Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

R uth stood, helpless and shaking, as Kaela and Garron were escorted out. When the Council followed, she moved to intercept Helga, but the Councilwoman held up a hand. "I know what you are going to say, Lady Ruth. It is regrettable, but until the law changes, it is what it is. Stay here. There's no reason for you to witness this after everything else."

"Why can't they be separated?" Ruth demanded. "Lord Brian can do that, separate a vampire and a servant. He can wipe Garron's mind, send him back to the human world."

Not that either would want that, but compared to the alternative…

"They have likely been together too long for that to be effective, Lady Ruth. But it's also not a matter of incompatibility between Mistress and servant. This is a message, and a punishment. It supports our laws. No matter how much I wish it didn't."

As Helga departed, Ruth spun toward Jessica and Anwyn. The made vampire and Mason's servant were in agreement with Ruth, their expressions torn between horror, anger and denial. For Anwyn, as owner of a BDSM club, it had an additional significance. She knew Dominant and submissive characteristics had no rules other than love itself.

Something Ruth had realized herself, when she saw her parents lying together in their kitchen.

"We have to stop this," she said. "Try to get to Lyssa through your vampires or Gideon. I'll keep doing the same with Merc."

The women nodded. But Anwyn looked between both women, the sable-haired Mistress's expression tense. "We have to go out there. We won't be able to stop them in time if we wait here for a response."

None of them wanted to be present if Ruth's plan failed, but the logic was sound. They hurried after the Council. Ruth's mind was screaming, reaching out, but Merc wasn't answering. Which meant they were in the middle of something as terrible. She'd keep trying. Hoping. Praying.

They came to a halt at the entrance to the courtyard.

Lord Belizar stood formally in the center of the watching Council members. Carola and Helga's faces held regret, but different types. Helga, that it couldn't be stopped, Carola that it had been made necessary, in her opinion, by Kaela's actions. Lords Welles, Walton and Stewart had mixed reactions. Lord Walton seemed to share some of Helga's feelings on it, though less strongly. Welles and Stewart just looked impatient to have it done so they could get back to other Council business.

Belizar's age and experience made it impossible to read his thoughts if he did not care to share them, and since Ruth could tell nothing of what he was thinking, beyond a certain tension in his shoulders, this was one of those times.

Several marked servants stood along the outdoor walkways, their expressions strained. Word had spread. Perhaps Belizar had required a handful to be present. Witnesses to the lesson.

The Council servants were here. With his rugged warrior's appearance, large size, blond hair and blue eyes, Torrence was nicknamed the Viking. Ruth knew he'd been with Helga a long time. Right now, a corpse would have had more expression than he had. Was the compulsion to appear neutral, a proper Council servant, eating him alive inside?

Glancing upward, she saw Debra, Lord Brian's servant, on one of the balconies overlooking the courtyard. Her eyes were filled with emotion, her mouth tight, hands gripping the railing. Lord Brian stood beside her. His expression was grave, and he put a hand on her shoulder.

Even if he felt as Helga did, he would not stop the execution of a sentence in accordance with Council laws.

After all, at the end of the day, it was just a human, right?

Elisa flashed through her mind. Jacob, Gideon, Jessica…all of them. Oh, fucking hell, how could she have ever thought this was okay? Fucking "acceptable."

Her shift of opinion could be a temporary state, having to do with the raw emotions of the last few hours. But she knew that was wrong. Yes, she'd been torn open to the soul, but that had finally balanced her thinking, let her see this from a perspective that had been waiting all this time. Waiting for her to open her fucking eyes.

Lord Belizar spoke to Kaela, his baritone echoing through the courtyard. "A steel stake will be placed in your hands. You will drive it into your servant's chest, ending his life. If you refuse, the honor guard will force you to do it. It will be messy and painful for him. You have brought him to this end. Make it merciful. The Council has no opinion on the quality of his demise, only that it happen now."

"No. No ." Ruth surged forward, but Lady Helga, giving Lord Belizar an I have this look, swiftly covered the ground between her and Ruth and drew her back to the wall of the house. It put them under the balcony where Debra and Brian stood. Anwyn and Jessica held onto Ruth too, the sorrow in their faces showing a heartsick helplessness.

Kaela gazed in the distance over Belizar's shoulder. When he was done speaking, her lips pressed together and she gave a little nod, as if saying something to herself. She turned toward Garron.

They'd shoved him onto his knees. Two holding his shoulders, two ready to hold her. While a wooden stake took the life of a vampire, a metal one was the surest way to end a fully marked human servant. Other than killing their vampire master or mistress.

Mum…Etsi…

When Borgas offered the stake to Kaela, she stared at it. After receiving a short nod from Belizar, Borgas grasped her wrist, lifted her hand and folded her fingers around it. His companion gripped her elbow on the other side, and they moved her toward Garron.

Kaela was rigid dead weight, until the point was at Garron's chest. Then, whatever she'd come to terms with inside her head broke. She began to fight.

Silently, furiously, tears running down her face, fangs bared. She was proving just how hard to beat she could be, a twisting, kicking human mace, delivering blows with arms, legs, elbows and fists. Helga's arms remained tight around Ruth. Lord Brian had come down and was helping her, bidding Jessica to step back as the vampires tried to contain one of their own, same as they were doing in the middle of the courtyard. Debra stood with Jessica, her countenance pale.

"Let me go." She would get free of them, go help Kaela fight. Borgas and his companion grimly tried to quell the overlord's struggles as the other two continued to hold Garron. He was fighting them for a different reason, as best as he could with a broken arm and hand.

"Let her go. Get your fucking hands off of her ."

"This is wrong," Kaela shrieked. "He's done nothing to deserve this."

"You're not helping your case, Kaela," Lord Stewart's voice was insanely mild. No more Lady Kaela. She'd been stripped of the overlordship.

With despair, Ruth saw why he seemed unaffected by the battle. Kaela wasn't gaining the upper hand, and she was running out of strength to fight. The blood loss and psychological impact of the firing squad wall she'd been flung against were taking their toll.

Garron's gaze was on her, his expression anguished. Whatever thoughts he was hurling at her, to try to calm her, to stop making it worse on herself, she was having none of it. But then he stopped threatening the guards and went a different way.

"Stop, my lady. Stop ."

The command reverberated through the courtyard, as authoritative as Belizar could have done himself. Lady Carola even flinched at the bald evidence of what it said about the human male.

Kaela subsided in Borgas's hold, panting, half sobbing. Not because she agreed with the command, but because Ruth thought whatever else Garron was communicating to her in his mind, reflected in the strong emotions in his expression, made her want to hear his words.

His last words.

He looked toward the Council. "Let me go, and I will help her do it. I swear it."

Belizar met his gaze, and Ruth thought even he couldn't deny what he recognized there. A male, wanting to protect the woman he loved. With his life, if that was the price.

"Lord Belizar," Stewart began, but Belizar lifted a hand.

"Whatever will get it done."

Stewart subsided. When the two guards warily released him and stepped back, Garron's attention went to Borgas.

"Let her go," he said.

Borgas looked toward Belizar. At his slight nod, the guard's face flashed with anger, but he stepped back, letting her go with a scornful expression. "Crawl to your Master," he muttered. "You're an embarrassment."

"Borgas," Carola said sharply.

Kaela didn't seem to hear any of it, and Garron didn't acknowledge the male's insult, either. He simply extended his uninjured hand. "Come to me, my lady."

Kaela came to him, one trembling step at a time. She was still clutching the metal stake, having used it as a weapon. Borgas and the other male were bleeding from several stab wounds.

When Garron clasped Kaela's empty hand, an ease came to her features at the contact. Their fingers laced together.

"I am your Master, always," Garron said quietly. "As well as the man who loves you with a strength no one can put asunder. Ever."

"I will not live without you."

Kaela turned to the Council, her hand still in Garron's. Her shoulders swept back, her chin coming up. "You can't make me submit to the farce of reconditioning if I choose death. Garron's life is the only leverage you have over me, and you are taking that. Bring me a wooden stake. I will end my life, which will end his as well. We die together."

"No," Stewart insisted. "She might change her mind when the sentence is done. If she does not, his wait for her will not be long."

"She has stated her preference," Helga said sharply. "We should respect it."

"The Council has voted, Lady Helga," Walton said, though the tightness of his voice suggested his vote might be wavering. "Let the sentence be carried out as imposed."

"Don't do this to them."

Ruth couldn't bear to see this happen, not today of all days. Not ever. The hoarse plea in her voice didn't win more than a flicker of the other Council's attention, except for Lord Welles's order that she be removed from the courtyard.

But as they began to drag Ruth away, Kaela looked toward her, and offered a nod.

She'd run out of road, her and Garron. The sudden, agonizing peace Ruth saw told her that Stewart was right only about the last part. She was being denied the right to die with Garron, but he would not wait long for her.

Borgas took control of Kaela's grip on the stake again. He'd likely hold her fingers in a bone crushing grip, and make her shove the metal into Garron with violent enthusiasm.

But she was beyond them. Her eyes were upon Garron, and his upon hers. Ruth hoped their last exchanged thoughts shut out all of this.

Belizar was still expressionless. Like a judge awaiting the carrying out of sentence, not taking any joy in it, but not shirking his duty either. Because the rules in the vampire world protected them all. They had to be upheld.

It horrified Ruth, knowing only a few weeks ago she might have felt the same. There was a roaring in her ears as Torrence and Brian pushed her into the library. Helga blocked her escape route, but Ruth grabbed the doorframe and started screaming protests again. They would have to knock her senseless to make her stop.

Merc, please…

Belizar's lips parted. He was going to tell the guards to carry out the sentence. Garron was going to be killed, at Kaela's hands.

No, no, no…

Then the agony in Ruth's mind was invaded, the will of a vampire queen overrunning it like a stampede of kelpies.

"Hold," Ruth shrieked. "Lady Lyssa commands it."

Everything stopped, but only as a teetering-on-the-edge-of-disaster pause. They didn't believe her at first. Until Ruth repeated what Lyssa relayed through Merc's mind link.

"‘You hesitated, old friend. I've not seen that happen since the battle in Paris, when you were distracted from the fight by pastry samples and French wine.'"

Belizar's eyes narrowed and he turned to face Ruth. "Tell the queen if she is going to insult me, she should do it in person. And when I have vodka in hand to cushion the blow. Where are they? Are they all right?"

Jessica's soft cry of joy gave them their answer, as Mason obviously spoke in her head. Anwyn gripped her in a tight hug while Ruth drew in a shaky breath. "They've retrieved the children successfully," Anwyn said. "They're on the way here. Everyone's all right. Minor injuries."

It was dizzying, the abrupt change in mood and direction. Lord Brian and Helga held Ruth up as exclamations and cheers passed through the courtyard, embraces exchanged.

That celebration didn't extend to Kaela and Garron. Borgas, his face suffused with frustration, had stepped back at Belizar's gesture, but the honor guard still flanked the vampire and her servant. Kaela swayed forward, Garron's one hand clasping her hip as she dipped her head over his, her hand resting on his shoulder.

It was a pause in the execution. Not a pardon.

Lady Carola confirmed it. Once things settled down, the Councilwoman spoke, her gaze flicking to Ruth. "Lady Lyssa, the law is clear. If we address this now, when you return we can handle the far more important issues related to your son's kidnapping. Why command a delay?"

Another pause, as Ruth listened, digested, so she could continue the three-way relay accurately. Now that the immediate danger was past, it took effort not to get distracted by the sensual brush of Merc's voice inside her head, or lose herself to its steadying influence, the strength it provided. For the past few hours, she'd been teetering on the edge of an emotional abyss and having to hold the rope all by herself. Her hands were cramping.

"Lord Mason and I have further insights. For a matter as serious as the execution of an overlord, they should be heard. Lady Kaela, if I may have your word of honor that you will await our arrival and respect our final ruling, then you and your servant will be placed in a guestroom, together, to refresh yourselves."

Kaela straightened and turned. For a moment, she was holding Ruth's gaze, then her expression changed, reflecting the formality of addressing the queen, even if she was not physically present. Her hand remained on Garron's uninjured arm, though. They touched one another without shame, drawing strength from the contact.

Surrounded by enemies, they chose not to pretend otherwise, but her response was filled with respect. "I am ever at my lady's service. Thank you."

Ruth's attention moved to Borgas. It took effort, not to instill a fuck-you , middle-finger satisfaction into the next words Lyssa had her convey. Fortunately, Kaela's contemptuous gaze toward the male provided it.

"Borgas, you are dismissed. Confine yourself to your quarters until the Council can address why you dishonored your role as captain of the honor guard. Lionel, take interim command. Get Lady Kaela and Garron fresh clothing. If they are not in far better condition when next this Council sees them, you'll answer to me personally."

Borgas's eyes flashed again, but he remained silent as Lionel executed a short bow to Ruth, as Lyssa's spokesperson. "Yes, my lady."

As they were escorted out, Brian eased Ruth onto a bench in the courtyard. Helga gave her a behave look before she rejoined the Council, though it was accompanied by a light shoulder squeeze. Debra brought Ruth a glass of blood. "Brian says you need this," she said.

She did. But with Merc's voice in her head, she knew whose she wanted. And he agreed. Emphatically. "Thank you, but no. I'll be getting some. Soon."

Council adjourned during the wait, but reassembled in the driveway at the front of the estate when the rescue team's arrival was imminent. Jessica stood next to Anwyn, their hands clasped as the two SUVs dispatched to the portal location pulled up with their occupants.

Farida had fallen asleep in her father's arms after he'd given her blood, but as the car came to a stop, she woke. In an instant, she was in her mother's embrace. Lord Mason stepped out and straightened to his formidable height. Though his features were still tight and amber eyes glittering with the fallout from the recent threat, he acknowledged the Council's greeting before he joined his family. Jessica touched the evidence of healed injuries on him, but he spoke assurances and kissed her hand before holding his females close.

Anwyn came to the second vehicle, her face suffused with concern as Gideon was helped out by Daegan. "It's Fae magic inflicted. It will heal, but it'll take some time. He's not as indestructible as he thinks he is, but he's impossible to keep out of a fight."

Gideon flicked a burn on Daegan's shirt. "Wonder who else has that problem?"

Anwyn shook her head, but when she wrapped an arm around both of their necks to pull them to her, they answered in kind. Their arms overlapped one another.

Lyssa was speaking to Belizar, but she and Jacob had Kane in between them. Everyone looked as if they'd had a hellish day, but it had ended the right way.

For them, at least.

Ruth pushed aside the selfish thought, noticing Kane was hollow-eyed and quiet. His gaze strayed to Farida frequently, as if he needed to keep confirming she was all right. Farida had her father's amber eyes, but Jessica's curly, thick brown hair and slim build. Her facial features were a mix of both parents.

Ruth expected Kane would do his best to be as strong in the aftermath of this as he'd want his parents to believe he was. And he was that strong. The details Merc had relayed to her had confirmed it. Even so, Ruth would ask Adan to visit the young vampire at the earliest opportunity. His experience with being kidnapped by the Fae, even though it had happened when he was much younger, might be useful.

God, she wished Adan was here. But she really, really, needed Merc. He'd told her he would be out of range again for a short period as he and Maddock took the Fae to Tabor's court. After that, I need to get Maddock to Charlie.

She wanted to act like a child, scream at him to forget all that. Which was embarrassing and pathetic, so she gave him a prompt, if strained response. Of course. Do what's needed. I'm all right. I…if you get delayed, I'll be back at the island. Come when you can. I'm okay.

I will be to you soon, Ruth. I will not let you face any of it alone. Even if you insist, I will ignore your wishes.

She'd sought the solitude of Lyssa's rose garden during the adjournment. At his words, all the feeling in them—caress, reproof…a Master's care, no way she could not sense it, not with him in her soul—she wrapped her arms around herself and pressed her chin to her chest.

Okay. You're not using contractions, by the way.

A sense of laughter was followed by a stirring mental caress. One so intimate it left her wondering just how much range his incubus abilities had, let alone his mind link.

Ruth watched Belizar ruffle Kane's hair. When whatever the male vampire said coaxed a weak but genuine smile from Kane, it surprised Ruth. Jacob had excused himself to come to Ruth's side, probably to make sure she knew why Merc wasn't here. He noted her reaction.

"Belizar's just as scary as he seems," Jacob said. "But he's always had a soft spot for Kane."

"How long do you think it will be…before Merc comes?" Ruth was having trouble keeping her voice steady.

"Right about…now." Jacob gestured upward, and she spun around to see her male. Merc had changed into the black and silver battle skirt. With a spike of alarm, she noted there were practical reasons, other than the meet with the High Fae King. His landing was less graceful than normal, because one of his wings was badly scorched, clumps of feathers missing. He didn't seem bothered about it, though, which should have been reassuring, but it wasn't. The tender healing flesh on other parts of him emphasized how severe the burns had been.

Yet as soon as his feet were on the earth, his hand was out to her. She expected her vampire speed closed that distance, but she didn't remember that. Her urgency to be in his embrace simply transported her where she had to be.

I'm so afraid I'm going to fall apart, Merc. I can't fall apart. Not yet.

All right, you won't. I won't let you.

At what point had she begun to realize she could count on him? Lean on him. Trust him. It didn't matter. It only mattered that it was true. She lifted her head and met his eyes. Her brows rose. "That's new."

"Do you like it, or is it…creepy, as Clara might say?"

"She said she expected it to be creepy, the first time she met Marcellus. But it wasn't, and she says his eyes are as expressive as anyone else's. A person just has to learn to read them, like a new language." Ruth touched his cheekbone. "Something happened. You feel…different."

"I'm the same. I've just reallocated what's there in more proper proportions. You need blood."

"I waited for you, as you told me to do. But I shouldn't have. You were injured."

"You should always do what I tell you to do," he said.

He'd coaxed a wan smile from her. "In your wildest dreams, that would be true."

"Lately, some of my most unlikely ones have been within my grasp." And I would trade all of them to give you back what you have lost. I know what it is taking you to stand on your own right now. You will let me give you blood.

She pressed her face against his chest again, and he folded both wings over her. Hold, my vampire. You have the strength to get through this. Your queen needs you .

The meaningful nudge surprised her enough to suck it all back in, straighten and turn toward Lyssa. Sure enough, the Council head was looking in their direction, an unspoken bidding that had Ruth squaring her shoulders and heading that way. Merc followed close behind.

Lyssa had her arm around Kane. Jacob had returned to them, and his hand was steady on his son's shoulder. Belizar was speaking to the vampire queen.

"In all fairness, I told you I was a hammer."

"Yes, you did. But I'm glad you checked its fall when I reached out to you through Ruth and Merc's link."

"I honor my queen," the Russian said. "But you delay the inevitable. The law is clear on this."

"Our current laws. Yes." She gave him an enigmatic look. "We won't delay further. Have them brought back to chambers."

"My lady, you can take your ease first. Rest, have a chance to clean up, and spend time with your son."

"This comes first. It offers an opportunity to handle another matter, one that has waited far long enough."

As she turned Kane to face her, Ruth saw Lord Brian and Debra approaching. "You did well," Lyssa said, her jade gaze resting on Kane's tired face. Still so young, but the man was there, close beneath the skin. A mix of his father and mother both.

Just as she was. Kohana's words echoed in her mind.

Wherever life takes you, you'll be your father's offspring. And your mother's. You'll learn that's not just a good thing; it's the best thing you've got going for you.

"Lord Brian and Debra will take you and Farida to your quarters and examine you, determine what you need," Lyssa said. "They'll stay until our business is concluded."

"I can…"

"Yes, I know you can be by yourself. But after something like this, shadows lie in wait. Farida will do well in your company until Lord Mason and Jessica can be with her. The Council business we have to address requires the presence of the Council's servants."

Brian gave Kane a slight bow. While Ruth suspected their relationship was usually more informal, Lord Brian was reinforcing the respect that Lyssa's words had telegraphed. Kane was not being treated as a child.

Lord Mason and Jessica brought Farida into the circle, and when Kane reached out a hand to her and Farida took it, their fingers interlocked the way their gazes did.

"John will be sorry he missed all the excitement," Kane told her.

"Our majordomo's son," Jacob murmured to Ruth and Merc. "He's a few years older, but he grew up with Kane. He's at college."

"It's the only reason I'm glad they had a spell to block our minds." Farida squelched the faint tremor in her voice, squaring her shoulders and tossing back her hair. It was as if she was defying anyone, even herself, to treat her like a victim. "John would have lost his mind, knowing we were in trouble, and he wasn't close enough to help."

"He'll make up for it on the back end. Telling us all the smart things we should have done." But then Kane's gaze moved from her to Ruth and stilled. He had peculiar eyes, one green, one blue, the colors shifting with the light. Maybe the two teens had a blood link, because half a heartbeat later, Farida turned toward her as well.

"Your father and mother…" Kane stopped. She saw then he'd thought he'd had the strength to do this, but the words tore something loose inside of him. Suddenly he was swaying on his feet, anguish overwhelming him.

She knew how he felt. She wanted to reach out, to help, but she felt frozen. However, Farida moved under Kane's arm, her hand on his chest, as Jacob steadied the other side.

"It's all right, son," he said quietly. "Maybe later."

When Kane's agonized look met hers, Ruth nodded. "Later's…better. It's okay."

It's not okay, her heart screamed. Merc's grip around her tightened.

Mason shifted into Kane's view, his fingers brushing his daughter's neck. "It will be addressed, Kane. I promise. Trust me."

When Mason looked Ruth's way, the sharpness in his eyes, charged with a grim intent, made Ruth suddenly need Merc's steadying hands on her all the more.

Either from the magic reaching its expiration point, or the breaking of their enemies, Mason had recalled all he'd seen at the sanctuary.

As the teenagers were shepherded away by Brian and Debra, the concerned parents watched them go. Jessica stood between Mason and Jacob now, and Jacob touched Jessica's shoulder as Mason held her waist. She gripped both of their hands, but when her gaze met Jacob's, Ruth saw an expression she knew well. The two of them were ready to serve their Master and Mistress, whatever was required.

Whatever reason Lyssa had for doing this now was apparently pretty damn important.

"Good timing," Jacob murmured, drawing Ruth's attention to another SUV pulling up the drive. When it parked, the one absent member of Council emerged.

Lady Danny.

The female vampire was teased by her peers about looking like a 1950s Disney princess, with her blue eyes, blond hair and slim bearing, but those who assumed she'd won a Council position from her friendship with Lady Lyssa didn't pay attention to her history. Like Kaela, she'd fought her way to a Region Master position in Australia, capably managing a diverse and volatile vampire population in her territory until her promotion to Council.

Dev, her servant, was a World War II veteran and had been an itinerant bushman before he'd found his home with her. Like Jacob and most servants who served higher ranking vampires, he was no one to underestimate, either in wits or fighting skills. He shook Jacob's hand as he emerged from the car and held the door for his lady.

Lady Danny offered Lyssa and the other Council members a respectful nod, but the person she went to was Ruth. She took in Ruth's state at a glance. "Your mother told me she thought you had found a worthy male," she said unexpectedly, a tight smile crossing her lips as she glanced at Merc. "Though her father was less willing to admit it, you made a good impression."

Merc's dark gaze flickered. "I'm honored to hear it."

Ruth swallowed. "When did she…"

"She always called me when anything important happened with you or Adan. So a few hours…before."

When Elisa had come to the island in the 1950s, bringing six forcibly turned vampire children to Mal for help, she'd been Danny's second mark on her sheep station in Australia. Which meant Danny might have felt her death as soon as the Fae's magical field was lifted, even before she learned the details from whoever called to give them to her.

Danny put her arms around Ruth and spoke against her ear. "None of us can break right now, and I'm risking it by saying this, but Mal will never let her be anywhere he's not. They're together, Ruth. Always."

"I want Adan here." Ruth spoke against Danny's curtain of blond hair. Dev's strong hand was rubbing her back, offering the same comfort his Mistress was. "But I also don't want him to know yet. I don't ever want him to know, so he doesn't have to hurt like this."

"I know. We'll get through it."

The Council had moved away, heading toward chambers. While it gave them privacy, it was more than that. Business was waiting. Kaela and Garron's fate hung in the balance. Ruth drew back. "I know you have to go. Dev, too. Lyssa wants Council servants there."

"She let me know." Whatever was afoot, there was knowledge of it in Danny's gaze, and in the tense look she and Dev exchanged. The outcome of whatever was planned wasn't certain. Or maybe it was.

Belizar had said as much. The law was the law. The only latitude Ruth could see the Council head having was to put the force of her will behind Kaela's right to take her life with dignity, and leave this life with her servant.

"Ruth?"

Lyssa had paused at the door.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Follow us to chambers. You and Merc."

Her heart quaked at the prospect of seeing the nightmare with Kaela and Garron start all over again. But if Ruth had another chance to speak on Kaela and Garron's behalf, to contribute to them having that one choice, to die together, she wouldn't shirk from it. Even as everything within her wanted to be elsewhere.

I can't watch them die. I can't.

As Danny and Dev headed toward the door, Merc turned Ruth toward him. I'll spirit them away before they carry out the sentence. They'll never find them.

The resoluteness in his harsh features told her he would do it. It gave her a whole new flood of feelings to manage, far more welcome. I thought angels weren't supposed to interfere.

Still not a hundred percent angel, he told her firmly. Plus, I already interfered today. I believe in setting new trends.

She closed her eyes, shook her head. I know there's a lot of emotional shit happening today . Her heart and knees trembled with that surfeit, but she used the words and her hold on him, and his on her, to send him the next thought. But I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you.

Good. If you weren't, I would be very annoyed with you.

"Though Council has voted, the matter of Lady Kaela and her servant Garron is being called back for discussion. Please have them brought before Council."

Lyssa stood at the center chair. The Council members filled the seats on either side of her at the crescent-shaped table, their servants along the wall across from them. Ruth sat in the same chair she'd occupied before, only now Merc stood behind her, his knuckles against the back of her shoulder where his hand gripped the top of the chair.

They weren't the only non-Council members here. Daegan, Anwyn and Gideon were present, as were Lord Brian and Debra, standing a few paces away from her and Merc. Lord Brian gave Ruth a kind but assessing look, making sure she was all right. A reminder that he was a doctor as well as a scientist.

Kaela and Garron were escorted back in. Escorted, not dragged. Though Garron still favored his damaged arm and hand, the breaks were healing, and his wounds were gone, thanks to the nourishment his Mistress had given him. He'd also fed her, because Kaela was no longer pale and she decidedly did not look weak.

The overlord wore ivory-colored slacks and a blue silk blouse, her red hair in an artful twist on her head, business attire for a business meeting. She was composed, though her dignified carriage and expressionless face likely held a wealth of emotions. Garron was in a white dress shirt and black jeans, his face warrior hard, equally impossible to read. Except to his Mistress.

The next person to speak surprised everyone. It drew all eyes toward Ruth.

Because it was Merc.

"I would say something, if it is allowed."

"After what I observed in the Trad compound, I fail to see how I could stop you if it wasn't," Lyssa said dryly. "But since a great debt is owed to you, my lord, the least we can do is allow you to address our Council."

Ruth felt the hitch in Merc's mind at the ‘my lord,' from the Council queen. He hadn't expected that. But he let it stand and pressed forward. "When I joined you to retrieve your offspring, I said it was not my angel blood that mattered today. It was what Ruth needed."

His gaze moved briefly to the servants, coming back to Ruth. "From this point forward, it will always be what Ruth needs. I'm her marked servant. I'm also her Master, her protector, the male bound to her in every way. That is what she desires."

He wouldn't state it more blatantly, not without her being on board with it, but she was okay with the closer step to the truth. Hell, with the way she was feeling today, she was ready to wear it on a T-shirt.

I'm a submissive female vampire. If you have a problem with that, go fuck yourself. I'll live or die as who I am.

Merc stroked the sensitive pocket of her collar bone, helping Ruth to settle as he continued. "All the strengths and abilities I have will go toward that. What I have left over can serve angel kind, if that is acceptable to them. If it is not…" his gaze sharpened, "then they will have to deal with it. Thank you. That is all."

Lady Carola pursed her lips. "However we might feel about this pairing, or the reasons behind it, he is more powerful than her. And not of our race. This…"

She looked toward Kaela and Garron with obvious displeasure. "He is human. Weaker. If she subjects herself to his rule on vampire matters…"

"Has there been verifiable evidence presented on that?" Lady Lyssa interjected. "An overlord's actions speak for themselves. When the excesses and failures become too obvious, it is hard to disguise, as her predecessor proved. Most of you felt the disgruntled vampire in her territory had no real proof, and that Lady Kaela has been an exceptional overlord. Correct?"

"It doesn't change the possibility of influence," Carola said. "There is no precedent for this kind of…relationship, and there is a very good reason for that."

"My lords and ladies, may I speak?" Lady Kaela asked.

At Lyssa's questioning brow, Carola shrugged and sat back. "I am done. For the moment."

Lyssa nodded. "You have the floor, Lady Kaela."

"With respect, she's no longer an overlord," Lord Stewart said. "The title was stripped with the ruling.

Lyssa sent Stewart a flat look. "Lady Kaela earned the title. It is my personal decision to continue to respect it."

Lord Stewart's face tightened, but he inclined his head, ceding the point.

"Garron is requesting permission to address you," Kaela said. "I would ask your forbearance in allowing it."

"The question is why would you allow it," Carola said sharply. "This is a prime example…"

"A condemned prisoner of the worst sort is allowed last words on the gallows," Lord Walton said unexpectedly. "It is almost inevitable that this day will end with the man's death. I have dealt with Garron many times, and he has always acted appropriately and with courtesy. Give him his two minutes."

Ruth noted various levels of agreement or annoyance on the Council. Belizar's bushy eyebrows drew down when he gave Garron a black stare, but unexpectedly, he nodded. "I do not disagree."

"As head of Council, it's entirely up to me whether or not to allow him to speak, but the input is appreciated." Lyssa arched a brow at Belizar and Walton, but the expression held no rancor. Just the reminder, which they acknowledged, Belizar with a wry twist of his lips.

Lyssa's gaze returned to Kaela and Garron. "You may speak, Garron. Do not abuse the privilege."

"No, my lady." Garron moved to Lady Kaela's side, giving her a look before he bowed to the Council, then straightened.

"From the time Lady Kaela and I met, I sensed two things about her. First, that she was strong and passionate about protecting those in her territory, ruling them fairly with an understanding of what vampires are and are not. And that she was lonely and unhappy, because she craved a certain type of submission. When we met, it was becoming unsustainable to her."

Several Council members shifted uncomfortably at the blatant declaration, but Kaela's face revealed nothing. "She found someone who could serve her the way I do, in both roles, Master and servant," Garron continued. "I'm using the word serve deliberately and truthfully."

He looked at Lyssa. "My lady, you know the difference in your own servant, and many vampires choose sexual Dominants for that role, but such servants are never submissive. They serve, because a Dominant can serve. Because being the right kind of Dominant is about protecting and caring for his submissive, giving her whatever she needs to be who she is, who she's meant to be."

He looked toward Merc, an acknowledgement of the angel incubus's similar declaration, before returning his attention to Council. "She's a better overlord for finding this sense of completion, this sense that she's not alone in the world. At first, it was difficult. Because of her nature, she felt she was asking me for something she shouldn't. We got past that hurdle, because at a certain point she trusted me enough to believe me.

"She understood that my definition of being a Master was much wider and deeper than she'd realized it could be. It's limited by nothing but the two of us, what we each want and need, and how those wants and needs mesh."

Ruth lifted her hand to cover Merc's. His fingers overlapped hers, tightened.

Garron bowed to Council, then met Kaela's gaze and dropped to one knee before her. He kissed her hand, curled at her side. When her fingers grazed his shaved scalp, he rose and stepped back, into his original position behind her left shoulder.

Guarding her heart, Ruth thought.

"I understand this Council has to weigh what will adversely impact our small population," Kaela said. "And you believe the type of relationship I have with Garron is one of those. You've confirmed your regard for my leadership, and that acknowledgment is appreciated. Please let me finish that service effectively. Give me two weeks to bring my replacement up to speed on matters in my territory, for a seamless transition."

Her attention moved to Daegan. He stood against the wall, just to the right of and behind Lyssa. Gideon and Anwyn were on the opposite wall, aligned with the other servants. Though Kaela's voice faltered at first, she steadied it as she spoke. "Once that's done, send your enforcer. I will not fight or try to evade your sentence. I trust Lord Daegan to handle it efficiently and painlessly. I only ask that it be done with my servant by my side."

Ruth could only imagine what was going on between her and Garron's minds, but unlike before, the calm between them seemed unshakable. In the privacy of that guest room, they'd made their peace with it. Their bond would not be severed by death.

If it could be, love wasn't what Ruth thought it was. Her mind returned to her parents. I only ask that it be done with my servant by my side.

Lady Kaela was done. "If we can call the question to a vote…" Lord Stewart started.

Lord Mason rose. "I would like to add some thoughts."

Stewart subsided with a mild look of impatience.

"Proceed, Lord Mason." Lyssa settled back, crossing her legs. She frowned at a blood spot on the cargo pants she was wearing, but then rested her manicured hand on it and gave him her full attention.

Lord Mason turned toward Ruth. "Please pass these words on to your brother when he returns, and must face this terrible loss."

As she understood what was coming, a convulsive jerk went through Ruth's muscles and joints. Merc's unburned wing curved over her shoulder.

"They had immobilized me with their spellwork and already taken Kane, who was out in the yard." Mason held her gaze as he brusquely painted the harsh picture. "Farida was in the lower chambers. The Fae had cloaked their identity, so we could not tell their race."

Mason glanced toward Jessica, whose face was suffused with sadness, reading from his mind what he was saying to the room. She'd adjusted from the wall so she, too, was facing Ruth, as if the two of them together offered the testimonial. And gratitude.

"They told Mal if he would step aside, they would leave him alive. Your father's face had the resoluteness of a hundred armies. Yet there was a calm there, too, as if he drew on the wisdom of creation itself, of the cycles of life and death, and all the paths we walk."

Mason's tiger gaze flashed. "No stronger vampire, no High Fae, could have fought more nobly, more fiercely, to protect my child, than your father did. And your mother was a credit to all servants."

Tears were on Ruth's face, and a tiny noise caught in her throat. She'd risen from her chair and moved forward a pace, feeling as if she needed to be standing. Heedless of their audience, Merc moved with her. He stood behind her, his arms crossed over her chest. The chamber was silent, everyone listening.

"I saw Mal look toward Elisa, before the battle was engaged," Mason continued. "There was a great deal I recognized in that look, as well as things that were treasured feelings, unique to the two of them. They made the decision together. They knew what the cost of the fight would be. The outcome. I saw it."

His gaze moved to the Council and held a beat. "It should have been over in an instant, and yet it wasn't. Though his magical ability was nowhere equal to theirs, never have I seen such an inequal struggle result in such a prolonged fight. His staff fought with him, in the ways that would help the most. Distracting, getting in the way, disrupting. Which meant they knowingly sacrificed themselves."

His face tightened. "Mal used everything he had against the Fae—hand-to-hand combat, magical weaponry and his sharp intelligence—to keep it going as long as he could. Perhaps in the hope that some attempt he'd made to get out a distress call would be answered, though the shielding prevented that."

The active warriors in the room—Daegan, Gideon, Jacob—were tense, as if they could envision the fight, imagine the impossible tactics Mal had used.

"They had wooden stakes, but decapitation ended up being the quickest and safest way…for them. It was an acknowledgement of just how unexpectedly effective his resistance was. Your mother…"

The savage smile on Mason's face made Ruth suck in a startled, pained breath. "She stood in front of the stairs to the rooms below. She watched the fight, her body quivering as if she were feeling each blow. I know she was his sight and ears on every blind front, letting him know what was coming, who was attacking. She was fighting with him, in the best way a servant like her could."

Mason's expression darkened. "When the blade ended him, she grabbed onto the doorway and cried out. She had only moments left, but her gaze speared her enemies. Even though they were cloaked from her view, she showed them the truth of their darkness. Though I didn't know who it was at the time, Pallas ordered another to dispatch her. I think he didn't care to wait for Mal's death to turn that condemning stare away from his soul."

Mason's attention on Ruth was a weighted touch. Though every word was a wound, it was something else, too. "The Fae who approached her saw a human woman who barely reached his chin, one dying before his eyes. He should have known better. She had Mal's knife, that long one he was so fond of. It was hidden in her skirts."

Ruth's hands closed into fists. Her gentle mother who called her a chuisle mo chroí, when Ruth needed to hear it most. Heart's beloved, or literally, pulse of my heart. Her gentle, passionate mother.

"She gutted him, twisting the blade and shoving it upward, into his chest." Mason's gaze flashed. "She held onto his shoulder, practically climbing him as she did it."

"Hellfire," someone murmured. Ruth thought it was Gideon.

Mason shook his head. "She knew, as Mal did, that they couldn't keep them from my daughter. But they would not allow it to happen while they had life to stop it."

Ruth saw tears on Danny's face. "She was one of the most remarkable females I've ever met," the blonde said. "In the most unlikely of packages."

"Yes," Mason said. "Another Fae plucked her off the wounded one and tossed her away from him. She landed near the kitchen. I expect that was how she was able to reach Mal before the ending of his life took hers. I did not see that part. They took me away then."

The chamber was silent. Then a chair whispered across the carpeted floor. Belizar rose. Then Walton. And Helga. One by one, they each rose and faced Ruth, Lyssa joining them. They bowed in her direction. So did their servants. Gideon's resolute expression was as clear as spoken words.

That's your inheritance. Nothing will ever break you.

When Lady Kaela and Garron bowed to her, too, a sob escaped Ruth's raw throat.

"Your father and mother have our thanks and eternal regard." Lady Lyssa's voice was thick with emotion. "Their island and their children will be protected and given all the consideration that a fallen hero…and heroine's…should."

Ruth blinked back tears. "Thank you, my lady."

It was all she could manage, but it was all that was needed.

When they took their seats, Merc drawing Ruth back to her own, Mason remained standing. "I expect Lady Carola is wondering how my words connect to Lady Kaela and Garron, but her respect for the moment is keeping her from pointing it out."

Carola's lips twitched, and she made a dismissive gesture, but she wasn't disagreeing. Lord Mason nodded.

"Mal was not our strongest. With his cat sanctuary, he forged a different path than most vampires. Yet can anyone here say he didn't honor the best parts of our race?"

His attention locked on Carola, Stewart and Belizar. "What preserves us as a race? What works against that? What traditions should we allow to die, which should we uphold? Which do we modify to allow more room for growth? Will that turn on us and achieve the opposite? These are difficult questions."

He paused. "Even Lady Kaela submits to your judgment, your wisdom, understanding the preservation of the race rests in your hands, and she must trust that your wisdom could be greater than her own, because its scope has to be wider than one person's view."

His gaze touched on the California overlord, and Kaela gave him a stiff nod, acknowledging it. "Any governing body given that kind of faith should do their damnedest to honor it," Mason said. "They should question every choice they make, and be sure they have invited in dissenting viewpoints to challenge it."

Carola's lips tightened, but she said nothing, allowing Mason to continue. "I am no different," he said. "Because of today's events, what sticks with me is Mal and Elisa. Who they are, what they sacrificed. Who they chose to be. Mal protected predators who needed help, rather than letting nature take its course on the strong who can no longer defend themselves. He helped them become self-sufficient again where possible, but provided them sanctuary so they could live the best lives available to them when they could not.

"He let his judgment, his practicality, his human and vampire sides, help him with those decisions. But in the end, I think he did what all enlightened beings do—he let his soul be his guide. And his heart. Elisa was his heart."

His expression didn't soften. "I have no doubt how much he loved Elisa. She was his servant. He held full command over her, and she was an obedient, loving and submissive soul. She was his soulmate, but he was that to her, too. As I very much believe the optimal vampire and servant relationship should be.

"All these things, accepting more intimate vampire-servant relationships, bonds with other races, it may weaken our species. Or it may strengthen them, after we get through the growing pains. Approved made vampires have to learn to control bloodlust. No one says they should not have been made, at least not during that difficult and dangerous time. The wrong kind of change can destroy a race, the wrong kind of adapting."

His gaze moved around the room, touching on vampires, servants and all. "But the ability to love freely, as oneself? Denying that ability will kill a soul, and if you kill enough souls, you kill the race."

His attention returned to Jessica, held, then came back to Council. "In that last moment, Mal and Elisa decided, as equals, to give their lives to protect a child. To protect the future of our race. So for today, in this moment, I take it as a sign. Let us allow Lady Kaela and Garron to be an opportunity for growth in our race, and see where it leads. Reverse this sentence, which I believe is reactive rather than weighing all the relevant variables."

He paused. "Let us take three moments of silence, not just to honor Mal and his servant, but to contemplate this matter."

There was a shifting throughout the chamber, but the Council members nodded. Some of those in the chamber bowed their heads. Others closed their eyes or gazed meditatively in space. Ruth logged every reaction, holding onto them. She would tell and show all of it to Adan.

As the three minutes were drawing to an end, tapping feet approached the door. At Lyssa's nod, Lionel opened it, and a male Inherited Servant entered. He had sleek dark hair, queued back, a hooked nose, sensual lips and brown eyes. His features were almost obscured by the scrolls he carried, tied with ribbons. He also had a quill and inkwell.

Did we just go back in time? Merc asked.

Ruth shook her head, just as baffled.

"Take a seat behind me, Emrey." Lyssa motioned to the InhServ, then directed her words to the curious Council. "It has been correctly stated that, according to our law, a vampire cannot be submissive to a human servant. But we have a set of directives pending that could change that."

"Lady Lyssa, this was not on the agenda," Lord Stewart said. Lady Carola nodded emphatically, her mouth tight. Lord Belizar's expression had moved to disapproval.

"I'm within my rights to add it. Can anyone claim it hasn't had sufficient time for discussion and revision?"

Some more shifts, a little grumbling, but shrugs showed reluctant agreement with her point.

Emrey unrolled one of the scrolls. Apparently, despite the technological age, the Council still put down new laws, or pending ones, in the same manner as they were done hundreds of years ago. Ruth couldn't deny the sight of the parchment, the careful calligraphy on it, made the proceeding seem more formal. And momentous.

"For years," Lyssa said, "this document has been revised, added to, subtracted from. We've received input from overlords and Region Masters. In more enlightened moments—like when Lords Belizar, Stewart and Lady Carola have been in more benevolent moods—we've gathered feedback from our more highly placed servants."

Her gaze glinted with some humor. Not much, but what could be managed under the circumstances. "I move that it be read aloud, and the vote called. It is time."

"Yes," Carola said. "I second. It is well past time."

Her tone said her vote would not agree with Lyssa's, but the queen didn't show annoyance at the reaction. She merely nodded at Emrey to proceed. The scribe moved in front of the table. Since Kaela and Garron's matter was still pending, they were not invited to move from their position, so he adjusted himself a step to the right, the most direct line of sight available to the Council head.

Kaela had fixed her gaze on Emrey. It was an intense look, one that made him shift a little uneasily. However, he cleared his throat and began, with a strong tenor appropriate to his role. As he read the words, they filled all corners of the chamber, echoing in the rafters above. The gurgling fountain didn't distract from it.

"Servants will have an elected body of seven to represent their interests to the Council…

"Servants desiring separation from their vampire will have the right to petition this committee for that act.

If a vampire desires separation, the servant will not be terminated, unless Council approves it as necessary to protect the race…"

Ruth wondered if Carola, Stewart and Belizar, as well as the other Council members not fully on board with the document, were noting what she did.

Jacob's gaze was locked upon his lady. Lyssa's attention toward him gave that connection enough weight to make it vibrate in the air between them. Jessica's eyes were likewise on her vampire master, her expression reminding Ruth of her history, the horror of her beginnings in the vampire world. How Mason had brought her to love and trust in a Master again.

Even the servants with more traditional connections to their Masters and Mistresses seemed affected. An energy was filling the room. Wonder, uncertainty, hushed anticipation. To many of the vampire and servant relationships here, as well as the servants individually, the words had unique meanings, related to experiences, challenges, intense pain or intimate triumphs,

Aided by the momentous events of these past few hours, the vampires present were stepping into the tide of change. Maybe Lyssa was right, that the timing was right to see who was willing to accept its flow, open themselves to its wisdom in ways they never had been before. Great loss, near loss, it could have that effect. She stood as witness, not just for herself, but for her mother, and her father.

A vampire of any rank has the right to choose whether or not their servant participates in the demands of a social gathering…

She thought of her father's tension about such events, her mother's quiet acceptance. Yes, Elisa had learned she could make it work, find pleasure in serving her Master in such ways, do whatever was required of her. But she and Adan had also recognized, even if they never spoke of it, that Mal worked to keep Elisa's mind on him and his desires, so they could both stand away from the truth.

Many vampires and servants might enjoy it, but Mal had fucking hated those events, even before he had Elisa. And after…sharing her with others was something he never would have voluntarily chosen to do.

The shape of the relationship between vampire and servant is private and not subject to Council rule, as long as there is no proven conflict with his or her loyalty to the preservation of the race, as defined by Council…

The quiver that went through Kaela was strong enough she swayed. Garron didn't move, but when the shudder left her, her body was pressed back against the strength of his, his mouth near the strands of her hair at her temple.

A born vampire's human parent will not be separated from the child unless extraordinary circumstances proving the need are presented to Council. This request can only be submitted by the vampire parent. It cannot be imposed by Council mandate…

A human parent will be honored as such, not merely as the servant of the vampire parent…

Ruth thought of when she and Adan had been told not to call Elisa Etsi or Mum in front of vampire visitors, because they were supposed to be "old enough" to view her as Mal's servant, not their mother.

All those years Mal and Elisa had to pretend not to be what they were to each other and to their children, in the presence of other vampires, or at those gatherings.

Would the rules radically change things? She heard in the language nuances that might keep many things the same. Enforcement retained plenty of discretion.

Ruth also recalled Elisa's response, that it made no difference. She would be what Mal needed, because she was in his heart and soul. He was her Master, and she loved him. But he loved her, too.

The rules weren't for the Mals and Elisas. They were for those who didn't find their way to that deep bond. They were to protect them from mistakes, from cruelty. The document's most important purpose was acknowledging the servant's right to have that protection.

It would also give those like Kaela and Garron, Ruth and Merc, Adan and Catriona, and all vampires and servants, the room to explore what their relationship could be, how it could serve the vampire world as much as themselves, rather than assuming it couldn't.

Making room for change and growth, as Lady Lyssa said. Setting that path down into law was a vital beginning.

The absurdity isn't acknowledging the love between vampire and third marked servant. The absurdity is denying it's always been there, for many of us who have been fortunate enough to discover just how deep and strong that bond can become. I would argue that in most cases, such a bond strengthens the vampire in ways that help protect our race, not weaken it.

Lady Danny had said that, during a late evening fireside chat with her father. Elisa had been brushing Danny's hair, Dev sitting on the hearth, watching firelight glint off his lady's blond locks. The look they shared…there'd been no disagreement in the room that night. Only relief to be among those who understood it.

Ruth had been in her early teens, half asleep with her head on her father's thigh, his hand resting on her hip. She looked toward Danny now. When the female vampire's gaze shifted to Ruth, they were both remembering Elisa. Thinking about how she would have felt about this.

Emrey was done. He rolled up the scroll and stood at attention, waiting for the Council's next direction. Lyssa glanced left and right. "Any final changes? It's been through…how many revisions?"

She glanced at Emrey.

"Two hundred and three, my lady."

"Two hundred and three," she repeated. "For the love of God and Goddess, let's stop flogging this and make a decision. A two thirds majority to pass, as agreed for a change in our laws."

"Agreed," Lord Walton said, and the others nodded.

"If passed," Mason noted, "the language should apply to the matter of Lady Kaela and Garron. To do otherwise would seem more like a vendetta than sound wisdom."

"Alternatively, it is not law until it is passed. So flouting our law is behavior that shouldn't be encouraged. Even if the law is later changed."

"I don't disagree with that," Lord Walton said. "But in light of recent events…" He looked toward Ruth, then Lyssa and Mason. "We have had terrible loss and hard-won victories today, Carola. And nothing about Lady Kaela's behavior suggests she is flouting anything. She kept this matter behind closed doors, between her and her servant, until a member of her own territory saw an opportunity to betray her."

"It is a moot point." Lord Stewart shook his head. "I do not believe it will pass."

"Not to fly in the face of Lord Stewart's conviction, but I vote to approve. Each member indicate yea or nay when called upon." Lyssa glanced to her left. "I will start with you, Lord Belizar.

Belizar drummed thick fingers on the table. His brows were drawn down again, his expression even more forbidding than Ruth suspected was the norm. With his words, however, she realized it was an expression of deep thought, not aggression.

"As everyone knows, I have opposed this document since its inception. Change in our world must be undertaken with great caution. My relationships with my servants do not go outside of traditional boundaries, as I feel is appropriate. My servant is content with that, and I treat him well. With the respect his service deserves."

Vincent, the servant in question, bowed his head in respect to his Master. He was a thin male with steady, sharp gray eyes. Ruth didn't sense disagreement from him about Belizar's assessment.

"Exactly," Lady Carola said. "Wilhelm serves his Mistress as tradition demands, and it is an honor to him."

She received a similar acknowledgement from the handsome blond male standing next to Belizar's servant, but Ruth thought she detected a trace of yearning in his gaze. As if he wished Carola was willing to be more to him. But then it was gone.

"However," Belizar noted, "We have seen matters over these past couple decades that suggest that is not the case for all."

His gaze moved to Jessica, startling Lord Mason's servant, but she straightened under his regard. Lord Mason's attention sharpened on Belizar.

"When I first learned of your treatment under your first master, I was indifferent to it," Belizar said to her. "Until I learned more details. I have seen how you support Lord Mason, with a devotion and intelligence that is a credit to any servant. Your choice was taken from you, but when it was given back, you became everything we desire in a servant. You would have been a good InhServ, Jessica."

"Thank you, my lord. I'm glad to belong to my lord Mason."

"Yes." Belizar glanced at the male in question, noting Mason's narrowed eyes. "Stand down, Lord Mason. I'm paying her a compliment. And you," he acknowledged. His attention returned to Lyssa. "I do not know if I support this document, but I have taken a lot on faith under your leadership, my lady. I have not yet been unacceptably disappointed."

Lyssa's lips twitched. "I will strive to keep meeting those high expectations."

"I suppose you will." Belizar turned to the others. "Walton and Welles, while you are still on the fence, I believe your thinking on it has been altering along the lines of mine. Helga, I know where your mind and vote rests. You made it amply clear earlier."

His gaze shifted from the blond vampire to the tight-lipped Carola and hard-faced Stewart. "You will vote your preference, but we have aligned on many things in the past, and you know my head on these things. I suggest we give it a chance. This Council is an intelligent body, and it feels like time to trust this direction. I vote Yea."

For a full second, not just the Council members, but their servants, were gripped in an obvious shock. Ruth caught a look between Gideon and Jacob that was the equivalent of holy fuck . Followed by a mental fist pump.

Garron's hand was on Kaela's shoulder, and her hand flew up to it, their fingers lacing together.

The servant policy passed, 7-2.