After the hearing, everyone was ready to run from the building and never look back. Okay, that was me, but George and his son, Travis, saw a need and decided to join us for our sightseeing tour. Vincent hadn't taken his father's lapel pin out of his pocket, and he kept his hand tucked inside his jacket as we made the chilly walk across the Castelvecchio Bridge.

"It doesn't look as old up close," Griffin said as she touched the red and orange bricks. "I'm sure the original was much prettier."

"You'll like the museum better," Travis told her as he kept a vigil at her shoulder. "My favorite is the sword taken from Castelvecchio's sarcophagus. What's your weapon of choice, Griffin?"

Griffin's face flushed at Travis's question, although I couldn't understand why. They were both gollums. "When I spar, I use my talons more than anything."

"I had you pegged for a talons fighter," he said with a smile. "I saw you clenching your fists during the hearing."

"Oh, that. It's a habit I'm trying to break."

Their banter continued as we made our way to the museum, with Travis keeping Griffin mute for most of it. She was obviously taken by him, which was putting her off her game. When everyone had settled into the quiet murmur of the museum, I took the opportunity to query Vincent.

"How old is Travis?"

"He's fifteen."

"Has Griffin ever had a crush before?"

Vincent looked at me as if he was just realizing why I was questioning him. Then he followed my gaze to Griffin, who huddled next to Travis as they peered through a glass case filled with jewelry. "She and Damon Cromwell have shown an interest in each other."

"Rafael's little brother? Are you sure that's not just puppy love? Look at her, Vincent. She's speechless in Travis's presence. That never happens to Griffin."

"You're right about that. Too bad he lives in San Francisco."

"Well, if George is named high magister, then we can visit more often."

"Do you really want to facilitate a long-distance relationship, Reese? When Griffin comes of age, she will have to make the choice to leave her domus. It could be a harsh blow if she has to tell him no."

When Vincent finished his speech, I remembered the letter I'd found under the nightstand, illustrating just how harsh a blow like that can be. My pensive silence must have alerted him.

"No, I don't regret my relationship with Angelique," he said as he tipped my chin up to capture me. "She helped make me the tolerable gollum I am today. Before her, I was all beast. You wouldn't have given me the time of day."

Vincent took my hand and held it for the rest of the museum tour. Afterwards, we ate lunch at a place George recommended overlooking the Adige River. Here, Griffin found herself again, and she talked through the entire meal. When the sky grew dark, we parted with George and Travis and made for the airport.

On the flight to London, Griffin had gone quiet again, occupying herself with looking out the window. Of course, there was nothing to see but black sky and faraway stars. Was she thinking about Travis? Did she want to be out there, flying into his arms?

Vincent patted my leg. "Why don't you rest, Reese?"

"Not a fan of airplanes, remember? I need to be awake in case we careen toward the ground."

"You know I would never let you go down with the plane." He offered a covert smile as he dove in for a kiss. I knew he could save me from a fiery plane crash. Hell, I could probably save myself. But what about everyone else?

"Let's say you were elected high magister," I said, avoiding sleep and the topic of crashing. "Would you take the position?"

"That was George's doing. He told me he was going to nominate me."

"It wasn't just George's nomination, though. Someone else did it too."

"I'm guessing it was Rudolph letting George sucker him into it. Their fathers have been tight since before George was born. And the probability that I'll get elected is very low."

"Even a low probability is still a probability."

He slipped into contemplative mode, which always made me nervous, but he seemed non-plussed as his hand came to rest on my leg again. "Having two nominations means nothing, Reese. My name will only appear on the ballot once."

"So, if you were elected by some twist of fate, would you accept the position?" I pinned him with the question, watching for tells in his body language. He pulled it off brilliantly, answering without pause.

"I would have to at least consider it, but I'm not interested in the position." A smile warmed his face, bringing my favorite Vincent back to me. "You and our child are my first priority. Never doubt that."

~ ~ ~

We arrived in London at midnight and were greeted by a cold drizzle. The slick roads and chatty cabbie made me nauseous, and when we landed inside The Savoy hotel lobby, I had to excuse myself to the bathroom, pretending I needed to pee. Fortunately, I had the place to myself for a few minutes while I threw-up airplane pretzels.

After the fun was over, I rinsed well and popped a mint into my mouth, making sure Vincent wouldn't notice. As I left the bathroom, I collided with a man who appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry," I said, glancing at the man's face as he stumbled out of my way. He looked paler than a ghost, and he blinked in surprise, as if he recognized me. But he didn't say a word as he staggered into the bathroom. Probably drunk and planning to do the same thing I'd just done.

"Reese. Are you alright?" Vincent showed up, startling me worse than the drunk had.

"Geez, Vincent. You're going to give me a heart attack. I'm just fine."

"I saw that guy run into you. What did he say?"

"Nothing. I think he was drunk. His face was pretty pale."

"Yeah, I noticed that too. C'mon, I've got room service making us food."

Ugh. Food sounded like a terrible idea, but I was eating for two now. So, I plastered a smile on my face and let Vincent usher me through the lobby, although he seemed distracted as he glanced in the direction of the bathrooms while we waited with Griffin at the elevators. He probably wanted to punch that poor drunk in the face for running into his pregnant wife.

Inside the suite, Griffin quickly took up a position in front of the window, spreading the curtains wide to reveal a sweeping view of London. Thankfully, she was back to her usual curious, bright-eyed self as she stared outside. "You can see the London Eye from here. And Big Ben, too. Did you choose this room on purpose, Vincent?"

"I believe all the suites have reasonable views, but I knew this particular room captured most of the highlights."

"Is that because you've stayed in this room before?" she asked.

"Several times." Vincent spoke as he walked into our bedroom with the suitcase. "I'll take you to the Queen's Chapel in the morning. The stained glass is some of the nicest I've seen."

"Really? I love stained glass."

"I know."

Vincent's voice echoed out of the room, and I thought it was cute how he knew what Griffin liked, although another part of me wondered who Vincent brought to The Savoy all those other times. Lovers? Paris was only two-and-a-half hours away by train.

Room service arrived, and I picked my way through the meal without drawing attention to the fact that I was barely keeping the Shepard's pie down. Then Griffin had us pouring over haunted tour brochures for a solid hour. By the time Vincent and I escaped to our room for a nap, I was barely able to keep my eyelids open.

I yawned as Vincent crawled onto the bed next to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I was actually hoping he would let me sleep, although he did look nice in his Ralph Lauren flannel pants and nothing else.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, pairing his loaded question with a gaze I couldn't escape.

"Tired," I answered honestly.

"You only hate half of your dinner."

"That was enough food for Shrek and his ogre children. I'm sure I'll feel better after I get some sleep."

"So, you are sick? What's wrong?"

"I'm not sick, I just feel off, that's all. Blame it on hormones."

He pressed his cheek to my forehead as he pulled me closer. "I believe what they say about Couvade Syndrome."

"Couvade Syndrome?"

"When the father-to-be experiences the same pregnancy symptoms as his mate. I haven't felt like myself since we found out you were pregnant."

I grinned at him, loving how honest he could be about his weaknesses. "That's because you have no control over the situation. Someone else is in charge of nurturing your child. Don't worry, Vincent. Not a minute passes that I don't think about our baby."

"And I'm sure being responsible for nurturing our child freaks you out. I would be surprised if it didn't." He pampered me with more kisses as he spoke against my skin. "I need to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Did you recognize the man who ran into you outside the bathroom?"

"No. Should I have?"

"Not necessarily, but I did. I saw him on the Castelvecchio bridge in Verona."

"What makes you think it's the same guy?"

"He had the pallor of a demon, but when I got close, I couldn't smell him. So, I just played it off as a guy who looked like he needed to visit the ER."

"Gollums are pretty pale themselves."

"I would have sensed a gollum."

What was he getting at? Did he think the guy had followed us? "I don't know, Vincent. He just looked sick to me."

"I agree with you there, but not just sick... I sensed death on him."

I forced my exhausted eyelids open, giving Vincent my full attention. "Death? What are you saying? Do you think we should check the lobby bathroom to make sure he's not lying in a pool of his vomit?"

"No. I think he was already dead. The walking dead. You told me he didn't speak to you. I don't think that's something the dead are good at. And I didn't smell demon on him because it was covered by the scent of death."

"C'mon, Vincent. Just say the word. Zombie. You think he's a zombie demon because of rumors spread by demon queens who hate us." Of course, I was using sarcasm. I didn't want to believe there was a zombie keeping tabs on us. How creepy was that?

"I know I sound insane," he said. "But I'm not blaming this on baby syndromes. This is coming from my gut. I want you to commit that man's face to memory and keep a lookout for him. Cropped blond hair, black jacket."

"I got it, but let's not be paranoid around Griffin. I don't want her distracted from having fun." I burrowed my head into his chest, hoping the zombie subject was closed. I didn't need his paranoia keeping me awake. "I'm looking forward to a little ghost action, actually."

"Really? When was the last time you had some ghost action?" He chuckled smoothly and threaded his leg through mine, bringing his thigh to rest against my sex. The heat rushed to greet him as my body reacted to his touch.

"I don't remember any ghosts, but I do remember a stud with an impressive wing span."

"A stud?" He leaned in and caught my lips in a tender kiss, drawing more heat from my body. The next thing I knew, I was grinding against his leg as I felt the build-up. But I was so tired.

Vincent continued to sample my skin, giving no regard to my closed eyelids and lethargic state. He made his way determinedly down my body, disappearing beneath the covers to relish his tongue on my belly, dipping into my navel and cooling my skin with his breath. Gently, he tugged at the seam of my panties to get beneath it with his tongue. I felt his moan rumble through his chest, and, a moment later, his head emerged from the covers.

"You're hot, baby."

"So are you."

"No. You're feverish down there."

"Well, I feel fine down there. And you are free to continue what you were doing as long as you don't mind if I fall asleep."

"I would love to, as long as you let me take your temperature." I felt his large palm come to rest on my forehead, and I finally opened my eyes. The poor guy looked so intense.

"Gollums tolerate extremes really well. I heard that from someone who should know." I smiled, hoping it would soothe him. "Of course, if it will help you relax, feel free to climb out of this nice, cozy bed and fetch the thermometer."

"Are you taunting me, wife?"

"No. I'm trying to sleep." I closed my eyes again and felt the vibrato of his grumble as he ducked back under the covers. And while I happily enjoyed his sensual ministrations, he put aside his paranoia to enjoy them with me.