"Haven't changed much, have we, Winkler?" I asked, doing my best to hide my fury and horror over what had just happened.

"Not one damn bit," he grinned. "You have my email address. You could call, too, once in a while."

"Good to see you, Lissa," Weldon bent down and kissed my cheek. Winkler leaned in, gave me another tonsil-licker, grinned again, let me go and strode off after Weldon, leaving me dazed and speechless. As soon as they were out of sight, Gavin jerked me out of the enclosure, ripped my blazer, sweater and slacks off, tossed them on the ground and left them lying amid Tate's blood, threw me over his shoulder before I even had time to squeak out a protest and took off. I was now wearing only a bra, lacy panties and my boots.

I was beating on Gavin's back by the time we made it to the car but he was ignoring me completely. The door was slammed shut once he'd tossed me inside and Gavin was in the driver's seat before I knew it. He wasn't jealous. Uh-uh. I just hoped I was going to survive the next few minutes—Gavin was scaring me. His face was set and he hadn't said a word since the whole debacle started. On top of everything else, I couldn't get Tate's screams out of my head. Winkler hadn't tried to make the kill quick and merciful. He made sure the kid suffered. Maybe this was a deterrent to others who might consider breaking the law, but it didn't sit well with me or my stomach. Briefly, I considered telling Gavin that I'd like to walk home, even dressed as I was, but thought better of it.

* * *

"I think I'm needed at home," Merrill informed Wlodek quietly when Wlodek invited him to stay for a few minutes. "Perhaps to keep Lissa alive."

"If he harms her, I'll void his claim myself," Wlodek said, frowning. "René's offer still stands."

"I'll let you know," Merrill said, rushing toward the door.

* * *

Gavin was cursing. At least that's what I thought he was doing; it was all in French or Spanish or Italian; he seemed to be switching around. How was I to know? I didn't understand any of it. He was also pacing inside my bedroom. He'd tossed me in the shower, boots and all, when we arrived and I'd struggled to pull the boots off while Gavin ripped off my underwear. He proceeded to scrub my skin and hair twice under practically cold water, then watched while I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash. He didn't like Winkler's scent on me one tiny bit. Honestly, I didn't appreciate the scents Winkler left on me either, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. Now, I was wrapped in a bath towel and sitting against the headboard of my bed, listening to the rant. "Slow down, honey," I ventured after a while. Gavin growled at me and started up again. Well, this was going nowhere fast. I pulled my knees up and hugged one of the many pillows there. That's how Merrill found us; I was huddled up on the bed and Gavin was still having his fit.

"Gavin, enough," Merrill said, his voice a soft command. Gavin slowed down and then stopped. "Lissa, did he harm you?" Merrill turned to me.

"No. Unless you consider getting your skin scrubbed harm."

"Gavin, she didn't want to go and she didn't want what they did to her. Let it go." Merrill frowned at Gavin.

"You didn't want him to touch you?" Gavin looked at me.

"Not like that," I shivered a little. "I was so shocked, I couldn't even move. Somebody is going to have to explain all the rules to me someday before dumping me in the middle of a situation like that."

"Lissa is yours, Gavin," Merrill said. "She is here with you. She came home with you. She accepted your claim. This jealousy accomplishes nothing." Merrill stalked out of the room.

"Well, I guess he told me," Gavin drawled.

"At least you're speaking English, now," I said, refusing to look at him.

"Lissa, anyone has the power to raise my ire where you are concerned," Gavin rubbed a hand over his head. His hair was growing back slowly; he now had about a quarter inch of dark hair over his scalp. He looked to be growing it faster than the half-inch a year Charles had estimated.

"That was some ire," I said. My arms were still gripping my pillow tightly and I was still huddled against the headboard. I'd had a traumatic evening and Gavin hadn't helped matters any, flying off the handle like he did. "You're some kind of over-achiever, aren't you?" I added, looking up at him.

"Lissa, it was not my intention to make the situation worse." His dark eyes betrayed no emotion.

"I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that I didn't understand anything you said."

"More than likely a good thing." He came to sit on the bed beside me. "I will not harm you," he reached out a hand and trailed fingers across my bare shoulders. I almost shrank from his touch. "Your skin quivers when you are upset or frightened," he leaned in and placed a kiss against my shoulder. I still wore his ring; it was the only thing he hadn't removed when I'd been shoved into the shower earlier. Wanting to curl into a smaller ball, I lay there while Gavin stroked my skin, wondering what my life would be like when I had to marry him.

"How close are you and René," I asked, instead. "He'll want to kill me if he finds out I took those tiaras."

"René and I, well," Gavin sat up a little but still kept a hand on me, his thumb making circles on my shoulder. "René sometimes performs special services for the Council," Gavin said. "We are not very close but we don't ignore one another, either. We are family, he and I, where most other vampires no longer have family. Robert and Albert are close as brothers, as are Henri and Gervais, the misters. René and I are the only other two that are truly related in the vampire community."

"There are two sets of brothers who are Enforcers?" I hadn't thought about that before.

"Yes. As you can probably tell, the gifts sometimes run in families. Three years ago, we lost our Chief of Enforcers, Adam Chessman. His uncle was a mister and when Adam was turned, it was fortuitous for the Council that he also had the gift. Russell now holds the Chief position, but he doesn't have mindspeech or misting ability. We have difficulties as you might guess, finding the rare talents to begin with. Therefore, we often search out siblings who might carry the same abilities."

"So, you and René exchange Christmas gifts and birthday cards?" I asked, focusing on Gavin's only relative in the vampire realm.

"Nothing such as that, although René might find it humorous if I sent either," Gavin replied. "I was hoping to love you tonight but you are not in the proper mood." He sighed and stood up. "I must leave tomorrow and fly away from you, little angel. Remember to call me from time to time." Gavin left my room swiftly.




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