Ana walks down to the infirmary after her shower. She stills feels relaxed and energized after the session of torture. She knows that Damon isn't happy about her choice, but she likes it. She found that she got a taste for it after she killed her father.

She stops and listens to the voices  coming from the other side of the door. They are too low for her to hear clearly but she can distinguish two female and at least two male voices in the room. Ana opens the door and immediately the voices cease.

Ana raises an eyebrow, "You don't need to stop on my account." The three family members of the late Hawk and the old second, Jonah, look at her with varying degrees of red staining their cheeks.

"Mistress," Jonah is the first to recover and bow to her.

"Jonah, please take your fiance and future daughter-in-law out of the room. Then I'd like to meet with you and Damon to talk." Ana says and immediately the ladies stand and start moving to the door.

"Of course." Jonah says.

"Ladies you might want to go enjoy the sun. There is a pool or tennis court outside. If you like to ride there are horses as well." Ana invites, she wants them to feel at home for now.

"Thank you mistress, you are most kind." Trudy replies and smiles happily. It has been some time since she has been treated so kindly.

Ana has never taken her eyes off the boy lying in the bed. She gives an absent wave as the others leave the room.

Trinity has never seen someone so young have people so terrified of them before. He speaks sincerely and softly, "Thank you for being so generous to my family. After what my father did I didn't expect to survive or have them be as free as they are."

"My father sold me to Damon's father to pay his debts, then watched as that same man killed his wife, my mother,  just moments later. When Damon's father turned the gun on me and had me slit my father's throat I was more than willing. Dying in the fire he set, not so much." Ana decides to be frank with this amazing young man. He'd grown up under Hawk, yet he's far more innocent than even she is.

Trinity stares at her in horror, "How'd you survive?"

"Damon. He killed his father, thought he was being wasteful, but the fire had spread and made it so I couldn't get out of the house. Calum, now my second, saw which window I went to and Damon got me out. I spent the next month in the hospital in a coma." Ana smiles slightly, "Damon pulled me out of that as well. When I woke up I didn't remember anything of that night. Damon told me everything. Then he gave me an option, go to foster care or he'd apply to take over guardianship. When I asked him what the catch was he told me that he wasn't a good man."

"When was this?" Trinity asks not wanting to break into the young girls memories too much.

"The fire happened on my eighth birthday. Almost three years ago." Ana replies absently.

"So he gained custody of you then?" Trinity hadn't heard that Phoenix had a young girl then.

"No. The judge deemed Damon too young and inexperienced and sentenced me to the home from hell." Ana stops she has to take deep breaths, just the memory of Scott and what he did to her makes her get anxiety attacks.

"You don't-"

"I need you to understand. It's just hard. My father molested me from the earliest memories I had. He turned my only friend into a child molester as well, he was even worse than my father. But what Scott, my foster brother did, it far surpassed them both combined. Damon blames himself for not stopping it sooner. The trauma sent me into a near catatonic state. I was that way for some time as well. Once more it was Damon that brought me out of it.

"The judge finally granted him guardianship, but I had to speak to the doctor and to the judge. I was a mess. I couldn't be alone with the doctor, I would start to shake so bad, go into a ball of anxiety. Finally the doctor had to have Damon watch from a window where I could see him.

"It was worse for the judge. When the judge wanted to speak to me without Damon, I had a hard time even breathing and was shaking so hard I couldn't hear anything. The judge allowed Damon to stay in the courtroom just too far away to hear the questions he asked me. I was furious at his questions. As if Damon would ever touch me like that. He saved me from the fire and to tell the truth wanted to kill my father when he found out what he did. He did something to the boy that also abused me. There is a contract out on the entire family of the foster family. Damon would rather die than hurt me." Ana looks at Trinity.

"But his men didn't feel the same. Calum especially didn't. He hated me, they all disliked me, said that I was a danger, a weakness to Damon. I wasn't wanted, the only one that wanted me was Damon. I didn't understand why, still not sure actually. I have caused him a great deal of pain and grief. Yet, he still stands as my defender.

"We went to eat and found a homeless man and his family on the way. Used to be part of Hawk's group. He was thrown out by Hawk after he was injured and Hawk couldn't be bothered to make sure that he got the medical care that he needs. His name is Jackson. Damon offered him a job to become my bodyguard and he accepted. He and his family were given immediate medical care. Once they were released from the hospital they moved in here and he started work.

"I have a second body guard, but he is for school, Jacob. He helps to keep the bullies away. He's the one that told me who you were when I saw you protecting the foster boy that started at your high school." Ana finishes, she glosses over a lot of her life. Trinity starts when she mentions the boy he stopped from being bullied. He had no idea that she knew of that incident.

He looks at her confused by this girl, terrifying and innocent at once. "I don't understand." Trinity tries to smile but it falls flat, he doesn't like being out of the loop like this.

"You have compassion on those that are less fortunate. A rare enough quality in most humans, but in someone raised in a group like you, it is the rarest of qualities to be found. Compassion is seen as weakness, it isn't, at least if you are willing to be strong at the same time. It impressed me.

"I want you to be another body guard. I need one that is completely loyal to me with no ties to anyone else. Damon and I are good now, and I trust my body guards that he has given me, but the future is never set in stone. I need someone that I know will be loyal. Especially when it comes to the Hawk group. I think that person is or could be you if you so choose." Ana says and watches the amazement come over Trinity's face.

"You would of course remain in school, the high school is right across from my school. Your affiliation with me would be explained by Damon taking you and your sister in after your father's death and your mother being unable to deal with things. She will also be moving in for now. But if you prefer you will remain with the others and be under Jonah. As long as you give me your oath." Ana says and gives him the final choice.

"I am shocked, to be honest. I will of course give you my oath. I just," Trinity is having trouble collecting his thoughts. "I never believed that you could trust me enough to be willing to be so close to you."

"I do trust you, Trinity, and will continue to do so until you give me a reason to no longer do so. I won't interfere with your," Ana gives him a smirk, "love life, but I will require my security to be first and foremost for you. You will be allowed to bring your dates here. Your room will be the last one on the hall. Two doors down from mine. The bedrooms are sound proof which is the only reason I would allow you to bring girls here. But I don't want to see them at breakfast. That is the only condition. Damon doesn't allow it, he doesn't even allow it with the girls he brings over."

"I understand," Trinity manages to get out of his throat. He had never dared bring the girls to his father's home. He was never sure if they would be allowed to leave again. He smiles, there could be definite advantages to living here.

He gives Ana his oath and she gives hers in return. "I want you to get the Hawk tattoo on you whenever you are allowed to. The doctor made sure to let me know that you can't get one right now. But from now on, Trinity, you belong to me." Ana smiles and Trinity is not unhappy at belonging to her.

"School starts next month. We will need to go shopping with Jacob and your sister. I imagine Calum will want to tag along as well."

"Mistress," Trinity starts but Ana stops him.

"You're my body guard, I'll allow you to call me by name."

Trinity gives her a shy smile and blushes. He cusses himself for that. "Ana, if you don't trust Calum, why did you allow for my sister to marry him?"

He wants to know why she put him in charge of Hawk, but doesn't want to push his luck.

Ana smiles at him gently, "It's alright, you can ask me anything. I might not answer, but you can ask. I trust Damon. Calum is absolutely loyal to Damon. I need someone that will keep Hawk group together until I'm old enough to take over. I figure that by the time I'm sixteen the men will be loyal enough that I will be able to do so. The sooner I have the men's loyalty the better. You are a part of me gaining their loyalty."

"My mother and sister?" Trinity looks at Ana and starts understanding why she didn't kill or sell them.

"They too have their roles to play. I was more than happy they chose the role which I wanted them to take, but if they had chosen the other then I would have honored my word." Ana goes over to him, "I always keep my promises and oaths. As long as you and they are loyal to me, I will be loyal to you as well, but if you betray me or if they do," Ana gives him a wicked little smile, "what I did to that man that attacked me earlier will be nothing to what I'll do to you. I have a little something special planned for any further betrayals. Something I've heard about but haven't seen done. It was used by the Indians in the old west, but I have some things to add to it." The words and tone make Trinity's skin crawl, he has no doubt that Ana could and would do as she said. He has no wish to betray this fascinating child.

"Rest well, Trinity. As soon as the doctor releases you, you'll be moved upstairs to your new room. I believe your mother and sister decided on next Friday for their double wedding. The doctor assures me that you will be fit enough to join the fun unless something unforeseen happens." With that Ana leaves Trinity to his thoughts.

Trinity has a small smile in place. He's never met anyone that so fascinates while at the same time horrifies him, like Ana. It should be interesting being her body guard.