He knew the voodoo queen would keep her word. Her reputation was she always paid her debts. If a vampire was capable of trust, Lafitte did trust Marie...Ma Cher to keep her promise.The vampire chieftain was shocked at the weakness exposed by the voodoo queen's enamored state. Her somewhat slavish link to the bayou waif was most amusing. Whilst drinking the virgin blood of the little hand maiden, he saw, no, he sensed her years of loving, anal servitude to all of the male members of her clan. He. He whispers in ear, “Please…please Shay,” he pleads, “try to understand…I love you.” His breath was hot blowing against her ear….she felt his chest heave with a sob. Shay relaxed…she quit struggling, didn’t try to scream…so Ian released her. She turned around and searched his eyes for any trace of that frightful animal she had seen just moments before….but all she saw was his beautiful green eyes…pleading with her, begging her to stay…begging her to love him. “There is just one more thing I. “Oh yes,” Paul replied, “l think l have a cold coming.”“Okay son,” Brian said, “too many late nights working on that computer as well l expect.” Brian patted his son on his head before leaving for work.Paul walked slowly into the kitchen, hoping that his mother wouldn’t notice anything different about him. He had followed his father down the stairs, keeping out of sight. He had crouched down on the stairs, using the mirror on the hall wall to look into the kitchen. He had seen his father. ” The time it took for the woman to type her name into the computer seemed to take an eternity. Finally, she looked back up at Mariah solemnly. “You’ve been designated for breeding. Please go through the door labelled “Agricultural Development” down the hall to your left.” The world appeared to freeze around Mariah and her feet seemed to move by a willpower that was not her own. She followed the same path her friend Alan had tread before her though her gait was significantly slower than his..