Sarah took the locket in her hand and gazed at it for a long moment, then looked up to meet the other woman's eyes.

"You wished to know about this locket? I'll tell you--it was a gift, from one who loved me, one who I love with all my soul." she began, slowly. Then she remembered some other things Jason had said about his kind, but made herself go on. "Don't think me any threat to the Kindred, for I wouldn't hurt them. They're his kind and I wouldn't do anything to cause him pain. I came here only to find him again--for without him there's only emptiness in my heart."

There. She'd said it, gotten through it. Though it was too likely to earn her nothing but death, from what Jason had told her of others of his kind. But she was in it now, she would see it through to the end. She had to, as much for herself as for him. She waited for Eletria's reply.

"Dear Dear Sarah , How you must love this person to take such a risk as to appear in public and openly display that necklace to everyone in a place that is abound with Kindred as you call us. I must know who this person is and I will help you find him as this is my City and I know all those that claim to be what you call Kindred here that are represented by this emblem. But my dear child there is a price you must pay for this knowledge and it is a very high price. Are you willing to pay this price to find your beloved?"

Sarah stared at the Kindred woman for a long moment. So it had come to this. She had known the danger existed, but she had hoped...she nodded. If it had to be...she closed her eyes for a moment, clasping the locket tightly to her, then slowly removed it and held it out. "If it's my life you want--" she took a deep breath, then forced herself to go on. "then take it. Only--when you do find Jason--p-please tell him--I didn't forget..." She struggled with the effort to keep back tears, if she had to die for him she would not face it like a weeping child.

"Dear Sarah, I do not want your life. Jason must be found and since you are in my city and looking for one of mine and are ignorant of our ways, it is best for all that you be bound to me for the time being and you be taught properly what it means to be blood bond or ghouled."

Despite Sarah's determination to remain calm she couldn't quite keep from a shudder at these words.

"Jason has scared you and that was wrong. First in revealing himself to you and not binding you to silence and secondly in telling you these things and making you fear us."

"He didn't bind me--because he wanted me to come to him because *I* chose to, not because the bond forced it. And I wouldn't betray him...I couldn't." she whispered. "As for fearing others--he did that so I'd be careful. There were those in the city we lived in, who'd have had us both slain on the spot if they had known we were even seeing each other, much less anything else."

Eletria shook her head ever so gently as she listened to Sarah's story. Jason did so many things wrong in telling this girl and the manner in which he presented the Kindred and most of all the Clan. Hum....she chose to not because of the bond. Jason really did a mind trip on this poor girl. She must be ghouled soon or fates forbid blood bonded to someone. She was too vulnerable and impressionable. Eletria did not like blood bonds because of her past experience with her sire, but this child must be bonded or destroyed and Eletria must find this Jason and very soon before he warps some other girl's mind and exposes all of us.

"That is not true here in Seattle and should not have been true where you came from. Jason has put a fear into you that is unfounded. Let me explain something simply to you so that you may understand. To know of us as you do you are no longer a sleeper, your knowledge of us demands that your loyalty to our kind must be total and unquestionable. But I am getting ahead of myself: first I must know how you came to meet Jason? Second: How and why he told you what he was?"

"The first question's easy. I was singing at the Seven Stars, that's a club in Atlanta, oh, about the size of Nightmares...and he introduced himself to me after the show one night. I think he must have been watching it for a few nights before that. He just seemed like such a nice guy..especially after he got me out of it when some of the other, patrons, got a bit out of hand as I was on my way out." She paused, remembering. "that's when we started seeing each other. Though I didn't know what he really was, not then. The way he talked, acted, was like something out of a romance novel, and yet it wasn't phony, it was *real*. I'd never known anyone like that. He was so mysterious about his past, everything--I was thinking the craziest things, you'd probably laugh if I told you."

She remembered having actually thought he might be some sort of real life James Bond, or a much younger Donald Trump. He'd looked mid30s....

"I did wonder why he'd never come to see me except at night--but I thought it was just he worked all day, the usual stuff. But he was so good to me, I didn't mind all the mystery-after a while I realized I loved him,wanted to be with him...all the time. That's when he..." she took a deep breath. "He just sat there for the longest time, holding me close...then he told me. Not all at once, I mean--first he started talking about me, how much I'd come to mean to him--and he couldn't stand it if anything happened. Then he, he made me promise I'd never tell anyone what he was about to tell me. I couldn't refuse, it meant so much to him...so I agreed and *that's* when he told me what he was."

Eletria sat there and listened and knew this Jason must be found and found quickly if he would just tell her about himself for love's sake. Where was his sire, why was he not taught properly himself? No wonder Kindred were hunted down thru the ages! It was this kind of stupidity that endangered all of us. This Jason needs to come to Seattle and be taught the ways of the Clan and if not here he must be found and brought here ASAP, Eletria thought to herself. He was dangerous to his own kind and now he has endangered a mortal for what would turn over in his grave if he were dead hearing how this Jason just told this singer what he was.

"I thought there were only any such thing as that in the movies, and maybe I should have run from the room right then--but I couldn't. I didn't care if he was hundreds of years old, or a thousand--he was still the man I'd fallen in l ove with. It didn't change who he was inside, if that makes sense."

Sarah sighed. She didn't know how old the woman before her was, with Kindred there was no way of telling by looking, but she was sure her words sounded horribly lame...but what else could she say? Jason had come to mean far too much to her in the too short time they had had.

"Now, dear Sarah," Eletria replied, "let me tell you the truth as it is here: To be knowledgeable of me and mine I expect unquestionable loyalty."

Sarah nodded. "I promised Jason that...and giving you that would be keeping that promise to him."

Eletria continued, as if Sarah had not interrupted. "I DEMAND secrecy of my Clan, but most of all because of Jason's breach of the Masquerade I will have Clan justice, which in simple terms is my justice. As I told you before, I will not kill Jason but the price he pays for giving you knowledge of us is that he will die if he ever embraces you or allows you to be embraced without my direct in person permission or the Prince himself, that permission from me would only come if you were useful to me and dying a human death and it was do it now or lose you. No matter how much he loves you and you love him you are never to be embraced by him or another. If you become Kindred you will be hunted down and die a permanent death that is more horrific than you can ever imagine in your worst nightmares. This I will demand as part of the price of sparing your life and his."

Sarah's face paled at these words, her hands clutched at the medallion tighter. She closed her eyes for a moment as she fought not to say anything. She'd been ready to face death, or becoming a zombie, for Jason's sake, but this--this had been what she wanted most. To become immortal--so she could be with Jason forever. Now with a few words this woman had ripped that dream away...it was taking all her strength to keep outwardly calm. She had to, if Jason was to have any chance at all, but still...!

"Secondly to be ghouled you are not a zombie, for you to be ghouled to my kind is pleasurable and also you will function as you do now only you will be subject to us just like you were a loyal employee, with extra duties (with this Eletria smiled, knowing what those extra duties were) "For this loyalty and demand on you as a person you are given perks per se: added strength, agility, healing ability and much much more. To blood bond you is a worse fate, you would be subject to being called even if you were half way around the world if I so wished. You would kill to come to me, and no matter how dirty something was you would not be able to resist or say -NO-. That is why you will not offer to be blood bound freely or allow someone to bloodbond you to them without my express permission, that is a crime and the penalty to you from this moment on to be bound would mean final death for Jason and you also. You must do this freely, I do not wish to kill you or make a zombie out of you as you have been led to believe."

"I'll do what I have to. But...I saw the creatures who served the ones back home. Jason pointed them out to me."

"Sarah, are you sure they were of our kind or ghouls to us? We do not make zombies. That is voodoo magic, a whole different creature than we."

Sarah shook her head. "I was told they had been ordinary people, mortals, until some Kindred took them as servants. That's another reason Jason left. If they hadn't had me killed, I would have been made into one of their creatures...you couldn't really call them human anymore though they looked it on the outside." She hoped her voice wasn't trembling as much as she felt like doing...despite her efforts to stand still.

"Let me assure you, to be ghouled does not make you a zombie, if you were brainless before you would be brainless as a ghoul. What you probably saw were other clan that takes in derelicts and misfits and sewer rats. You might have even seen an animal that had been ghouled and transformed. I am as human as you. Wait a minute."

Eletria turns to the intercom on her desk and speaks into it and in comes a female, very beautiful and bright eyed and very intelligent looking. "Sarah, meet a associate of mine Stephanie. Stephanie tell Sarah if you are like me and then tell her how old you truly are."

"Sarah, I am Stephanie and I work for Ms. Eletria." Stephanie looks over at Eletria to confirm that Eletria really wants her to tell the next part. Eletria simply nods the affirmative. "Sarah, I am 95 years old, I have been with Eletria for 70 years and no I am not like her, I do not wish to be, I only wish to assist her in what ever manner I can with the wonderful work she does. I met her 80 years ago and modeled for her for many years before becoming an associate of hers and have been in her employ for all these years and have not regretted having made my choice many years ago." Stephanie looked at the reaction on Sarah's face and then asked: "If there is anything in particular that you wish to know about me and my association with Eletria if you want to come by tomorrow I will be happy to talk with you." Stephanie then turned to Eletria. "If there is anything in particular that you wish me to discuss with this young lady if you will send me a memo I will take care of it tomorrow or whenever she comes to my office."

Stephanie then turned to Eletria. "By the way since I am here there is something that I think you should know. Andrew went to the Plaza to take pictures as you requested and has not returned or called and has not answered my pages."

Eletria looked alarmed at this news. "Stephanie, please have the driver bring the car around and start making some phone calls. I am going to the Plaza myself, if you do not have any answers by the time I finish here and am ready to leave." With that Stephanie left the room.

Eletria hoped nothing bad had happened to Andrew, if it had heads would roll.

"Sarah, see does she look like a zombie. Stephanie is a well respected member of the modeling society. After several years I trained her in designing and advertising. She runs one of my more profitable businesses. The man she spoke of is Andrew, one of my photographers, I am sure you have seen some of his work in People's magazine and Life. If you meet him tonight or soon you tell me if you think he is a zombie. In light of his being out of pocket, I must rethink what I had planned for this evening."

Sarah nodded, still trying to sort this out. Stephanie certainly looked and acted human enough--definitely nothing like the mindless bodies she'd seen in Atlanta. Beautiful on the outside but empty inside, Jason had said.

Eletria heard Sarah's thoughts and shook her head inside her mind at the lies that this Jason must have told this child. She has seen too much, over a long period of time to erase her memories of Kindred and others. Eletria was ashamed that this Jason was one of her clan and presented the Toreador as the creatures of children's nightmares.

"Sarah, I just need your loyalty and silence as to our ways or the Prince will have you killed. Now my child do you choose of your own free will to serve me and in serving me We shall find this Jason of yours and this I promise as a Clan leader when he has defended himself to me then I will do what I can to keep him from being destroyed for breaking the masquerade if that issue should ever be brought further and reaches the Prince.?"

Sarah nodded. She was still afraid...very much so. After seeing the poor creatures who'd been bound to some of Atlanta's Kindred...but this was for Jason, she told herself firmly. She nodded again. "I promised myself two years ago I'd do whatever I had to to find him again...and I won't break that promise now. He--he left me, to save me as well as himself...but I can't just let him go. I love him too much."

Sarah slipped the medallion back into place, then slowly, not taking her eyes off of Eletria, forced herself to kneel before her. "Whatever I have to do," she said again.

Eletria watched the girl kneeling before her and thought, how quaint, but was she ever in for a rude awakening . With Sarah's face in her hands Eletria gave her the Piercing Gaze. "Sarah, listen to me carefully. You must never speak of Jason as a vampire to anyone but me. You remember the others Jason showed you only as druggies on the streets of Atlanta. You speak only to me of Jason as a vampire and the others he showed to you as Ghouls. Jason was an actor you met in Atlanta. He loved you but left you to protect you from others that wished him harm in the real world. You are here searching for him. You must not show the locketto anyone else, wear it inside your clothes at all times."

Sarah felt the woman's gaze boring into her eyes, the power working on her, but it wasn't *necessary* her mind cried out. She would never betray Jason or the Kindred...never! She didn't *want* to resist..."I...will not speak...to another...of this." she managed to get out. Eletria had to understand she would have kept that promise even without being forced to.

Eletria dominating Sarah would affect her judgement of what she knew and her actions while in Seattle where the Toreador were concerned. Using Forgetful mind on Sarah for now she would not remember Eletria had fed from her or that she was being slowly over the next few days or weeks having her memories changed from what Jason had told her to what Eletria wanted her to know about the Toreador and Kindred. Eletria saw too much resistance in Sarah right now to ghoul her completely, Jason had seen to that. Eletria did not want Sarah's feeling for Jason to change as that was how Sarah would lead Eletria to him not change her emotions for Jason. With that Eletria fed from Sarah, licked the wound closed and told Sarah to continue her story.

Still looking up at Eletria, Sarah forced herself to continue. "It had been weeks of only seeing him at night, there was always some excuse why he never could come by during the day. And when I did see him he was always so secretive about it. If it wasn't at the club, I mean. That's why I thought he might've been...well, spying or something. It was like something out of a movie, almost. But that didn't bother me--it just made him more interesting."

"Hum..what a way to method act don't you think. Sarah"

She sighed, she could well imagine what that probably sounded like. "I did wonder why I never could meet any of his friends, or come by where he worked. But it wasn't till we'd been seeing each other for a few months that he finally told me." Somehow she had the impression from Eletria's reaction that Eletria thought Jason had revealed himself right after they'd met or some such..and that *hadn't* been how it happened, she felt she had to make sure the Toreador understood.

"Lucky he told you, is that how you feel right now?"

"I didn't know what he was leading up to that night. He just sat there looking at me for the longest time...and then he started talking about how much he'd come to care about me, and how beautiful I was." She blushed slightly at that. "Then he talked about how terrible it would be if I...wasn't that way anymore. I wasn't sure where this whole conversation was going, it was starting to sound like something out of the Twilight Zone to me. That's when I asked him, point blank, what in the world he was talking about."

"So Sarah he feared for you life at that point, that someone would take away your beauty?"

She continued to look Eletria directly in the eyes as she went on. "*That's* when he told me he wasn't human at all--but a vampire, or Kindred as they-- you--prefer to be called. He looked only a little older than me--about mid30s I'd say--but he told me he was almost 800 years old." She shook her head. "I didn't know what to think, I loved him so much I wanted to believe but it sounded crazy...I mean, I could see him in the mirror just fine and I'd *never* seen him...well, take a dislike to crosses or anything like that. But then he showed me his teeth...not to frighten me, just so I'd realize he was telling the truth you understand."

"He told you he was 800 years old? where was he born and who did he say he thought made him a vampire? Sarah do you not wonder if he was taking his role playing as a vampire a little far. Taking his job home at night per se?"

"He didn't tell me who'd Embraced him--but he said he was from Greece originally, or what we call Greece today."

Eletria felt and looked shocked at this comment, she did not remember any Toreador being Embraced near that time frame that still lived.

"As for the rest...It was a couple of weeks after he'd told me, when he showed up late one night, in a hurry. He said that someone had seen us together who shouldn't have. Someone who would likely tell the Prince--and that would either get us both killed or Jason killed and me....ghouled. What the Prince of Atlanta calls ghouls anyway. I begged him to Embrace me right then and there but he wouldn't--he said there wasn't time for that. Then he left, and urged me to leave, too. He thought we'd have more of a chance to get away if we weren't together..." She found herself crying in spite of herself, remembering the anguish of that night..."Then he was gone...and I haven't seen him since. I got out of Atlanta that very night myself--but there was no telling where he was. All I knew was, I had to find him again. No matter how long it took..." she gazed into Eletria's eyes every bit of her love for Jason clear in her own eyes..."He may not have bound me by blood...but my heart is a already his. And it's for him I'll accept whatever I have to from you or the Prince here or anyone else."

Eletria responded "Be careful child, the Prince if knowing of this would have Jason put to death for telling you, so do not involve him in your search. I suggest Sarah that maybe Jason was in a lot of trouble in Atlanta and just had to leave suddenly and could not take you with him. Did he ever say why the others objected to him being with you or why there was so much trouble with the two of you being seen together?"

Sarah nodded. "I've been looking for him for just over two years now, so I've had to tell a lot of people about his leaving me. But what I've been telling them is he was running from a loan shark. Too much money lost gambling and the loan shark threatened me as well as him. I'd *never* tell anyone who shouldn't know about what really happened."

"Sarah, any Kindred with any power at all would see and sense through what you are trying to cover up knowledge of. You must not resist me, you must relax and let me help you and in doing this you help Jason. Do you not want to help Jason? Is he not the most important thing in your life. You want to help him, you want to protect him, you want to hold him again in your arms and feel safe. Do you not want these things? To feel his lips upon yours, his hands touching you, caressing you, making love to you again. To achieve this you must let me help you in the ways of my people. Do not resist, it will be so much easier and better to listen and heed my words. Sarah you will have Jason again but his true identity and your involvement with him as one of us is to be only between you and I. I will know if you betray me and in betraying me you betray Jason and he will die. Sarah he will die the death of a thousand men and still he will suffer before he will be released and then neither of you will ever be together again. Heed my words."

With that Eletria turned went to the bar and poured herself a glass of very very red rich blood and waited for Sarah's answer.

Sarah was almost crying with her need for Eletria to understand that they agreed on this. "I'd *never* betray him! I want him back, yes. that's why I've spent the last two years searching for him. Please...please do whatever you have to, I'll go along with it. All I want is to be with him again... please help me do that.." She tilted her head back, baring her neck. "even if you have to drink from me to make that happen."

Eletria sipped her drink and savored the blood she had already taken from Sarah and here Sarah was begging her to do just that, take herblood. Well, she was not losing her touch after all.

"Sarah, come here and have a drink with me. I will not take your blood right this moment. I wish you to stay where I can find you. I understand you have an appointment with the clubs owner to audition tomorrow. Keep your appointment and get the job and if I hear of anything I will contact you there. I want you to watch and listen for me in that place."

Sarah nodded. "I can do that...but..." she took a deep breath. "is there anything particular you're looking for?"

"Call me here at anytime day or night. Myself or Stephanie will take your call. Speak to no one else of these matters. I will find your Jason and reunite the two of you and then we shall see what Jason has to say for himself. If Jason is in this city he has to report to me or he is in the wrong. As soon as I know you will know and be called here."

Sarah nodded. "I'll do what you've asked. I promise. But here...see..." she pulled the locket out one last time. Holding it out to Eletria she pressed a slim finger against an indentation on the side, and the face bearing the Latin inscription and the Toreador rose popped open, to reveal a miniature photograph of two people, a man and a woman. The woman was Sarah herself. The man had black hair, shoulder length, and deep brown eyes...his features were almost classic Mediterranean..."That's Jason...Jason Kostarakis. And you're the only one who's seen this picture besides me."

Eletria almost fainted if that was possible for a kindred who has just fed when she saw the face staring back at her in the locket.

Sarah saw Eletria's expression. "Please...don't tell me this is wrong, too. That I shouldn't have this...it's all I have left of him till I find him again." It couldn't be breaking the rules to even have a picture of him, could it? If no one saw that picture but her--and no one ever would...

"No, No dear child, just do not go showing it around as it bears the Toredor symblem and others who know of it might not be so kind in their questioning. Now go to your audition this morning with Nightmare's and break a leg as they say. Watch for Jason but do not inquire too deeply into his wearabouts. I will help you find him. My Chaufaur will drive you back to your hotel." With that Eletria released Sarah from her glaze and watched as she shook her hair and did not realize she was now ghouled to Eletria and the Toreador.

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