Dorian was dressed in his finest.

Some days required more than a simple button down shirt and well-fitted pants. Some occasions required he bring out the real Dorian Cael, the Dorian Cael of finer and better times.

Dressed in black pants, a black dress shirt, a black vest and tailored jacket, Dorian had taken out his cuff links and his shiniest black shoes, his best rings. From head to toe he was polished, put-together and rather pleased with it as well. Tonight was a secret party, a celebration of the dead and undead, a ghostly masque ball of crimsom lips and black wedding dresses. The vampire fair, a gathering of only those who were invited. Dorian was the most anticipated man at gatherings like this, and his guest was queen for a night. This night the dark prince had chosen Danae.

Of course a mortal woman would never be allowed to something like this. With anyone else, she would be torn to pieces and forgotten about, but when she arrived on the arm of Dorian Cael, she would be accepted, this he knew.

The sun had barely gone to bed with darkness and Dorian was already eager for Danae to arrive. Surely she would come, she'd accept the invitation. She was one to take a challenge after all.

What would a member of MSI think to walk into a gathering of vampires? He couldn't wait to see her face.

And he had even brought her a glittering, silver crown. Just a tiny something to put atop her head and finish this masquarade. Queen of the undead. She would certainly be the liveliest yet to hold this title. And most beautiful.

He couldn't wait to see her face.

She often wondered how such a creature, one of descent that she had fought for so long, could possibly charm his way into her mind, and even convince her to join him, in a cemetery, of all places. The night before, she had shared far too long of glances and more than enough secret gestures that would surely cause both Antony and Marcus' blood to boil, and yet...somehow, she could not bring herself to care. For all the darkness he held inside of him, there was a light buried deep inside that she could see glowing from the depths of his ethereal eyes.

And so, as he vanished the night before, her mind had already been made up. As darkness fell, she left MSI and carried on to her home, dressing in a gown of the darkest black, accentuated with crimson trim...Her chestnut hair was long and flowing, and now, as her heels clicked hollowly on the crumbling sidewalk, she walked to meet her newfound acquaintance and so much more in the cemetery.

Within, she could hear the rustling of bodies and knew she was not alone. For a moment, she thought it a trap, but as she approached Dorian, taking in the finery of the clothes he wore, she saw no malice or ill intent within him. Instead, she stopped behind him and reached up, a hand coming to rest against his shoulderblade as she waited.

"Neptonia Cemetery...At dark...As you requested," she said softly as soon as her touch fell to him, though Danae was certain he had known of her presence long before she spoke a word of warning.

Dorian heard Danae's approach and smiled to himself. His queen of the night had finally arrived. He felt her hand on his back and was all the more pleased. He turned around, slowly and took in the sight of her.

Honestly, he had expected her to come wearing her uniform, if she came at all, but this an astonishing surprise. He looked her over, not bothering to hide his intense stare and then nodded. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect, Danae Walker." He carefully nestled the silver crown on her head. Danae's dark hair shown in the moonlight, beautifully inviting and touchable. He bent and whispered in her ear, "Fitting of royalty. And tonight that's exactly what you are."

Dorian offered her his hand. This woman hadn't been treated like this enough. No one had taken the time to turn her into a proper princess, to court her and seduce her and win her gently, knowledgably. No, the men in her life had been strict or careful or distant. Men of business and duty. To hell with duty and business both. The right words and a proper game of cards were about all Dorian counted on from day to day.

"Tonight you will see what no other mortal has seen... our very own gathering, a dance if you will, a ball of the old order. My kind, in the most sensual time of night, when the sun has barely disappeared and darkness has hours and hours ahead..."

He turned and a quiet smile did tilt her lips, but only for a moment. Her head tilted curiously to the side, she lifted her eyes as he settled the crown on her head, a look of confusion passing over her normally stoic features.

A ball? A gathering of his kind? Once again, Danae felt as if she had walked straight into the lion's den, and yet...she felt no fear. Puzzled beyond description, she let him take her hand, slender fingers curving around his own. These gatherings, she had heard of. Balls of days long forgotten, where men and women danced and whispered their secrets long into the night....

Her hand in his, she walked with him into the cemetery, intrigued as she tipped her head back to watch him. Some part of her still could not help but look again and again at the way he was dressed, so far removed from the modernized clothes that she had seen him in time and time again. Glancing down at her own attire, he had told her, whether spoken or not, to dress fittingly, and somehow, it was only this dress that came to mind. Another thought passed by that he would use his powers to speak unbidden thoughts into her mind, to smile knowingly and convey the words soundlessly in given time...

As vampires surrounded them, she stepped closer to his side, and again, her suspicion that there was far more to him than darkness and lack of mercy was strengthened all the more...

The vampires appeared one by one, like ghosts, like well-dressed and beautiful ghosts. Men, women, couples, with down cast eyes and yet, something about the mood was merry. Maybe it was being able to revel in being exposed, together in numbers.

Several of the vampire women flocked to Dorian when they saw him, calling his name and fighting for his attention. "Rosa, Elaina, Gwen..." he said to each of them in turn. "Not tonight. Tonight is for Danae." He motioned to her with his head and all eyes turned to Danae. They knew what she was and many probably knew she was MSI, but they didn't dare as much as glare at her if she was with Dorian.

The music that lit up the cemetery didn't really come from anywhere and a sane person would wonder if they even heard music at all. But it was moving and sensual and lush, and people started dancing. "You dance?" Dorian asked Danae quietly. "The queen needs to take at least one dance..."

Queen? Danae raised a brow at all that surrounded her as she walked through the cemtery with Dorian, soundlessly, her arm linked through his, her fingers intertwined with his own, cold skin brushing against her own.

Biting her lip slightly, she glanced away as the other women made their way to him, keeping her eyes downcast and looking every way but where they stood. Her coming here was, no doubt, a death wish. Most of the vampires that she dared to look at were ones that she had run into before, and many that she had warned and chased out of villages time and time again.

A soft melody began wafting through the air, and as it met her ears, so did his whispers. Her emerald gaze turning upward, Danae met his eyes, and her head nodded only slightly. She did dance...and had danced many times, but Queen?

"I do dance, Dorian...but I'm afraid I misunderstand. Queen? Queen of what? Is there more to you that you've yet to tell me?" she asked, wondering what on earth could make her Queen for a night, simply by arriving on his arm. She had heard of the hierarchy among the vampires, and yet, nothing in his files denoted that he was of the dark royalty...

And work, yet again...Ever curious, Danae wondered where to document this night, but then, she knew that such a thing was not possible. No mortal would ever see such a sight, such a night as this one...because they were too blind and jaded for it all.

I do dance, Dorian...but I'm afraid I misunderstand. Queen? Queen of what? Is there more to you that you've yet to tell me?

Dorian looked back at her, knowing her mind was ticking with questions and musing and she was probably frustrated with everything she didn't know. She must be pondering so hard... it nearly showed in her eyes.

He led her into a first dance and wondered how he should answer her. Understanding vampires required being one and yet, Danae was as close as a mortal had come. She'd done her studying, she'd done her reading. And she was naturally so very very curious.

"They've names for me... not names that the Queen of England would have recognized or those old fat men, the Presidents of the United States. No, my name is older and a little more secret. I suppose I've earned it," he said. It wasn't modesty- Dorian had no use for modesty- it was just the truth. "I'm older than most of them. I can remember life before trains and cars, and of course, before all of that was taken away again."

He'd been a gentleman of the old ways, even if never by title. He'd been too poor for a title, but had learned it all just the same. "I learned how to properly romance a woman, how to treat her like a lady. My wisdom and trade have long ago been lost. Someone must keep it alive." His trade was something he was enjoying showing her, a little at a time. And oh, he knew exactly how curious she was. He almost laughed to imagine what that Antony Piers fellow would do if he saw his worker bee at the masque ball of the dead, on the arm of none other than Dorian Cael. Whoever said amusement ended with death was an idiot.

Standing before him, Danae begun to dance, realizing within moments that it was compromised of long forgotten steps that Antony had taught her when she was just a little girl. For his age, that none hardly knew the exact year, he cherished the things of the past, the days when all was not so dark, and so he had instilled such a love into Danae...

Perhaps that was why she was so intensely drawn to the darkness of Dorian, she told herself, but deep down, she knew it was not true. Danae sought a replacement for the tattered hollow in her heart that one vampire had already placed there...Unfair, perhaps, to the creature of the night that stood before her, but Danae did her best to convince her own mind that she did all with the best of intentions...But did he?

Moving about the dance floor with him, she listened to his voice, melodic as it seemed, and raised a curious brow as he talked of old names and forgotten titles. "And what do they call you, Dorian?"

Danae knew all too well the names that Marcus had, the titles that he had earned himself...Silent Knight was one of the more popular, and yet, there were countless others that he had been labeled with over the years. Still, from time to time, an Ancient would recognize him and address him in the old way with the nickname that he had graced himself with...

No.

Forcing Marcus from her thoughts, from her mind (though she could never truly do such a thing), Danae twirled about the cemetery with Dorian, awaiting his answer, and watching him as if other phantom bodies did not move soundlessly around them. She was vaugely aware that he had twirled them straight into the center of a large crowd, and she couldn't bring herself to care....

In his eyes, she saw something lighter dance...amusement, was it? She had some vague idea that it was simply the predicament in which they found themselves...A long mortal dancing amid a crowd of vampires. It seemed more like a waiting picnic than a ball, and yet, somehow, she knew he would not allow any of them to touch her. In the back of her mind, she wondered why in nine hells she trusted him so...

Dorian watched Danae, knowing all too well what she must be thinking. "It's alright," he said quietly. "None of them would dare hurt you. It's me that they think has gone mad... but I wouldn't advise you crossing their paths without me. Some aren't as enamored as I am."

He was more than impressed with her ability to dance, and especially in the fashion that she did. "Someone taught you well," he commented. "Someone who knows much about many things..."

He couldn't help wondering if the person her mind kept wandering away to was a vampire. Someone who knew very much of darkness and the power of immortality. In fact, the more he considered it, the more he thought it very possible. Probable. But who?

He knew of very few vampires that had anything to do with mortals. There had long been stories of a vampire woman who was lover to a prince of England, who carried out secret missions for him and kept him company as well. But she was long lost dead, turned to ash some time ago.

And of course there was Trellan.

Trellan! Dorian looked down at Danae, suddenly wondering if he'd guessed right. Trellan? Marcus Trellan? Was he the one who had captured Danae's attentions and gotten her all gooey and wistful? Well, the devil knew Trellan was a workaholic in his way, always out to do what was Right, or at least what would keep him from becoming a pile of dust. Trellan had a reputation, he was a disgrace to his kind and besides all that, had absolutely no idea how to ever have any kind of fun.

They moved in different circles; Dorian had never met Trellan, but he certainly heard enough about him.

"He has purpose, doesn't he?" Dorian asked. "This rival, this person you love so much. He holds purpose above all else..."

The dance seemed to pass far too quickly, Danae thought, as she watched the moon rise higher and higher into the sky, illuminating the graveyard with its rays. Tipping her head back, she looked up into Dorian's eyes, a quiet smile lighting her face as he commented on her dancing. It was something she was quite proud of, something she had prided herself in...A secret that none of her peers knew of, save for Antony, but he was no peer...He was her father, if she could claim him as such...But because the world did not see fit to give her to him, he was merely her Uncle...No blood relation, but her kin, her heart, just the same.

A pang of guilt stabbed into her chest as his face came to mind. What would he say if he knew in whose arms she danced tonight, whose lips she had kissed, whose hand she had held? Dropping her gaze to the ground, Danae became lost in her own thoughts, but still, it did not stop her head from coming to rest against the vampire's shoulder as the melody slowed even more.

Her mind danced between Marcus and Antony, knowing how both would chide and scole her for the decisions she had made, and yet, there was no explanation she could give that either would understand. The truth, that her own curiosity had gotten the better of her, would not stand firm enough again. And still, the heart of the matter, that Dorian was not as evil as he made himself out to be...that was a truth they would never believe.

Biting her lip, she lifted her gaze once again as he spoke, realizing just how close she had leaned to him when she could hear his voice, the soft sounds drifting past her ear. Her jaw clenched slightly and she gave a short nod to his answer, biting at the inside of her lip, but otherwise showing no emotion.

"Purpose is all he has, all he cares for," she said flatly, and then turned her head away from him, not wanting Dorian to see what she knew was evident in her eyes. For all the love she felt for Marcus, she felt the hurt of his rejection all the more. She still could not understand how the vampire before her could hold her so easily, when all Marcus could manage to do was push her farther and farther away with every moment that passed between them. "But he can have his purpose...I wash my hands of it," she whispered, and though there was some tinge of regret in her voice, she could not help but mean the words. He did not want her at his side, was too afraid of himself to let her in, and so, she would find solace in the arms of Cael and believe that it was enough...Because it was, wasn't it?

As Danae described this elusive one she loved, Dorian decided it must be Trellan. She certainly had his number in any case. What a sad person for a brilliant woman to fall in love with. But saying anything of the sort wouldn't help anyway.

The music ended and the ghostly guests floated away, one by one, as if they had never been.

"You deserve better than one who reads his books and goes on his missions and lives and breathes for his job." He didn't go into any more detail, because there was no need. Instead, he bent his head down towards her and kissed her. He made sure everything else flickered out and away and that for a few seconds, she was the most precious being in the whole universe. Every bit of energy was concentrated on her. Star, queen. He certainly had plenty of practise with making this simple wish come true... for those who needed it, anyway.

No, Dorian wouldn't most likely be the one to give this to her, at least not for more than a little while, but he didn't like the idea of Trellan dragging Danae's heart around until she was a sad old lady. He could give her a little taste of the sun and when she was ready, send her back on her way into the world.

He'd realized finally who Danae was. Muriel's daughter. Very few people in the history of the world could command any loyalty from Dorian Cael, but Muriel had come pretty close... and this was as good of a gift to her as any.

Standing there with him, she turned her head slowly as the music faded and she found herself alone in the cemetery with only Dorian to keep her company. Some part of her felt his words were true, but the rest of her, deep down, knew that Marcus was more than that.

She knew that he was passionate about his work, loyal to those he cared for...and he would die for those that had somehow worked their way into his heart. Sometimes, she doubted that she fell into such a category... but just the same, she had seen him in action...

All thoughts ceased when Dorian kissed her, and yet, even as she returned the gesture, her mind still danced back to Marcus. There was something to be said for the power of such a thing, and yet, the pang of guilt that she had felt did not lessen with time. Slowly, Danae pulled back and looked away.

Turning her back to him, she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling ridiculous, in a sense, for having come there at all. Should Marcus find out what she had done, he would no doubt disown any friendship that they shared, and at the same time, she knew that she partly blamed him for where she found herself...So close to him, so often in his arms.

"He is more than that..." she whispered, shaking her head slightly, her hair tossing about in the wind. She took in a deep sigh and closed her eyes, bowing her head toward the ground. She wanted tonight, more than she had wanted anything in a long time, and even though it was within her grasp, she somehow managed to let it slip through her fingers with the memory of what might never be....

"I...I'm terribly sorry, Dorian. Perhaps I should go. Thank you....for a wonderful evening. I'm sorry to end it so quickly..." And yet, her feet did not move, though she did turn around to face him once more. Danae knew she should leave, and still, something kept her anchored to the ground.

I'm terribly sorry, Dorian. Perhaps I should go

Dorian smiled, his eyes glittering as he watched her. "Never be sorry, Danae Walker. It's beneath you... you're a strong woman and you should never have to apologize for anything, least of all to some damned beast like me." He shook his head and reached down, grabbing her hand to kiss it. "If you want to stay, I'll never push you or turn you around. If you want to go, you leave with my blessing. I wouldn't lie and say that I don't enjoy your company... I quite enjoy it more than my usual company. But I won't hold you and I'll never own you."

There were things he could do during any day. Play rounds and rounds of cards in a dark basement somewhere, or stow away with a woman somewhere in exchange for a little more money and a fine room to stay in.

But that didn't change the fact that he currently had no other wish than to delight Danae. For now. Until maybe that idiot Trellan realized what he had and acted.

Would never own her? Would never hold her down? Danae watched him as he kissed her hand, bringing another hand up to touch his cheek. Though it was cold to her touch, she did not pull back. If anything, she let her hand linger, her palm against his skin, and watched him, her eyes moving slowly over his face.

"Thank you, Dorian...I...I'll stay..." she whispered, and found that in spite of all the turmoil within her, she did not wish to leave. He was not as she had expected him to be. He was more, something greater, something that he had hidden from the world that had observed him. Stepping up to him, she shook her head, her fingertips daring to touch his hair. "You're not a beast...A fiend, perhaps, but never a beast..."

Thank you, Dorian...I...I'll stay

He hadn't expected her to make this decision and had to work at not looking very pleased. Or overly hopeful. Those things were for silly schoolboys and in any case, Danae Walker wasn't the type to get excited over a schoolboy. She'd been raised around far too great of men.

You're not a beast...A fiend, perhaps, but never a beast...

Now there was no way to hide his surprise. Her hand on his face and those whispered words was altogether different than anything he'd heard. People generally cursed him, tried to kill him or praised him in false and superficial terms. This was something a bit different and he felt a little piece of what was left of his soul, warming up. Just a little. His mother had drawn the beauty of the gods to him when he was born, and wanted it as his gift to use through life. But she'd never tried to pretend there was tenderness in him or compassion or kindness. She'd wanted him to be every bit as selfish and hard as he'd grown up to be. Sure of himself, watchful, greedy and cruel if needed. She'd trained him that way, as his trade-off for his beauty and charm.

If only she could see him now. She must be rolling in her grave to think her son was daring to branch out into the foreign and terrifying world of tenderness.

Not for just anyone though. He couldn't imagine this branching out or starting a trend. This was solely for this woman in front of him , the woman with the dark hair and quiet smile and curious mind.

"You're kind to say so, ma'am," he said and stared back at her. "If only I can live not to disappoint you now." Her hand was warm and pulsing with life against his cheek. "If only..."

Her hand trailed down his cheek and came to rest against his neck as she watched the surprise show clearly in his eyes. Danae had always been under the impression that the behavior of those most troubled came from the way they were treated...It seemed that none had shown him kindness or dared to see what good might dwell within him...

But he had shown her tenderness that most believed to be beyond him, and for that, she could show compassion, and that she did care, however wrong it might be of her...

As she stepped closer, both hands came to rest against his neck, warm hands steady against his cool skin. Tipping his head down slightly, she lifted her own to meet his eyes and as he spoke, her hands trailed downward, resting on his shoulders, against his chest. She could not bring herself to tear her gaze from his, and so, she let it remain, her eyes drifting over his face, only to return to the ethereal orbs again.

For all the things she ad been taught and the warnings that had been spelled out so plainly to her, Danae knew that all the edicts in the world could not tear her away tonight...Not now, not with the look in his eyes and the tone of voice that floated over the air. "You won't disappoint me, Dorian..." she replied, her tone soft as she shook her head once again, a hand moving to brush away a falling leaf that had fallen onto his shoulder.

This was certainly not like the rip-roaring, screaming and frantic fits he usually found himself in with females. Dorian honestly was nearing the edge of being unsure. Danae's hands against his face and his neck and shoulders seemed innocent in a way that was far more intriguing than anything he'd ever known.

And then they were looking at each other so intently and quietly, eye to eye, nose to nose.

You won't disappoint me, Dorian

"Perhaps mainly because of your belief in me then, ma'am," he said. "Even the darkest of beings wouldn't want to disappoint an angel." He felt that failing her would be the greatest failure of his existence. Not something he could allow, no matter how much of a selfish streak he had, no matter how much he usually chose to withdraw from a situation rather than have to fight for it.

She should step back, let go...But she didn't. Couldn't. Wouldn't. Danae watched him closely, intently, and wondered why on earth he had become so hard to walk away from, why she had let such a thing happen.

Taking in a sharp breath, albeit quiet, she removed her hands from him, letting them rest on his arms as she looked down once more. There was nothing she could say or do to change the moment, and still, there was nothing that she wished to do but stand there with him in the cemetery...

"Then perhaps you should find an angel before you worry about such things," she told him quietly, shaking her head mildly at the comment. She was no angel...Far from it. She had learned the skills of battle from Antony and the need for justice from him as well. Danae had stepped in and done what had to be done with a firm portrait of resolve on her face...An angel? Hardly...

Then perhaps you should find an angel before you worry about such things

Dorian laughed at this. "Alright... but a queen maybe. A lady of the old ways..." His smile faded though, as he saw the fighting within her. "They would, of course, disapprove of this," he said quietly. "They'll tell you that you're a fool and probably forbid you from ever seeing me again. It sounds deliciously funny like that... But don't worry, little one. I've not enchanted you; rather, you've enchanted me. My motives stem from this. This magic you've worked over me..."

He shook his head. "Of course, Trellan would be-" He stopped almost as abruptly as he'd started. He hadn't really meant to throw Trellan's name out there just yet.

And so she had bewitched him? Would it be so horrible to say that he had done the same to her, whether he meant to do such a thing or not? Her hand reached up once more of its own volition, running through the short locks of his blonde hair...To touch him so freely, it was something she hardly knew, and still, she could not bring herself to stop. Danae had never been a truly affectionate person, but it seemed that the vampire before her brought out sides of her that she had not known existed...

"Yes, they would curse this, and us, and you, and me....but I don't care, Dorian," she said with conviction, her arms sliding around her neck as she tipped her head back and shut her eyes, wishing that for one night, the world would go away, wishing for the first time in her life that she was not among the ranks of the elite within MSI.

And all her wishes ceased when that name fell from his lips. Her entire body stiffened and she slowly disentangled her arms from him, stepping back. She didn't look at him, didn't meet his eyes, and a part of her felt betrayed...Marcus had never read her mind, and yet, it seemed to her that the only way Dorian could know such a thing...But then, was she overreacting? Marcus was her partner after all. Everyone knew that and perhaps...but no, she saw the look in his eyes when he had said it.

"So you know then?" she asked quietly, her gaze suddenly occupied with the damp ground, rather than him. Did he have to speak that name? What possessed him to utter such a thing, the one name that brought the most turmoil to her mind, the ache to her heart. "You've...seen my thoughts then, unbidden to you..."

It wasn't like Dorian to regret saying things but this time he did. And even more, he wished he could stop her from stepping away, stop her from falling back into that sadness.

"No," he said firmly. "No, I didn't read your thoughts. Never would I allow myself such casual crossing of boundaries on your part. I may look into the minds of some but I haven't looked into your mind. Rather, I've studied you and wanted to know who you love so much, this person who is treating you as if your heart is just candy. I decided it must be him but that was only a guess."

He stopped, cursing himself for saying the name at all. He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face back up to his. "Danae... I shouldn't have said his name. It's circling around my mind like some ridiculous calliope music though, and driving me insane. I know you love him and respect him but what he's doing to you seems cruel. Whether he does it on purpose or not. I shouldn't have said his name though." The words boiled up inside him, tough words to say. Such very, very hard words to say. "Forgive me," he whispered, nearly wincing.

He was intelligent, she knew, but as the mention of Marcus, all rational thought seemed to flee. Was it possible that such a man could truly not wish to harm her, and yet, her mind immediately went to the most unforgiveable of scenarios.

Feeling his fingers beneath her chin, she looked up at him, tilting her head curiously as his words echoed in his mind...

Forgive me...

Words Marcus had never uttered in his life, not to her...But Dorian was not Marcus and it took some time before Danae could truly see that.

"No, no...Forgive me. I...acted defensively when you...you meant nothing by it," she whispered, admitting she was wrong no matter how much it pained her. And he was right...For all that Marcus may have felt for her, it did not show...And actions spoke louder than words, did they not? He did toy with her, drag her heart around....And she let him.

But the other night, hadn't she said she was done? Danae nodded to Dorian once more and stepped back to him, hanging her head just the same. "You...you shouldn't suffer for another's mistakes, Dorian...I apologize."

Dorian saw Danae moving closer to him again, saw her head down again.

You...you shouldn't suffer for another's mistakes, Dorian...I apologize.

He put one of his hands on her back and put the other on her cheek, holding her there and looking at her. "Keep your head high, Danae. You'll be given more, I'm sure of it and if you truly want him, perhaps it's in the cards to have him. Someday. Just maybe not now, otherwise, why would you keep playing the game?" He hoped to get even a smile out of her.

This Danae Walker was threatening to break some of his most proud attributes. Amazing.

"Come with me... the sun will be up in a few hours and mortals will be going about their business and loving each other and killing each other... and I must be tucked away. You could tuck away with me. I've a wonderful spot that you would love and you can read or play chess or sleep to your heart's content."

It was easy to stand in his arms, to be held in place that way. All the while, Danae knew that she should not be in such a place, at such a time, but by now, resistance was beyond her. As he touched her face, she did not feel the chill of his skin, but only the softness of his touch as she met his eyes once more.

His words...Inviting her back to where he planned to hide the day away. Sleep? Could she do such a thing? Surely, she had already been missed at MSI, not haunting the halls at all hours of the night, busily preparing for the next batch of resourcers or the next field mission with Marcus and Raelin. But to not show up the next day at all? It seemed reckless, it seemed irresponsible, and the more she thought about it, the more appealing it became.

It had been far too long since Danae had relaxed, since she had taken a moment to rest, to sleep, to even dare to dream. Sleep had become something she did not need, did not feel the effects of whether she fell into slumber or not. A moment of quiet meditation gave her all the rest she needed and so, she forwent sleep to find something far more important to do...Always something more important.

The consideration of his offer passed over her mind until finally, she gave a slow nod, turning her head and kissing the palm of his hand that had rested against her cheek. "Take me there, then..." she said softly, and though guilt clawed at her once more, she forced it back. She would apologize to Antony, she would say it was work, and to Marcus, she would say nothing of it...

Glancing up, she saw the sky begin to lighten, just over the horizon, and then, she took his hand in hers again and gave a subtle nod. "Let's go, Dorian...Morning comes swiftly..."

Let's go, Dorian...Morning comes swiftly

Dorian nodded, took her hand and led her away, moving this way and that, able to find his way through streets like a phantom. He was never seen when he didn't want to be and tonight he didn't want Danae to be seen either. She would have enough trouble when she went back to her friends and those she worked with. Oh well. Women were far smarter and more clever than men. She'd think of something.