Magnus stared at me for a moment before the questions came. "Who do you work for?" 

"You mean who created me?" I asked dryly, but he remained calm. 

"No, who do you work for?" 

"Les Mites." 

He nodded briefly and extended his hand, "Come." 

"I can't just—" 

"You're outside your district, Dominic; out here, you have to obey me," he interrupted with a smile on his lips and his hand still extended toward me. 

I bit my lip and glanced back at the car where Max and Œil were waiting for me. A nod from me, and they backed out of the street and drove away. When I knew all eyes were gone, I took a hesitant step forward and placed my hand in his. We walked in silence, and I prepared a dozen answers to any questions I suspected I would get, all while he led me through streets and neighborhoods I had never seen before.

 "Thirteen months, kid," he finally said. 

"Are you keeping track?" I grinned. 

He chuckled. "Apparently." He took a moment to glance at me from head to toe. "I thought you had gone home," he mumbled before turning his gaze forward again. 

We walked in silence for a while longer before I answered him, but the silence between us felt soothing in a way. "I found her," I mumbled, looking down at my feet as they trudged after his long strides. 

"The girl?" 

I nodded, feeling my voice crack when I opened my mouth, "She worked at a blood center." 

"I'm sorry," he replied softly, squeezing my hand. 

"I managed to convince her to quit, but she had signed a contract," I continued, shaking my head. 

"They found you," he guessed, and I nodded. 

As we turned right and entered a new street, I immediately began to recognize my surroundings. We were close to his house. Finally, we stepped onto the porch, and Magnus took a key from his beige corduroy pants and turned the lock. I studied his back; the white cotton shirt fit perfectly over his muscular frame. Damn, he was so totally different from all the pale, whiny vampires I was forced to associate with. 

"What happened next?" he asked as we stepped into the hallway and he closed the door behind us. 

"I told her to go home, and then I offered myself—" I paused and looked up into his eyes, "I offered myself as payment." 

Magnus let out a deep sigh and pulled me so tightly to him that my face pressed against his chest muscles. "He got a lot more than he bargained for."

 "What do you mean?" I asked, a bit shocked by his sudden embrace. 

His chin rested against my head, and I felt his breath against my short hair. "I've heard rumors about the new guy." 

"Oh really," I mumbled uncertainly. 

He sighed and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "You should have gone home and let me handle it," he whispered softly, with no judgment or accusation in his voice. 

"It is what it is," I mumbled against his shirt, fighting against my feelings. 

"Do you want coffee?"

 "What?" 

He chuckled and walked toward the kitchen, "Do you want coffee?" 

I stared at him in confusion. "Shouldn't you be locking me up or something?"

 He shrugged. "We'll see." The lion moved homey toward the kitchen and began pulling out coffee beans and mugs from the cabinets. "So you're one of us now." 

I sat down at the kitchen table and leaned back in the chair. "I guess so." 

"Must be tough," he said, glancing at me from the corner of his eye as he poured the ground coffee into a filter. 

"Let me do that," I said, nodding at the coffee maker. 

"Next time," he grinned, sitting down across from me with his legs stretched out and arms crossed over his chest. "So how are you?" 

I frowned, "Is it the Guardian asking or the guy who fucked me?" 

He studied me quietly for a while, "You've changed." 

I licked my lower lip and nodded, "I know." 

"For the worse," he pointed out. 

"Are you sure about that?" I asked defiantly, but he remained calm. 

He nodded slightly. "It's time to let the feelings come through, Dominic." 

"Why? It's easier this way!" I snapped, looking down. 

Slowly, he leaned over the table, resting all his weight on his forearms, and clasped his hands in front of him. His long hair fell over his arms as he smiled at me. "Because otherwise you'll soon lose all your humanity." 

"And why would I want to be human?" 

"Do you want to live as a cold-blooded, emotionless killing machine for hundreds of years? Does that sound like a wonderful future?" he asked seriously, yet with a tone of irony. 

"Maybe." 

"Okey then," he said, shrugging as he stood up to fill two cups with the fragrant drink. 

"There are hardly any other options. Valec says—" 

"Valec!" he laughed, causing the coffee to almost spill out of the cup he handed me. "Valec is the most emotionless idiot of them all. Of course, he doesn't want you to care about the poor souls you're supposed to kill for him." 

"He's my creator," I muttered sourly. 

"My condolences," he replied with a grin. 

"Thanks?" I took a big gulp of coffee and let the familiar drink spread a sense of pleasure through my body. 

"See, you love coffee," he smiled, "and you surely have some favorite song you miss, or a person you long for." 

"No," I insisted, but he saw right through me. 

"You're lying." 

I took another sip and felt my body relax as the worry lines smoothed out on my forehead. "Is this some form of therapy session to make me realize that I don't want to be like the infamous triplets?" 

"Kind of," he grinned, sitting on the kitchen table diagonally across from me. 

With a sigh, I stood up and faced him. I hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the coffee cup, wondering what magical powders he had poured into the drink. Because I was starting to feel warm and happy inside. The realization that he was right began to gnaw at me, and I had my suspicions about what would help. 

"I've thought about you a lot." 

His one eyebrow lifted along with the corner of his mouth in a questioning smile, "Oh really?" 

I pulled a strand of hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear with my fingertips. "You're kind of... hard to forget." 

"Good," he grinned, grabbing my hips and pulling me closer. Instinctively, my lips sought his in a longing kiss. Finally, I got to feel those soft curls between my fingers again and the safety of his arms.  "You can stay here for a few days." 

"Is that standard when you capture a troublemaker?" I smirked. 

He shook his head and sighed. "Standard is that you get to sit in the tower for a while." 

"The tower? Is it a prison?" 

He nodded, running his thumb over my cheek, "Something like that." He sighed heavily and pulled me into his arms again. "I'm taking a risk, Dominic—so please don't leave the house. Okay?" 

I nodded against his shoulder but couldn't help but ask, "Why?" 

"So no one sees you." 

I laughed, "I got that, but why are you treating me differently?" 

Two large hands gently cupped my cheeks as he looked me in the eyes. "Ever since the day you sat on my lap at the bar and looked at me with those pleading eyes, I knew I wanted you. That I needed you." 

That was all I needed to hear. So I stayed. After the 'therapy session,' we avoided all talk about the future and about life outside, just living on in our rosy dream. Always close to each other. Magnus radiated a kind of warmth that I hadn't felt in a long time, and I no longer had to think of all the death and misery I had caused. He was the missing piece I didn't know I was missing.

I spent two weeks in his arms before I had to leave the cabin and return to my pitch-black life.

"Damn, Loyson, you look good," Max called after me as I stepped through the door. 

 "Don't look so surprised." 

 "Two weeks in the tower usually has the opposite effect," Œil insisted, examining me and clearly impressed. 

 I shrugged to show that I didn't want to talk about it and hoped to avoid more questions. Valec had insisted that I come by the office, and now I stood outside waiting to be let in. I had reluctantly left the cozy little cabin with its constantly pleasant sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window and the sweet scent of freshly ground coffee. The house was obviously magical, and no one would find it unless they were invited—a major perk of being a Guardian. 

 With a sigh, I closed my eyes and dreamt myself back to the white fluffy pillows and blonde, tousled hair that smelled of forest mixed with honey. 

 "Dominic." It felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over me when I heard his voice. "Join me." 

 "Thanks, Valec," I replied politely as I stepped into his office. 

 "Sit down." I did as he said, settling into the chair he pointed to, propping one foot on my thigh before lighting a cigarette. "How are you?" 

 "Okay," I answered briefly. He studied me for a long time, and I met his gaze with a questioning raised eyebrow. "I don't want to talk about it." 

 "I understand," he replied coldly, "but I want to know what you answered to their questions."

 "They already knew who I worked for," I said, trying to remember what Magnus and I had agreed on. 

 "Of course," he scoffed. 

 "I said it was all a misunderstanding." His gaze pierced through me, and I could see that he didn't believe my words, but I didn't back down. "They won't be as lenient next time." 

 "No," he sighed, fiddling with one of his gold rings, "that's why you need to lay low for a while and gather information for me." 

 "About?" 

 "Séjours de nuit." 

 I shivered when I heard the name; the only thing I knew about that group was that no one meddled in their affairs. No one. So why the hell was Valec asking me to take on this suicide mission? "What do you want to know?" 

 "Everything," he grinned slyly, "and Dominic, this stays between us." 

 I nodded, "so I'm working alone."

 "Exactly." 

 I reached forward and stubbed out my cigarette in the gold-colored ashtray before standing up. "Was that all?" 

 With a smile, he stepped closer to me and kissed my cheek, "I'm glad you're back." 

 I nodded a few times but decided to remain silent. His fingertips moved over my cheek and down along my tattooed neck, making my skin prickle. "Don't disappoint me again," he whispered, his lips close to my ear. "Everyone is replaceable, mon chére. Even you." 

 "I know, Valec," I replied quietly, lowering my gaze, "I won't make the same mistake again." 

 He nodded approvingly and stroked his thumb over my chin. I watched with eager eyes as he bit into his ring finger, and my heart skipped a few beats when a drop of blood welled up from his pale skin. He brushed his fingertip against my lips, and I lightly dragged my tongue over the droplet, instantly feeling a jolt of new energy pulsing through me. My muscles felt stronger, and my senses became more alert. 

 "You looked like you needed it," he grinned slyly as he took a step back. 

 "Thanks," I mumbled, gripping the back of the chair to steady myself and ride out the sudden rush. 

 "Welcome home, my son."