Bodies pulsated to the accelerated rhythm of the beat. Sophie Anne moved against a young dark haired pale vampire with cool gray eyes that burned her skin by just looking at her. She already decided she would let him stay when she kicked everyone out. He would be fun, she giggled aloud when he pulled her roughly to him dipping his head in the crook of her neck as her nails grazed his back pleasurably. She was supposed to be helping Pam find Tara, but being one to be easily distracted she found something more fun to do. She wondered about this young vampire. She'd never heard of her or laid eyes on her before today. However she possessed something worth fixating over. The strawberry blond suggested she check the rest of the hotel. It was plausible her toy saw something she liked and wandered off with it.

"It happens all the time," she assured Pam who glared at her before she disappeared in the crowd. There was only so much that could be said to ease the blonds' agitation. Sometimes, she could be so serious and it dampened her mood. For Sophie Anne while money made the world go round, fun made it worth living.

And fun for Sophie Anne was writhing against attractive half naked bodies in a crowd feeding off the communal urges heightened by accelerated senses and sensitivities. Running her tongue along the line of a toned chest she grazed her partner's nipple with a fang. Pleased with his hands came up behind her neck massaging and stroking her in encouragement.

"Not yet," she whispered rising on his toes to his ear, "soon," she promised resuming her dance.

"You think that sort of thing is appropriate?"

Her eyes popped open at the sound of the familiar voice detesting how she reacted to his accent. Franklin was an attractive vampire, a powerful vampire, but he was crazy by popular opinion and from her own experiences it was better to steer of that kind of thing in the bedroom. She turned toward the vampire out of her partner's reach. The vampire's fangs territorially, Sophie spared him a bored look, "this is business sweetie—and you're all pleasure," she grabbed his chin forcefully. "Retract your fangs and find something to play with until I come find you," she ordered.

He set his jaw, but when she released him he did as he was told.

"Now," she smiled, "where were we?" she turned on Franklin again.

"Tara."

"I really don't like the name," the strawberry mentioned off topic.

Franklin narrowed his eyes, "it's a lovely name."

"Lovely," she droned apathetically. "But money has a better ring to it," she said meaningfully.

He handed her a key, "I wouldn't be wrong to trust your discretion would I?"

"Mum's the word," the handed the key off to her ogre who appeared suddenly at her side.

Franklin didn't spare her ogre or the hostess a second glance. When he called her immediately after his confrontation he hadn't expected her to be able to deliver so quickly. The vampire made peace with the fact that it would take at least a day although sometimes he underestimated how affective these unaffiliated vampires could be. And Sophie Anne was a credit to her kind despite her shortcomings in discipline. Waiting for the elevator to descend to the parking garage he noticed his reflection. He was more handsome than most with an exceptional physique, passionate eyes, no he was half bad the years had been kind to him.

The doors opened when he came to his conclusion any woman human or vampire would feel honored to be on his arm. Tara just needed time he reasoned. His chauffer opened the limo door. Franklin ducked inside sliding next to an incoherent Tara. Sophie Anne's blood library of blood was an impressive selection it was probably the most interesting thing about her to Franklin. Blood collected over decades he thought she even mentioned having tainted blood from the bubonic plague in there somewhere from both the living and the dead.

"Wher….wh….am I?" Tara struggled to speak.

Franklin answered with a shhh stroking her head as he placed his arm behind her and pressed her to his chest. "It's ok my darling," he whispered to her. "You're safe with me," he planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

Lafayette watched helplessly. Poisoned Tara was as useless as she was when she was Bast. And there was no telling what Franklin had in store for her.

"I'll protect you he crooned. I won't let anyone hurt you. I've got plans for you love," he purred in her ear soothingly.

"Tara this fucker is all kinds of bad. Ima need for you to snap out of this shit."

She didn't move. She didn't respond. And while Lafayette could take control while she was in this state of mind she was more obstinate in the interior battle for control of her limbs. Then there was the fact that Franklin was all types of crazy and there was no telling where he was taking her. He had the upper hand and Lafayette would let him feel like he won something.

"I know you're still angry with me," Franklin sounded unsure, but he barreled on for Tara's sake, "you need to hear this from me, how sorry I am. It was for your protection my love. You were stirring up trouble. Catastrophe would have befallen you in worst ways if I hadn't gotten my hands on you first. Foolish girl," she shook his head kissing hers tenderly again as he continued to stroke her. "I trapped you to keep you safe. I love you and you protect the ones you love. Right?" He paused for answer and satisfied with her silence as he continued to share his role and apologize profusely for it.

At the front lines of opposite sides they were bound to cross paths on the battlefield. That was the ugliest part about war. Not being able to love freely especially when his family held so much power over him and other vampires.

"Power my dear Tara," she pursed his lips looking off into the distance seeing and reliving another time that held both pleasant and unpleasant memories for him. "That's what it's all about," he hummed to her. He began telling her his family history, how his family believed in keeping his family line pure lying with humans to procreate purely and then when the children come of age they were turned. When his little sister was born their engagement was announced. "Don't worry," he hurried to tell her, "my duty," he smiled endearingly, "to my family pales in comparison to my love for you. I've never felt so strongly about anything," he continued to assure Tara. "This is why I took precautions to hide you. If they found you, if they knew that you were involved in a revolt against my family they would never let us be together."

So he watched her from afar taking her rejections in stride because he knew that when the time came she would be his willingly. And while this wasn't exactly what he had in mind, he was confidant she would learn to love him just as he was sure his family would forgive him for going against his engagement and tradition. The heart wants what the heart wants and just because his wasn't beating it didn't mean that he was incapable of love. He began sharing his wedding plans with her.

"I picked out the perfect dress," he excitedly shared.

"A what?" Lafayette's face folded into a pronounced frown, "fuck this motherfucker," he knelt in front of her snapping his fingers, "Tara!"

Franklin continued dreamily, "it'll be a quiet little service. An intimate service with you me and the priest. Of, course if anyone else found out I suspect they would try to stop us," he picked up Tara's chin as she looked right through him he grinned happily, "no they can't—they won't. We'll marry have little Tara's and Franklin's running around. When my family sees how beautiful you are…what beautiful children we make, they will accept our love."

The car stopped.

"We're here," he opened the door eagerly pulling Tara along with him when he pulled her to him. His excitement grew as they entered a two story home. It looked unassuming and he liked it that way. This would be the last place anyone would look for them. In less than an hour they would be wed and soon consummating their union between cotton sheets surrounded by cinnamon fragrant candles and transcendent curtains on a four post bed. He had a year to perfect his plan. A year to make the proper preparations so that when the time came and his had his bride in hand he could defend himself and her if his family decided to take physical actions against him and his.

When they crossed the threshold of his head he took Tara upstairs. On the bed of a guest bedroom with floral accents of red and white sat a conservative dress with puffy sleeves and a lace neck covering. Placing Tara in a chair he knelt in front of her taking off her boots. Franklin wouldn't trust anyone with this task. In his head he knew how she would be. He like her hair flowing over her shoulders that would be the only thing she kept the same. When he took her clothes he brushed his fingers along her body admiring her, but not too much. He would wait.

Lafayette cringed from the hideous dress. By the bed he waited for Franklin to finish dressing her. He was careful with her despite her lethargic resistance. And at the end of it Tara looked like a she should be in some horror movie where the bride takes her revenge on the motherfucker who made that dress.

"You look beautiful," Franklin pecked her on her cheek. From the inside of his coat pocket he retrieved a vial opening Tara's mouth for her letting the contents slide down her throat and into her system. "Perfect," she whispered as he left her in her chair by a long narrow mirror. She turned to her reflection barely recognizing herself, but she could move. Whatever he gave her took away the energy she'd been building to escape.