"Nice," he said, following it up with a whistle. "So, am I the submissive or… "

"It is not for sex." She looped the lead through a double ring on the front of the collar. "It is to keep me restrained tomorrow night."

"I thought you could force yourself not to change. That it was some sort of code of your… people." Still, he found himself scanning the room for a place to hook the leash.

After a long moment, she answered. "It is our code not to harm humans. But there are other factors. I may not be able to keep from changing. I am under much stress."

"I get it." Max cut her off. He didn't want to hear her tell him again that they were as good as dead. "So, will you recognize me or will you rip me to shreds?"

"I do not know." She lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "If I did attack you, I would not eat you. Vampires taste terrible."

"That's a comfort." If being maimed could be considered a comfort.

She reached into the bag and withdrew a vial. "Just in case I am unmanageable, you can use this."

He took the bottle, examining the shimmering blue liquid inside. "A sedative?"

"Something like that." She gripped the radiator and gave it a tug. When it creaked, she shook her head. "Perhaps I should attach this to the leg of the bed. I will probably succeed in moving it, but it will not cause structural damage we would have to pay for."

"There's another comfort." He slipped the vial into his front pocket. "In the event I do need to give you the night-night drug, how do I get it into you? I mean, are you going stop being a crazed werewolf long enough to swallow it?"

She knelt on the floor and slipped the bar of a thick padlock around the leg of the bed. Attaching the looped end of the cable, she snapped the lock shut with an ominous click. "No. You will have to feed it to me in something."

"Like giving a dog a pill in a piece of cheese." He smiled, to show he was half joking.

"I do not like cheese. I am fond of orange juice." She paused for a moment, her palms coming to rest on the front of her jacket, but she forced them down. Her expression grave, she put her hands into his. "Promise you will only use it if I become a danger. I am a very calm wolf, but we all have the potential for fury. Especially under the circumstances. The potion is very powerful, and I do not want to be incapacitated by an overdose."

"Fair enough." He eyed the lead in his hand. "You know, since you might be a wolf for, what? Is it three nights with you guys? We should put this to good use."