Rae didn't know what she expected when she walked out of the bedroom down the immaculately polished hallway, but she certainly didn't expect a veritable giant, a hunched doctor, and a wiry man with roving eyes.

The giant smiled at her and waved with a spoon still in his hand. It looked like a children's toy. The wiry man jumped to his feet as if to shake her hand. Dominic stared daggers at him, and he retreated with a pout. The doctor—wearing dark purple scrubs of all things—didn't even glance her way.

Raelyn wore one of Dominic's t-shirts, which fit surprising well after tucking in the front. She was worried the joggers would fall at any second despite her tie. Dominic had tucked her under his shoulder, gently supporting the elbow of her injured arm.

It was strange. She had never been this close with a guy before—even in high school, she only held hands and landed the occasional peck on the cheek. She glanced up at Dominic, who continued to guide her over to the adjacent living room. She felt a warmth with Dominic, like she had just woken up and wanted to stay snuggled under the warm covers. She shook her head a bit. So strange.

Dominic guided her to the couch, and she took a seat. Dane jumped beside her and lay his head in her lap. Dominic walked over to the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. Rae took the opportunity to glance around. No television was in sight, but huge glass windows gaped down onto the city street. A low glass table ran in front of the couch, and two bookshelves framed the windows. Small decorations and succulents sat on the shelves.

"Really?"

Raelyn turned to see Dominic shaking his head in annoyance. He glanced over to Raelyn.

"Raisin Bran or Cheerios?"

"Off brand," the wiry man offered.

"Cheerios is fine." The giant nodded his head in appreciation and Dominic pulled a bowl from the cabinet. Raelyn grabbed a blanket from off the back of the couch and draped it over her legs, avoiding the Great Dane's head.

Dominic soon appeared with a bowl of Cheerios sloshing around in milk. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

Dominic frowned at the spot next to her occupied by his dog but sat where he could see her better.

"So...what happened?" Raelyn looked at Dominic's three strange friends in the kitchen. "Where are we?"

Dominic nodded. "You were kidnapped by a man named Muci." He raised an eyebrow.

Raelyn nodded. "I remember him. Kind of a jerk."

"You have no idea." Dominic leaned forward and rubbed his hands together in thought. "Um. So, he poisoned you."

"Have you told her about her heart yet?"

Dominic glared. "No, Doc. I'm getting there."

"What about my heart?" Raelyn's chest began to ache in fear.

"So, some of the poison began to attack your heart." Her eyes widened. "It'll heal. Doc is confident that within six months you'll be back to normal. Until then, we just need to make sure we keep your heartbeat under 150."

Raelyn took a shaky breath, fighting back tears. "Okay." She took another breath. "Okay. Good to know. What happens if it goes above that?"

"Heart attack."

Dominic swore. He could have killed Doc then and there when he saw Raelyn's eyes fill with panicked tears again. Instead, he took a deep breath. Doc did save her, after all, even if he was a prick. "Raelyn, it'll be okay. No working out, but that's okay. We'll just have a calm six months. Easy."

Raelyn nodded, biting back the flood of emotions. "Okay. Yeah. I can do that." She took a deep breath, stroking Dane's head, who set his head back down on her lap more firmly. "Okay. I am calm. I can do that."

"Have you told her we're vampires yet?"

Dominic jumped up, fully intending to box Iggy's head in. Iggy looked confused as Dominic stood, preparing to charge at him with a clenched fist. A soft touch on his hand made him stop in his tracks. Raelyn.

"What did he just say?"

Dominic swore and sat back down. Raelyn hadn't touched her Cheerios yet but held the bowl in quivering hands. "Raelyn. This is very difficult to explain."

"Is that why you bit me?"

"No. Well, kind of. No, I did it to get the poison out."

"Why did I bite you? Why did he insist on—"

"Muci is from a rival vampire family. My father wanted me to marry into another family, but Muci didn't want two families combining, so he bonded you and me together so I couldn't marry into that other family."

The bowl dropped from Raelyn's hands and soaked into the blanket on her lap. Dane lifted his head, and she ripped the blanket off when she realized what she did. The bowl went flying across the room and she flinched. "Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry," she stammered. Her breath began to grow heavy. "What...what are you saying?"

Dominic leaned forward to grab her hand, but Rae jumped up, wielding the spoon like a weapon.

"Get away from me." Her body quivered like a blade of grass in the wind. "You're insane."

"Raelyn, you need to stay calm," Dominic warned, standing and lifting his hands in surrender. "I can explain everything, but if you're heart beats too fast..."

Raelyn flinched and took another step back. "What do you want with me?"

Dominic frowned. "Raelyn. You need to calm down." A sliver of desperation rose in his voice. "Raelyn. We're not going to hurt you."

"Why am I not in a hospital? Where are the police?" She winced and dropped the spoon, clutching her chest.

"Do it."

Crockett, who had snuck up with a stealth unheard of for his size, pressed the small needle into her arm and caught her as her legs gave out. Crockett handed the needle back to Doc, who got up and brushed his scrubs off.

Dominic swore and rushed over to his blood-bonded. He felt her neck. Her heartbeat was still fast but was slowing down. "Too close."

Iggy nodded. "Yeah, good job on that one."

"Do you know how quickly Dane can bite your head off?" Dominic grabbed Raelyn from Crockett and tossed her arm over his shoulder.

Doc raised a hand. "Not in my house. Settle your squabbles elsewhere."

Dominic picked Raelyn up and led her back to the couch, careful to avoid the wet spot. "Dane, protect." Dane jumped up and settled next to Raelyn. Dominic then whirled on Iggy. "What was that? You trying to kill her?"

"What?" Iggy spluttered, hands in the air as Dominic charged at him. "I asked you a simple question."

Dominic grabbed the front of Iggy's shirt. Iggy's eyes went wide, and he started to shake. "You thought bringing up the fact that we're vampire in front of a human just like that was smart?"

Doc coughed. "Not in my house."

Dominic glanced at him before letting Iggy go. Iggy adjusted the neckline of his shirt and let out a short, squeaky cough. "Sorry, boss. Won't happen again. No more questions."

Dominic rubbed his head before turning to Doc. "What are we supposed to do? I can't keep her sedated for six months."

Doc shrugged. "It's been done before. Patients got PTSD, but it's been done." Dominic threw up his hands. "Look. If you're looking for someone to set some bones, I'm your guy. Need some heads knocked in, call Crockett." He looked at Iggy for a second. "And I'm sure there's a reason you have this guy around. But if you're looking for advice on how to tell your girl that you're a vampire, your best chance is going to be hitting up Stephanie Meyer."

Dominic nodded. "Fine. Where is Stephanie?"

Doc groaned. "Never mind. Find someone who knows how to talk your girl off the ledge. Clearly none of us can help." He waved his hand. "You all are a few hours away from overstaying your welcome. I've got dog hair, milk stains." He turned back to his breakfast. "Worst day of my life."

Dominic glanced at Crockett. "Do you know who Stephanie is?"