Daniel

"Are the cameras set up?" I asked Matt about it as he worked on the computers. I watched the screens come to life before me, showing every angle of the bedroom. While I felt guilty for invading her privacy, I needed to know the extent of my mother's compulsion on Serenity.

"Yeah, but I gotta say, man, I'm not thrilled with spying on my friend, especially in the shower." The scowl on his face accented his protest.

"Neither am I, but all it takes is a moment alone for Mother to contact her," I reminded him. "She's still resistant to letting Garen and I stay in the room with her at night. The best we can manage is to stay on the couch after she's asleep."

"Fuck, I can't even imagine how hard it is. When Susan and I realized our bond, it was all we could do to make it to a private area," Matt blushed.

I made a grunting response. It had been months since the mark formed and from what Garen had explained, his was shortly after mine. The longer we went without sealing the bond, the harder it became for me to maintain control over my beast. Garen was short-tempered on the best of days, and downright murderous on the worst ones. Neither of us had been able to focus on work, leaving much to Evan and Riley as they tried to conceal our absences. We still hadn't determined who Mother's spy was.

"They called again," Garen announced as he stepped into the small surveillance room. His eyes drifted to the middle screen, which displayed our love lying in bed, her chest rising and falling softly as she slept. He continued, "Susan took the call. She says they're demanding she attend the board session on Thursday; otherwise, they'll terminate the exchange contract and force her to return."

"Fuck the contract, she doesn't need the damn job anyway," I growled.

"Yeah, I know that, but does she?" he countered. "If we don't tell her, she'll blame us. It has to be her decision."

"Fine." I watched her shift in her sleep, a frown creasing her forehead. "Wait, something isn't right."

Garen leaned in taking note of the shifts in her body. "Fuck, dream magic," he cursed.

I placed my hand on his arm, "Go. Maybe with physical contact you can see what she's seeing. I'll deal with Caffrey & Dahl." He searched my face for hesitation, then nodded and practically ran to her room. Matt and I watched as he gently lifted the covers and slid behind her, his arm wrapping around her waist. I saw him speak, but the words were too soft even for my hearing, then his head dropped to the pillow beside her, his eyes now white as he traveled into her dreams.

Garen

 "I'm with you, my love. You may not see me, but know that I am with you. I love you, Serenity," I whispered, pressing my lips to her head. Then, I felt the magic pull me in. I found myself in a quiet forest outside a small cabin. I could hear her laughter as it floated through the window. Creeping closer, I peeked inside. She sat at a table with an older couple I didn't recognize.

They ate and talked as I watched in confusion. "So how's that young man of yours treating you, Daniel isn't it?" the man asked her.

Her cheeks flushed, "Yes, and he treats me wonderfully, Papa. Things have just been, well different." Wait, Papa? I thought her parents had died when she was young?

"Different how, dear?" the woman asked, setting a glass of something before her. Serenity's eyes glazed for a moment as she stared at the swirling liquid. "Go on, drink up. It's your favorite." Nodding, she lifted to her mouth as the woman had suggested. Her hands trembled as she seemed to force herself to drink. I pushed down a growl as I saw the red stain on her lips when she'd finished - they're using blood magic on her. "Good job, dear, now tell us all about your Daniel."

Serenity began telling them about how he had found her and now she was staying at the mansion with him. Oddly enough, she never mentioned me and since they had no idea of our bond, they didn't ask. Garen, please, help me. I choked when I heard her voice in my mind. It was faint, but it was there.

I'm here love. Feel my arms around you and come back to me, to us, I encouraged her softly, never taking my eyes off her. She stood from the table, her "parents" looking at her strangely. "Mama, Papa, I need some fresh air." They exchanged concerned looks, but didn't stop her.

As she reached for the door handle, the man spoke, "Forget us again, Serenity." Her eyes rolled back in her head and suddenly we were back in the bed as she jolted upright, eyes frantically searching the room until they landed on me.

"Garen? Wh...what are you doing in my bed?" she stammered, scooting back to put distance between us.

"Do you remember your dream, Serenity? You asked for my help."

Tears sprang to her eyes, "No...no I didn't, I don't. What is going on?" she cried, ripping at her hair.

Without hesitation, I grabbed her, tugging her hands free and holding her to me tightly. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe now."

I pressed kisses to the top of her head as she sobbed, finally croaking out, "What do you mean now?" I let out a contemplative sigh, then explained what I'd witnessed. She lifted her fingertips to her lips as if trying to feel the drink that had stained them. "Was it real? Did I really drink blood?"

"Not just now, but I think you must have been fed blood while you were missing. That would explain why I couldn't break into your memories. A blood bond is almost impenetrable, especially when you don't know what to look for - or who."

"You think it's Daniel's mother, don't you?" she asked, meeting my gaze.

"Most likely," I admitted. "Keeping you in her thrall makes you the perfect spy and weapon. What I don't understand is the ruse with your parents."

Her shoulders sagged, "I do. It's the perfect way to make me feel safe. Deep inside I'm still the little girl that longs for her parents and the home I lost. The description you gave of the cabin was exactly what it looked like. But how would she know?" I frowned, asking myself the same thing. A yawn slipped from her pouty lips and I started to stand up, but she grabbed my hand. "Stay, please. I...I'm afraid it will happen again."

Smiling at her, I pulled her against me, her cheek resting on my chest. "I'll always stay. If you'll allow us, Daniel and I can take turns sleeping with you, or we can both sleep in here."

****

"Where is she now?" Daniel asked after I'd explained what happened.

"In the sunroom with Susan and Matt. The two of them forgot to tell her about their bond and now she wants all the details," I chuckled. "Who knows, maybe it will help ease her fears about us."

"I can only hope," he groaned, "I'm barely hanging on by a thread." I nodded in agreement. "We need to tell her about the meeting."

"What meeting?" her soft voice asked as she stepped into the room.

Daniel held out his hands to her, "Come, my love." She fell into his arms and lap as she giggled. "Now, I need you to listen before you get upset. Your firm is demanding you return for another quarterly meeting. Garen and I aren't fond of the idea."

"But what about my job?" she asked, looking between us.

"You don't need the program to continue working at Iten, darling," I explained. "Our attorneys assure us you can leave without consequence, but the decision is yours alone."

She bit her bottom lip as she thought about our words. "How will we learn what they're after if I don't go?" she finally whispered.

"I fear we won't learn even if you go. They're working with my mother or another powerful vampire. You still have no memory of what happened at the last meeting nor what drove you to leave. I can't bear the thought of you vanishing again," Daniel sighed. "If you insist on going, at least let one of us accompany you."

"Wait, you said they I didn't mention our bond," she pointed out, looking at me. "Can you keep it hidden if you come with me? They already know about Daniel and I, obviously, but if you're there, will they know?"

A grin spread over my face, "I think I can manage to fool them."

"Can you fool my mother?" Daniel interjected.

I snorted, "I've been fooling her for years. If she had any clue of my true powers, she would have killed me off ages ago."