Dominic was ushered into a well decorated hall with high domed ceilings. The room was very bright, though not naturally lit. He was more dragged than led to a girl sitting at a long table. She appeared to be moving food on the plate around, but not eating it. She glanced up with black eyes at Dominic as she took a sip out of a goblet. "What is this you bring me, Marcus?"
The vampire smiled broadly, "Mother, I bring you Rousseau..."
"That is not him! This child isn't even nearly him. Not even of the same blood line!" The girl threw her cup at Marcus.
Marcus bowed, "But, he was sitting at the desk, where you said he would be. He spent the day signing papers, and addressing members of the elders. Who else could he be?"
The female vampire stood up from the table and walked over to Dominic. She raised his face with firm fingers to his jaw. She turned his face sideways then pierced him with her black eyes, "One parent was a made wolf, right?"
Dominic wasn't going to say one word. He'd been bound in this awkward position, before. He'd learned to hold his sharp tongue. By the way that this girl/woman was trying to probe his brain, he would come out with it eventually.
"Yes, you don't need to say, Halfling. He's probably one of Rousseau's many offspring. He was probably left there to see after Daddy's fortune, while he was away. Where, Halfling?"
Dominic focused on a chip in the tiled floor.
She dropped down to kneel in front of Dom, "Odd. You don't smell like a Halfling, why is that?"
He tried to go back to the spot of imperfect tile, but there was something enticing about her gaze.
"Marcus, does this man have red hair?"
The blonde dropped his shoulders, "Why no, Mother."
"And, his build. Is he larger than any of the other wolves, we've made into pets?"
"No, Mother," his voice dropped.
"I thought not. You will send a message to the elders. Tell them, we have something that belongs to Rousseau. Say that he will be untainted. Make sure that you make known that there should be an exchange."
"Yes, Mother," Marcus made a quick bow and turned to go.
"Oh, and Marcus, I'll be a little busy for the next few hours. See that your brother is managing."
*
With Sebastian's hand on my back, I walked through the corridors to the safe room. Toshi hadn't shown himself since I'd been fucked. I think he knew that I was going to go, and he didn't want to make things harder on me. I looked in the mirror as an afterthought, as I was collecting my creams and lotions from the vanity. My eyes had changed. They were this strange light brown. They weren't yellow, but they were definitely on their way there. I looked at Rousseau as he watched me packing.
"You know I can buy you new ones," he quietly said. 'I should have anything he ever gave you burned, anyway.'
I though that he'd been directing the thought at me and responded, "Quit it. I'm going with you. Let's leave it at that."
He seemed startled by my response, "I can't. As soon as you are home and settled, he'll have to forget all of this happened."
"You can't make him forget me," I laughed at the absurdity of the idea.
'Oh, but I have people who can,' I collected from his mind, again.
I dropped a blouse into my suitcase and walked over to him. "Please, don't think like that. I don't want you doing anything to him. He was good to me."
He studied my face for a moment and looked away. I sensed that he was holding onto something as he slowly said, "I'll be waiting for you outside."
I knew what he was going to say. I chose everybody else, but him. He had to take me. He'd wanted me to give myself to him. He'd wanted a willing partner. A coregent. I also felt this undercurrent of fear. Why would Rousseau be scared?
*
Dominic felt the little nips at his brain as the creature ran her slender fingers over his shoulders.
"Don't fight it, child. I can make this stay worth your while," Slipped through her lips as she studied the blood vessels of his neck with her tongue. She settled a finger on his right ear. "This scar. It took some time to heal. Where did you get it?"
Dominic couldn't stop the thought of Ellen.
"Strange. She's very pretty. A bit out of your league, I think, little man," the girl woman's voice seemed to fill his brain. "Oh, I see. The one that got away?"
A door behind him opened. He wanted to turn and see who had come in, but he was held in the woman's vice like gaze.
The Mother said without looking at the person standing behind him, "And, how did they receive the message?"
Marcus's tentative voice responded with a quiet, "The elders were quite open to conversation. I didn't hear the word once."