Shido's first thought was that he had fallen into water and was drowning. Of course, he couldn't drown – one of the benefits of what he was – but the sensation was unpleasant. The water felt viscous and heavy on his skin. When he tried to move, he felt something resist his progress. A smell like heated metal clotted his nose, and when his struggles to move became agitated enough, bits of liquid slid down his throat, causing him to choke.

The light grew a little brighter. He was in some kind of tank – upright, clear, not unlike a big fish tank. Through the side he could see a room – almost a normal room, but very opulent. A large carved chair sat against a wall, unoccupied at the moment. He looked down – and the black liquid he had been trapped in had a decidedly red tinge now. "No – oh no—"

Shido began to struggle with the restraints, biting his lip to keep from screaming. The tank was slightly more than neck deep in blood – blood and things that had supplied the blood. A bloated face bobbed near him, and he struck out at it in a panic, the backwash causing his nose to fill with the tank's liquid. He nearly retched as he felt it slide down his throat, but there was nothing for it – to open his mouth was to drown in the blood of how many innocent victims?

"Awake at last, sweeting," the angelic voice crooned over his head. "I'm so glad. You didn't take it at all well, coming here. My last thought is to hurt you, Shido – you were intended to be my mate, and I want you to fulfill that destiny."

Wild-eyed, he looked in every direction, but his bonds held him in place, and there was nothing he could do about it. Well – there was one, maybe; if his panic didn't override his early training. Forcing himself to calm down, he focused his eyes on a spot outside the tank, and reached for his seldom-used power.

Drusla clapped enthusiastically as Shido materialized on the carpet near her throne. Blood still dripped from his hair to slide down over his shoulders and torso. His bare feet could feel the pile of the carpet; his bare body could feel the bite of the air in the too-cold room.

"You are just as lovely as I remembered."

"It's worth a war to you?" Shido asked, not bothering to hide his nudity. He knew well she had seen – and done – far worse. "Where is the boy – I'm pretty sure you have him?"

"Boy? Oh – him. He's here somewhere. Why? What interest could you possibly have in a mortal boy?"

"Don't play games with me, Dru – I want him unharmed and returned to my associates." Shido made a face of distaste as he wrung the blood out of his hair, and twisted it behind him. He wiped the soiled hand down his hip and thigh, conscious of her eyes following. "You're just like Cain – you'll do anything to get what you want. You have power, wealth, eternal life and you play games with people's lives. What is it you want, Dru?"

"You know the answer, Shido. I want you." She moved toward him, a vision of light and loveliness that should have been angelic. He fought his instincts, remaining where he stood, and forced himself not to wince when she touched his bare skin. "We all have something we want, Shido. And we all have a price. What is your price?"

"Bring the boy to me – well, bring me some clothes first and let me clean up, I don't think he ought to see me like this. Then I want to see if he is truly okay and unharmed."

She regarded him smugly, with a calculating glimpse in her eyes. "And then?"

"If you release him to my associates, I will stay with you – for a time. Not forever, Drusla – I don't think either of us would survive it. But for a time."

He was suddenly conscious of her absence, the lack of pressure where her hand had been. A servant appeared to show him to a bathroom, and bowed out, leaving him alone. Setting his teeth so he did not scream in sheer terror and frustration, Shido washed the alien blood from his body and hair, dried himself carefully, and dressed in the clothing left discretely on the chair just inside the door.

A glance in the mirror gave him another shock. Unlike his modern garb, this was clothing of another era – one he had once inhabited with Annaise and Cain, and with Drusla. The memories were not pleasant ones. Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought he could see the ghost of his human self staring back at him; asking him "What are you? What have you become?"

"Shut up," he snapped at the image in the mirror, throwing the soiled towel at it, and turned abruptly for the door. He would think about it later; in fact at this point, he was sure he would have trouble thinking of anything else.

"Now, there's a good boy – and there is your uncle Shido," the honeyed voice said as Shido reappeared in the salon. The tank now appeared to be hidden by a curtain, and no trace of disarray marred the expensive appointments of the room.

"Mr. Shido, sir? The lady says you will be able to send me home to my parents?" The boy was all earnest black eyes under unruly black bangs. He was still somewhat chubby. Shido guessed he was perhaps six years old.

"I understand your grandfather is most anxious about you," Shido said honestly, crouching down to be near the boy's height. "Everyone is worried. I will send you home, then, so everyone will be happy. Are you okay?"

"Yes sir," the boy said, cutting a glance back at Drusla and dropping his voice to a loud whisper. "The lady has been kind, but I don't understand her. And I really want a hamburger – Father usually gets me one on Fridays."

Shido smiled in spite of his predicament at that simple wish and the innocence behind it. "I think that can be arranged." He looked over at Drusla. "Phone?"

She rolled her eyes, but pointed to one half-hidden by a throw on the arm of a chair. "Call then – meet them in Sakura Park – and I will be watching. No tricks, Shido."

"Of course not," he shrugged a bit, rising from his crouch. "I agreed to your terms, Dru – I'm a business man. I keep my word." He lifted the receiver and dialed the agency.