I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing out, and hurried into my and Martin’s room to change. “Back to cause me more pain?” he smiled, bringing back the color to my cheeks that I had temporarily forgotten about. I explained to him what was going on and then went in the bathroom to change. My dress was pale burgundy trimmed in black lace like Tammy’s, down to the bow in the back. My problem wasn’t the tights, but getting the dress buttoned up in the back. The short sleeves, that weren’t much to call sleeves, kept falling off my shoulders as I worked to get the hooks fastened. I must have been cursing louder than I thought because Martin called out to me.

“I’m fine, I just can’t get this stupid thing hooked,” I called back.

“Come in here, so I can see,” he called back to me, causing me to roll my eyes.

“Fine,” I grabbed up the huge bottom and pushed my way past the door.

“You look breathtaking.”

“My hair is everywhere and I don’t even have the dress on good yet,” I stopped to look over at him.

“It is the way your hair falls over the dress that makes you look so beautiful. May I be so bold as to say that I would have you no other way in the gown. Come, let me see if I can help.”

“No, I better get Tammy or someone to help me, Martin. I don’t want you to hurt yourself again,” I replied, not able to make eye contact.

“Come,” he patted the side of the bed. “Hooking the back will not cause me pain, taking the gown off of you might.”

“You just had to say that didn’t you?”

“I could not help myself, now come,” he repeated, smiling so wide I could see the white shine of his fangs.

“How do you feel?” I asked, sitting down with my back to him. “You look better every time I come in the room.”

“We heal fast,” he said, running his fingers across my back, causing me to close my eyes. “Would you mind pulling your hair to the side?”

“Oh sure,” I said catching my breath, reaching up and baring my back by pulling my hair to the side.

“And your feet?” I was saying anything to keep my mind off of the feel of his hands grazing the flesh on my back as he hooked the dress.

“I fear it will be some time before I am able to use them again. But the rest should be fine before you need to put this gown on again,” he replied, with his voice so soft the impact made me swallow loudly. “There, now stand and let me see how you look.”

              I took in a deep breath and let it out as I got to my feet. I threw my hair back as I turned around and frowned as he shook his head. “What? Should I find another one?” He just smiled and shook his head. “Well, say something. Does it fit right?” I asked, looking down at myself. I glanced to my right seeing myself in the mirror and began trying to unhook the back. “I’ll find another one. It’s too tight anyway.”

“You will wear that one. I have never seen you look so exquisite.”

“Are you sure? You don’t think it’s too tight across my chest?”

“I do not mean to embarrass you, but you need take your hand and reach in and pull your breasts up, or if you would like, I can do it for you?” he lifted one side of his mouth and reached out with one hand.

“I think I can handle that,” I replied, turning my back to him and reached in until I had them situated correctly, then turned back around for his approval.

“Perfection.”

              The way he said that one word made me look back in the mirror. My breasts were small but stood mounded over the top curve of the neck line, reminding me of the dress that Yvette had put me in the night she fooled me into thinking I was her special guest, only to find out that I was being placed on the auction block to be sold to the highest bidder.

“Why such a long look on your face, my love?” he asked, holding his hand out to me. I walked over and sat down on the bed, trying not to remember, but the thought kept flooding my mind with the horror that happened.

“I wish you could read my mind, than I wouldn’t have to ever talk about what happened in Cuba,” I replied unable to look at him.

“You never have to talk about anything that you wish not to,” he said, lifting my chin. “We have all of eternity, time enough for the worst of all memories to fade.”

“You have to understand that I could and will die fighting to stop this, Martin.”

“Will you not come to my home in France after you and your people have dealt with London?”

“How can I? The elders have these assassins after us and until we stop them, your home or no other home will be safe.”

“You are so brave. Had I had your strength this may have been different many years ago.”

“There is something you could do for me, something more important than my own life.”

“I would walk the sun for you, Renee. You need but ask, and I will bow at your feet,” he replied, picking up my hand and kissing the back, then bringing the palm to his cheek. “I will even fight at you side.”

“I want you to take Johnny and Shyanna back to France with you until this is all over with…”

“But…”

“Please, hear me out. I will come to you after we put the elders down, Martin. We can live as a family. We can raise Johnny as our own and deal with his age when it happens. I need you to do this for me.” I leaned down on his chest, looking him right in the eyes. “Your legs may never heal the way you need them to, to fight, and I won’t see you go through this again, ever. I need to know my family is safe so I can do what I do best.”

“And if you never come?” he asked, running his hand through my hair. “Then what shall I do?”

“Take care of those that you know I love. Only then, knowing that they’re taken care of by the man that I love, will I be at peace,” I whispered, kissing his lips softly.

“There is no changing your mind, is there?”

“No.”

“Then My Lady will have her wish.”

I reached up and smoothed my hand over the side of his face thanking him with all the love that I could with my eyes. Just knowing that my baby brother would be out of harm’s way was all that I could ever hope for, no matter what my future held. I knew that Martin would take care of him and Shyanna in the event that I didn’t return. It was something that would set my dark soul at ease and leave my mind where it needed to be when it came to fighting the highest of the breeders and the hardest battle that we would face when the time came. Martin knew Cornelle’s people and said that I had used good judgment when I left our other three with them. He said they would fight to the death to keep them safe, which made me take that piece of worry from the back of my mind, and replace it with the task that we would soon face.

I left Martin to rest and joined the others, who all stopped what they were doing when I stepped in the doorway of the family room. I waited for them to burst out in laughter, but no one did. Jacob stood in his knee high pants and ruffled shirt that was unbuttoned with the jacket loosely open, and walked up to me bowed at the waist, took my hand, kissed the back, and then spun me around. “Lady Earlene,” he said, bending at the waist again, still holding my hand as we stepped further into the room. “I give you, Your Mistress.”

“Oh, stop it,” I laughed, pushing him away.

“I would have never believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes,” Cates said, reclined in one of the high-back chairs that were closest to the fireplace.

“I could say the same about you, ya know,” I replied, getting a brow raised in response.

“I think you look lovely, Renee,” Tanda said, getting up from the couch she shared with Derek, walking behind me and began braiding my hair. “I want to see what you look like with the wig on.”

“Yeah, she made all us of put them on, and inspected us like cattle.” Garvin grinned, pulling at his blue jacket.