[Carmen] I was holding onto Rock’s hand because my heart hurt so bad from all the fear I could smell coming off this woman. She was really doing her best not to show it, but I didn’t think she realized we could smell it. As introductions happened, I paid attention to the conversations happening in the room. Trent was all growly about the idea of a werewolf attacking a woman to the level that she would be that afraid. Lily was trying to soothe him but Victor sounded pretty angry as well. Harmony was commenting to Cam about the smell and he was talking to her about stories he’d heard of other werewolf attack survivors. “Is Billie your Solus Amor?” Rosario asked Dennis, pulling me back to the conversation before us. The room went still. It appeared I wasn’t the only one who knew Dennis had been rejected by his Solus Amor. He was silent for a moment and my heart hurt for him now, as well. We had two such wounded people with us and it was hard not to pity them for what they endured and what they lost. “Unfortunately, no. But, she is someone who makes me immensely happy and fills that place in my heart.”“Oh. I’ve put my foot in it a little, haven’t I? Sorry,” Rosario said sheepishly. Sean got up and went to his mate. I knew he was trying to help him overcome his embarrassment, it was what I would do in his position. “He didn’t mean anything by it. We’ve seen stranger pairings than a human and a vampire, so he kind of assumed. I’m Sean Flowers, Rosario’s fiancé.” “No offense was taken. I can’t imagine a pairing stranger than a troll and a werewolf, though, so you may never see one that odd again,” Dennis answered.That was a little uncalled for, but understandable. We were an odd match and everyone constantly reminded us of that. I wouldn’t give Rock up for the world, though. Not even for a perfect wolf mate. “The goddess has some strange tastes for us. I honestly couldn’t imagine what made her give a vampire who hates werewolves and a werewolf who hates vampires the same mate. But it works, so who are we to question it?” I shrugged.  Seemingly out of nowhere, Sean said, “She’s blind. That’s why she doesn’t look at you when she talks.”I was used to people explaining me. Rock squeezed my hand a little. He was learning. He’d get used to it at some point, too. “It takes a little getting used to,” Rock told her politely. “Would you like a glass of wine, Carmen?” “Please,” I replied, thankful he had let it slide instead of getting defensive. While he was getting a glass for me, Dennis and Billie went to go meet other people. It was really better for her to get to know as many werewolves as possible so she could understand that we weren’t all bad. It was the only way I could think of for her to heal. “Here,” Rock said, putting a glass in my hand. “Are you alright?”“Yes, I’m very comfortable,” I answered. We talked more with Sean and Rosario. I made sure they knew they were always welcome to join us for our last few barbecues of the season. Rock told me that he usually stopped them about halfway through October. Both of them were relieved that soon things would start tapering off with their duties to the other fae. They were mainly in such high demand because finding your mate before your coming-of-age was considered lucky among the fae. Rock never told me that, but Rosario went on and on about how rare it was. I suppose that werewolves are the same. It’s considered a blessing to have been dating your mate before you were old enough to find them. It was why young wolves got into relationships before they turned eighteen. They wanted a head start with the person they were meant to spend their lives with. Though it didn’t always work out, there were enough stories of couples finding out they were mates that we knew the odds. Of course, up until the curse was broken, a lot of those couples who weren’t meant to be but had been together since high school became chosen mates. It was lucky that I never had a relationship like that. I might have been tempted after my rejection to stay with my boyfriend, then I would have missed out on Rock. That would have sucked for me because he was truly everything I ever wanted. -[Dennis]-We made our way around the room and were casually chatting with Luna Lily and Alpha Trent. As Sybil got to know more werewolves, she smelled less and less frightened. It was what I was hoping for. When Sybil showed me her scars and I realized she was attacked by a werewolf, I was livid. It took me hours to entirely calm down. Luckily, as a vampire, I was able to hide everything except for my eyes glowing. That, I was only able to control for a short while, just long enough to get out to my car. The idea of some creature harming her made me want to hunt it down and kill it. I’d never had that feeling before. It was entirely shocking to me. After less than a week, I would kill for her. When she asked if I was her boyfriend, there was a lightness in my heart that I hadn’t felt since my Solus Amor rejected me. How had the goddess blessed me with such a perfect second chance? Sybil was hardworking and friendly. I could see her fitting in well in my company and hoped to talk to her about potentially changing jobs. She could work nights easily and I would be able to see her whenever I wanted. Sybil stiffened slightly as we were chatting. I followed her gaze. Master Marius and his wife had entered the living room. I turned toward him. He was dressed in a tailored black suit that I knew he had made by the finest tailors in his territory. The craftsmanship was exquisite. He looked as powerful and frightening as he was. The scent of Sybil’s fear increased again. It was often natural for humans to fear him. His nickname was Death because death often followed wherever he went. This was one of the exceptions. I noted how his gaze softened as he looked at Echo. She could soften even the coldest and deadliest vampire. That was a power no one else in the world had. “Master Marius. We’re so glad you could make it,” Victor said.Master Marius nodded to him and reached out to take Echo’s hands as she reached for him. Then, he paused and sniffed the air. Once, I’d heard that he loved the scent of fear so much that it was the only thing that could arouse him. A fair few of his vampire lovers told of escapades with him in his torture chambers. He loved blood more than most vampires, and that was saying a lot. His attention turned to Sybil. She gripped my arm tightly but faced him. I didn’t move. This was a peaceful gathering. If I put myself between him and Sybil, the way Rock put himself between Master Marius and Carmen, it would be seen as me doubting Master Marius’ promise to his daughter. Instead of moving, I looked directly at him. To look away would be a sign of distrust as well. Not trusting him to look into my eyes without hypnotizing me. I hadn’t taken the time to explain this all to Sybil. To be honest, I was more worried about her and the werewolves, but I realized I should have said something. Master Marius stopped in front of us and looked Sybil up and down. “A frightened human. How intriguing. What are you doing here?”Sybil didn’t speak, she just looked up at me. She couldn’t seem to find her voice. I didn’t know how to reassure her other than to stay by her side and handle the situation. “I see. You were brought here by this vampire. Dennis, right? We met earlier this year?” “Yes, Master Marius. This is my date, Sybil Mason. Mistress Nightshade gave her permission to be here,” I replied politely. “And you promised to protect her, but she’s still frightened. Tell me, little human, what has you so scared that you don’t think an older vampire can save you?”He called me an older vampire. Most vampires only counted the years after death when assessing the age of another vampire. I had only been dead four hundred years. I wasn’t considered more than a youth until I had been dead for at least five hundred years. Victor said that he considered my whole life as a vampire’s life because a dhampyr is a living vampire. No one had ever said that to me before. Of course, they had their relationship with Echo to influence them. Sybil looked around the room for a few moments. Echo gave her an encouraging smile. For all that she had been mistreated by vampires, Echo seemed to think Master Marius would be far gentler with people than I knew he was. “I… I was attacked by a werewolf six years ago. This is my first time being around them since then. And most of the people here are werewolves,” Sybil told him. “Ah. That would explain it. I am Master Marius Aconitum. This is my wife, Lila. I am Echo’s father. If my daughter and her husbands have granted you safe passage in their lands, you are safe. It was probably a rogue who attacked you and all of these wolves are pack wolves. They are like the domesticated canines of the shapeshifting world. They wouldn’t harm you.” Alpha Trent frowned at that and I saw Gray roll his eyes. “Thank you, sir. I’ll work on it, but six years of fear doesn’t just disappear because someone tells you not to worry,” Sybil answered softly. “A valid point. You seem to be a sensible young woman,” Master Marius said before turning his full attention to me. “She would make a good vampire.”If I breathed, I would have been holding my breath until he said that. He didn’t mind if I turned her. A blessing from one of the High Council was practically a blessing from the goddess herself. Lila, Master Marius’ wife, smiled at the confused look on Sybil’s face. “That means he likes you.”Sybil rubbed my arm as I mentally celebrated. I had never created another vampire, but I was willing to learn if Sybil wanted to change for me. If not, I would love her for the rest of her life. I really hoped that she’d want to change for me, though. Before I could talk to her again, dinner was announced. Everyone made their way to the dining room. Sybil held me back and stepped in front of me, giving me a hug, as soon as the room was empty. I worried about her. Did she not want to go to dinner?“What are you doing, Billie?”“I’m giving you a hug. You looked like you needed it, but I didn’t want people to think that affected you as much as it did,” she told me, laying her head on my chest. She was scared and misread my actions as being scared, too. It was the most darling thing I had ever seen. I wouldn’t correct her. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her. “Master Marius likes you. That is a huge compliment. He doesn’t really like much of anybody. We should go. They’ll be holding dinner until we’re there.”I kissed her on top of her head and she let go. I took her hand and led her to the dining room. They were whispering about us when we walked in. We went to the two empty seats that were left and I got Sybil seated before seating myself. The meal was served. I was given a plate of blood foods and watched Sybil as she understood what she was supposed to do and managed to snag a few pieces of meat from the rapidly depleting plates. She seemed to be taking her cues from Master Marius’ wife, who was seated next to her. I saw Sybil relax more as the meal went on and she joined in with the polite conversation around the table. I was proud of her for working past her fear. This was far better than I expected for this outing and I was grateful that she had adapted so well.