"It's wireless," Vincent explained to Mr. Pearlman as he unwrapped the eyeball-shaped baby monitor. "We'll be able to see and hear you without having to invade your privacy."

"How is that not invading my privacy?" Mr. Pearlman snorted his complaint as he ate a spoonful of macaroni and cheese prepared by Nurse Kathy. So far, their relationship was working, with each of them maintaining a balance between stubbornness and compromise.

"You don't want to be lying on the floor for hours like the day Sylvie found you," I said. "This will put my mind at ease and allow you to be alone once in a while. I'm sure you miss that."

Mr. Pearlman offered a non-committal shrug, making me think he didn't miss it.

"I already mentioned to Henry that a medic-alert device was written on his hospital discharge," Nurse Kathy offered from the kitchen. "He can wear it around his neck all the time. Easy as that."

"Great," I said. "We'll do both."

Mr. Pearlman shook his head, looking frustrated but resigned to his fate. He now had an entire family telling him what was best for him, and I knew a small part of him liked the idea.

After installing the robot eye, Vincent suggested BLT's, and we returned home to nourish ourselves. I set to work cooking up bacon while Vincent took a seat at the counter and opened the certified letter. I assumed it had something to do with one of his many enterprises, so I didn't expect him to talk about it.

"Well, the clock is ticking now," he said as he tossed the letter aside. "The council has given us thirty days to enjoy each other's company. If I haven't kicked you out by then, I'm required to abdicate my rights as magister."

"That was quick," I said, feeling the guilt rise like bile in my throat. "I thought we'd have a few years before they started hounding us."

"Well, it may have something to do with the magister responsible for inciting the action. Boris Seacrest's signature is among the others. It looks like he's using his remaining days as magister to throw his weight around."

I stared at Vincent unabashedly, knowing my eyes revealed my guilt. "Can you get me battle-ready in thirty days?"

"Engaging with Deidra will have little effect on the council's decision," he said. "And even then, it's not worth you being injured. I am willing to give up anything to keep you safe and happy, which includes my magister rights."

"But your family depends on you, Vincent. You are magister for a reason."

"I am magister because I'm the eldest."

"And you have built a successful domus around that position. I know you're feeling guilty about us. You want to see little gollums bouncing around the rec room without worrying about some recessive gene that could give them horns."

My voice betrayed me, causing the last word to catch in my throat, and Vincent walked determinedly around the counter to pull me into his chest. "Don't, baby," he said, kissing the top of my head. "I was an arrogant, unhappy son-of-a-bitch after my father died. You have literally brought me back to life. That is something I will always protect."

I stretched onto my toes and kissed his firm chin. "I love you to the moon and back, and I want to give this mating business my best shot, short of having a hysterectomy. I could appeal to the council's ability to adapt. Take Adamo's sexual orientation, for instance..."

Vincent grinned at me. "I hear you, but we're dealing with gollums who don't like to be called-out on their own dogma. If you choose to go that route, you will have to be clever about it."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence," I said, reaching for the tongs to turn the bacon. "I'll just put that on the back burner while we take care of Willem."

"We're taking care of him?"

"Yes. He'll need a place to recover."

"He's a demon. The doctors will proclaim him a superb healer and he'll be walking out of there with a prescription he won't fill."

"But, he and Christoph don't have a place to live."

Vincent leaned against the stove to look at me, putting his black V-neck in danger of a grease stain. "What are you driving at, Reese?"

"I still have my apartment. I could sublease it to them for cheap. There's a clause in the contract."

Vincent cranked his eyebrows all the way up, letting them do the talking.

"Willem is my grandfather," I pointed out. "And he has no means of supporting himself. He's homeless."

"He has Christoph."

"Does he?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way."

"We could help him find a way."

"There's that word 'we' again."

I huffed as I yanked a strip of bacon out of the pan and onto a paper towel. If he wanted to ruin a perfectly good shirt that was fine with me. "You're right. It's absurd of me to ask you to continue helping your enemy."

Vincent stared me down, silent as the grave, boring those gray orbs into me. "It's not just me you need to convince, it's the entire domus. I'm just thinking out loud here, but they might be persuaded to help if they see a benefit."

"I have a feeling you've got a benefit in mind," I said as I pulled lettuce and tomato out of the fridge.

"What if we encouraged Christoph to pledge his loyalty to Hadria and resume his connection with the hive. He will have access to information about Hadria's plans, and he can relay them to the domus."

I gave Vincent a quick survey for seriousness before responding. "You want Christoph to spy for us?"

"Just throwing ideas out there," he said with a wave. "You've become acquainted with him. Would he do it?"

"I don't know. If he thought he would be helping his own, he might. Probably not to help gollums, though."

"But, he would do it for you." Vincent spoke as he unearthed the cutting board from a lower cabinet and set the tomato on it, but I wasn't paying attention to lunch anymore. I was scrutinizing him, hard.

"You would use me as leverage? And don't give me that 'thinking out loud' crap. I hear your thoughts, and they're just as diabolical as a demon queen."

Vincent scowled. "No, they aren't."

"A request like that could break the relationship we already have with Christoph. He'll think I'm using him. Friends don't do that to each other."

"They also don't kidnap each other and kiss lips that don't belong to them."

"So, in retaliation, you want me to exploit Christoph's infatuation with me while the domus keeps tabs on Hadria? Are you sure you want to play that hand?"

"If I could put a stop to your interactions with Christoph right now, I would do it, but this relationship has presented itself and it may be your key to getting into the council's good graces. They like to think they're at the top of the food chain, and having a spy inside a hive would be a boost to their egos."

Who's not diabolical?

"Are you saying I could use my friendship with Christoph to sway the council in our favor?"

"It has a shot."

As his revelation sunk in, I realized I was hyperventilating, and I leaned against the counter, reciting 'Ego in pace' before anger got its talons in me. How did I want to play this? How long could I juggle these two man beasts before a fight broke out?

When the fog cleared, I lifted my head to smirk at Vincent. "A boost to their egos, huh? That's just what those staunch patriarchs need."