[Victor]As the days grew even shorter, I was getting a lot more time with Echo and Grayson. He was starting to grow on me more. The time Echo and I spent in Europe had been perfect. She was admired by a great many vampires. They complimented me on my Solus Amor and the connections it gave me. She also helped me to make many alliances with powerful vampires who wanted to have the connection to Death and the Traveler that came with joining us. We were considered a power couple among vampires because of our parentage. Plus, Echo was powerful and I was now considered one of the most deadly vampires in the world. We’d had Thanksgiving dinner with Grayson’s family. They welcomed me warmly and ensured there were blood foods I could consume. Elise, Grayson’s mother, had been testing other recipes based on how much blood needed to be in different foods for me to be able to consume them.They’d told Echo not to bring anything because they were going to feed me. Grayson’s great grandmother even made a dessert mousse for me that was divine. For the first time in centuries, I felt like I was part of a family. One of the biggest surprises when we returned, though, was when Harmony came over and told Echo that she was pregnant. Apparently, she hadn’t realized that she was going through her heat back in September and had gotten pregnant. It wasn’t until she started feeling sick in early November that she went to the pack hospital and found out she was expecting. Echo was thrilled at the idea of being an aunt. Cameron was panicking about getting a house and settling in the pack lands instead of sharing time there and in our home. I understood. He wanted to care for his family. I gave them a check as an early baby gift. It would give them a little nest egg beyond the fortune Master Marius had already given each of the children. None of them would ever have to work if they didn’t want to. Each was independently wealthy. That led to each of the older two relaxing about what to do with their lives. Valor was planning to explore his magic to the fullest and find his soulmate within the next year. Harmony was going to do her best to create a home for her family. Cameron still wanted to work to support them, but they willingly took my money and used it in part to furnish their home. Tonight, I was going to be dealing with something more curious than the mentality of young werewolves. Sybil had requested to meet with me. She sent the request through Tyler and the message was that Dennis needed to be compelled to bring her to me. It was concerning that he wasn’t talking me about any issues. Sybil was strange and had been a topic of conversation among several other vampires while we were on our European tour. Some of them had people who were turned after thirty but never manifested memories like Sybil seemed to. She hadn’t been part vampire. I would have smelled if she was even a low level dhampyr. She was human, most definitely. We had even talked to a few vampires who had been turned by other dhampyrs. None of them had this experience past being able to control their hunger much sooner and more thoroughly than other vampires. There was a knock at my office door. I went to answer it, as there was a rule that I wasn’t to be interrupted when the door was closed. Sybil stood with Echo. They both smiled at me. Dennis was standing behind them, not letting his feelings show on his face. Of course, he was concerned. This seemed as if I had summoned her out of the blue. If she didn’t think he would listen to her, then I couldn’t tell him she was the one who requested this meeting. “Sybil, you’re looking well.” “I’m very well, Master Nightshade,” she replied. “Master Nightshade, I’d like to ask why you’ve requested my childe’s presence,” Dennis said. “That is not your business at the moment, Mr. Lyons. Please stay with Echo while I talk to Sybil. I will have Echo bring you in if I need to speak with you,” I replied. He didn’t appear to like that answer, but nodded. I held my hand out for Sybil and she took it. As I drew her into my office, Echo took Dennis’ hand and pulled him down the hall to the kitchen. I directed Sybil to take a seat as I closed the door. She sat in one of the chairs by my desk. It seemed this was going to be a more official meeting. I went to the other side of the desk and sat in my chair. “What’s this all about, Sybil?” I asked. “I remember my death. I remember a couple months before it, too. Master Nightshade, I can clearly remember the night I met Dennis, the way our relationship grew, and telling him to change me when I was dying. In the beginning, everything was in bits and pieces, but, after a couple weeks, I started remembering more.” “Tell me. I want to know everything from the moment you started remembering. Tell me about your past before you were a vampire,” I insisted. She started telling me about her nights at work and events that had happened in the months before she met Dennis. She recounted the night they met and it was almost exactly as Dennis had described it to Echo. Sybil told me about the gentle courtship, the night she came over for dinner, the dreams Dennis gave her, and the plans she had before her death. I was convinced by the time she told me about the dinner with everyone, but kept listening. She described the night she died with very little emotion until she talked about how Dennis reacted to her being shot. Her lips quivered as she described his caring, his anger, and his sorrow. “You truly have regained these memories. This is amazing. Memories come back backward, from the moment of your death to the moment of your birth over the course of a year once you have reached thirty years after death. It seems as if you’re getting the memories day for day. How do the memories come to you?” I asked. “They come in the form of dreams while I sleep. Dennis told me he was the only vampire he knew who dreamed and he could create dreams for others. I’ve dreamed ever since my first week as a vampire. Every dream is another day and night of memories. They all stick afterward,” Sybil told me. “I see. That is intriguing. I have only experienced darkness in my rest. When my memories came back, it was always when I woke and would take a couple hours. The year after you turn thirty there is very little a vampire does except for feed and remember. Your personality starts to merge with the person you were before death. “You must understand how rare this is. It may be that one of the gifts of Dennis’ line is being able to remember sooner. This is an amazing and powerful gift. What’s the problem? Is Dennis not believing you?” “I tried telling him what was going on and what I remembered, but he tells me it’s impossible and orders me to stop talking. I know it hurts him when I tell him I remembered something. He read all those books you gave him and he is prepared for that sort of childe, but that’s not me. “Please, Master Nightshade, I need him to listen to me and believe me. It’s not just because I want him to listen, though. I love him. I remember my love for him and how much I wanted to be with him. There are rules against sires being with their children before they reach thirty, but those weren’t made for these cases. “Let us be together. He needs me. I see him get sadder and sadder when I start acting like myself. It’s really hard to remember not to act like that. I don’t want him to be sad. I want Dennis to be happy with me,” she pled.  I nodded. She had a few fair points. Those rules had been made to stop vampires from turning people, using them for thirty years, and turning out children who hated them. Talia told me the council had enacted that law because one of the original vampires had done that to young men and women he fancied. It created dark and hateful vampires who rejoiced in the suffering of others. It was one I took to heart. This was not for me to decide, though. “I’m sorry, Sybil, this was a law made by the High Council. I will contact Master Marius and Mistress Talia to see what they think, but I can’t lift it for you. Can you wait for a week or so while I get it hammered out with them?” I asked. “If I have to, then I can. You’ll tell them everything, though, right? Dennis needs me. He needs to see that it really is me.” “What will you do if they lift the rule for the two of you?” She smiled softly. “I’ll love him. I’ll ask him to bind his soul to mine. I don’t want a marriage that will end in a century. I want him and only him forever.” “What about your Solus Amor?” I asked. Sybil looked at me. Her eyes watered. “I don’t have one, Master Nightshade. One of the first dreams I had was of the goddess. She told me I would never have a Solus Amor. She couldn’t give Dennis to me because vampires only have one. All she could do was give me her blessing to claim him and ensure there would never be a conflict in my heart. That was all I needed.” The goddess had blessed this match. It would be all Talia would need to agree to it. I would take it to them and let them know about the dream she had as well. This was more than a love match. It was a second chance for someone who shouldn’t have one. “It sounds as if you have had quite the time in the last two months. Are you sure about this, even though he has been silencing you through orders? If I did that to Echo she would be upset with me,” I said. Sybil nodded. “It’s only because he is trying to protect his heart. I love him and I know he wouldn’t do that if he weren’t trying to do that. Please, Master Nightshade, tell him to listen to me. I’m afraid I might have to leave him in order to get him to take me seriously.” “Don’t worry, Sybil. I’ll take care of this. You go home with him tonight and tell him everything you told me. Be completely honest with him. I will be responsible for the official side of things,” I promised. She smiled brightly. It was good that we got this sorted. I would need him to talk to her and listen to her, as well. This memory recovery was amazing. I mentally called out to Echo and had her bring Dennis into the office. While we waited, I worked to figure out a way to put this that wouldn’t make him think Sybil had called this meeting. She needed my protection as one of the most unique young vampires we had ever seen. They entered the room. Echo waved to me and closed the door after Dennis entered. She was always proud of how I handled my territory. Echo told me once that seeing me in work mode aroused her in a way that she hadn’t realized was possible. Of course, she felt the same way about seeing Grayson come in from work covered in dirt, drywall, or sawdust. “Master Nightshade, what is going on?” “You haven’t been giving me complete reports about your childe, so I wanted to check in with her to find out how she was doing. As your first childe, Sybil is important. She has already shown more control and strength than any other young vampire. “What I learned was that you are not listening to your childe while she is trying to tell you about her experiences. Tonight, you are not working at your offices. I order you to go home with your childe and have her tell you everything she has told me tonight. Do you understand, Dennis?” I replied. He looked at the floor. I could tell he was a mix of angry and frightened. I hoped he would have gotten over his past by now, but I knew it could take longer for some. At least it would serve me here. He needed to hear what Sybil was saying. It was important for both of them. “I understand, Master Nightshade,” he answered. “Good. Every morning I want to see a full report on what your childe has remembered. You are barred from making another vampire until we have a better understanding of Sybil and her abilities. It appears you make some very unique vampires, Dennis. Now, leave me. I have to deal with something important and I don’t need an audience.” I waved them away and turned to my computer, dismissing them physically as well as verbally. They left my office and closed the door behind them. I waited for a while before deciding what to do about getting these permissions. Talia would be the best option to go with first, but Marius was very proud of being able to spot a ‘good vampire’ candidate and was the head of the High Council. He was definitely the best option for first contact about this. Perhaps he would be willing to bring Talia to me and I could talk to them both at the same time. I needed a direction sooner rather than later. It was rare for a vampire to consider leaving their sire in the first thirty years. If Sybil was considering it, then she wasn’t being fulfilled by her relationship. I couldn’t allow that. Goddess only knows who could get ahold of her.