Ten minutes later, Chris murmured the last of his vows, reaching out to envelope her sad, barely willing presence in whatever comfort he could offer.
"Human, I accept you, place you under my protection. I share the Secret and mark you as one of us. Serve me well."
Neither of them were enthused about it; an arrangement of necessity rather than out of any desire to be tied together for the rest of their lives. Still, Chris tried to give her a little of himself. It was nothing like the experience with Annabel, his heart wasn't in it. Perhaps she might have better luck or protection, something. At the least he should be able to feel where she was and sense if she was in danger.
At the last minute, he'd put his hand over her shoulder and saved her the pain of the tattoo needle, putting his
