"Marriage between supernaturals is a three part process. The first part, the giving of the celestial water can be done one of two ways: given from one person to the other, for a marriage of equals or the cup is set on a level that the other person would have to lower themselves to accept the water, for a marriage of master and slave. Once the water has been given and drunk then comes the second part: they both have to exchange blood. For vampires it is a simple matter of biting and ingesting their partner's blood, for all others a cut is made on both parties and the blood mixed. The water binds the two at the start so that both parties would be able to be found. The blood binding binds their bodies together. Their life forces if you will. The third part: the consummation of the marriage binds their souls or spirits together. All abilities are then shared. For the demon to be able to get you with child you would have to be a virgin and married to him. Once he has gotten you fully married, if you were still a virgin, then he'd be able to get his child on you any time there after."

"I'm confused, I'm not a supernatural anything. I'm just human, so how would that work on me?" Alana asks, looking confused and staring where she thinks the angels are.

"She's right, she is human, so the marriage would have to be a human marriage and that wouldn't be enough for a demon to get her with child. Not even the prince." Jeffrey speaks up.

"She is a human supernatural." The first angel, Jeshua says breaking a lengthy silence.

Jeffrey snorts out in derision, "There are no more human supernaturals. I was there when the humans executed the last of them. I believe you both were as well. The bon fire was really bright and flared high. By the time the fire died down there was nothing left but ashes, not even bone chunks the fire had burned so hot."

"Interesting isn't it? Not even a trace of her body was found? Before her death she sealed off the powers of her children. Only after marriage would they manifest themselves and only under a celestial marriage. For centuries her children had children that had no idea that they had any powers. Some were so powerful that they became known as psychics. They were hated and shunned. Yet, it seems that they were drawn to others that had these sealed powers. Alana comes from two lines from the last supernatural. We believe that she will be one of the strongest once her powers are unlocked."

"The first meal I was given when I woke up in the cell, there was a wooden cup with water in it. The water had a strange taste, but I was too thirsty to care. Once I finished it I kept the cup and used it to get more water from the tap from the sink in my room. The water tasted different from that as well. They never brought me another cup or liquid again. I just never thought about it."

"The first part of the marriage is completed. Your marriage to the prince needs just two parts more to be finished." Michael tells her sadly.

Alana shakes her head in negation. "I would rather die than be in a slave marriage to that creature." She turns to where she can feel Jeffrey. "I have put you in harm's way by staying here. Please, forgive me?"

"I brought you here so there is nothing to forgive." Jeffrey tells her gently and wipes the tears that are escaping her control. "I have wards of protection around my territory, those I strengthened once I found demon tainted coming after you. He won't be able to feel you or find you here."

Jeffrey then looks at the angels. "Now what?" He is more than a little angry at them for doing this, although, he doesn't have a problem with the prince coming after him. He's waited millenia for the chance to kill the prince.

"That will be up to Miss Matthews. What she wants done and what you are willing to do." Michael says slowly and thoughtfully.

"What more can I do? I will either have to leave here or have Jeffrey kill me so the prince won't come after him." Alana says softly after thinking about it for a bit.

She colors a little as she thinks of another answer. "Or, I could have sex before leaving. That would make it so the prince wouldn't be able to have children with me, right?"

"Yeah, that would make it so that he wouldn't be able to have children, but it won't stop him from taking his vengeance out on you or letting his minions take it out on you. By the time they are done you would wish you were dead a thousand times over." Jeshua replies and shudders as the idea makes him sick. He didn't save her from the demon and his minions just for her to go through that.

Alana smiles, "Well, I could have sex and have Jeffrey kill me afterwards and that would end all the problems."

"That is assuming that I would seduce you or kill you, Alana. Are you really wanting death?"

"I can't let you be attacked and killed just because I'm here. That would be a lousy way to repay your kindness to me."

Jeffrey smiles at her as he gently caresses her face and places some hair behind her ear. "I will be attacking the prince any way. I would rather you be here where I can make sure you are safe then out there worried that the bastard would find you. It would be distracting."

Alana stiffens. "What is it, Alana?" Jeffrey asks her.

"There's a vampire by your door. He's strong, nearly as strong as you and leaning more towards the feeling of the demon than you." Alana says in a near whisper.

Jeffrey takes off with her words. 

"I didn't know you could feel auras of people," the first angel says. Before Alana could answer Jeffrey is back with another vampire in tow.

"Alana, this is my oldest child, Chronos. He heard about the deaths of the demon tainted and decided to check it out. He'll be staying to help me fight the prince."

"Miss Matthews, a pleasure to meet you."

"Mr. Chronos, sorry I can only guess where you are," Alana holds her hand out to shake to the new vampire. She's not sure about him yet, but she doesn't want to insult Jeffrey's child. "I'm glad he won't be taking that thing on by himself."

Chronos laughs at her words. "No, he won't be by himself. I'm sure that the majority of my brothers and sisters and their children will be joining us. It's been a long time since we've had such fun."

"You would fight him as well?" Alana says sickened and fearful.

"Yes, we learned to love fighting the demons because of father's hatred of them. He would go out of his way to take down any demons that he'd hear about. It's been a rather boring time lately."

"Why?" Alana questions rather strongly.

"Because there hasn't been much in the way of demon problems. Looks like the prince has been hoarding his troops."

"No, why does Jeffrey has such hatred towards the demon prince?"

"Because he is the creator of the first vampires. I want him dead more than anything else." Jeffrey says and his eyes start glowing, as does Chronos's eyes. 

Vampires love nothing more than killing demons and demonkin like the tainted.

"There is one possibility that neither of you has mentioned." Michael says in the silence. The other members of the room look at him confused having forgotten what topic he is talking about, but it doesn't take Jeffrey long to remember.

"No!" Jeffrey says before the angel can say anything further.

"Jeffrey, you are weakened by not having a human servant already. Although one would be easy enough for you to find, having a wife would make you even stronger and you know it. Even if you didn't gain any of her abilities, just having her as your wife would increase your power."

"I won't force her or make her feel like she needs to do something so permanent as that." Jeffrey says through clenched teeth.

Alana looks blindly back and forth between the two confusion on her face. "I don't understand."

"He's suggesting marriage between the two of us. Marriage, celestial marriage can't be dissolved. Once the blood sharing is complete there is no going back, the two lives are intertwined."

"It wouldn't last that long with you. I would age and die while you remained the same age." Alana says softly.

"No, once we shared blood you would gain my vampiric abilities just like I'll gain your abilities once they are unlocked. You would live as long as me, and I will live as long as you. There would be no divorce, no out. You would be stuck with a cynical ancient vampire for the rest of your life. I don't know how to love. I barely remember loving my wife and children. I couldn't force you to be with me. It just wouldn't be fair to you."

Alana thinks about what he said, but she also thinks about what the angels said. "How would being married to me increase your strength?"

"I would receive your energy and take just a small bit but send it back with mine. You would then take a small amount and then send it back to me with interest. That bouncing back and forth would strengthen us both exponentially."

"Also it would weaken the prince since by marrying Jeffrey it would break his bond with you. Making it so that he wouldn't be able to find you by the bond."

"That would definitely be a plus for me. But, Jeffrey isn't interested in marriage. I think after all those millenia that he wouldn't be interested in marriage shows that he isn't wanting it now."

"Father has never been interested in marriage in all the years that I've known him. He never even entertained the idea before."

"Alana," Jeffrey says facing her and turning her face to him. "I only said no because I don't think it would be fair to you. It has nothing to do with you personally. You deserve to find someone that can give you love. Not a cynical grumpy ancient vampire."

"You said that before." Alana smiles at him.

"It's true and you know it." Jeffrey says irritated.

"If you don't wish to marry me, that's fine. I understand. I wouldn't want to marry someone that has no memory either." Alana gives him a sad smile. "How could I blame you for not wanting me?"

"Shit." Jeffrey starts pacing the room angrily.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?" Alana shrinks back from the anger she feels from him.

"I desire you more than you can possibly imagine. I don't want to make you feel like you need to sacrifice yourself like that."

"I would be more than selfish if I don't. But I won't pressure you to take me to wife. You haven't wanted one all this time, why would you want me? I'm not vain, at least I don't think I am. You don't want to marry me, that's fine," Alana smirks, "we can just have sex. That's fine with me. I don't need to have all the abilities that are locked away."

Her words stop Jeffrey, shocked he stares at her. "You want to have sex with me? You would be willing to give up everything just like that?"

"Well, I'm not likely to find another supernatural to have the celestial marriage with so I wouldn't unlock the so called abilities any way. So, as long as you don't want to marry me to get everything, I might as well have some fun and give you a reward for being willing to protect me." Alana shrugs. "It's a win win for both of us. Even if you lose he won't be able to use me the way he wants to."

By now all the occupants are staring at her. She can feel the weight of their stares but doesn't understand why they are staring. "What? Did I say something wrong again? I won't allow everyone to die just because I want to live. I would rather be tortured to death than allow that. Yes, I am aware that I'm being rather naïve about what he'll do and have his minions do to me. But no one else needs to pay the price. I'll pay it. I may not remember who I was or what I was like before, but I would hope that I would do the same then as well."

"No," Jeffrey says softly. 

"Then I guess you better kill him before he gets to me," Alana smiles sadly.

"NO!" Jeffrey goes back to her side. "If you are truly willing to sacrifice yourself like that I would that you marry me. I can't promise you love, I barely remember what that is. I can promise to respect you and treat you right. I would do my best to make you happy and not make you cry." He pulls her into his arms. "I will do my best to make it a marriage of equality between us."

Chronos is staring at his father like he's never seen him before and the angels are smiling rather smugly at the two of them.

"How are you respecting me by having your mistresses in the house?"

"What?" Jeffrey asks beyond confused at her question. He doesn't have any mistresses.

"You won't be with just me, I understand that. You slept with your human servant and likely will sleep with her once she arises as a vampire. Once you take a new human servant you will likely sleep with her as well. You know, mistresses."

Jeffrey shakes his head. "I won't offer that as a reward to my new servant, when I take one. As for Malia, sleeping with her would make the bond stronger between us, but I'll only do that if I feel it to be necessary. I don't have any mistresses and wouldn't bring them to live here if I did. I only had mistresses if I needed them to play a part. Many times Malia or my other human servants played that part for me."

"That's okay, Jeffrey, you never told me that you would be only with me."

"I won't expect you to be any more faithful to me than I am to you. You would be allowed lovers. I don't like being a hypocrite. I wasn't with my first wife either." Jeffrey smiles and once more puts hair behind her ear. "She is actually the one to give me my other wives and concubines."

"You had a very strange wife, Jeffrey." Alana says with more than a little amusement.

"She loved me, but not the way a woman loves a man. She gave me a son and was more than willing to let the other females be my bedmates. Many children were born to me by them."

"Just how many children did you lose, Jeffrey? If it is too difficult to remember them..."

"Nearly twenty, some were old enough to have children. I had three grandchildren and two were pregnant with my grandchildren when they died." Jeffrey tells her and there is silence with his words. Not even Chronos had known how many children Jeffrey had lost. "Many of my tribe were my children, many of the fighters."

"I'm sorry for asking, Jeffrey." Alana apologizes to him.