Harry stares at the back wall and ignores the comments and threats being directed at him. It's really petty and annoying and he doesn't particularly feel like being 'reprimanded' for temporarily putting anyone to sleep before the council meeting.

The only reason that they're holding this meeting in the first place is because he slept with Katerina and everyone is livid. They act as if it's something that he hasn't done before—something that none of them have done themselves—and it pisses him off.

So what if he slept with her? He has a tendency to sleep with whoever he's feeding off of and it doesn't go against the Edict. For fucks sake, everyone in the room sleeps with the people they feed off of, some more than others.

Katerina is different, and he understands that, but to call a council meeting because he slept with her is beyond ridiculous. Granted, he knows that they're also here because they know that she knows their secret.

Really, that isn't even his fault. It's Felix and Hunter's faults because they're the ones that tried to attack her in the middle of the sidewalk. She never would've known if they hadn't decided that they wanted to be complete idiots.

The room falls silent and Harry draws his eyes to the center where Alistair sits with two other elders at his side.

Alistair wears the ghost of a smile as he meets Harry's eyes. "Ah, it looks like you've decided to attend after all."

Harry grits his teeth before flashing Alistair a smile, his fangs on clear display because he knows that it pisses him off when he does that. "Wouldn't miss it."

He receives a glare in response, but nothing more is said about his attendance. It was really all for show because they had bets going that he wasn't going to show up because he was too busy watching over his food.

Everyone knows that council is mandatory and the penalty for missing isn't very pleasant at all. Harry thinks that it's rather amusing that they believed he'd be stupid enough to skip out and spend ten years in exile without any food source.

Granted, it would provide him with ample opportunity to decide to finally end it all or not, but he's not worried about that anymore. He's worried about keeping Katerina safe.

She didn't choose to be in the middle of this, he chose that for her without intending to and he's not going to let her take the fall because he decided to open his heart again.

"As you all know; we've got a bit of a dilemma on our hands. Our very own Mr. Styles has managed to accumulate a human that cannot be compelled. Not only that, but Mr. Geswich and Mr. Cannery have taken it upon themselves to publicly attack her and give her the knowledge of our kind in return. And to top it off, we cannot touch her because, as Mr. Styles continues to point out, she's protected by the Edict."

There are a few outbursts and a few pieces of furniture are knocked over as some take it upon themselves to stand and take up an aggressive stance.

Harry sits calmly in his seat and watches as Alistair throws around his power to make everyone sit down and listen.

Someone is still a little pissy and takes the moment of resumed silence to speak her mind. "And how the hell is she protected by the Edict if she's putting all of us at risk?"

Anastasia.

She's had a bit of a grudge towards Harry since he ended their little fling a couple of centuries earlier. He was bored playing around with humans and wanted to try one of his own kind and she was up for the task.

It's too bad that she grew too attached for his liking. He thought that she was wonderful in bed, and her body was certainly something to enjoy, but she was too sentimental and she didn't mean it when she said that she understood that they were in a purely sexual relationship.

Long story short, he broke her heart and she hates him.

Alistair is formulating an answer that will satisfy everyone, but Harry's already got one and he beats him to it. "Katerina is protected by the Edict because I still feed on her and she's protected until I stop feeding on her for a straight month. I'm the only one allowed to harm her at the present moment."

He doesn't mention the part about facing punishment if the Edict is broken because everyone knows what happens when it's broken.

Alistair nods in Harry's direction and folds his hands together on top of the table. "Exactly. Which brings up the question of what should be done about the matter now that she's aware of her special immunity to compulsion and now that she's aware of us."

John speaks next, his voice calm and quiet. "We've decided that there are only two options at our disposal. Since the Edict cannot be tampered with, the two options are limited to Mr. Styles and we have the authority to impose them on him."

Clause finishes for him, "You either kill her, or turn her. There is no middle option and you must do one or the other. She puts us all at risk and you are the cause. If you are not willing to comply with either of the two options, Alistair is willing to accept punishment for breaking the Edict to protect our kind."

Harry shoots out of his seat. His chair flies into the wall and the wood cracks, shattering into a thousand tiny shards as it makes contact with the cement wall. His hands smack against the smooth surface of the table and the sound echoes.

Everyone is taken aback by his outburst. He's been so calm this entire time and they didn't expect him to snap considering that he already knew what the council was called for.

"You can't do that! It's not just about us! We were them once! Are you really so old that you don't remember!? For fucks sake, Clause, you were there when Thomas turned me! You were all there when I snapped and left a trail of blood across the world! Is that what you want? Another death and another serial killer? How is that going to help anything?"

The three Elders don't even blink. Alistair takes up answering his questions because he's the one that will take responsibility if he can't perform either option.

"It isn't a question of memory, Harry. This isn't just about you, it's about all of us. By keeping her alive or in her human state, you're risking our safety and the pact that we made not to massacre the human race. We are well aware of the outcomes of either decision, but it needs to be done. If you choose to run her, we'll provide you with sufficient means to prevent a repeat of your actions. Times have changed, Harry. These are your only choices and you must accept one of them. Kill her, turn her, or ruin me forever. You brought this upon yourself."

Harry lifts his hands to his face and sighs deeply. None of this was ever supposed to happen. How is he supposed to choose when either way it means killing Katerina? She shouldn't have to face death because he decided to feed off of her and because he couldn't stay away. She wasn't given a choice because he chose for her. And now they're asking him to do it again.

He removes his hands and runs a hand through his hair, "At least give me some time. She deserves some sort of a choice since I never gave her one in the first place. Have some compassion, we were all human once and we all had that ripped away from us."

The three share a look while everyone else stares at Harry. Elders can communicate to each other using telepathy without a blood link and he hates that because he'd rather hear what they have to say for himself.

Alistair sighs and looks at him sternly, "You have four days to decide. I expect an answer by then or I will take matters into my own hands. Council dismissed."

Harry stalks out of the building, breaking furniture and anything he can find as he goes. Four days isn't enough. He's already responsible for the death of his first lover and he's not entirely sure that he can handle being responsible for the second.

By the time that he contains his rage, Katerina's already at home and in bed.

She isn't asleep when he shows up at her window and she's surprised to see him so soon. A gentle smile finds her lips as she unlocks her window and lets him in.

Her smile drops the moment that she sees how taught his facial features are and the red surrounding his eyes.

"We need to talk."