In the time directly following Amanda’s death, Thomas quite efficiently covered the evidence that such a death had happened at all. His first task was to easily rewrite both Sean’s and Claire’s memories of the time from the sound of the gunshot through the fifteen minutes or so it took them to discover her body and the subsequent reasons why she would rather kill herself than endure another moment of Thomas’ twisted games. He then sent them both back to their respected corners of the home where they had spent the beginning of their evening. He had cowed them as easily as any mortal; considering he was only two generations below the eldest member of their line, Griffyn. He then went about ordering their servants to get rid of all evidence of the tragedy and then erased their recollection of the evening as well. It was frightening to think of exactly how long he may have been perfecting the ability to cover all traces of his crimes, considering none of the members of his own line had even mentioned suspicions about his predilections to the rest of their extended family.

As the hour approached one a.m. Thomas did finally venture towards Sean’s office for the first time since his arrival. “Evening” Sean greeted him warily, considering he was still quite aware of all the worries and suspicions he had about Thomas; even though he no longer possessed the memories that would prove the extent of the threat the man did truly pose.

“Hope I’m not disturbing you, my Prince” Thomas greeted with that same bite to his tone on the final word of his sentence.

“I usually try to make time when any of my Primogen has any business with me” Sean returned with the forced politeness, trying with great difficulty not to dwell on how easy Thomas could rip any secret from his head.

“Glad to hear it” Thomas responded as he invited himself to the seat across from Sean’s place behind the desk.

“So, how can I help you?”

Thomas covered his scoff with another faint smile; “your dear wife delivered a young lady into my service on the night of my arrival” he began with another knowing grin.

“Has there been a problem with her?” Sean asked as he attempted to sound like he truly cared to appease Thomas’ needs, regardless of his dislike and discomfort.

“Well, if her being missing is a problem” Thomas stated plainly.

“She’s missing?” Sean asked with a bit of actual concern coloring his tone for the first time during their conversation.

“Though I’m not positive that she is actually missing, but it was rather disconcerting to awake from my slumber to find that she was not watching over me as is her duty” Thomas stated with the same perfected act he had most likely been honing for centuries.

“You can be sure that I will definitely look into her disappearance, and punish her accordingly once she is found” Sean assured, “is that all?”

Thomas just allowed another smirk, “May I ask you something, Sean?” Thomas stated, deliberately leaving off the title of Prince when he addressed the much younger Kindred this time.

Sean tried to force back any sign of annoyance at Thomas’ continued presence and managed a faint smile of his own, “of course.”

“I just can’t help wondering why it was that Amanda was selected to be my servant. I mean you have a dozen or so. Why this girl?” Thomas asked with an air of curiosity to hide whatever his true intentions behind the question actually were.

“Again I apologize that she failed to do her duty. And I will find you a fitting replacement” Sean assured with the same forced smile.

“Oh I can find my own replacement I’m sure; but that still doesn’t answer my question as to why she was selected at all” he pressed as he watched Sean with an expression that made it seem like he had no need for a single one of his questions to actually be verbally answered at all.

“I must admit I left the selection to Claire, as I was sure any of my servants would have done the duty required of them” Sean attempted while holding that smile through somewhat clenched teeth.

“Claire, your wife?”

“That would be her” Sean returned as he kept his expression frozen.

“I just can’t help wondering…” Thomas then allowed his sentence to end there, “never mind, I’m sure it’s just my imagination; as I don’t know you or your wife, or your situation all that well” he added with the same polite façade.

“If you have some suspicion of what actually happened with Amanda, I would be very interested in hearing it” Sean urged with a bit of his own suspicion coloring his tone.

“Oh that’s right; you can’t actually read my mind. Apologies, I’m still not used to speaking with a Prince who is so much less powerful than myself” Thomas added with another pointed smirk.

“Wondering what?” Sean pressed, trying to force his expression not to darken at yet another reminder of his inability to match Thomas’ abilities.

“It’s just that I can’t help wondering if your wife may have had some specific reason for wanting to get Amanda out of your home” Thomas stated with a tone meant to project concern.

“It would be helpful if you just said what you mean” Sean returned as he tried to cover a scowl.

Thomas sighed and glanced back at the door as though wary of speaking the next sentence, despite the fact that he didn’t seem to possess anything resembling a desire for wariness or delicacy, “I just got the impression that your wife may have wanted to get rid of Amanda. And then by giving her to me” he allowed a slight shrug, “well, it’s obvious how it would look if the girl were to disappear right after being given to a new regnant who none of you really even know all that well yet” he said with some attempt at an apologetic tone.

Sean couldn’t push back the scoff then as he spoke, “it sounds like you’re saying that Claire wanted to get rid of one of my servants and make it look like you had done something to her. Is that what you’re actually suggesting?” Sean asked, finding it a bit difficult to keep his aggravation out of his tone then.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a scorned wife wanted to rid herself of one of her husband’s mistresses” Thomas stated with an attempt at sympathy.

Sean shook his head at that, “Amanda was not my mistress; and even…”

“But you did have intimate relations with her on more than one occasion, didn’t you?” Thomas stated as if he were already quite aware of that fact.

Sean let out another sound of disbelief, “regardless, she wasn’t my mistress” Sean retorted, though his tone was beginning to falter.

“Isn’t that the very definition of a mistress?” Thomas stated plainly, “I mean, I’m not judging you at all; of course not. I am a Toreador after all” he allowed a smile, “I’m just saying that it’s possible that Claire may have very well held some animosity toward the girl; and then she saw me as a way to get rid of her without arousing any suspicion towards herself” he then bit back a smirk, “I mean, you said yourself; the selection was left up to Claire. Isn’t it just rather too coincidental that she’d choose the very girl you were sleeping with?”

Sean centered a dark gaze on Thomas for a long moment while trying to find his own words. He then finally spoke up, “though I may not be able to read your mind; I can read Claire’s” he stated pointedly, “so the mystery of whether or not she actually had anything to do with Amanda’s disappearance will be solved rather quickly” Sean finished with his own smug look.

Thomas took pause only a moment before he allowed another wry grin, “but didn’t you promise Claire that you wouldn’t read her mind?” Thomas stated with a bit of his own coolness, which turned to another grin when he saw that crack in Sean’s composure and the tension and fear filling his aura. Thomas then allowed a more polite smile, “lucky for you, I made no such promise to Claire. So I’m sure I could easily find out the truth for you” he offered Sean in the same sugary tone.

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll get to the bottom of her disappearance one way or another” Sean stated with barely disguised fury under his otherwise even tone.

“Well, good to know” Thomas smiled back as he stood and moved toward the door, “oh and my condolences on that child the two of you lost so long ago. Shame that Claire still thinks she let you kill it instead of your blood doing so even before you embraced her. I’m guessing that’s why she doesn’t want you reading her mind. But I’m sure you already knew that too, even if she doesn’t. No wonder your marriage is in such dire straits. I’d hate to see how much worse it would be if Claire knew you had already broken that promise to her, after all” then Thomas just simply grinned and added, “I do hope you have a good evening, my Prince” and with that he left Sean behind with the knowledge that no secret would ever be a secret for long with Thomas; and his fear of all the ways that fact could make him and Claire’s life and relationship even more doomed than it had already felt for so very long.

When Sean returned to their chambers that night, he was somber and so distraught that it was painfully obvious even without Claire having the ability to read his aura or thoughts. He didn’t offer any verbal greeting or even look her way as he began unbuttoning his shirt with fingers that were trembling, as was most of his body. He appeared to be painfully trying to fight back the urge to just break down completely, which did easily cause a wave of panic in Claire as well.

“Did something happen, Sean?” she asked as she set aside her book and watched him, fearing the answer. Sean was quiet as he finished pulling his shirt from his arms, his own emotional state even clearer as he took a long moment to even turn back toward the bed, let alone meet her eyes or speak. “Sean?” she repeated with even more worry.

After another long moment, he hoarsely forced an answer from his throat, “I can’t do this, Claire.”

“Can’t do what?” she asked slowly.

“This. I can’t be Prince, not if it means…” he stammered a bit as his voice trailed off again.

“If it means what?” she asked with more fear then.

“If it means having to do it without you. I never wanted it at all. And if I try to bear it without your love… I can’t fucking do that for one more second, Claire” he finished as his own tears began forming at the corners of those beautiful pools of blue.

She was more than a bit caught by that as well as his emotional outpouring and the tears that she rarely if ever saw him allow himself to shed. After all, he had always been the strong one, physically as well as emotionally. She then let out her own shaky sigh as she moved on her knees to the edge of the bed and reached her arms out to Sean, who collapsed into them and pulled her close with tangible relief that she had even offered that small embrace.

“What happened, Sean?” she whispered as she pulled him close against her, her fingers caressing his hair as he clung to her.

“The things he said tonight…” he attempted.

“Who? Thomas?” she asked worriedly.

“He basically made it clear that he could so easily make you hate me… even more” he added in a tearful whisper as he clung to her even more tightly then. “He knew that the only real thing that would hurt me would be that. And he went straight for it” he added with another sniffle.

“Sean…” she began as she attempted to compose herself as Sean’s own composure was long gone, for possibly the first time truly since they had met, “do you honestly think that anything…”

“He can twist our minds exactly the way we can twist mortals’. He could make you hate me, Claire. He could make either of us do anything… just like some twisted puppet master. And he knew; he fucking knew exactly what my biggest weakness is. And he made it clear that he was not afraid to use it against me” another sniffle, “I can’t do this, Claire” he repeated in another shaken whisper.

“I don’t even know what happened tonight, really; but I know we have to get rid of him. If he can shake you this badly in only a week’s time…” Claire began sadly.

“Then that just proves that I shouldn’t be Prince at all” Sean scoffed, “just like he’s been saying.”

“So now you’re agreeing with him? Sounds like he has already twisted your mind” Claire stated with a sad firmness.

“But he’s not wrong; the Prince should be the most powerful Kindred in the territory. And that is not me” Sean stated, his despair obvious.

“You sound like you’re giving up, Sean” Claire stated quietly.

“Giving up what? The throne I never wanted?” he scoffed sadly.

That statement caught Claire for a moment, “are you saying you actually are considering giving up the throne?” she asked with shock.

Sean finally looked back at her with a shake of his head, “I never wanted it; you never wanted me to take it either” he stated plainly, as if trying to argue himself into doing just that.

“But Sean…” she whispered.

“But what?” he then added, “and there’s that fucking prophecy. As long as I’m Prince, those snakes could be waiting for you at any moment. And if that happens… then that puts me right back to trying to do this without you. And that’s something that I am so obviously not capable of doing” he stressed once more, “if I just gave it up to him willingly… it would fix everything…”