She could tell he was being as truthful with her as he could be.It reassured Theodora,even when his eyes went black and his fangs extended ,she could tell he didn't want to hurt her.Then he bent down and bit her wrist.She felt herself yelp at the pain,then the pain simply disappeared.As Daktari drank her blood she felt the most wonderful feeling come over her,like she wasn't alone anymore.Not the strange girl that everyone made fun of,but someone fascinating,that had managed...She caught a glimpse of a woman that she'd never seen and felt a crushing loneliness.then Daktari pulled back and the image disappeared.Before asking anything about her,the young woman bent down to put her mouth to his wrist.She shuddered a bit as she began lapping up some of the liquid.It tasted so strange,bitter and sweet at the same time.She pulled away then whipped off the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.Theo looked up at him."Who was she?"

Slan stopped smiling."Maybe Daktari might knows something?It's worth a try!"Then wanting to alleviate the mood Slan pulled her into a dance.He was thankful for his mother's insistence on learning how to do so when he decided to go into a lively Foxtrot to get Zalia's mind away from her troubles.They crossed the dance floor more then once,going around and around,never stopping once.

Daktari sighed when Theo asked about Miradela. He had hoped that she wouldn't have seen his thoughts. It happened sometimes when people drank from a Nachzehrer, they saw what they were thinking. "Her names was Miradela and she was a human. It was a few centuries ago." He looked away, wiping his mouth before he continued. "We were married for a while and then she was murdered." Turning back to Theo his eyes turned back to their forest green and his fangs retracted. There was pain in his eyes though he tried to hide it.

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Laughing again when Slan pulled her into a dance Zalia couldn't help but grin. She was a dancer so she knew the steps perfectly and got lost in it. The Foxtrot had been one of her favorite dances when she had first started dancing when she was little. It was amazing to dance with someone who knew the steps so well. "You are a good dancer Slan, I never would have thought." She said a smile twinkling in her ocean eyes. As they went around the room her wavy black hair flowed behind her.

Somehow,Theo caught the flash of pain in his eyes.Quietly she closed the small distance between them and hugged him,holding him tight."I'm sorry for asking.You didn't need to answer you know."Theodora's auburn hair fell away from her face as she tilted it up to look at him."Really Daktari I wouldn't have minded not knowing.I don't..I don't like seeing you sad like this."She smiled a little and laughed."I've only known you for an hour at most,this is so strange.."With a sigh Theodora pulled away,and blushing furiously.She proceeded to start arguing with herself about the fact that she barely knew him,that he'd already been married..That he wasn't even human!So she wondered in the end,why she seemed to have fallen so completely and so fast.

A grin ,bright and joyous sprang onto his face.Slan remembered all of those long hours under his mothers eye as he practiced with some girl,he remembered all the things his mother had put him trough.It had all been to make sure he was prepared for something like this.'"My mother wanted to make sure I was ready if somehting like this happened..Getting stuck in this place I mean,not umm..Dancing with you.O never mind!"Slan averted his eyes from his beautiful partner to try and save what little dignity he had left in her eyes.

Completely shocked when Theo hugged him Daktari was still and not quite hugging back. He had been touched like that in a very long time and it awakened some deep feelings inside of him. When she let go he relaxed a bit and gave her a small smile.
"It is ok sweet Theo. You may ask any questions you want and I will give an answer." His smile brightened a little as he continued. "Yes it is very strange. I'm glad you chose to do this. I think I might like protecting you." Daktari had been so lonely for so long. Maybe he would now have actual friends that cared about him. Slipping off the bed he leaned over and kissed Theo lightly on the cheek. "Let me see your wrist lovely." He said as he held his hand out.

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Zalia giggled when Slan started to stumble over his words. He was cute and she was starting to like him very much. She could now say she had a friend. Grinning Zalia leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek softly. "I understand what you're saying." Her voice ringing like bells. "Something you don't know about me but I'm a dancer. That's what I'm going to school for and your as good as the guys I dance with. You sure have the dancer vibe in you." She was being honest, he really was a good dancer. Maybe he would dance with her again.

At every second word,Theodora began blushing more and more.then he kissed her cheek,and she was sure she was going to do something very foolish at that very moment.Barely restraining herself,the young woman held out her wrist with a smile of her own.It was a shy thing,reserved and lovely,full of nervousness."I'm glad you won't mind.Your protection isn't something I asked for.I'm happy you did offer tough!"She lapsed into a daydream,when she realized Daktari knelt in front of her.It was a foolish one,them outside on a bright sunny day having a picnic.Theodora shook her head a little to get rid of the impossible thoughts.Then smiled again at the fact that he thought she was lovely.

His head whipped around so he could look straight at Zalia.Slan was tempted to do something he had no right to.The dreamlike quality of the events,and of dancing with Zalia,prompted him to do it anyway.Before putting his mad idea into action he wanted to answer her first."Thank you.At one point I thought about going into dance..But there where just so many other things I loved!So I decided to take an Arts degree,where I can dabble in everything.That includes languages,and the sciences..Psychology and even dance!"Slan laughed a little,and shook some of his dark brown hair out of his face before leaning forward and gently placing his lips on Zalia's.

Daktari watched as Theo's smile developed into many different feelings. Shy, beautiful, some nervousness in it. Daktari could stare at it all day. "I am happy I offered it also." Looking down to her wirst he studied it while listening and watching Theo's thoughts. The picture she painted of the two of them was lovely and different. "I can go out into the sunlight you know, I'm not like a nasty vampire." He raised his gaze up to her's for a moment and gave her a smile before looking back down to her wrist. "Maybe someday we can have a picnic." Her wrist was almost healed now, slightly pink around two dots where his fangs had sank in. "All better now," he said as he stood up straight.

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Startled when Slan leaned forward and kissed her Zalia gasped before settling into the kiss. It was an amazing first kiss. Soft and not to much, just perfect. After a few moments Zalia pulled away and stared into Slan's green eyes, her breathing slightly heavy. "That was..wow." She said a smile starting to appear on her face. Zalia was trying to wrap her mind around her thoughts but she gave up just going with the moment. That was the best first kiss she had ever had.

A small choked sound escaped Theodora when she realized Daktari had been reading her thoughts.Then his words sank in."You would really do that?I was just daydreaming you know.I tend to do that a lot."She smiled joyfully as she stood up a few moments after he did.Then ,for some odd reason she felt like grabbing hold of one of his hands.Hesitantly Theodora reached out to grab one of Daktari's hands,following her sudden impulse for once.Questioningly she glanced up at him,not quite sure if the blond wanted to be so close to her after such a short acquaintance.

Feeling a little smug after Zalia's reaction,he pulled back from their dance,but still had a hand around her waist.That kiss had been wonderful,and after it he felt even more connected then before.Slan never wanted to let the young woman go.It didn't matter to him that she wasn't human,actually...Now that he thought about it,Slan found that aspect of Zalia rather fascinating.Smiling again he began walking away from the dance floor to explore a bit.Slan went slowly tough,for fear of loosing his hold on Zalia.His hand was light,so she could push it off if she wanted to.

When Theo grabbed his hand Daktari froze for a second before curling his hand around hers, entwining theirs fingers together. He glanced down to their hands before raising his gaze up to Theo's giving her a smile. "Yes I would do that and I like your daydreams, they're very nice." His deep voice swirling around the room. Tugging on her hand he smiled again. "Come, let's go find the other two and we can get you something to eat. We need to raise your iron counts up so you don't feel faint later." He gave her another warm smile as he lead her out of the room.

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Zalia snuggled deeper into Slans embrace as they walked around. She was very happy right now and didn't want to leave his touch. As they walked Zalia looked around her. The place was massive with tons and tons of rooms. She saw a staircase that led upwards also so that meant it was at least two stories tall. It was also beautiful, Gothic Victorian type. "This place is absolutely beautiful!" She exclaimed.

Letting herself be pulled along,Theodora couldn't stop a grin from appearing on her face.This was something she'd never imagined,forming such a strong attachment in such a short time."Thank you for thinking about that,I would just have kept going without eating anything because being here is so exciting!"Knowing that Daktari could read her thoughts with effortless ease wasn't quite so frightening as it had been when she first met him.That was why she stopped trying to hide the fact that she couldn't get images of him out of her head,or that she was trying to imagine what might happen once she wasn't underground anymore.It saddened her to think that after a while,no telling how long,Daktari would go back to his lonely life.In her mind Theodora knew that she loved mortality too much to give up on it,even if it was for a friend.

Slan felt Zalia lean into his hold,and pulled her in closer."Truly beautiful."said the young man while looking at the one he held,and not at the architecture.He enjoyed every minute of their walk.After a while he started noticing the lights,they shone and sparkled with the kind of glow you imagined stars would give off if they weren't raging balls of gas and fire high up in the sky.It always seemed to be lights that led their way.Out of the corner of his eye Slan noticed someone waiting at the door outside of the club when they where walking past a window."Who do you think he is?"wondered Slan aloud.

Waiting was not something he enjoyed.Ezre was an impatient man,a fairy warrior known for his fierce loyalty to his monarch,the Night Queen,ruler over both Fall and Winter superseding the two seasonal rulers .The meeting scheduled with Daktari was more then a mere annoyance for him,it was a matter of the utmost importance.Frustrated he knocked again on the door of the club.How he hated the old rules then!Ezre wished he could barge into the building like those human law enforcers,without having to worry about the fatal consequences.Ho shook his brilliant green wings out,for the sake of official appearance and adjusted his finely wrought armor.Ezre fiddled with the idea of cutting is long purple hair,and wondered if his light blue skin might let him pass as something other then a circus performer the next time he decided to venture above ground.The fae hated having to use glamours.

As they walked Daktari listened in to Theo's thoughts again. He wasn't trying to be nosy but he was just so use to reading people's minds, it was his nature. When he heard the direction of where her thoughts went he looked down and glanced at her. "You can go up to where the normies live at anytime Theo. You're not going to be stuck down here forever and you can come back here at anytime." He hoped she would want to visit him, he really did. He heard a knock when they reached the stairs to go to the main floor which made him remember that he had a meeting with a fairy. "Shit.." was all he said as he grabbed up Theo in his arms again and ran to where Slan and Zalia were standing. He set Theo on her feet and looked to the three of them. "Go into the room I first took you into and hurry, please." Then he turned around and went to the door, opening it. "Ezre please come in," Daktari said and motioned him in.

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Zalia couldn't help the grin that spread across her face when Slan told her she was beautiful. When she heard the knock and Slan's question she glanced over to the man outside. He was very very different, with his skin and hair. Something about him reminded her of something her parents told her. She was about to say something when Daktari appeared in front of them, Theo in his arms. After she told them all to go into the room Zalia looked again at the man and when Daktari opened the door it clicked in her mind. The man was a fairy! Her parents had told her stories of different creatures and she remembered the ones about the fairies. "Come on let's go to the room." She said quietly to Theo and Slan, waiting for them to start walking. When they go into the room she would tell them what the man was.

Silently shaking her head in wonderment at how Daktari was completely avoiding what she'd been thinking,Theodora started walking quickly towards the room.Enveloped in her thoughts the young woman tried to ignore the other two.She was a little worried about Daktari's reaction,but she figured he was experienced enough to take care of whatever problems had arisen.Theodora noticed a few looks passing between Slan and Zalia,the kind of looks only mutually attracted people exchanged.A small smile formed itself on her face,because she was happy for them.

A frown etched itself onto Slan's face when he saw the worry appear on Dak's face,it only deepened when Zalia tried hurrying them along.Things where begging to get truly interesting,with a slight hint of danger.without even realizing it Slan grabbed Zalia's hand,to reassure himself that she was still with them.

When the Nachzerer finally invited him in Ezre couldn't help the scowl from forming on his face."Is this the way you treat her Majesty's representatives?"The fairy looked around the club with disgust.It was such a lowly place,nothing like the grand ball rooms of the palaces.Ezre calmly went to sit on one the nearby chairs,and indicated that Daktari should do the same."As usual I must ask you how business is,and what kind of trouble has arisen,Most importantly I must ask you whether any humans have been seen in the area.You know how our queen feels about them.It might be different in the Day courts,but here..."A wicked smile plastered itself onto the warrior's face.What joy it would be to find this troublesome man harboring a human again!The last occasion had been quite the treat for many fae of the darker persuasion.

Zalia couldn't help but smile when Slan grabbed her hand. She led the two of them into the room and closed the door. "That man was a fairy. He was a freaking fairy..just our luck right?" Turning her head Zalia looked to Slan to see what his reaction would be. She really couldn't believe that a fairy showed up. What were the odds of that.

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He was about to snap the man's neck, right then and there. Daktari hated the fairy in front of him. How he acted so important when he really had no say over this part of the Underworld, they had no rulers down here. "I'm going to tell you what I say every time you come here Ezre. My business is none of your concern and the trouble is none either. Also I wouldn't be 'harboring' any humans if they were here. It's not illegal for humans to be here, it's illegal for them to say anything to anyone." He paused and gave the fairy a wicked smile. "Your Queen may rule over your courts but she does not rule over the Underworld Ezre or even part of it. How many times do I have to tell you!" With each word Daktari's voice got louder and louder, until he yelled the last. He was trying to calm himself down but his eyes were already bleeding black. Daktari was about to yell at the man again when he heard a door open and the click click of heels hitting the floor. Sighing he turned around and looked to the source of the noise.

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As she walked the lights shined off of her blood red hair. Today her long and thick curly hair was done up in a long side braid, that hung over her shoulder. Her gold eyes with dark green flecks were striking against her tan skin. For clothing she wore a deep blue dress with a black pattern on it. The dress was very short. Her black high heeled shoes were very very tall. The women screamed money and power as she continued her walk over to Daktari and Ezre. Coming to a stop by Daktari's side she smiled at Ezre and gave him a wink. The harpy was here. "Ello Ezre my dear I'm sorry for Daktari's behavior you know how he is. So charming that one is," She said, her voice chiming like bells with a British accent. All she got as a reaction from Daktari was him mumbling Azra and shaking his head.

Ezre glanced at the alluring harpy before returning to his main concern.Daktari had always been a hard person to understand and control,this time would be no different from the last."As usual you miss the point.the Queen rules the Night,and hence all who live within that time..Which includes you,or must I find some way to remind you of what happened the last time you disobeyed?There is another reason for my visit,other then my habitual one.Daktari,you are being called to prove your loyalty,I bind you by your blood..."Ezre quickly reached out to cut the palm of the man and captured the liquid within a small vial."...I bind you with your blood to bring forth what you cherish the most to the Queen,and offer it to her by midnight on the next full moon."With a dark smile the fae made the vial disappear from his hand before the Nachzerer could retrieve it,and sent the blood into the hands of his Queen.A resounding crash filled the club then,making a puzzled look form on Ezre's face.

Theodora could feel Daktari's anger like it was her own.She had no idea why he felt that way,only that those where his feelings.Stealthily she moved to the door and stepped out a little,so she could overhear what was happening.When the fairy captured some of Dak's blood only one thought ran trough the young woman's mind.As she was about to run into action she felt strong hands holding her back.Theodora kicked and scratched,squirming mightily until finally she crashed away from her captor right into a nearby table.

Slan stared at Zalia in wonder ,then noticed Theo slipping away.With a nod towards the door,he motioned for Zalia to follow him.When Theodora was about to run away he caught her arms as anger filled him."Why would you do this?You're putting us all in danger!"Growled Slan quietly,but it was no use.Pain flared on his face,and his grip loosened.That was when he heard the crash and noticed Theo on the floor.Grimly he turned to Zalia."I think your protection is going to be tested soon."

Daktari snarled when Ezre cut his hand and took his blood. Blurring to his feet he growled and glared at the man. "Don't ever do that again. Do you understand me? Ever." There was a threat in his tone. He did not like the man before him. Some day they were going to fight and Daktari was going to kill him. "I have nothing that I cherish, believe me on that." When he heard the crash Daktari inwardly winced but outside he kept a calm face like nothing was wrong. Using his mind he knew it had been Theo and that Slan was holding her back.

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Zalia rolled her shoulders in a stretch before pulling off her jacket, exposing a shirt that had a very low back. Concentrating she called to her Black Bucca form. Wings popped put of her back, her eyes turned golden, talons grew from her fingers, and her teeth turned sharp. If she would have continued the transformation completely she would of had grown her tail but she needed to walk not swim. Her wings fluttered behind her, emerald green with multi colored scales on them. "Keep her in here, I'll be back." Walking over to Theo she lifted her up by the arms and set her by Slan. "I'll be back." She said again and walked out the door closing it behind her. When she got to the group in the front Zalia smiled softly. "Sorry about that noise back there. I ran into a chair someone had moved. Wasn't expecting it to be there and I was reading a magazine!" She said laughing a little at the end. Sticking her hand out the the fairy she introduced herself. "I'm Zalia."

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Before anyone could say anything Azra swept up the conversation so no one could think about asking questions. "Oh it's ok Zalia we all know you are such a clumsy person!" Laughing Azra wrapped her arm around the other woman's shoulder being careful of her wings. Azra acted like the two women were best friends. She mumbled her name into Zalia's ear so only she could hear her. "Now Ezre I know you must be busy and were about to open. Why don't you head off and will all talk later. I promise that Daktari will abide by the contract and will be there in a week and a half." Her accent fluctuated as she talked, getting thicker as she talked. Sometimes she could pass for an American but she hated getting rid of her British roots, so the accent had stayed after many many centuries.

Relaxing after seeing how easily Zalia had saved the situation,Theodora let herelf fall to the floor limply.Quietly she clambered up and followd Slan back into the room.The place was a sanctuary,with it's warm lights and comfy chairs.It was no wonder Daktari had it hidden away in a dark corner no one would be able to find.The young woman turned to face Slan after compoing herelf."I'm sorry for acting that way..All I could think of was protecting Daktari.It's strange of me I know,but if he'd told you what he told me,you would feel the same way."She went to sit down in the same love seat as before to wait.Curling up Theodora felt her eyes half close as the day's events began to catch up with her.

Ezre let a sneer show on his face as he turned briskly away.These people would never be fit for the courts.He'd never understood why the Queen was so keen on making them accept her rule.The moment he exited the club he took of his shirt so he could fly speedily towards his monarch's castle to give her a report on how events had unfolded.

Slan sat down on one of the couches,trying to figure out what to do.It was all well and good to say that Zalia's inhumanity didn't bother him when she looked like a human,but when faced with the reality of it...Things changed.Burrying his face in his hands the young man tried to remember what his mother said.Not all of them are bad....In truth we humans are the ones who drove them out of their homes.They have every reason to hate us.The one who over look that are exceptional,treasure their friendhip when it is given for nothing could replace it.Shaking his head the young man left his wayward thoughts behind and reminded himself of his first thoughts when he'd seen thoe wings..And how fascnitating he'd thought,and still did,Zalia was.

When Ezre left and flew away Azra took her arm off of Zalia and whirled around giving Daktari a very scary look. When she spoke her accent was really thick and she was yelling. "What in the bloody hell were you thinking! How many times have I told you not to piss him off! You Knew something like this was going to happen and now you must deal with the consequences my friend. Do you realize what he could do for business? God you are a bloody twit!" Raising a hand up she pointed it to the door of the room Slan and Theo were in. The door slammed open loudly. "Why don't you humans come out now and join the conversation." Looking to Daktari she gave him another nasty glare. "Didn't think I knew eh? I smelt her right when she entered the downstairs, she woke me up. Then smelt the male when I walked by the door." Her voice was clipped in anger.

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Sighing Daktari rubbed his face as Azra screamed at him. He knew he messed up with Ezre but gods he hated the man. "You don't need to yell," he mumbled when she was done. When the door slammed open he winced. Damn her and her telekinetic powers, they got annoying after a while. She liked to knock him down when he least expected it or put up her invisible force shields. "Theo can you please come out?" Daktari said loudly so she could hear him. Then turning to Azra he glared back. "I knew you would! You really think I though I could pull a fast one on you? With your hearing and smell, yeah right." All he got was another nasty glare. He was going to get hurt later, he just knew it.

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Zalia stood silently as Azar yelled and Daktari softly talked back to her. They were interesting to watch. The two of them were obviously close like siblings would be. She wanted Slan by her, she would feel better if he was. Zalia really hoped that her transformation hadn't freaked him out to much.

Theodora heard Daktari call her down,so she knew it was safe enough."Come on Slan we should go down."So saying the young woman walked down the hall and into the club.When she saw the woman beside Daktari jealousy ran trough her ,he was hers!But then she shook the thoughts from her mind,he wasn't.Better for them both if this woman was his lover,for that way neither of them would get hurt by Theodora's mortality.Hesitantly she went to stand beside Zalia,instead of going beside Dak as she would have before.She looked at him guilty,before turning to smile sadly at this stranger."Hi my name's Theodora."

Slan nodded when Theo told him to follow her into the club.He couldn't help himself,he ran past her so he could reach Zalia that much faster.Once beside her he took her hand in his possessively before introducing himself to the new comer."Call me Slan."He frowned when Theo placed herself on Zalia's other side instead of rushing to stand beside Daktari as he'd expected her to.Then he noticed how she was looking at the other woman.Slan shook his head,jumping to conclusions would never do for any of them.

Ezre reached the palace and slipped inside the grand throne room quietly.It was majestic,with drapes that looked like the night sky covering moon colored pillars.The floors where the color of water in the moonlight and high above in the ceiling it looked like a moon shone down upon everything with thousands of stars.On the ebony throne sat his Queen and it was to her that he walked.She outshone everything else in the room.Pale skin,which glowed with a silvery light,the queen was wingless.Her ears where gently pointed and her elegant hands where bejeweled,a robe of woven starlight graced her slender frame and her deep eyes where as dark as the night she ruled.Her hair flowed gently around her face ,like the dark side of the moon cupping the light.Ezre knelt before her when she beckoned him forward."My Queen,he resists your rule still.There is no need to fear,for Daktari will soon bring what he cherishes the most before you."

The Queen nodded then sent him away.

Seeing Slan run over to her made Zalia smile and when he gripped her hand she gave his a squeeze. When Theo came to stand by her instead of Daktari she frowned and thought how odd that was. Returning her attention to Slan she though about how she was happy that her transformation hadn't scared him off. "So my other form didn't scare you?" She asked softly and glanced up at his face. Her wings were still out and fluttering behind her while her eyes were glowing bright gold. Some people were scared of her teeth and how sharp they were. Zalia tried to hide them behind her lips as she talked.

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"Ahh so these are the humans you are trying to protect," Azra said her tone cold. She watched as they both went to stand by the Bucca. "Seems they like her more, especially the..." She stopped her sentence and sniffed the air. Frowning she cocked her head to the side and went over to Theo. Walking around her she sniffed again and when she was in front of her Azra took in a deep breath her eyes rolling in the back of her head. Hissing she leaped back. When her eyes opened back up they were completely black, like Daktari's when he was hungry or mad. She whirled to face Daktari and pointed a finger to his chest. "You did it. I can't believe you did it. Now we know what you care about most don't we." Azra's voice was cold.

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Hearing Theo's thoughts Daktari looked to the ground and shook his head. They were like brother and sister, he didn't have feelings for Azra at all and she didn't have any for him. He decided he was going to tell her that and then Azra caught the smell. He knew that she would have at some point. Watching her carefully he was glad when she spun on him and didn't take it out on Theo. "Azra calm down, you know your like my sister and I love you but I'm not going to take your temper right now. We will talk about it later." He spoke in a firm tone and saw her nod. Now he knew he was definitely getting beat up by her later. "Excuse her everyone she's a harpy. They have horrible tempers." Looking over to Theo he stared into her eyes.

Not wanting to get mixed up in the argument erupting, Slan focused on Zalia's golden eyes."At first,it did.After a bit tough I came to the conclusion that what really matters is how we feel.With such an intense meeting how can we not know that!"He grinned down at her before catching her face in his and gently moving a lip away from the sharp teeth she was trying to hide."My what big teeth you have."murmured Slan before kissing Zalia to prove his point.

Sneaking past the oblivious pair beside her,Theo positioned herself in front of Daktari ,with her back to him.Of course she'd seen his eyes,and knew that he truly did have some feelings for her .She felt relieved...And just a little angry at the harpy.You think she has a horrible temper?Wait until you see mine.Theodora wasn't even aware of sending the thought directly to Daktari before starting to go after Azra."It wasn't just him you know!Daktari would never have done it if I wasn't willing!Why don't you chew on that for a bit,then think about how lonely he's been.Wouldn't you rather we displease the courts,and you,then seeing someone you care about wallow in a self-imposed exile?"The last bit was said sarcastically,and Theo didn't know about the feral grin she wore,tough if she had she wouldn't have tried to hide it.
Turning slightly she held her hand out to Daktari just as hesitantly as she always did.Her temper might have been fiery,but that was the only thing about her that was.

Zalia laughed up until Slan kissed her. He was the perfect man, sweet and funny. She kissed him back the pulled away with a smile. "Your wonderful you know." She was ignoring the three behind her and there arguing. Her only focus was Slan as she stared into his eyes.

Shocked and completely stunned Azra took a step back as Theo ripped her a new one. She couldn't believe the ball's on the human and she was very impressed. "Well well...Daktari you picked a lovely one." She turned her attention back on Theo and studied her. "You are right and I'm sorry. I have a very short fuse and Daktari is family to me. I take care of my family and it seems as though our family is expanding. You have spunk human, I like that." Rubbing her eyes with her hand she shifted her weight to her other foot as her eyes turned back to normal.

Daktari caught Theo's direct though and held back his laugh. She was amazing and he was totally impressed. When she stuck her hand out he grabbed it and squeezed. Then when he heard Azra apologize he was shocked, she never did that. It was a rare day for her to apologize even to him. "Wow Azra you must really like her. Theo you best take her apology as a compliment, I don't even get those." Today was just a weird day.

Slan smiled a little,he was more surprised then anything else about Zalia's statement."I have my faults too you know..."He hugged her before turning to face the others now that their argument seemed to have ended."Before we do anything else,maybe we should rest a bit and speak more about what we'll do tomorrow?"Slan stared pointedly at Theodora as he spoke."I remember someone nearly falling asleep on the couch earlier."

A blush crept up Theodora's face."Apology accepted and..Just so you know,I rarely ever do that.I,this is going to seem silly,but I felt like I needed to protect Dak."The young woman paused a bit before posing the question that had been nagging at her."What did you mean earlier Azra?About knowing what Daktari cares the most about?"A big yawn graced her face after that,when she heard Slan talking about sleep.She hadn't realized just how tired she was,even when she'd nearly fallen asleep earlier.Slowly she started leaning on Daktari,not quite conscious of the fact that she was doing so.

Turning around Zalia looked at the others when Slan did. Reaching her hand out she grabbed his twining their fingers together. "I agree I think rest would be best, even I am a bit tired from today." Being a supe gave her a lot more energy then a human. Her being tired showed how taxing the day had been.

Daktari smiled when Theo said she felt like she needed to protect him. "I am not the one that needs to be protect chère, you are," he said softly. When she asked her question Daktari looked up to Azra to see what she would say. As Theo leaned back against him he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

The smile that had spread across Azra's face at Theo saying she felt like she needed to protect Daktari vanished when the human asked her the question. Raising her gaze to Daktari she saw that he was already looking at her and she raised her eyebrow in question. When she got a nod from him she looked back to Theo. "That Fairy that was here earlier, Ezre? Well he took Daktari's blood in a contract to show that he is loyal to the bitch Fairy Queen. He is suppose to bring what he cares about the most to her in like a week and a half. We now know that it's you." She looked sad as she finished talking.

"Yes,we should all get some rest.I might have an idea,to help Theodora and Daktari too.I'll only speak of it tough when we've slept for a bit."Slan glanced at Zalia,glad that she was with him in this.He really wanted his mother to meet her,and that was a huge deal for him.It also tied in with the young man's plan to help his new found friends.Who better to help them then someone who'd already bested the Courts and their rulers once before?

Theodora was completely exhausted ,so nothing that was said quite reached her ears.She would remember the words later of course but just then they made no sense.A contented sigh escaped her lips when Daktari put his arms around her."I can't focus at all right now...Sorry,but we'll have to talk about all of this after."Quietly she was wondering how exactly she'd managed to capture Daktari's attention so quickly and decisively.Then her mind drifted of on a tangent as she thought of that comfortable bed in his room and how great it would be to just fall asleep there.

Daktari moved his arm under Theo's knee's and swept her up. He could tell that she wasn't going to be able to walk down the stairs. Turning his gaze to Azra he gave her a sorry with his eyes. "Will speak about it tomorrow then Slan. We won't open the club up tonight. I think it's best we keep it closed though it's going to make the supes mad. Az go put up a note while I take them downstairs. Meet us down there." He turned with Theo still in his arms and led the way over to the stairs to the basement. He stopped at the bottom and waited for Zalia and Slan.


Tightening her hold on Slan's hand she began to walk pulling him along with her. She turned her head and smiled at him. When they were at the bottom of the stairs Zalia looked to Daktari. "Do we just pick any rooms?" She asked softly. Daktari gave her a nod then took Theo into his own room. Zalia turned and looked at Slan. "Um do you want to share? Or sleep in different rooms?" She sounds shy and she looked away as she talked.

Walking over to his bed Daktari set down Theo down carefully. "Do you want some night clothes? I think I have some sweats or shorts that will fit you and you can have a t-shirt." He walked over to the closet and opened the doors. For a man he sure had a giant walk in closet filed with clothes. He grabbed out some sweats, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Walking back over to Theo he set them down by her with a smile.

Grumbling Azra went over to the entrance of the club and walked outside. They had a huge whiteboard they used for things like this. She wrote down that the club would be closed tonight for personal business and it would open up the nest night. Walking back inside Azra closed and locked the doors then went and shut off all the lights. Going to the stairs she walked down them. Flicking her wrist the door to the stairs slammed shut and locked. No one knew the entrance to the basement, the door was hidden and looked like the wall. Plus the lock was spelled so no one could break in. Seeing Zalia and Slan still in the hallway she waved to them. "Goodnight birdies see you tomorrow." She knew she wasn't going to sleep yet, she had only just woken up. Her room held many things to keep her entertained and she knew Daktari was going to visit her in a few moments to talk to her.

Fuzzily Theo grabbed the t-shirt and one of the sweatpants and stumbled into the closet to change where Daktari couldn't see her.Yawning she walked backed into the main part of the room and sat down beside the blond man."Thanks..Well for everything really."An awkwardness settled over Theodora as a vague idea floated trough her mind.So vague that she wasn't really aware of it until she tilted her head enough to kiss Daktari lightly on the lips.

Slan pondered the dilemma for a few seconds before gently pulling Zalia along."I'm sure there must be a pair of connected rooms in here."As if by magic,the next rooms they found where connected together.One was decorated in sumptuous blues,while the other was filled with beautiful sea greens.They walked in and Slan went to sit down in the blue room.He kept the door open.[B]"Zalia..Would you want to meet my mother?I'm sure she would adore you,and she might be able to help with Theodora's problem too...So really.."He trailed off weakly when he saw how at home Zalia looked in the sea themed room.

Ezre prepared his things per the Queen's instructions.He would be checking up on the club the next evening in order to make sure no one had tried to escape.If they had,the repercussions would be dire indeed.