Exhaustion wasn't something vampires knew, but at this moment I knew it intimately. My mind was exhausted having to explain to Jerry the fine art of glamouring a human, to talking with the morgue director who happened to know a certain Mr. Smith, which Jerry was not. It had taken longer than necessary to explain to the morgue director and exploit his mind. Especially with the tume constraint. So in the end, I had simply made him sleepy and he had passed out headlong into his desk. Jerry had become more jittery by the minute. Saying, 'You know this is stealing right? What happens if...'

Suddenly his voice breaks over my thoughts, as I drove the last few minutes to the hotel, 'So let me get this straight, most vampires own the hospitals?'

I look over at him. His brows down in a deep frown and I nod, completely understanding how overwhelming this was. He looks over at me and asks, 'So you use hospitals are your personal refrigerator for blood?'

I chuckle and shake my head saying, 'A majority of the hospitals are owned by Purebloods and their clans. I was a scavenger on the edge of those places, just using a small morgue used as a secondary by the police force for food. But in a lot of respects you are right, it is a rather expensive refrigerator.'

Jerry doesn't seem amused, his brow furrowed deeper, his jaw working. Finally with a sigh, I ask, 'What is on your mind Jerry?'

He glances over asking a little mockingly, 'Can't you glean from me what I'm thinking?'

Shaking my head, noticong the bitterness in those words, answer softly, 'No, I can only see small details, not the whole picture and besides, I'd rather you tell me than have to pull it from your mind.'

I knew all of this was weighing on him. No human should have to deal with the blood and guts of the vampiric society. For a moment things were quiet as the Maserati ate up the miles before he finally sighs and says, 'Ok...ok, I just cant be mad at you. True you lied to me all these years, but I'm going to take a stab at the dark that it is to protect me and now that I'm in it, its no bars hold. But I find myself being terrified of you, like back at the hospital, seeing that doctor face plant into his desk like that, knowing it was you. Or that Russian bear scaring the living daylights out of me back in Zurich, I'm trying to digest it all. I'm angry knowing that there is so little I can do and how I'm hindering you because I'm literally a cow on a lead right now.'

'You are not a cow on a lead,' I say harshly, feeling myself burn inside for him.

'Come on Nina, you and I both know that isn't true, I am your food source, without me and all other humankind, you'd starve. You are hundreds of years old, you know this.'

I couldn't disagree, as I make the turn into the hotels cobbled drive and he says, 'So my biggest question is, if you bite me, would I be a vampire?'

'No, bitten can't make other vampire. Only Pureblood and A rank vampire can. So if you are ever attacked by Nick, you will either turn or die from exsanguination.'

Jerry just stares after me as I climb out of the car with the duffle under my arm and step into the hotel.

I made a quick beat line to Nick's room, my last five minutes of those two hours spent calming myself. The smell of his pheremones leaking from his doorway. People walking past paled as they did, sensing and smelling the danger though confused as to why they were so frightened by that one room. My own heart was hammering as I knock on the door. A simple reply of its unlocked as what I got as I slipped into the room. The room was pitch black, my eyes having to adjust to it. Only a sliver of moonlight leaking from the blackout curtains. I hear from an oversized chair in the corner, 'Your time is up.'

The voice was like a demon from the shadows telling me I was abiut to be dragged down to hades and I felt the hairs on my neck rise. Again I was being reminded as to what he was. Taking the duffle off my shoulder, I say calmly, trying not to betray my fear of my own maker, 'Here you are, 17 liters of prime blood.'

He was still as a statue in that chair, his legs spread, slouching slightly and I realize he hadn't changed out of his black slacks and soft white dress shirt from my families party. For a good minute silence and his pheremones were my only greating until he stood with a fluidity I hadn't seen since the mansion in upstate New York. My mind was drawn back to that, how he had taken nearky two direct hits from a missle without a single burn on his skin. He picks up two crystal glasses and comes forward saying, 'Join me.'

It wasnt a request as he tool the bag from me and proceeded to pull out two bags of blood, filling the glasses and handing one to me as he says, gesturing to the other chair, 'Sit.'

Another non-request and I do, feeling his mind trying to work into my mind like a bull dozer. He hadn't tried this in some time, but his power was overwhelming as I quietly hum the russian revolution and sip at my drink. He sits in the same leopard why he had risen and tips at his own blood.

That's when I notice a visible change in him. The shadows that had seemed to cling to him and make me think back to that ominous monster on the deck, they

receed and he lets out the slightest sigh. I'm suddenly reminded why, he had fought off probably a horde of ghouls, survived two missles, and been out in the sunlight on a cloudy day. All of this would add up to extreme hunger and I'm reminded of how different I am as I look down into the black velvet liquid in the darkness of the room. Nick turns on a lamp and I blink to return my eyesight to the daylight. Glancing over at him, I see he is pouring a second glass, my mind swirling over the past week and a half. It felt like a lifetime had passed as my phone rings. Checking, I see it is Jerry and answer, 'Yes?'

'Just an FYI, got everything setuo at yiur new bank in Italy, the money us transferred and a new Villa waits for you, thr key will be under the front door mat, or that what i could make out from what the lady said.'

He had put on his professional voice, my PA once more as he continues, 'I have booked three tickets to Paris for tomorrow night, first class as always.'

I hum my consent as he says in a little more exhausted voice, 'Anything else I need to get finished before I hit the sack?'

'No I think that is all, thank you Jerry,' I say softly, my mind replayibg the last two hours as I look down again at the blood that was making my stomach clinch with hunger.

'Oh and Nina?'

'Yes.'

'About earlier...'

'All is forgiven, get some sleep.'

With that I hang up and take a big swig of my meal, feeling my energy levels picking up again. Nick was staring at me and I know he was trying to glean off me my thoughts. I look over at him and say, 'Tomorrow night we leave for Paris.'

He nods slightly and says as he swirls his blood, 'It would have been easier if we had my plane.'

His eyebrow rose and I let out a sigh. It was true that a private jet would be nice, but considering what had happened up to that point it was a good thibg it was gone, as I confirm, 'Your plane would have been a beacon to the Phabton world that you are alive and well, better to remain under ghe radar.'

'Why are you so keen on keeping me hidden?'

His eyes were piercing as he poured another glass and I answer, 'As I believe I have mentioned before. If the Phantom world believes you dead, more can be accomplished without their being an issue of someobe tryibg to kill you.'

When I look back at him, it deels like Im suddenly veing transported back to my past. He was sitting there with his glass between his finger, now more relaxed. A sudden flash if him and I from my youth came rushing to the forefront. We had been sitting under a tree having lunch together. It had been an oddly cloudy day and he had sat there on the ground, back against the tree wiwith that same disarming look on his face.

Flashes of memories surfaced, such as the day qe had met to ride our horses along the field when it had started raining and had ended uo under the single tree in the field. I had lost my hat in the rush to get under the sanctuary of the tree and Nick had galantly run out to retrieve it. The hat had been a gift from my late aunt and the thiught of loosing it had been the biggest worry I had had at the time. When he had come back he was soaked and I could still remember the burning blush across my face. He handed me the soaked hat as he had brushed back his water drinched hair, rivulets running down his face as he said, with a wide happy smile on his face, 'Awe the vanity of a hat.'

It was the first time I had looked at a man, truly seen the power of them, and vecome aware of my own frigility. He was talk and long legged, his white shirt clinging to the plains of his body, his shattering blye eyes looking into my own. The wolfish, angled face and shape jaw unchanged and thats when his own eyes had seemed to realize something, the look changing, darker and unknown to my naive mind then. I remembered his burning hand brushing the wet curls from my face and I jerk from the memory, giving myself momentary mental whiplash. My eyes jerk to his and it nearly sends me spiraling back, as I feel how heavy my breathing is and try to calm it.

His face was inscrutable until he murmurs, 'Long walks, horseback riding. You really were from the Victorian age.'

My heart skips a beat wondering if he had seen all of my memories, my mouth thinning in fear. He waves his hand and says, 'I never saw the appeal of the age, though the slow pace was much nicer.'

My breath comes out slowly. He must have only gleaned snippets and not the full memories of riding my hands spread wide laughing at a full gallop. Finally he asks, 'Thinking of a long lost love?'

My eyes snap to his silohette again and I ask quickly, 'Why do you ask?'

'Your pheremones,' He murmurs, swirling the contents of his glass.

I smell the air and notice the rich orange blossom like scent of a vampires and jerk. It was the smell of love and I almost hiss at myself for letting my walls down and him smelling it. I shake my head and murmur, 'Just a long lost dream. I can't imagine you ever loving someone.'

I felt a jab of his power around me almost as quickly as it was gone, before he replies, 'Love isn't something Purebloods enjoy, its too human.'

His words were full of distaste and irritation and I had to remind myself that Purebloods were not like others. They were clinical in their dealings with little emotion. But I notice his eyes are downcaste and a slight tick in his jaw as he brought the crystal glass to his lips once more. The conversation was becoming to charged and just as Im about to ask a question he asks, 'How do you know JR? She is a bitten one, but favors the B class.'

'Furlow and I were the ones to introduce her to the vampire world, or at least teach her about it.'

'You must be slightly older.'

It was strange that he was taking an interest in my dealings and history but I don't knock it as his eyes narrow, looking off before he murmurs softly, 'Why didn't you tell me you were hurt by her?'

This shocked me, and I stare at him. His eyes slowly turn to me, his brow slowly rising as he asks, 'Well?'

'Why do you even care?'

He gives me a slight smirk and says softly, 'It won't do if you die.'

'Haven't you made it abundantly clear that I am a bitten clanless, I'm just a pawn to you.'

This seems to sober him for a moment and he stands, walks over to the curtains and opens them, his face unreadable as he sips at the remaining blood in his glass. The moonlight splashes into the room as he looks out before saying, 'You have turned out to be a useful pawn. What have you learned tonight in the slums?'

He was changing the subject and I was glad because my breathing was more ragged, and heart slamming hard from the charged atmosphere. I shake away my thoughts, and calm myself with another fortifying gulp of blood, before saying, 'Not much that I don't already know. However there is something disturbing.'

'What is that?' He asks before taking another sip.

'The ghoul are kidnapping the bitten beggers.'

He stops the glass midway to his lips, lowers it and turns to me asking, 'What do you mean?'

'One of my old aquientances said that bitten beggers are being taken by the ghouls.'

'Are you sure? Only Night Hunters are ones to go hunt the beggers.'

I shake my head, knowing Longsworth wouldn't lie, and Tridium didn't cause vampires to hallucinate. Nick comes over, setting his glass down on a small table and looks at me. He asks, all business now, 'Your source is reliable.'

'Enough to sober me,' I confirm, Longsworth's final word coming back in that biting way, Pureblood...