With the wave of her wand, Gwyneira revealed her hidden bedroom once more and stepped inside.  Emrys was perched on her nightstand in bat form, innocently peering up at her with those round crimson eyes of his.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth,” Gwyneira grumbled.

Emrys shifted back into his vampire form with a sickening crackle of bones, until his leathery skin melted to a soft alabaster shade.  “Very cozy in here,” he remarked, stuffing his hands down into the pockets of his trousers.  “Although, I must admit, this feels rather scandalous being in your bedroom.”

“Don’t get any brilliant ideas in your head.  Come on.” Gwyneira gestured for him to follow her back out into her office. “Tomorrow night, you’re going down to the station.”  

“No way. They’ll arrest me on the spot,” Emrys protested.

“That’s why you hired a lawyer, isn’t it?” Gwyneria asked.  “If your family doesn't pay your bail, then I will.  For a generous fee, of course.  That’s also not something I’m offering you personally, just something I do for all my clients because I’ve had plenty without a support system on their side.”

“I see.” Emrys perched himself down in her chair once again, but he didn’t open one of his romance novels.  He just sat there, gazing at her crystal ball like it would tell him his future.  

“If you wanted someone to hide you from the law, you should have taken up Mr. Bloodworth’s offer.  Him and his firm have no qualms about bending the law and bribing corrupt bat cops to keep quiet.”

Emrys’ ears flicked inward.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to make you lie to your brother-in-law’s face.  Before I got up, I used a bit of glamor magic in your office so he couldn’t detect I was there.  Vampires have a sixth sense for that kind of thing, you know?”

“I appreciate that.  The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind when it should have.” Gwyneira raked a frustrated hand through her hair.  

Things were too complicated with him and his case.  It was bad enough whenever he’d lied to Percy, but now she’d literally done the same exact thing. Look at her being a hypocrite. 

“Please, don’t pull all your hair out because of me.”  

Gwyneira sighed.  “I won’t.  Not yet, at least.  Have you ever been in a vampire holding cell?”

“No.”

“They’re down in the police station’s basement,” Gwyneira explained.  “With bars made of silver.”

What little color remained in Emrys’ face drained, making him resemble a ghost.  “Silver is banned in the country… I don’t understand.”

“It is.  For civilians.  Law enforcement and certain government officials are permitted to use it.  And weaponize it,” Gwyneira explained.  She had a bad feeling he wasn’t very knowledgeable about such things, and it only broke her heart more to imagine someone so innocent locked away.  “There’s no other way to contain a vampire.  They could easily break through other metals.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Emrys had folded his arms around himself.  

“Do you have any clue who would’ve set you up to take the fall for Iron Fang’s death?” Gwyneira asked.  “It would be great if we could give the bat cops some other suspects to look at.  Right now, I’m pretty sure they just have their sights set on you.”

Emrys rubbed his chin.  “Could be anyone who hates my father and his business. Which is a lot of humans.  I couldn’t even write you a list,” he scoffed.  “Personally though?  I’m not really sure.  Maybe someone in Iron Fang’s crew?”

“That’s a start.” Gwyneira nodded.  “You don’t happen to know where his crew frequents, do you?”

“Those vamps are dangerous, Gwyneira.  Messing with them is only prone to get us into deeper trouble.”

“It’s not like any of them would recognize me anyhow.” Gwyneira shrugged.  “I’m sure I could get Astrea to tag along.  Although, things might get a bit bloody” She cringed to imagine her sister slaying ruthless vampire mafia members.  “Percy would probably kill us both afterward.”

“Please don’t do that.” Emrys bristled.  “Listen, if you really want to go snoop around and poke the bloodthirsty bears in their cave, I’ll come with you.  I’m the reason you’re in this mess.  And if you die, I’ll be out of a lawyer.”

“Glad to know where your priorities stand.”

Emrys rolled his eyes.  “Yes, of course.  As for their hideout, it’s a blood pub called The Bat and Blood. My father has supplied them with blood on occasion, but they typically rely on live feedings.”

“Wonderful.” Gwyneira bristled to imagine it.  “I’ll wear my thickest scarf and coat.”

“A scarf might not be enough to hold some of them off,” Emrys’ voice came out low and hoarse, the look in his eyes full of worry.  “You should tell your brother or brother-in-law about this plan.  Let them at least mark your wrist so other vampires know you’re theirs.  Those vampires have respect for their kind and their property.”

Gwyneira did not fancy the thought of being viewed as some vampire’s precious blood bag, but she wasn’t stupid enough to ignore his warning either.  Emrys made a very valid point.  Any of those vampires could rip her scarf from her neck and bite her until their venom made her lose all sense of self-control, until she was begging them to drain her dry.  The thought made her quite ill.

Although government workers such as herself were freed from forceful feedings, no vamp would consider her side when she willingly walked into a blood feeding pub.  Once there, it was a free for all.  

“You can bite me then,” Gwyneira said.  “It would be an even better ruse with you accompanying me.  They’ll assume we’re together, or at least, that I’m your main blood source.”

“I can’t.” Emrys gazed down at the floor where Nightshade had curled up beside his feet. “I’m sorry.”

Gwyneira frowned. “I don’t understand. It would just be on my wrist, nothing intimate.”

Emrys poked his lower lip with his fang. “I won’t drink blood from the source of anyone. I don’t trust myself. That’s why I take those blood pills.”

“Oh,” Gwyneira murmured because she wasn’t sure what else she could say. She’d never known of a vampire who’d turn down fresh blood. 

“My father grew tired of providing them for me because they are quite expensive” Emrys fiddled with his hands in his lap. “That’s why I turned to illegal sources to get them. I had to, Gwyneira. I still have to drink limited amounts of real blood, but I struggle to force myself to drink it. The pills help get rid of pain it causes when I don’t get enough blood.”

“That’s why Iron Fang visited you the morning he died,” Gwyneira said softly.  

“He was selling me blood pills, yes.” Emrys folded his hands in his lap. “You understand why I couldn’t tell the police that, don’t you?  It’s illegal to take them without a prescription, which I can no longer get.  Father blacklisted me from the clinics because he wants me to man up and just drink blood.  Like it’s that fanging easy for me.” He rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Emrys.  While I don’t condone lying, I do understand why you did it.  Things really aren’t looking in your favor right now.  I have to be honest with you. Hiding the illegal blood pills is only going to make them think you really did lose control of your cravings and snapped at your dealer.”

“I know.” 

Gwyneira massaged her temples.  “This puts us in an awful situation here.  I’m not keen on asking my brother-in-law to bite me, mind you.  The only other option is a vamp neither of us are particularly fond of, but it might be his fangs that help get us safely into that pub to snoop around for new suspects.”

“Who?” Emrys frowned.

“Bloodworth.”

“Are you batshit?” Emrys shook his head.  “Absolutely not.  I refuse to let you give yourself away to him like that. Just… give me your arm.”

Gwyneira raised a brow. “Are you sure? Don’t think I’m foolish enough to make a deal with the devil without writing up some terms to protect myself.”

“I’m most definitely sure.” Emrys grimaced.  “Bloodworth is the last vamp you want to be marked by.”

“Only if you’re certain about this.” Gwyneira made her way around the desk, coming to tower over Emrys in his seat.  

“I am.” Emrys’ eyes darkened.

Emrys wrapped his hand around her arm, gently rolling up the sleeve and caressing her skin with his long, calloused fingers.  He brushed the pad of his thumb along the path of veins in her wrist.  Gwyneira’s heartbeat quickened as she watched him, trying to ignore the thrill that coursed through her to just think about him biting her.  

Then, he tenderly lowered his mouth against the inside of her wrist and licked it. His cool tongue lapped at her skin like it was delicious melted ice cream, and she shivered at the contact.  Emrys tightened his grip on her arm.  One look at his glowing crimson eyes had heat pooling low in her belly as he sheathed those sharp fangs and pierced them into her delicate skin.

Emrys let out such a tortured moan that made Gwyneir gasp, which in turn, made him wrap his other arm around her waist to steady her. It was just a mere bite on the wrist.  Nothing intimate about that at all. Yet Gwyneira’s body trembled when Emrys released her wrist, almost aching to pull him back and let him finish.

Heat flushed her face, and traveled to other unmentionable areas of her body as Emrys wiped his blood-stained lips on the back of his hand.  “You okay?” he asked softly, his other hand still supporting her waist as he looked at her more tenderly than she’d ever expected from a vampire.

“Yes, of course.” Gwyneira ignored her racing heart and the way her wrist throbbed with such a delightful pulse of pleasure.  She gently touched the fresh pinpricks with a soft whimper.  A light stream of blood flowed from one of the tiny punctures, but before she could move to wipe it away, Emrys seized her arm.

“Forgive me, I forgot to seal it.” Emrys used his tongue on her once more, and she desperately tried to ignore how he groaned against her skin.  “There.  That should be better.  It might ache for a little today, but it’ll fade.”

“Ah, thank you.  Much better.” Gwyneira disregarded how her body swayed when he released his ironclad grip on her waist and the way her legs resembled jelly.  She braced the back of her desk for support.  

“Gwyneira, are you sure you’re okay?” Concern filled those lovely slanted vermillion eyes of his.  “You’re not anemic or anything, are you? I know some vampires can actually detect that in the blood they drink, but I’m not very familiar with that.  Did… Did I hurt you?”

“No, I’m not anemic, and I’m okay. Honestly, I am. Just not used to that.  I’ve never had a vampire bite me before.” Gwyneira let out a nervous chuckle.  “Honestly, it was not at all what I’d expected.  Just give me a moment to recuperate and then we’ll head out, okay?”

Emrys frowned.  “Okay, yeah. Let me know if you feel lightheaded or weird though.  I’m sorry, Gwyneira. I really shouldn’t have bitten you. But you kept saying you’d go to Bloodworth-”

“Don’t apologize.” Gwyneira cut him off.  “I promise, I’m perfectly fine.”

Vampire bites were supposed to feel painful and heinous, nothing like the delightful pleasure that still spread and tingled through her body like warm syrup. She hadn’t lied to him about being perfectly fine, and that terrified her more than anything.