David contemplated that for a minute. "He may have said that; he may have even let you walk out, but I can guarantee you wouldn't have gotten far, and he wouldn't have let you go for long. You went back to him?"
"I didn't make it out the door."
"Listen to me, Liam, she's not even one of us, and she's already possessive of you. Your blood has started making changes in her also."
"He hadn't bitten me then!" Sera cried.
"That doesn't matter. A part of you recognized him. You have instincts, Sera; they knew you were meant to be together. That you are soul mates. If you left that room, he would have come for you, and I don't think you would have put up much of a fight."
Sera lowered her head. "No," she admitted in a whisper. "I wouldn't have."
"His biting you did not precipitate this, it only sped things up a little. He's tasted you, he wants you, and he will change you. His blood in your veins marks you as his. If he had changed you, then we would be able to smell him on you, always." David's eyes shot back to Liam. "You want us, and our kind, to know she is yours. It’s our kind who you think are the most dangerous to her."
"I can control this," Liam grated. "I can fight this."
"No Liam, you can't fight this forever. You will not allow her to die a mortal death; you won't even be able to tolerate the risk of losing her for much longer. It will not happen. Look, if we never find a mate, then it doesn't matter. They said there is a vampire who is almost a thousand years old and has never found his. You have already killed for her, Liam. You have never lost control like that before, and you will lose it again. If she dies, then you die. You will either go insane, be destroyed, or you will kill yourself."
Sera didn't speak as she absorbed everything David was saying. If she died, then Liam died. If she stayed with him, then he wouldn't allow her to be human. It was all too much to grasp right now. Suddenly, she didn't feel so good. Liam's arms tensed around her as he supported most of her weight. "So what are you saying?" Liam demanded.
"She can't stay mortal. Instinctively, you will not allow it, and as long as you keep fighting it, the people around you are in danger. Including her."
"I am completely capable of controlling myself. I only killed Jacob because of what he was doing to her!" he hissed.
Sera shivered as she huddled deeper into Liam's embrace. "And when you lose control again, what then?"
"It won't happen."
But it would, Sera knew it would. She could feel it in him. She had seen it come over his face many times in the past few days. Saw it today, when he'd come upon them in the snow. Saw it yesterday when Jack had been holding her shoulders. Saw it when they were in the shower. He would go after them, and it would be her fault. But what could she do? She couldn't become one of them; she just couldn't. She couldn't drink blood, and she couldn't be a monster. She didn't even eat meat! She would have to give up her hopes of a home, and a family.
Sera closed her eyes as anguish tore through her. What good would a home, or a family, be if she wasn't with Liam?
"It will happen Liam, and it will probably happen with her."
Sera's eyes flew back open as her heart lurched into her throat. "He won't hurt me!" she choked out.
"He will change you. There is no chance he won't. It's only a matter of when he will, and from the looks of him, I would say it is going to be very soon."
Sera shuddered as revulsion ripped through her.
"That is not true," Liam grated.
"Yes, it is. Now the only question is, will she be willing, or will you force it on her?"
Four sets of utterly inhuman and savage eyes turned toward her in the candlelight. Liam's arms tightened around her. She was terrified to look at him, completely terrified of everything happening.
"Well, Sera, what will it be?" David asked.
A choked cry escaped her as her legs buckled. Liam swung her easily up. His jaw clenched, and his eyes were burning orbs of hopelessness as they flashed from red to green and back again.
"Take care of those two," he ordered, as he strode across the kitchen.
"Liam, what I said is true," David said.
He paused in the doorway to look back at him. "I know."
Sera dropped her head against his chest and began to sob softly.
Chapter Seventeen
Liam sat on the bed and cradled her in his lap. He held her tenderly, allowing her to sob out her sorrow as he kept his head buried in her hair. He could smell her blood, hear her heartbeat, but it didn't arouse the beast in him now. The monster within seemed to be effectively buried by the sorrow racking her.
He stroked her long golden hair that was still damp from the snow. Reaching behind him, he pulled one of the blankets forward and wrapped it around her as he rubbed her arms to warm her even more.
Minutes ticked by endlessly. Eventually, her tears dried as she lay trembling against him. He noticed how small and frail she was as he shifted his hold on her. At the thought, he felt the demon surge forth. Closing his eyes, he willed it to go away. Now was not the time or the place. She needed him now.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
She shook her head and buried herself within the blanket. He pulled it away from her face and caressed her tear-stained cheek as she lifted her chin to look at him. Her eyes were a vibrant violet, even though they were bloodshot and swollen from her tears. Her lower lip
