"Please tell me she'll pull through this." Camille shifted nervously from foot to foot before him as her gaze darted to the open door of the room where Genny lay.

Atticus glanced back at Genny's still form. He hated leaving her alone in there, but he had to help take care of this mess before he could be with her. He'd know the minute she awoke though and he had no intention of stepping foot outside of this hovel again without her. Merle had managed to prop what was left of the door over the open frame, and was staring at the body on the floor.

"Who is this?" Merle inquired and nudged the limp leg with the toe of his boot.

Atticus focused on Camille; she bit into her bottom lip as her gaze drifted to the unmoving man on the floor. "Marie's lover, Felix"

"And Marie is?"

"Our mother."

Merle rose and wiped his palms on his tunic. "And where is your mother?"

Camille shrugged and glanced at Atticus. "I don't know."

"What caused him to attack her?" Merle demanded.

Camille's eyes narrowed, fire flashed through them as she fixed Merle with an unyielding stare. "He's a monster, that's the only reason he ever attacked her," she replied. "Or he was."

Atticus rested his hand on her arm, drawing her attention to him. "This wasn't the first time he's done this?" he inquired sharply.

Camille opened her mouth before closing it and shaking her head. She frowned at him before speaking again. "You should talk with Genny."

A sick feeling twisted in his stomach, his gaze drifted to the man he had just murdered. Talking with Genny would only confirm that tonight hadn't been an isolated incident, he was certain of that fact. He found himself wishing the man were still alive, he would have made his death a lot slower and more painful, he would have savored in watching the life leave Felix's eyes.

"When is your mother coming back?" he asked.

"We never know when Marie is coming back," Camille answered.

Atticus's teeth ground together, it would be a disaster if that woman returned now, but if he had anything to say about it, he was going to meet her. "We have to take care of the body, Merle."

He was an aristocrat, this man no more than a commoner but there were still laws that had to be obeyed, even for him. He had just broken into another man's home and murdered him. That wasn't something that would be approved of anywhere. It didn't matter that Felix had been abusing Genny, for many vampires that was an acceptable practice, especially if she was living under his roof. They might not kill him for what had just occurred, but they would lock him away for years. Worse yet, they may kill Genny if they thought her death would punish him even more. That would be a sentence far worse than death to him.

"I'll dispose of his body; make sure that no one finds him but what will you tell people who know you live with him?" Merle inquired of Camille.

"Felix left here tonight in a foul mood and never returned," Camille replied. "He's not well liked in the community. I doubt many will miss him or question his whereabouts for long, if at all. What will we do if his body is found?"

"It won't be found," Merle vowed.

"Even if it is, no one will believe you or Genny had anything to do with his death," Atticus assured her. "That either of you would be able to kill him. I would guess that he was at least a hundred years old."

"One hundred and ten," Camille confirmed. "What if someone saw you come in here?"

"No one saw me," Atticus said forcefully.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"How will you explain the ruined furniture to your mother?" Merle pressed.

Camille guiltily looked toward where her sister was sleeping before staring at the far wall. "If we clean up Felix's blood and body she won't question the missing furniture."

Atticus's hands fisted, he was unable to stop the rumble of displeasure that rolled through his chest. Oh yes, he definitely wished that the man was still alive so that he could kill him all over again. Merle leaned away from him and Camille took a hasty step back.

"That's what we will do then," Merle murmured. His eyes fell on the coin scattered around the room. "Why is all of this money on the floor?"

A distressed look crossed Camille's face, she glanced at Genny again and then at him with pleading eyes. "Please, can't some of this wait until Genny can speak with you?"

Atticus squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Yes. We'll need your help with this."

"Gladly. What do you need me to do?"

"I'll take care of the body," Merle said. "If you can clean up the blood."

"I can do that," Camille promised.

Atticus walked over to help Merle with the body but his cousin waved him away. "I have it." Merle glanced over at Camille before lowering his voice. "Can we trust her to keep this secret?"

"Yes. She won't do anything that might endanger her sister. She also came to get me; she's an accomplice in all of this."

"You better make sure she knows that. There are many that would do anything for money or to elevate their own position in this world." He gestured around the small hut. "Who would do anything to get out of a place like this."

"They will not be here for much longer," Atticus vowed.

Merle's eyebrows lifted but he kept his mouth closed as he turned away and grabbed hold of Felix's arms. "It could only raise more questions if you relocate the woman that lived with the man that recently disappeared."

"They will whisper rumors no matter what, but if there is no proof that I killed him, or of his death, they will remain only whispers and no one will accuse a noble without proof."

"True," Merle agreed. He knelt down and easily tossed Felix's body over his shoulder. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Atticus nodded to him and moved the ruined door out of the way so that his cousin could exit. He watched Merle swiftly disappear into the woods with the body. He didn't know what he would have done without his cousin here to help him tonight, but then Merle had always been the one he could count on. He glanced at the huts closest to them but they remained dark and quiet. They were far enough away that even if someone had been home, they probably wouldn't have heard much of what had occurred anyway.

He placed the door back the best that he could. Bending down he began to pick up the ruined pieces of the chair as Camille brought out a couple of tattered blankets that were full of moth holes. She began to sop at the puddle of blood that was already soaking into the hard packed dirt.

"Your mother will smell the blood," he commented.

Camille's eyes were remorseless when she lifted her head to meet his. "Marie is a selfish woman, if she smells the blood she won't go out of her way to do anything about it. What could she possibly do anyway? You're right; no one will believe Genny was capable of killing Felix, or even that the two of us together were. Marie will move onto her next lover without a second's hesitation. No matter what your friend may think, I will never reveal what happened here tonight. Genny is all I have; she's all I've ever had. I'll never do anything to hurt her, anyone she cares about, or anyone that has helped to keep her in my life. He was going to kill her, have no doubt about that. This secret will die with me."

A shudder ran through him at the certainty of her words. If he'd been even a minute later Genny wouldn't be alive in the other room right now. His gaze settled on Camille again. They'd formed a truce that day in the market but he realized now they also had a common bond, and a common love. "I trust you and Merle is my cousin."

She smiled at him before focusing on her task again. Atticus gathered the rest of the ruined furniture and dumped it into a pile by the door. "There's a barrel outside the door," Camille told him.

Moving the ruined door aside again, he stepped outside and grabbed hold of the rickety barrel sitting there. With one hand he lifted it from the ground and brought it inside. He dumped the debris into it and then Camille gathered the blankets and dropped them on top of the furniture. He would have Merle take it into the woods and dispose of it when he returned.

"I'll gather some water from the river to wash away the rest," Camille said.

"Wait until Merle returns and send him to get it. Have him take the barrel too."

She laughed and shook her head. "Genny and I have been on our own most of our lives, I can take care of myself."

She was much more like her sister than he had originally thought, stubborn and defiant with a streak that leaned toward rebellion. Neither of them seemed to have any inclination to acknowledge his rank either. "Just do as I say, especially tonight. If your mother were to come back and find only me here…"

She held up a hand to forestall his next words. "I understand, I will stay but please stop calling her my mother. Her name is Marie and you'd do better to remember that around Genny also."

"Thank you for the advice."

"Hopefully you won't need it and she'll stop being so stubborn after tonight," Camille muttered.

He glanced at Camille questioningly but he suspected she would again tell him to speak with Genny first anyway. Without another word, he slipped back into the room with Genny, closed the door, and settled onto the uncomfortable pallet beside her. He stopped feeling the hard ground beneath him or the straw poking into his hips as he focused on her again. Mindful of her injuries, he gathered her in his arms and held her against him. For the first time in weeks, solace crept through him as her warm body pressed against his.

***

Genny stared at the far wall as she tried to assimilate everything that had happened yesterday with the arms that were wrapped securely around her. Arms that she knew were his even if she couldn't see him. The corded muscle of his biceps and forearms rippled against her as he held her against his broad chest. She wanted to meld against him and never face the world again but that was never going to happen.

She didn't know how to feel about what had transpired yesterday. She was so unbelievably relieved to be touching him again, to be back in his arms, but he had seen. Shame slid through her, she turned her face into the pallet as heat burned her cheeks. Though she felt consumed by shame, she was also filled with a sense of profound relief. It was over, Felix was dead and she was still alive. She hadn't thought that was going to be the case last night, she'd been certain she would never see the light of day again.

Atticus had killed a man, for her. "Will you be punished?" she inquired.

He brushed the hair tenderly back from her face. "Merle and Camille helped to take care of everything. No one will be able to prove he's dead."

"Is Camille safe?"

"She is," he assured her as his lips pressed briefly against her temple. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on here?"

"It's not something that was easy to share," she managed to get out around the lump in her throat. "I was ashamed of what was happening."

"You had nothing to be ashamed of. Those bruises I saw on you in the forest were from him."

It wasn't a question but she answered him anyway, "Yes."

A low hiss escaped him but his touch was still gentle upon her. "You should have told me Genny."

"I was going to," she whispered. "That last day, but…"

Her voice trailed off, she closed her eyes against the upsetting reminder of the last time she had seen him. "I told you about Anna."

So that was the name of the woman that would have his children and share his life, for some reason hearing her name made it all the more real and caused sorrow to lance through her heart. "Yes," she confirmed.

His hand stilled on her cheek, his body stiffened against hers. "I would have helped you."

"I know you would have but you had your own problems to deal with. It would have been unfair of me to put even more on you when it was better that we part."

He rested his hand on her arm and carefully rolled her over. The sight of those clover eyes above her caused tears to bloom as love swelled within her chest. She had missed him so much. She rested her hand on his cheek and felt the roughness of the bristles lining his face but she still couldn't believe he was actually real.

"You're here," she breathed.

A smile spread across his full lips, his eyes sparkled as he took hold of her hand and kissed her palm. "I'm here and I intend to stay here, if you'll let me."

"Atticus…"

"I understand why you had to leave before but I am going to keep you safe and I can give you a better life than this."

"I've always taken care of myself and Camille."

"But you don't have to do that anymore. It might be difficult but we will find a way to make this work. I'll talk to my father; tell him that I can't marry Anna. We can figure this out but I can't go on without you in my life. These last few weeks…" His voice trailed off as he shook his head and kissed her hand again. "I love you Genny."

The burning intensity of his words and the hopeful look in his eyes was nearly her undoing as her fingers ran over his lips. "That will cause problems for you with your family."

"I don't care; you're the only one I want to be with."

"Atticus…"

Before she could say anything, he bent his head and kissed her tenderly. Her mouth parted to his as peace and comfort slid through her and warmed her body. These last few weeks had nearly destroyed her but lying here now, with him, the memory of her misery faded away. Her fingers slid through his thick hair, she tugged at it as she tried to pull him closer but no matter how close he was, she was beginning to feel as if they could never be close enough.

His hands slid over her face, his tongue stroked in and out of her mouth in powerful thrusts that left her a quivering mass of raw and aching nerve endings. Excitement built in her as the enticing weight of his powerful body pressed her gently into the pallet and his thigh slid between her legs. Her body reacted of its own accord, instinctively seeking out the heat, comfort, and desire he stoked within her.

He pulled away abruptly and dropped his forehead to hers. Disappointment crashed through her as her hands curled into his back and a small mewl of protest escaped her. "We have to stop before I won't," he whispered against her lips. "You're injured."

There were so many reasons they should stop but her bruised body wasn't one of them. Right now she couldn't quite recall the other reasons either, not when she finally had him back in her arms. "I feel better; your blood helped me to heal faster."

"I'm sure it did." He pulled away from her and sat up on the pallet. "But I'm still not going to take the chance of causing you more discomfort."

His eyes slid over her body and as she followed his gaze, she realized she was only wearing a simple, flimsy chemise. He'd seen her in such before but somehow it seemed far more intimate when he was sitting in her room with her. A room that felt far smaller now that his large frame was within it. His mouth quirked in amusement as a blush began to burn her face.

"I didn't think it was possible to see you blush," he murmured.

Her lashes lowered as she shook her head. "I've never had a man in my room before."

His hands slid over her waist as he lifted her up and maneuvered her so that she was sitting in his lap. Though she tried not to, she couldn't help but wince as the movement jarred her still healing ribs. "See you are still wounded."

"Maybe a little," she reluctantly admitted.

The calloused palms of his hands began to work over her as he massaged her flesh. "You are healing well though, should be completely fine by tomorrow."

"I hope so."

He kissed her cheek and embraced her against his chest. "Why was there so much coin strewn around the room?" he inquired.

She ran her fingers over the bristly hairs on his arms and rested her cheek against his. The feel of his stubble against her skin was actually pleasant as it reminded her that he was really here. "Felix uncovered one of the stashes I had hidden in the woods."

"One of?"

She nodded as her fingers began to slide over the linen material covering his broad chest. "There were ten separate places."

"What were you saving all of that money for?"

"So that when Camille reached maturity we could get away," she whispered. "So that we could escape this place and never look back."

His lips rested against the top of her head as he rocked her against him. "You're free now."

She swallowed heavily and closed her eyes. "Yes, I suppose I am."

He adjusted his hold on her, took hold of her chin and tilted her face up to his. "I've asked Merle to look into finding a house for you and Camille to stay in."

Longing burst through her as brightly as the sun rising over the horizon but as badly as she wanted it, she knew this couldn't happen. "Marie has spent her entire life living off of men and dragging us along with her. I swore I would never be like her."

His gaze burned into hers. She was certain it was a look that had caused many to capitulate to his wishes, but she wouldn't be one of them. In society's eyes she wasn't anywhere close to being on equal footing with him, but she knew that in his eyes, she was. There were few that would turn him away or tell him no, but she was one of the few that could and would.

"You're not living off of me Genny. After I talk with my father and get everything straightened out, you will be my wife and I am going to make sure that you are protected and taken care of."

"Your father will be infuriated."

"And he will get over it. I'm not willing to lose you from my life again."

She lifted her head to look up at him. His jaw clenched as he stared down at her, silently pleading with her not to rebuke him again, but she couldn't do that. "If you're unable to get out of this betrothal…"

"I will get out of it Genny."

She rested her fingers against his cheek and kissed him tenderly. "You really don't have to find us a house. Camille and I are safe here, especially now that Felix is dead."

"I'd prefer it if you weren't in this house or this area of town on your own. Besides it won't be for long, only until things are straightened out. Even if my father disowns me, I'll still own my mother's properties and retain the money that was left to me from her. We'll go to stay at my villa in Italy once everything is settled."

"He can't disown you," she whispered. "I won't be the cause of a rift in your family or do anything that could place you in jeopardy."

His fingers slid over her face, his thumb traced her bottom lip. "You won't be; he will be the one to make the decision in the end." She opened her mouth to argue with him further but he placed his finger over her mouth and shook his head. "I've made my choice Genny and I choose you. I won't lie, it will be a difficult undertaking but you are the one that I want. There won't be any danger; he can't harm me because I refuse to marry someone. There are far too many in my world that would prefer if my marriage to Anna didn't take place. They will side with me on the decision, more so than they will side with my father due to my pure bloodline."

"They won't accept me though; I'm just a village girl."

"They'll accept what they must. It's my bloodline that matters, not that of my mate and if I am disowned by my father I will still take a seat on The Council under my mother's line. Arguing with me about this isn't going to change my mind on the matter so just let me hold you. I've finally got you back and I intend to enjoy it."

How could she argue with that when all she wanted was the same thing? She curled closer against him, rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes as she savored in his heat and strength. "I really did dream about you," she murmured as she stifled a yawn. "Every night. I had a dream the other night though that was so real it was as if you were there, as if I was actually touching you and speaking with you."

His lips pressed against her hair. "At the river, on the log."

Her body went completely still, her hands flattened against his chest. "I pulled us off the log and into the water."

A minute of silence passed by before his lips rested against her ear and he spoke. "You said to me, 'take from me what you need; I won't refuse you again.'"

"And you said to me, 'I'll always be here for you.'"

"And I will be."

"But what does it mean? How could we have had the same dream?"

His hand wrapped around her head as he held it more firmly against his chest and rested his chin on top of it. "It means that you belong with me and I'm never going to let you go again. No matter what it takes."

She knew that he was right, that she would have to put her pride aside because she could not turn him away again. They belonged together. It was going to be the most difficult journey of their lives but there was no doubt in her mind that if it meant being with him, it would be worth it.

"I'm never going to let you go again either," she vowed.