Re-United - 1. Chapter 1

I stared at George as the full implication of his words registered. Appalled, I asked, “You want me to change an infant? Didn’t you tell me that his chance of surviving my changing him is less than one in three? How could you even ask me to consider this?”

George ignored me and said, “Mike, we will call you back if Greg still wants to pursue custody; otherwise, I ask you to forget this call. Can you do that?”

Without hesitation, Mike said, “I don’t know what call you’re talking about, George. I’ll wait to hear from Greg.”

Even though I didn’t know what was happening, Mike’s loyalty touched me. If it were ever proved that he ‘forgot’ a conversation, he could be disbarred. By doing this, he was risking everything, for me, for Dad.

George then looked around the room and said, “You will all give us the room, please. Greg, Scott,” he paused and thought a moment, “and Billy remain. The rest of you occupy yourselves but please do not leave the grounds. Thomas and Frederick, guard my doors and block your ears; understand?”

Tommy and Frederick immediately snapped to attention, bowed from the waist, and said, “Yes, Your Highness.”

James gave George a look as if to ask if he could stay, but George gave him a curt shake of the head. James replied with a bow from the neck and left with the others. When we were alone, George sat on the sofa facing me. Scott and Billy sat on either side of me.

“Greg, do you trust me?”

“With my life, My Prince.”

He shook his head and said, “No, Greg, not your prince. I need to know if you’ve come to trust me, the man, in our short time together.”

I bit my lip and considered every interaction I’d had with George since I first heard his name. He showed an interest in me before I was changed. He supported me, without question, the day I was changed. Without hesitation, he offended a baron of his to provide me with transportation when my father was injured. He welcomed me into his home when he could have put us in a hotel. He provided us with vehicles and drivers when he could have left us to hire them from an outside source. He returned from Seattle early to give me emotional support. And most telling, he told me his true age; I doubted many vampires alive knew that fact.

I slowly nodded as I said, “My answer only changes in the address, George. I trust you with my life.”

He smiled, then looked at Billy. “I won’t ask Scott that question because I already know; where Greg goes, so goes Scott. So, Billy; same question.”

Billy didn’t hesitate. “You’ve done things that no prince would do for a mere baron, George. You’ve shown Greg sincere concern during a horrible time in his life. You’ve opened your home, and more so, your life, to all of us. And I would venture to guess that there are more people in this room who are aware of your age than there are outside of this room. Yes, George; like Greg, I trust you with my life.”

“And this trust, is it strong enough to trust me if I withhold information for reasons I won’t explain right now?”

I looked at Scott and saw him raise his eyebrows, seeming to say it was my call. When I looked at Billy, he gave me a similar look. I turned back to George and said, “It is. And I want to be clear: we have not spoken mind-to-mind since you cleared the room. I didn’t want to influence anyone’s answers.”

George smiled. “I assumed as much, Greg. Your integrity wouldn’t allow you to hide something like that.”

“Now that we’ve established that we trust you, I’ll risk offending you by asking you the same. Although the fact that we’re having this conversation has already answered it.”

“I am not offended, and yes, this conversation would tend to answer your question, but I will say it so there’s no doubt. I trust the three of you with my life. We’ve traveled a long way for me to make one simple statement, Greg.” George leaned in and looked into my eyes. “You will not kill that child if you change him. In fact, I doubt you’ll ever fail to successfully change someone.”

I sat back and considered what he was saying, and, more importantly, what he was not saying. I had told him that I trusted him, even if he withheld information. It was now time to, as my dad used to say, ‘shit or get off the pot.’ I smiled at this thought, and George smiled back.

“Something triggered a good thought about your dad, I think?”

I nodded. “It did.”

“Then I’m happy I could trigger a smile about him today, of all days.”

I sighed. “Alright, George. I won’t ask why you’re so sure, but I will ask why I would do it and how. I don’t mean the actual process, although I’m not entirely sure of that; I mean, how would I explain his growth? How would I get custody? If I’m going to go through that battle, why change him once I have him?”

“It’s complicated, Greg, so I’ll make it as simple as I can, and you can ask for deeper explanations of any points you feel you need to. Fair?” he replied.

We all nodded, so he explained. “I’ll start with the how because it involves facts. The why involves emotions and will require discussion. We start with the fact that this boy is in the NICU,” he noticed my confused look and said, “Sorry, NICU is the acronym for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.” I nodded, so he continued. “The boy is in the NICU, and as such, his death would be much easier for us to fake. Once he’s out of there, we can still do it, but the longer we wait, the more records the human world generates that we would have to go back and erase. Right now, we can have him die in the NICU, or a bit more complicated but still easy; we can change the records to reflect that he died at birth. With a little more effort, we could completely erase his existence, but that would involve his mother’s medical records and increase the odds of later questions. That, in general, answers the question of ‘how.’

“Like I said, the why becomes an emotional issue that you and Scott need to weigh and decide. A human infant in the home of a vampire, even worse, a baron, becomes a tool that your enemies can use to manipulate you for their own goals. Imagine if I wanted you to do something; how simple would it be for me to kidnap the child and threaten his life if you didn’t do as I ask? What wouldn’t you do to protect him?” I started to argue, but he cut me off. “I know, I could do the same to Scott, but Scott is a vampire. He can fight back; he can survive things that a human child never could. Starve him for a week? Beat him? Break his bones? Scott will heal; the child will die.

“A human child in a vampire home would be disconnected from his own kind. As he grew, he would realize he was different. You grew up knowing you were different from other boys; how did that make you feel? I bet you felt isolated and afraid. Afraid of discovery; afraid of retaliation from those who didn’t understand. Your human child will feel that same fear and won’t have the maturity to understand it. Until he grows enough to understand that daddy has a secret that, if revealed, would cost him his life, he might expose our world with an innocent talk with a friend at school.”

I tried to focus on his words as George said all of this. I tried to put myself in the shoes of this human child, having to keep a secret that he couldn’t understand. Having to watch his words around his friends; never able to give them his trust. I realized that I had tears in my eyes as I pictured an eight-year-old child feeling isolated from the world.

George nodded. “I see you’re understanding what I’m saying.”

“I should ignore him and let him be adopted then, rather than risk—”

“There is no risk, Greg. None. Zero. I know it.” George stated with conviction.

“But you won’t tell me why—”

“I can’t, Greg. Not yet. You simply have to trust me.”

I turned to Scott. He took my hand and said, “I will support whatever you choose, Greg. If you think he’s better in the human world, then let him go. If you want to raise him as human, I’ll raise our human son. If you want to change him, I’ll take turns feeding him.”

“But you won’t offer your opinion on which is the right choice?” I asked.

“I won’t. I will say that if George says he’s certain there’s no risk, then there’s no risk. I agree with some of his reasoning for changing him, but it must be your decision.”

I turned to Billy and found him shaking his head. “I agree with everything Scott just said, Greg. If you decide to raise a human child, I will protect him with my life, but I won’t offer my opinion on something that is between you and your mate.”

I turned back to George and asked, “And if I say I want to change him, when will I see him? And when would I do it?”

“If you want him and are certain you’re going to change him, I can have him here within the hour. Keep in mind, if we do that, he will no longer exist on human records. If you change your mind about changing him, you’ll have an infant with no birth certificate, and we’ll have a difficult time resolving that. Not impossible, mind you, just difficult. As far as when you actually do it, there’s no rush, but the earlier you do, the more he will benefit from his feedings.”

I leaned back and rubbed my temples with the heels of my hands. I did trust George, so I knew the boy would survive the change, but it still involved killing him; could I do that? His arguments about his safety were valid, and I could relate to the feelings of isolation he would go through, having to live his life with a secret he couldn’t share with anyone, not even his closest friend. I thought I had decided, but I refused to rush.

“You said I don’t have to give you an answer right now?” I asked.

George sat back and gave me an appraising look. “You don’t, but every hour you delay is an hour he can be evaluated as healthy enough to leave the NICU. That means more human records to adjust or erase.”

I nodded and stood. “Tell your people to be ready to get him. I’ll give you my answer by,” I glanced at the grandfather clock; it read ten minutes after ten. “I’ll give you my answer by noon. If we do this, the human boy in the NICU died, understand?”

George stood and, to my utter shock, gave a slight bow from the neck; no, it had to be a nod. “Understood.”

Without another word, I led Scott and Billy to the door. As we exited, I told Tommy to follow. As we walked through the main house, we found James, Chris, and Jake in a side room, pacing like caged lions. I didn’t hesitate; just told them to follow and kept walking. I realized something and turned to ask Tommy to summon Leonard. He paused for a moment, then continued walking. Leonard joined us as we hit the stairs.

When we entered the room Scott and I were using, I stopped and turned. “Leonard, I…” I turned back and said, “Billy, watch the door for a moment.” He quickly moved to the door as I turned back and said, “Tommy and Leonard, I owe you both an apology. When I realized that Prince George had investigated me earlier, the thought crossed my mind that one or both of you had fed him information. I know in my heart that that is not true, and I want you to know that I trust you completely.”

They both started to reply, then stopped. After an awkward moment, Tommy said, “From the moment I started packing to come serve you, I have been loyal to you, and only you, My Lord. There is a code among the Marshal service; our loyalty is to Dracul, our Lord, and our Prince, in that order. To betray that is a betrayal of everything we stand for.”

I stared at him, shocked. When I didn’t reply, Leonard said, “I’ll make it clear, My Lord. If you were to decide to kill Prince George for whatever reason, we would stand by and watch. We could not help you, but we would not prevent it. His Marshals would, of course, defend him with their lives but would not interfere if you chose to kill another baron.”

Tommy added, “Everything you say in our presence we’ll take to our grave; we’re honor bound to keep your secrets.”

I nodded. “Thank you, both of you. I appreciate it. Now, Leonard, I need you to take Billy’s place and close the door behind you. Feel free to listen and offer your input through Tommy, but I need ears kept away from that door until we exit, understood?”

Leonard gave a quick bow and said, “Understood, My Lord,” turned on his heels and stood in the hallway, closing the door behind Billy.

I turned to James and asked, “And you? What are your loyalties?”

“I am a Baronet of Dracul, My Lord. I am bound to defend her with my life. Short of treason against the nation and my Prince, I have none. And personally, you are my son and the mate of my son; I would protect your life against anyone, even George. What’s going on, Greg?”

“Nothing as extreme as treason, James. And I will swear upon my sword and soul I will not do harm to George. Even if he were to attack me, I would only defend. I just needed to know that my words did not leave my circle without my approval. To say I am touched by what I’ve heard would be an understatement.”

Tommy had been tense from the moment I told him to follow. Now, he relaxed and nodded. Behind me, Jake asked, “You didn’t ask Chris or me; why not?”

“At the farm, Chris made the statement that all of my friends would put their lives on the line for me. When he said it, I realized I already knew it to be true. I’ve never doubted you guys.” I explained.

Chris asked, “Ok, so what’s up? I assume it has to do with your brother?”

“Start calling him my son. He will be that after I change him.”

The room was suddenly as silent as the grave as everyone digested my words. I let it sink in as I moved to sit in one of the chairs near the French doors. Before I sat, I looked through the glass to ensure that the yard was empty. Once I felt safe, I sat and watched as everyone slowly gathered around me. Scott at my side, Billy behind me with, Tommy at his side.

Finally, Jake broke the silence. “You’re willing to risk that, Greg? George said you have a one in three chance of success, right?”

“He did, but he has assured me I will succeed. He didn’t explain, and I didn’t ask.”

I went on to explain the reasons George had given me to justify changing the boy. When I talked about the potential isolation and fear, I could feel those same emotions rolling off Jake. When I talked about how he could be used as a pawn, I could feel James’ own fears of his sons being used in the same way.

As I looked around the room, I could see and feel their support. I didn’t have to ask, but I did anyway. “I’m asking this as Greg, as your friend; do any of you object to my changing my son? Do any of you have the slightest concern?”

Their silence spoke volumes until Jake, again, broke it, saying, “Go get your son, Greg. I want to start spoiling him.”

I grinned at him, then stood and pulled him into a hug, saying, “You spoil him and you’ll be the one to get spanked when he disobeys me.”

Jake smirked. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

I shook my head, then turned to the door and said, “You can come in now, Leonard.” I turned to Billy. “Please look into getting my father’s body and arranging for his cremation. I want to take his ashes home and mix them with Mom’s.” Billy nodded and headed out the door.

“Chris, please call your dad. Ask him to phone Dad’s priest and find out about arranging a service. I can’t commit to a date yet, but get the ball rolling, please? Oh, and tell him our earlier call is to be lost in time. There is no evidence of any other children of Charles Fowler.”

Chris paused and asked, “Greg?”

“By the time the will is probated, there will be no evidence of a child surviving birth, and that child had no ties to Dad. You’re not lying; you’re stating future facts. Can you do that?”

Chris stunned me when he said, “Yes, My Lord,” with all the sincerity he had.

Tommy took a step toward me and said, “My Lord?” I nodded, so he continued, “Can you spare either Leonard or me for an hour sometime today? We have an errand to run for you.”

I raised an eyebrow, asking, “Short of a direct order, you won’t tell me, will you?”

With a grin, he replied, "That depends on who’s ordering. If it’s Greg, then even an order won’t cut it.”

I shook my head. “Send Leonard; I want you here when my son arrives. Speaking of which, unless any of you have anything else?” No one spoke. “I need to speak to George. I’ll see you all at lunch.”

I turned to go, and Scott grabbed my hand. “Not without me, you don’t.”

I gave him a quick kiss. “Never without you.”

As we were going down the stairs, I saw Frederick in the entrance hall. “Where is His Highness?"

He turned and, copying my address, replied, “He is in his office, My Lord. Shall I get him?”

“Thank you, no, I know the way.” I turned to Scott, “Maybe you should wait in the room, hon.”

Scott nodded, kissed me quickly, and headed back to our room.

In the library, everyone knocked once and entered, but I assumed the rules were slightly different for this room, so I knocked once and waited. I was right. It was a full five minutes before I heard George say, “Enter, Baron Fowler.”

When I opened the door, I found George seated at his desk with a tall, slim man of African descent who looked to be in his late forties, seated across from him. They both stood as I took one step inside and bowed, saying, “Your Highness, may I have a moment, at your convenience?”

“Certainly, Baron. Please, come in.” George stepped around his desk. “Let me introduce you. Viscount Theodore Chester of Manhattan; this is Baron Gregory Fowler, currently unseated. It seems the fates have sent me a spare.”

Viscount Chester scrutinized me as I turned to him, bowed from the neck, and said, “Nice to meet you, Your Excellency.”

“And you, Baron. May I ask where you’re from? And forgive me, but you look like you’re not even eight years old.”

Remembering what Scott had said about not telling the whole story, I replied, “I live in West Virginia, Excellency, and I assure you, my eighth birthday has come and gone. I believe in keeping myself fit, and it helps.”

I saw a smirk briefly cross George’s face. “Unfortunately, Baron, the Viscount, and I will be tied up until he leaves. Sadly, his schedule won’t allow him to join us for lunch. Can you tell me what you need?”

I quickly turned to George and said, “Of course, Your Highness. I simply needed to inform you that my son will be joining us if that is acceptable to you?”

“I look forward to meeting the boy, Baron. Please inform Frederick of the boy’s arrival; he can make the arrangements. Now, if you’ll excuse us?”

I bowed to George, “Your Highness.” I turned to the Viscount and gave a slight bow, “Excellency,” then I backed out of the room, closing the door as I left.

I quickly retraced my steps and, not seeing Frederick in the entrance hall, found a footman and asked him to find Frederick and let him know I’d like to speak with him. I had only been in my room for a moment when Frederick knocked. I noticed that he waited for a reply.

“Enter.”

“You needed my assistance, My Lord?”

“I did, Frederick. Forgive me if I’m putting you on the spot, but while standing outside the prince’s office while he and I were speaking, I assume you heard everything?” I sensed his discomfort at being asked to betray his prince’s confidences, so I saved him. “I’m not asking you to reveal anything, Frederick, I just needed to know that you’d understand me when I ask you to bring my son to my room.”

His body relaxed, and he smiled. “I will see that it is done, My Lord. I assume you’ve spoken to His Highness?”

“I have. Unfortunately, he was with the Viscount, so our conversation was quite short. He instructed me to have you assist me.”

“As you wish, My Lord. Is there anything else?”

I thought for a moment, then said, “Actually, there are two things. I’ve asked Lord White to make arrangements for my father. Could you see to it that he has some assistance? Someone local would know things and save him some time.” He nodded, so I continued, “And I have nothing for my son’s arrival. Could you send me someone who can assist me with this?”

“I have someone in mind for each of those, My Lord. May I ask where His Lordship is?”

I held up a finger to ask him to wait while I contacted Billy, mind-to-mind. “He’s in the prince’s library and will remain so until your man joins him. And Frederick,” he looked me in the eyes for the first time. “For my son, I am forever in your debt. I will not forget you.”

With a slight bow, he said, “I am honored, My Lord. I look forward to seeing you at lunch. If I rush, your son may join us for that.”

I nodded and said, “Quick, Frederick, but not rushed.”

He grinned, bowed, and backed out of the room. Scott came out of our bathroom and wrapped his arms around my chest, snuggling his chest into my back. I spun in his arms and returned his embrace, kissing his forehead.

“You know, we really should be married before we have our first child,” he said, grinning up at me.

I wriggled my eyebrows. “If I understand it, there’s only one thing we need to do to become mated under vampire law. We have the time.”

Scott blushed and replied, “One more issue, babe.” I raised an eyebrow, so he said, “There’s someone at the door.”

The knock came right as he said, ‘the door.’ I shook my head, released my embrace, turned, and said, “Enter.”

The door opened, and a cook timidly stepped forward and curtsied. “You asked for me, Me Lord?”

“I assume Frederick sent you to assist us with our infant son?” I asked.

“Aye, he did, Me Lord.” She glanced around, “And where is the little lad, if ya don’t mind me askin’, Me Lord?”

I looked at Scott, hoping for inspiration. Instead, I got salvation, “Frederick assured us you were discreet. May I ask your name?”

“Me name’s Margaret, Me Lord, but they all call me Maggie. And aye, Me Lord, I’ve been in service to His Highness for three hundred years now. His tales, nor yours, ain’t mine to tell.”

Scott looked at me and gave a nod, so I said, “Maggie, what I’m going to tell you is my tale to tell, and mine alone, do you understand?”

Eager to be let in on a secret, she leaned forward a bit and said, “Aye, Me Lord. I’ll not be tellin’ a soul.”

I explained, “Our son is human. He will be here in the next few hours, and sometime in the next few days, he will be like us.” Her eyes widened, but she remained silent. “We have nothing for the boy. No crib, cradle, clothing, diapers, nothing. We need you to get all the things we need as quickly as possible. Keep in mind, we’ll be taking the boy with us when we leave, so if you get a crib or something, it has to fold up small enough to go on an airplane.”

“Aye, Me Lord, I can see to that for ya, but I’ll be needin’ some help. I don’t drive, ya see.”

I summoned Tommy, mind-to-mind and he appeared in the doorway seconds later. “Thomas, please find someone to take Maggie here on a shopping trip.” I paused and asked him, mind-to-mind, ‘how will she pay for it?’

Tommy nodded and said, Yes, My Lord. I’ll get one of His Highness’ drivers to take her. Shall I have it put on your account?”

I smiled and replied, “Yes, Thomas, and please ask the driver to be quick. The boy should be here by lunch.”

“Yes, My Lord.” Tommy turned to Maggie and asked, “Can you be ready in ten minutes, Maggie?”

She curtsied to him and replied, "Aye, Sir. I’ll be waitin’ by the carriage house then?”

Tommy nodded, “I’ll tell him, Maggie, run along now.”

She curtsied to us and backed out of the room. Once she was gone, Tommy turned to me and grinned. “Not bad for not being used to having servants, Greg.”

I shook my head. “I felt like a pompous ass and a fool at the same time. Is it always like this?”

“Most of George’s household staff have been with him since the late 17^th or early 18^th century. They still have that mentality. I must say, it does make for an efficiently run household.” Tommy winked. “And it’s ok to call me Tommy with the staff, if you like. Thomas is only required in a more formal setting.”

“Such as around that Viscount I met?” I asked.

“I heard Chester was here. Oh dear, yes. He came to the US as a slave when the southern vampires still traded in them. Be careful around that one; he’s a stickler. Anyway, if there’s nothing else? I should get Maggie’s driver moving.”

“Thank you, Tommy, yes, that was all.”

When we were alone again, I put my arms back around Scott and whined, “Do you realize we haven’t had a good old-fashioned make-out session in several days?”

Scott grinned and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “Why baron, I do believe you’re trying to seduce me.”

“Indeed I am,” I replied, picking him up and carrying him to the bed. I pulled back enough to look down at him for a moment, then leaned down and licked his neck, causing him to moan. I took this as a good sign and worked my way under his chin to the other side of his neck, where I repeated my assault. Scott quickly turned the tables on me, and suddenly, I was on my back, and he was passionately licking my neck and gently biting my earlobes. From the reaction I had, I think he’d found the keys to my passion. Both of us were rocking our hips, causing the bulges in our pants to slide and rub as we kissed and licked. Neither of us had even taken care of ourselves in days, and it didn’t take long for this to build up to its obvious conclusion. Scott quivered in my arms, and I few seconds later, I was nearing that blissful moment when the door opened, and Billy walked in. He froze in place and watched as my climax washed over me. When I recovered, I looked at him and winked.

“If you enjoy watching, tell me, we’ll include you from the start next time.”

He was blushing and stammering an apology, but his ‘wee bairn’, as I’d called it, was doing its best to destroy the zipper of his pants. We couldn’t go through decades of this.

“Billy, come here, please.” I said a bit more forcefully than I wanted.

He slowly came to the bedside and looked ashamed. “I’m sorry, Greg. I never thought…”

“I’m only going to say this once, Billy, even though I think I’ve already said it. You are a part of us, you always will be. You are welcome in our bed at any time, in any way you choose. I’ll never force you to participate or to watch, but I certainly won’t withhold my love from my mate because you happen to be there. I very much enjoyed our shower this morning, and I’m happy to do that again, anytime. Am I making myself clear?”

Billy nodded. I waited, and a moment later, he said, “I enjoyed the shower too, and it was nice to wake up with everyone.”

I smiled. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I glanced at his shorts and grinned. “And speaking of hard, would you like to take care of that here with us? In the shower alone? In the shower with us? Or some other way I haven’t mentioned?”

Fifteen minutes later, the three of us were drying off after our shower; all I’ll say is Billy got his relief. Scott and I stepped into our room, and there was a knock. I inhaled and told Tommy to enter.

“Maggie’s driver just called; they’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Leonard just returned, if you could spare that time for him, well, for us?”

My eyebrows hit my hairline. “She’s done? How in the world did she get everything we need in less than an hour?”

Tommy grinned. “She took two chambermaids and called ahead to the stores. She may be timid, but she’s a smart one.”

I shrugged. “Ok, well, let us get dressed and—”

Tommy interrupted. “Just your underwear, if you don’t mind, Greg?”

I turned to Scott, and he just nodded. We were pulling our boxer briefs on when Leonard knocked and entered, carrying three huge garment bags and several boxes. As he placed them on the bed, my curiosity got the best of me and I picked up the smallest box. I was stunned when Tommy snatched it from me and smacked my hand.

“No peeking.” He said with a grin.

I laughed and stood at attention, saluted, and said, “Sir, yes Sir!”

We soon found out why they had taken us to the tailors’ shop. Tommy and Leonard, assisted by Billy, unpacked and dressed Scott and me in the most amazing suits I’d ever worn. The black fabric was soft and smooth with a slight sheen to it. Tommy told me it was a vicuña-silk blend. The slacks, vest, and jacket were made of this fabric of the gods and fit me like a second skin, but the most striking part was the cape. When Billy draped it over my shoulders and attached it to the buttons, it hung down my back and almost touched the floor. The outer surface was the same black vicuña-silk blend, and the inner lining was pure red silk. As I stared at myself in the mirror, they helped Scott dress; then, to my utter amazement, Tommy and Leonard deftly helped Billy into his matching suit. The only difference was the cape; Billy’s only reached his knees.

I was still staring at Billy when he turned and knelt in front of me, reaching up for my hand. When I gave him my left, he shook his head and took my right hand in his, then slipped a silver, I later learned it was platinum, ring on the third finger. He kissed the ring, then turned and did the same for Scott. When Tommy offered me another ring, I paused and considered the symbolism, then turned to Billy and waited for him to kneel and offer his hand. I slipped his ring on and nodded.

When he stood, I asked him to explain.

“The suits are your formal wear for official affairs, Greg. Other than baronets, Nobles wear floor-length capes, while their Stewards wear knee-length ones. A baronet wears a cape that is waist length like the Dracul military wear. The rings signify your office. If you look, your center stone is an emerald, like your eyes. Scott’s is identical to yours, except for the size of the stone.”

He held up his hand so I could see his ring. “As you see, my center stone is a diamond, and it’s surrounded by emeralds, mirroring the ring of my Lord.”

I didn’t want to imagine what this cost, but I couldn’t resist. After a bit of deflection, Tommy finally told me, after assuring me that they were paid for by the Nation of Dracul. I was wearing more than most people paid for their homes. I was still trying to absorb this when there was a knock at the door.