Another restaurant, another dress and another overpriced dinner with Anton. The calendar hadn't changed yet Anton came back from his meeting and said that we had dinner reservations. I accepted it because I knew that something was bugging him.

He'd barely spoken a word during the drive to the restaurant, a few words here and there as we waited for our meals but nothing like what we had done in the past. I watched him as he ate his meal and would look up, gazing out the window. He seemed like he was off with the pixies tonight.

"Is there such a being as pixies?"

His head cocked to one side as he looked at me.

"Not that I am aware of but that doesn't mean to say they aren't around."

"Are you going to tell me what's distracting you?"

"In good time Sarah."

Right. Of course. We probably couldn't discuss it here with so many humans listening. How silly of me.

"I'm ready to go."

"You finished that rather quickly."

"Anton, there was barely anything on the plate. The entrees at my restaurant are bigger than that meal."

He said nothing to the statement and continued his languid pace. I should have eaten slowly because he certainly wasn't going to rush.

Ten minutes later he was settling the account and I was waiting like I needed to visit the bathroom. Doing the frustrated jiggle while trying to give him the evil eye wasn't aiding my situation. All it did was earn me a wry smile and nothing more. He held his hand out when everything was paid for, leading me out to the waiting limousine.

"Are you going to tell me now?"

He smirked as he looked out the window. We were stuck in gridlock and had hardly moved in the past five minutes.

"You are persistent, aren't you?"

"You've been quiet all night. I'd like to know why."

"It is rather long though I suppose we have the time."

Anton sighed heavily and turned to me, taking my hands.

"My kind are created without a soul. Our purpose in life is to find it and when we do, we find happiness. Before I can even recognize it, there is one of my kind that seeks out the soul and watches over them. It's a basic test to ensure that they are worthy to be attached to my kind. They are called the locator and they had identified you long before I had."

"I'm your soul?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Does that mean you're going to suck me into your body or something?"

Anton laughed and shook his head. His amusement made me smile.

"Where did you get that from?"

"The soul is a part of the body, I just thought, you know." I shrugged.

"So the locator belongs to a group of my people who preside over a council. When you were identified I was sent a form that I had to complete. It basically states all of our details and what I think makes you a good person. Then I had to go to an interview, that's where I was today. We've passed phase one so tomorrow it's onto phase two."

"And how many phases are there?"

"Five."

A worried frown pressed into his eyebrows, his fringe hung over his eyes.

"We have a meeting to attend tomorrow morning. They will talk to you and discuss what is ahead of us. It's not a fun path Sarah but at the end of it, we will be free to do as we please."

"Okay," I said as I sighed. "Lay it on me. Tell me what's going to happen."

"Phase two is your official acceptance and advising you of the course of events. Ordinarily, phase three would happen straight away but I asked that they wait until after the wedding. They have granted this to us so we have a little reprieve."

He made it sound so dark and gloomy. Like I was going to suffer... a lot.

"Phase three is the conversion or change over. It's where you go from being an ordinary human to an immortal human. Essentially you are still you, you just cannot die from human diseases or internal issues. Death is always an option but for an immortal it is not dire. There are ways around things, you will be given literature to read so that you understand what you need to do in such circumstance."

"So I won't be a demon?"

"You aren't making a deal Sarah so no. If you agree to this then you would be an immortal because of your union with me. There isn't a lot of choice in our situation. All that I can do is turn you into a demon which means that you will be in servitude to me and I don't want that kind of relationship, do you?"

I shook my head.

"I need them to make you immortal, they are the only ones that can create an immortal human. Once we are through the phases then we will be free to live an eternity together."

But it's barely been two weeks my mind cried out with anguish How do I know that this is forever?

"I am not going to lie to you Sarah, it isn't an easy process. You must devote yourself to the rules of our kind which will be more literature for you to read. Then you have to go through the actual changing process which I have been told that it can be painful."

Great. Just perfect. Find a nice guy and I have to go through a painful and deathly boring process to become something else.

His grip on my hands tightened, his gaze lowering to look over my fingers. Slowly his eyes rose to mine and I could see so much anguish.

"Phase four is known as the departure. We have to part company for a pre-determined time that is set by the council. In that time we cannot see each other, we cannot speak to each other and if it happens that we accidentally run into each other, time gets added on."

"How long?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"It depends on what infractions they have found, any other kinds of issues. I must warn you, Sarah, they know of our dalliance in the park."

He held up his hands to placate my rising anger.

"Yes, I know. I believed that my shield had covered us but the locator has the power to see beyond any shields. No one else saw us, I swear."

Anton wiped the tears from under my eyes.

"Please, believe me, Sarah, if I had thought that someone was watching then it would not have happened. But understand that no matter where we were, the locator would have seen us. That is their purpose, to see all. They find, they confirm and investigate, they report their findings. Once they have done their investigation they do not delve into a subjects world anymore."

I nodded and wondered if the investigator enjoyed the free show.

"Phase five is the end, we attend a meeting that declares us as fit to be joined and then we are free to do as we please provided we abide by the rules."

"And what if they declare us unfit? All that waiting, all that suffering and heartache. Isn't that a little unfair?"

I sighed, leaning back onto the soft leather of the seat. Life was unfair and the council liked to make sure everyone knew it.

"It is just a formality. The council sees it as a wedding of sorts. They rule over their world and see themselves as worthy of the duty. I have not been to one but I have been told that it is a formal ceremony where guests are invited. It's a lot of pomp and pageantry that gets dragged out unnecessarily."

With a sigh I accepted the situation, I was not impressed at it but there was little I could do about it. I rested against his body, letting him envelop me into his embrace.

I could only hope that phase four would be a few weeks.