A tall vampire took the stage, his body lean, an elegant predator. A deep voice came over the microphone. "Good evening, gentlemen. I welcome you to the presentation of a new companion. It is an event to be grateful for."

"His name is Sebastian," Marcus whispered, indicating the vampire on stage. "He facilitates all of the Council's public rituals."

Dressed in a form-fitting tuxedo, Sebastian's long limbs gestured around the stage in a dramatic fashion. "This companion is offered for auction by Trent Walker. The proceeds will be divided between Mr. Walker and the Council."

It seemed an odd thing to say. I intended to take advantage of this learning opportunity. "Does this Trent person already have a companion?"

"No. He's single." Daniel didn't look at me, his eyes steady on the stage.

"Why would this Trent person give up rights to her? I thought it was a finders, keepers thing."

It had been that way between Daniel and me. Daniel was the first vamp to get his fangs in me, and the Council honored his rights. At the time, we had no idea what we were doing. Daniel was hungry, and I was his lover. I'd been lucky Dallas wasn't a vampire haven. It was just coincidence that I'd never run into a vampire or what had happened to Kim, what was about to happen to this woman, would have been my fate.

"Trent Walker is very young," Marcus explained. "He serves one of the Council members, which is why he's here. It's very likely he found the companion while he was trying to kill time. He couldn't hold her on his own. A stronger vampire would challenge him, and these challenges are to the death. It's better that he sells her and takes the finder's fee. In a couple of hundred years, perhaps he will be strong enough."

Daniel hugged me tightly to him, and I felt him lay a kiss on my hair. We were thinking the same thing. We might b.i.t.c.h and moan and complain about the cards fate had dealt us, but those aces saved us from so much heartache. Daniel would never have been pragmatic enough to sell me. He would have defended me. He would have died in a duel had he not risen as he had.

"Without further ado," Sebastian was saying, holding his hand to the stage entrance, "allow me to present the lovely Meredith."

Two vampires led a woman dressed only in a robe out onto the stage. She seemed dazed and very bewildered, her eyes turning from the bright lights. She didn't fight, merely allowed them to lead her out, her bare feet shuffling along.

I wondered where she'd been when Trent Walker plucked her from her life. Had she been playing the slots or dancing the night away? I wondered who would be looking for her, missing her.

Sebastian looked down at the woman and smiled. It was the way a snake would smile, if a snake could. He touched her cheek, turning her eyes up to look into his. "Sweet Meredith, welcome to your family."

Meredith beamed suddenly. "h.e.l.lo," she said, and though her voice was shaky, it held no real fear. Sebastian was working some of that good old vampire persuasion on her.

"She's so young." Her face held the flush of youth, her skin perfectly smooth.

"I a.s.sure you she is of age," Marcus replied. "If she wasn't, she would have been flown to Paris and all of this would have taken place in the catacombs. She would have been held at the Council stronghold until she turned eighteen. The Council is careful. The last thing they wish is to involve the human authorities. If anyone finds this woman while she's here, it will be a.s.sumed she has taken a new lover. There will be nothing criminal about her abduction when Sebastian is through. He is very thorough."

I bet he was. He softly spoke to his victim, a hand on her shoulder, as though she was a beloved daughter. She looked up at him with adoring eyes, agreeing with everything he said. The two vampires who had delivered her were able to retreat. Meredith now took center stage.

"The men at the front are unattached. They'll be the ones bidding on this companion." Marcus turned slightly to nod at Daniel. "You should be ready. There will more than likely be trouble. There have been rumblings about the lack of companions. The men, they are hungry."

Daniel pulled a pair of thick leather gloves out of his pocket. He tugged them over his hands. "If I ask for the sword, Z, please don't hesitate."

I nodded. We had decided I should carry the silver sword the Council had gifted him with when he'd become their officially sanctioned a.s.sa.s.sin. It was some important ancient weapon that only the Nex Apparatus could carry. Kelly convinced him it ruined the line of his jacket.

My heart started to thump inside my chest. Vampires surrounded us on every side. If it all went crazy, Daniel would be the one wading into a sea of ancient killers.

The crowd swelled toward the front of the stage as Meredith moved forward. I wondered what Sebastian had her seeing. I wondered if she would remember any of this tomorrow or if she would wake up in some vampire's bed and wonder how the h.e.l.l she'd become a blood bank. After Kim's reaction, I thought not. She would remember everything. Her compliance in the humiliation would make the reality of her situation so much worse.

"Come forward, companion," Sebastian intoned smoothly. "Come forward and present yourself to your masters. Can you feel their excitement? They want so much to see your sweet flesh, Meredith. Are you going to deny them?"

Meredith shook her head as though such a thing was unthinkable. She shrugged out of her robe and wore nothing beneath it. Her naked body was presented for the debate and discussion of the men who decided just how much she was worth. I felt her degradation like it was my own. Indignation sparked through me, and I felt my face heating up.

"Don't." Marcus bit the word at me. "Don't you dare weep, Zoey."

"Marcus," Daniel warned.

Marcus ignored him, leaning in and speaking directly in my ear. "Don't you dare cry. Do not give them a second of your emotion, mio regina. Swallow the sorrow and let it burn in your belly until it fuels your rage. Do not weep for her. Avenge her when the time is right. Be her warrior."

"Don't be so hard on her," Daniel said under his breath, but there was no doubt this was an order.

"Leave it, Danny."

Marcus was right. For the first time, I felt myself softening toward the Italian. He didn't treat me like a lovely piece of gla.s.s. Daniel would have held my hand and led me away, but I needed this. I needed to see the way they treated her. This was the way they wanted to treat the world. We were their playthings.

Meredith presented herself to the company, holding her body out with pride. I had gotten used to many forms of nudity. I had no problem running around the grotto without a st.i.tch of clothes on while Dev chased after me. I hadn't minded earlier when Danny had seen me naked. He'd looked at me with l.u.s.t and love, and there had been no shame in it. Often Neil walked in when I was dressing, and I no longer dove for the nearest available cover. These were my intimate companions and being with them had changed my views of nudity.

This reminded me why we guard our bodies against prying eyes.

Our bodies tell a story. There was a small, healing cut on her leg she'd probably gotten from shaving. Though it was winter, she still had tan lines. It spoke of modesty. Even in a tanning bed or a spray salon, she wore her bathing suit. She had a small b.u.t.terfly tattooed on her right hip. It was in a place where even a bikini bottom would hide it. It was meant for a lover's eyes, but now it was commented on. That small, likely meaningful tattoo, would drive her price up or down.

Soon there would be another mark on her body. It would be like the one on mine, twin holes that marked her as a possession.

The silver sword pressed against my leg, and there was nothing I wanted more than to draw it and start slicing my way through the crowd. But I could do nothing to stop this crime against Meredith's person. I let the anger wash over me, adding Meredith to a growing list of offenses the Council was going to answer for.

"I begin the bidding at ten million," Sebastian intoned.

The next several minutes were a flurry of activity that I wasn't capable of keeping up with. Voices yelled, the vampires speaking over one another in a cacophony of sound. Sebastian didn't seem to have the problem I did. He simply nodded and occasionally announced another ridiculously high offer as the bidding continued. The room seemed to swell with tension as the price tag went higher. Daniel's face was completely calm, but his eyes shifted around the room, constantly looking for trouble.

Before long it was down to two men. They spat figures at each other as the room went silent with the exception of their voices. All eyes had turned to the two vampires. Sebastian stood beside the still naked Meredith, who simply smiled and swayed a little as though listening to some pleasant music only she could hear.

"Who is it?" Daniel asked Marcus, trying to see around the crowd.

Marcus turned to him, a grim look on his hawk-like face. "Paul and Adam."

Those names seemed to mean something to Daniel. "d.a.m.n it."

"They don't like each other," I surmised. The last thing we needed was a little vamp feud.

"Not at all," Marcus confirmed.

"Seventy-five million," the one Marcus indicated was Adam p.r.o.nounced.

I watched as Paul's jaw clenched. He didn't want to stop, but he fell silent.

"Do you have anything further?" Sebastian asked Paul. When he didn't answer, Sebastian held Meredith's hand up. "Come and meet your master, companion."

Eager Adam was up on that stage faster than I could think "rat b.a.s.t.a.r.d," and I thought that pretty d.a.m.n fast. He had his hands on Meredith, his fangs long and sharp. I expected him to whisk her away, but they stayed on the stage, his eyes burning into hers as he obviously took over the persuasion reins from Sebastian.

"They're going to do that here?" This was the most intimate act Daniel and I had ever performed together. This was the act that married us, the giving and taking of blood. I might be bitter about the circ.u.mstances, but that sharing was a beautiful thing between two lovers. It was not meant to be watched like a p.o.r.n film.

Daniel's hands tightened on me. "That's why they call it a public presentation, baby. This is why I couldn't take you to Paris. I could never do this to you. Please forgive me."

There had been so many other reasons and I knew he was grasping at straws because we had already been married at the time. There would have been no need for a public presentation, but my heart softened toward him anyway. He always had me in mind. He always wanted to protect me. He simply didn't understand that if he kept me in a protective cage, our marriage could never work.

Before I had a chance to say anything to him, a loud roar filled the air. The crowd moved as Paul vented his fury. I tried to see, but I was far too short. The vampires around me started to shift as though giving Paul s.p.a.ce. I caught the action in small glimpses even as Daniel moved in front of me.

Paul's face went savage, his fangs gleaming in the spotlight.

A shout went up as I saw a spray of blood. Paul struck out at anyone left around him, claws sinking into flesh.

He leapt onto the stage, reaching out, and in a single move, he picked up Adam and tossed him back into the crowd. A low growl reverberated through the air as he began to stalk Meredith.

Sebastian had moved to the front of the stage, his hand over his brow as he fought the bright lights to look into the crowd. There was no doubt in my mind who he wanted to see.

"Marcus?" Daniel didn't move, simply asked the question.

"You have the Council's permission." Marcus shook his head, watching the situation like a father disappointed with his unruly toddlers.

"Zoey, I'll need that sword now." Daniel leapt onto one of the tables, giving himself a better view of the room.

I lifted my skirt slightly and unsnapped the sheath. The sword fell into my hand and, in one motion, I pulled it out and tossed it up to my husband. Daniel caught it without ever taking his eyes off his prey. The minute the sword was in his gloved hands, he pushed off the table.

To my eyes it looked like he was running above the crowd. He leapt from tabletop to tabletop, landing only briefly on one leg to push off again as he avoided the crowd and moved toward the stage.

Everything stopped as Daniel danced his way toward his target. He pushed off the final table, and the sword sang through the air, moving like an extension of Daniel's arm. He wielded the weapon with flawless precision. He seemed to hang in the air for a moment. No one breathed or moved a muscle, even Daniel's victim, who seemed to be a deer caught in the headlights.

With no hesitation, he brought the sword down on Paul's neck, neatly separating his head from his body. The other vampire had no chance to run, no chance to fight. The moment Daniel had decided to kill him, his long life had been over.

I caught my breath because while it had been brutal, there was a beautiful grace to it.

"He is magnificent," Marcus swore. "I have lived almost two thousand years and not seen his like."

Daniel landed in a crouch but was up quickly enough to catch the head before it hit the floor. He tossed it at Adam, who had managed to get back up on the stage. "You are satisfied with the judgment of the Council?"

Adam was shaking as he held the head of his rival. He took a step back but managed to agree that he was, indeed, satisfied. Even as he held it, the head turned to ash in his hands, covering the stage with dust.

"The Council is satisfied with their Nex Apparatus?" The words sounded deeply formal coming out of Daniel's mouth, holding the weight of long years of custom.

"As always, Mr. Donovan," Niko said, speaking for the Council.

Daniel surveyed the crowd, his sword still in hand. "If the Council is satisfied, then I beg permission to take my companion and quit these proceedings." Daniel looked at the men in the crowd. "I a.s.sume the rest of you will behave."

I could practically hear the collective gulp go through the room.

"You have leave, Mr. Donovan," Niko offered. "Take the rest of the evening off. Enjoy your companion."

Daniel leapt from the stage and was given a very wide berth by the vampires on the floor. They moved away from him as though his very touch could bring them death. Daniel walked to me and tossed the sword my way. I caught it and placed it back in its sheath. At that moment, all eyes were on me, and I saw the minute they started to think of me as something more than Daniel's plaything.

"She's seen enough," Daniel said to Marcus as he picked me up and started to carry me out of the club.

As we left, I watched over Daniel's shoulder as Adam pulled his new purchase into his arms and bit down for that first taste.

When we arrived in the room ten minutes later, Daniel sank onto the couch, and I fell down beside him. We didn't speak, just let the events of the evening sink in. We sat there in the cool quiet of the suite for the longest time with that strange sword between us. We watched the lights of the strip as the clock turned ever closer to morning. Finally the door to the suite opened, and Dev walked in. His clothes were wrinkled, and he smelled like cigarettes and vodka.

"You two look like I feel," he muttered as he sank down beside me. I have to admit, I liked the fact that I was between them. I could almost pretend it was normal. "Nice sword. What the h.e.l.l happened to you, Daniel? You have blood on your coat."

"Execution," Daniel answered.

"I had to witness a young girl get sold and raped in front of an adoring crowd." I put my two c.r.a.ppy cents in.

"I lost a hundred grand," Dev admitted.

So it had been a s.h.i.tty night all around. "This town sucks."

Both men looked at me, not amused by my pun.

"Well, it does," I grumbled because at least tonight it really did.

Chapter Twenty.

"So what happens to her now?" I asked Kimberly the next day.

We were sitting in one of the hotel's restaurants. Kim had been patiently answering my questions for the last thirty minutes as we enjoyed lunch. Our version of lunch occurred as most people were enjoying dinner. We were a nocturnal lot.

"They call it the honeymoon period." Kim seemed to be treating this conversation as an intellectual lecture. There was very little emotion in her voice. "For the next month, she'll be held in her rooms, first here until the meetings are completed, and then in London where Adam lives. She'll be under his persuasion and will feed him daily. She'll take his blood and do all the other things that go along with it."

s.e.x. It was a part of the bonding process. For Daniel and me, it had been an extension of our previous relationship. We'd made love when we were both human, and he certainly hadn't needed persuasion to get me into bed. What must it have been like for Kim, who'd never met Henri before she'd been forcibly married to him? "I know this is painful, and I apologize. I just don't understand the process."

Kim's brown eyes slid away from me. "I can't imagine what it was like for you. I'm sure the Council's Nex Apparatus was brutal to say the least. I joke about how hot he is, but he scares every one of us. I heard he killed Paul last night."

d.a.m.n straight he had. "Paul was an a.s.s. Paul deserved killing. Daniel isn't brutal."

"I think Paul would disagree. You haven't been in society. Do you know what he's done? He killed twelve vampires on his own with his bare hands in the arena. They kept sending them in, and he kept killing them. The Council was finally forced to concede the battle to a fledgling. It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen."

"Should he have let them kill him?" I asked, getting a little annoyed. "Whatever Danny has done it was to survive. He might be brutal in a fight, but he has to be to survive and protect the ones he loves. He has never hurt me. He would never lock me up to train me or force me to comply."

Kim sat back and looked at me seriously. "I'm sorry if I offended you, but you have to understand the way the majority of vampire society feels about your husband. If you want me to explain how things work, you have to be willing to hear things that won't make you happy."

That was fair. I had to respect her for stating it in plain terms I could understand. "I love Daniel. It's hard to hear how people view him. Please continue."

I looked over at the bar where Neil sat with some fruity drink. He was talking to the bartender, who was naturally a hottie, but I knew all I had to do was whisper and he would be at my side. Neil had been a very good bodyguard/shopping buddy. He'd even kept his promise to Dev, forcing me to buy some of the filthiest lingerie I'd ever seen. I just wondered if I was ever going to get a chance to use it.

"It's been almost a thousand years since anyone saw that sword Daniel carries," Kim explained. "Henri practically shakes when he sees it. It's the official weapon of the Council's Death Machine. Henri wasn't around for the last Nex Apparatus, but the way he talks about it, it's a little like the vampire version of the boogeyman."