even though he was very capable."

"Oh," Lawrence said quietly. There was silence once more. He snorted half-heartedly suddenly, "God, you must have such a bleak opinion of us Neskabs." He shook his head. "Fine job my brothers have done to preserve our name."

Elaina couldn't help but smile. "Indeed," she joked, chuckling weakly.

"Elaina," Lawrence said, serious suddenly. "Let me make it up to you."

Confused, Elaina's features twisted. "What?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Let me help you," he begged. "Let me prove to you not all Neskabs are asses." He clutched her shoulders. "Save yourself from whatever rat or snake my parents plan to set you with, and choose me!"

"What are you saying, Lawrence?" Elaina asked slowly.

Lawrence shook her. "Let me be your chosen candidate for the Child Contact!"