What about Clarence ? Cyrus's voice echoed through my head. He helped you betray me, and I know for a fact he cared even less for Dahlia. At least, he did when I was around.

"That's a thought," I murmured out loud, accidentally.

"What's a thought?" Nathan tried to sound bored and disinterested, but I still had a blood tie to him, as well. His annoyance and his jealousy, which had been radiating off him in waves since I'd turned Cyrus, spiked.

"Nothing." I waved a hand dismissively, but a mean, antagonistic part of me added, "It was supposed to be mental."

He closed his eyes and his brow creased in frustration. For a second I expected an angry outburst. Cyrus must have felt my fear, because a deeply protective vibe thundered through the blood tie. The role reversal startled me. I never thought I'd see the day when Cyrus cared if I lived or died.

But Nathan didn't lose it. He opened his eyes and looked at me, really looked at me for the first time in days "I hate this."

Before I could ask what he meant, he went on. "I hate that he's in your head again. Actually, I didn't really hate it before. But I do now."

For some reason, his admission stung. "You didn't care that he was my sire when we first met?"

Nathan shrugged. "No. It was a bit of a relief."

"Not for me. As I recall, you threatened to kill me." Some of the tension seemed to ease between us, but I tread carefully. "Why does it bother you now?"

"Because I know you loved him." He made it sound so definite, so matter-of-fact.

Even I couldn't have said it without immediately following it up with a qualifier like "in a way" or "sorta."

Is that true ? Did you love me?

I put Cyrus off for a moment. "Do you think I chose him over you? Is that what all this is about?"

"How could it be about anything else?" Nathan smiled sadly. "I can't offer you unswerving devotion. I can't give you all of my heart. Not after this. But I don't want to lose you, either."

"Well, you can't really have me, can you? If you're not willing to give me something in return?" I wanted to reach out to him, to touch him, because that always seemed to make everything all better. But it would be a lie. "You're not going to lose me. Cyrus is…different now. He doesn't need me."

Don't be so sure…

"He doesn't need me," I repeated, for myself, for him.

"I think that was what made him so endearing before. Despite all the manipulation and torture, he really needed someone to love him. He's had that now, and he won't want the brand of love I can give him."

And what is that?

"And what brand is that?" Nathan echoed Cyrus's telepathic question.