Romanus walked down the stairs and the bouncer that had helped her before came over.

"Is she ok?" he asked, concerned eyes moving over her. A little too long for Romanus' liking.

"She'll be fine." Romanus said evenly, but his pulse started picking up. Murmuring, Eris nuzzled his neck. A little startled, he looked down. "We wore her out." He continued. The other man backed off with a nod, seeing the red tinge to his eyes. He took out his phone as the two exited the door.

"Hey, Arion. You might want to check on the boss. He's slipping bad."

The car ride was silent as Eris slept through the whole thing as well as the arrival and him putting her into bed. He leaned against the wall and watched as Eris slept. Halfway through the day, something woke her. Confused, she listened. In the silence of the room, she could hear ragged breathing. Eris looked over and seen Romanus watching with red tinged eyes. Everybody knew that look. A vampire that was dangerously close to going feral. Yet the fear that should accompany that knowledge wasn't there. She was either crazy or suicidal.

"Romanus?" Eris inquired with a soft voice.

"Are you hungry?" Instantly, he was by the bed, with a plate of food. Eris looked down and smiled. Blood builders.

"And thirsty." Eris confirmed, sitting up and taking the plate.

"There's vitamin enhanced water on the table next to you." He sat on the edge of the bed. He watched for a few minutes as Eris ate and drank. "I was hard on you earlier even knowing your level of inexperience. You have my apologies."

"Keep them. I'm glad you were looking out for Arion. He seems a little too trusting."

"Strange as it's normally the other way around," Romanus commented. Eris finished the water and set the empty plate on the table. As she did, Eris glanced at his eyes. The tinge was still there and was worsening.

"Are you alright?" Eris asked gently, cloth rustling as she started to get up. Instantly he was over her, nudging her back down. Eris started to push up anyway and heard a growl that ended mid sound. Panic surged through him. He couldn't do this yet. Arion needed her.

"That shouldn't have been a turn on,  young lady," she thought to herself even as the warmth began gathering in her blood.

"You need your rest." He said hoarsely. Eris met his eyes and saw desperate fear. Felt his hands tremble just a moment as they laid her body back down. Eris let him, mind racing. His words earlier tonight went through her mind and she knew what to do to keep him from slipping all the way. Hopefully.

"That's not all I need or you for that matter," Eris said huskily, deliberately thinking about earlier. Her body reacted just from the memory and Eris shifted restlessly. His eyes went darker as he breathed in her scent. "What do you need, Romanus?"

"A way back." He said his voice getting harsher. "A way out of the blood."

"Use me." The words hung in the air as Eris held his darkening eyes. "You aren't going to turn tonight, Romanus. You said yourself that you've never let a woman out of your hold unsatisfied. Satisfy me." He didn't say a word. Holding her eyes, he slid down her trembling body until he was between her legs. Slowly, he slid his hands down until his hands were on her thighs. Then deliberately spread them wide. She swallowed as the ache there grew more intense just from his gaze.

"Don't hold back anything." His voice was increasingly raspy as fangs started to show. Her breathing was in pants now.

"I won't. Romanus..." His name escaped her lips and ended on a sharp cry as he drove his tongue inside. He began thrusting in an accurate mimicry of sex. He didn't pet or stroke. He devoured, using teeth and tongue to utterly devastate her senses. His silky hair caressed her shaking thighs as he slid his hands underneath and held her body just the way he wanted it. Every urge she had, Eris didn't resist. His name came out in gasps, sobs, and within short order, screams of pleasure that took her beyond the place he threatened her with before. And Eris stayed like that for what seemed like both seconds and eternity.

Apparently, the enthusiasm scared the neighbors and the cops were called just after the sun set. The tension grew as the crowd did and the cops set a perimeter to wait for the Shielders. Yet even to that Eris was oblivious until their lights shone through the windows and Romanus turned to snarl at them. He started to get up and Eris wrapped her legs around him.

"I'm not done with you." Eris managed. He could have easily moved them but he stopped.

"They'll take you from me." he snarled, hands on her legs. Eris put her hands on his and met his feral eyes.

"They can try but they will fail. Take me home with you and we can meet with Arion. He can deal with them."

"I can protect you." he snarled. Eris lifted hands to cup his face and didn't flinch from his wild eyes or bared fangs.

"I know. But if you go after them, you'll leave me alone. Do you want to do that?" She could tell she hit the right nerve when his hands tightened painfully. She hid the wince and held his gaze.

"Never," he swore.

"Then walk out with me and we can go home." Eris just prayed that Arion knew how to bring him back the rest of the way. She didn't know what else to do.

Outside, Arion pulled up outside the barricade. He flashed over to the cop in charge, who was directing the other policemen.

"What's going on?"

"A feral vampire has a human in there. The screaming woke the neighbors. We are trying to find out how to separate them without hurting her. The Shielders aren't responding until someone gets hurt."

Dread filled Arion and he mentally reached out. He saw blood and focus in Romanus' mind. Yet he also saw something else. Something that he could tell Romanus' mind was holding onto desperately. Eris.

He turned to the cop. "You're making a mistake. That vampire isn't feral yet. He has a focus. Let me go in there.."

"And cover for your brother? No, Arion. I know who you are and know what vampires would do for their family."

"What you don't know is that we recently added to our family." Arion insisted. "Those weren't screams of pain.. ok you know what? Fuck this." He laced compulsion with his next words. "Move out of my way, officer."

"That's illegal." the cop managed even as he began moving.

"So try and arrest me." Arion tossed out as he started forward. He halted as the doors opened and Eris walked out, leading Romanus by the hand. "Don't shoot," he said as he went forward, relief flooding him.

"He has a hostage, Arion."

"No, he doesn't. Our mistress has him."

"Mistress?" the cop lowered his gun and looked at the woman walking towards them on trembling legs, leading Romanus by the hand. Eris walked straight up to Arion with a relieved sigh.

"We need to get him back to your home," Eris said urgently. "I don't know what else to do." He pet her face briefly then Arion went up to Romanus and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Can you make eye contact with me, brother?" he asked softly. Romanus tore his gaze away from the woman latched onto his hand and looked at Arion.

"I was almost gone, Arion. She brought me back... She's strong. Make sure I didn't hurt her. I can't remember.."  The tormented tone even in his mental voice had Arion stepping forward and putting his forehead on Romanus'.

"She's fine. She walked out. Like you said. She's strong." He answered the same way. "But I will check when we get home. There's too many people here."

While Arion worked to bring Romanus back further, Eris felt a hand on her arm. Eris shrugged it off and turned. The cop was standing there.

"Let's get you away from them, ma'am," he said briskly. "These things are dangerous."

"I'm right where I need to be, officer. These men are my family."

"Humans can't be a part of a vampiric family."

"Where is that written down as law?" Eris asked sweetly. "I was up there willingly. He was here protecting me."

"You can't stay with them..." he took her arm again and Eris wrenched it away.

"Watch me." Eris took a deliberate step closer. Romanus still hadn't let go of her hand and she saw no reason to test the limits of his control. Arion spoke without moving.

"Officer, right now he is focused on her. He isn't slipping into oblivion because of her. Because she didn't want him to. You try to take my brother's focus away again and I'll kill you myself." The growl had the officer backing up warily.

"The mistress' council already know of my position and have accepted it. Call them and confirm it." Eris said firmly.

"Let's get him home," Arion said. Eris nodded and let him take the other hand. Together, they walked to the car. Eris was starting to get in when Eris heard Arion curse, then an annoyingly familiar voice spoke. This bitch again.

"Having trouble with your boys, dear?" Lucille's amused voice reached her and Eris slid around in front of them.

"No. Just a misunderstanding on the part of local law enforcement. Apparently, this district doesn't know the difference in screams of pain or pleasure." Eris answered smoothly.

"That one is slipping."

"No, he's fighting his way back. There's a difference."

"Lucille," Arion began and she cut him off.

"I'm speaking to your mistress, male. Shut up."

Anger filled her and without thinking, Eris backhanded her. "Don't you ever speak to them like that. Now we are taking him home and caring for him. I'll assert my rights at the next meeting. If you don't like that, you and your girlfriends can take it up with me later."

"Lock him up and come to the meeting." She growled. all condescension gone.

"Kiss my ass." Eris returned sweetly and motioned for Arion to get in the car. He did and Eris quickly followed. They drove away. "Is her jaw off the ground yet?" Eris asked flippantly while brushing the hair back from Romanus' face, ignoring the throbbing in her hand.

"No. How do you think we got out of there so quickly?" Arion returned with a disbelieving laugh in his voice. "He needs our help tonight," he added in a more serious tone as Romanus rested his head back against the seat.

"I can still speak, Arion." he murmured.

"I know. It doesn't make me wrong. A mistress could pull you back."

"And losing one could send us both over." he returned.

"What's he talking about, Arion?" Eris asked. He hesitated. Romanus spoke again, his voice rough.

"He's suggesting we turn you tonight and using your authority as a mistress to ground me."

"So how do we begin?" Eris asked. Arion just smiled a little. Romanus' eyes shot back open and he looked over at her calm demeanor.

"Try to have some sense of self-preservation," he said with a growl to his voice. "Right now, you have a fifty-fifty chance of even surviving the turn and less than that to survive sane."

"If you need it,.." Eris began. He cut her off.

"You die and both of us slip completely without someone to bring us back. I slip and Arion mourns after he kills me. Then both of you move on." He leaned his head back again.

"Not just Arion." Eris said in a quiet voice. His eyes opened.

"What?"

"It wouldn't just be Arion mourning you. There are no acceptable casualties here. Any other options?"

"You had the right idea in there," Arion said his voice a little rough. Eris reached forward and squeezed his shoulder. He cleared his throat and continued. "Contact with an anchor is the best thing for him. The longer the contact the better."

"She's not ready for..."

"You told me to have some self-preservation. Try getting some of your own and stop giving up. It pisses me off." Eris said shortly. There was a pause of surprise as they both glanced at her. "You said I had the right idea so sex?" Eris pushed back the hesitancy and tried to be matter of fact about it.

"Yes," Arion said when Romanus just stared. "The kind he could feel so it would be with both of us involved. It would be intense and not generally something we do with someone with..."

"Would it work?" Eris interrupted, maintaining eye contact with Romanus.

"You don't have to do this. Let me go." Eris heard Romanus' voice in her head and narrowed her eyes.

"No."

"Would it work?" Eris repeated. Arion hesitated when he felt Romanus' glare then nodded.

"Then that's what we do."

"And if I refuse?" he said roughly. Arion made a sound and Eris squeezed his shoulder again.

"You really think I couldn't talk you into it?" Eris asked in a teasing voice. "I'm betting I could." Eris looked up front, startled as Arion stopped the car on the side of the road and got out. He went around and slid into the back.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He demanded, looking at Romanus. "Why are you giving up?"

"I'm not."

"Bullshit."

"I'm tired, Arion. You have her now."

"Goddammit, I want my brother too," Arion said harshly.

"And you are going to keep him. Do I need to leave?" Eris asked calmly, heart pounding.