“You’re going.  We need to be seen there.  I have information that Lorenzo is meeting with Gavin tonight, and we need to be there, too.”

“Why?” Her discomfort with his flirtatious behavior fled, as her heart raced in fear at the thought of seeing the vampire again.

“We need to go there, and I’m going to act as if I’m feeding from you.  I’m going to act like your lover, and you’re going to play along if you know what’s good for you.”

Her pulse raced again, only it wasn’t from fear.  “Why?  Why do I have to—”

“We don’t have rules in my world.  We don’t even have conventions, really, but there is a kind of courtesy among those who are mostly civilized.”  He paused and watched her carefully.  “Lorenzo is your father’s sire, and in my world, that means he has…a certain claim over you.  If he wanted to take you, no one would bat an eyelash as long as he didn’t make it newsworthy.  That’s why no one cares that his people bit your grandmother in a very messy attack.  She belonged to his child, so she belonged to him.”

“So I’m just—”

“What you are, Beatrice, is mine, as far as anyone knows.  My human, my ‘food,’ as you put it so eloquently earlier this evening.  And I am Lorenzo’s sire and far more feared, so my ownership trumps his.  But we need to make sure he is forced to acknowledge that in order for you to have some measure of safety in this city.  So he needs to see us together, and he needs to see us where there are witnesses, do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes,” she whispered with a nod.

“I’m not doing this to torment either of us.”  His eyes dropped to her flushed lips.  “I’m doing this because I think it’s our best move at the moment.”

“Are you going to bite me?”

She saw him swallow visibly and eye her neck.  She could see his fangs run down behind his lips, but he turned and walked back toward the living room.  “No.  Get dressed.”

“Fine.”

“Wear the burgundy skirt.”

“What?  Why?  Is there some dress code or something?”

He shrugged.  “No, I just like how it looks on you.”

She rolled her eyes and stomped up the stairs.

Twenty minutes later they were driving Giovanni’s Mustang through the dark streets of Houston near Rice Village.  He had been filling her in on the guidelines for acting like his regular meal.  Beatrice thought they mostly consisted of her acting like a totally hypnotized doormat.

“And don’t ever contradict me in front of another vampire.  Carwyn or Tenzin are fine.  Anyone else would put you at risk.”

“So I basically have to act like I’m brainwashed and like it.”

“If you were an average human, you would be, and I can guarantee that you would like it.”

“I am an average human.”

“Not to me,” he murmured and she pretended to ignore him.

“Gio?”

“Hmm?”

“Is this going to end soon?”

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.  There was an odd, almost sad look on his face when he finally answered.  “I will do everything in my power to make sure you can safely move to Los Angeles by the middle of August, Beatrice.”

“That’s not—”

“It’s all I can promise.  I don’t want to start a war with Lorenzo if I can avoid it.”

Her jaw dropped.  “So you’re not going to kill him?”

Giovanni just stared at the road.  “Not if I can help it.”

She sat, gaping at him, knowing she looked like a guppy the way her mouth moved in silent protest.

“S—so you’re just going to let him get away with doing that to my grandmother?  You’re just going to let him treat us like food?  Like property? I thought—”

She broke off when he jerked the car over onto a side street and slammed on the brakes.  He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him as his eyes blazed.

“Listen to me.  Lorenzo has many powerful, powerful friends.  As do I.  And his friends owe him favors, as do mine.  If I go to war with this vampire, people will be hurt, mortal and immortal.  Do you understand that, little girl?  People will die, Beatrice.  So you tell me how many people need to die because of an insult to your grandmother.  Because of an attack she survived.  How many?  Would you like my estimate?  I don’t think it would sit well with you.”

She sat with her teeth clenched and tried to hold back the angry tears that wanted to fall from her eyes.  “Fine.”

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes,” she hissed, blinking.  “I understand.”

He released her and carefully pulled the car back into traffic.  Minutes later, they were parking in the small lot behind The Night Hawk, and she was still fuming.

Giovanni leaned over and released her seatbelt before he grabbed her chin again.  This time, his fingers were soft, and his lips ghosted over hers in a delicate kiss.  The anger drained out of her at his unexpectedly tender gesture.

“Why—”

“Everything in there is for show.”  His accent was heavy and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.  “That was for me.”