Before either of them can say anything else, he is before Celia, holding her gently. 

"Don't touch me." She lashes out, trying to push him away, to get away.

He's too fast for her, stopping every movement she makes-

Before finally sinking a stake into her chest. 

"No!!! No, Zevran, please, no-" Catienna is too distressed to even try to find her power. 

Zevran lifts Celia's lifeless body in his arms. "You know this was coming, Cati."

"You could've defied him-"

"I'm not your clan! He would kill me!”

"You're supposed to be my friend-"

"I am your father's creature, Cati. And I was supposed let you turn yourself in." 

Catienna's eyes widen. "No. No, no, Zevran, please-"

"Good night, Cati." 

Zevran is before her before she can move. 

She welcomes the stake.

When she wakes, she’s both surprised and yet not, to see the grand chandelier in her father’s office.

Zevran keeps a hand on her shoulder as she slowly sits up, both trying to comfort her, and hold her back.

Guilt churns in his gut. The stake is in his other hand. 

“Evening, daddy.”

Her father sits across from her, a glass of dark red liquid in hand.

"Catienna."

Catienna lets the silence hold for twenty seconds before she hisses.

 “Just get it over with! Beheading? Burned at the stake? What?”

"You know our laws, Catienna. You know why we have them. Our enemies will use any chance to undermine us. How did you expect this to go?"

“Didn’t think you’d send the sheriff so soon.” Her voice is bitter. 

His expression darkens. "Do you have a death wish, Catienna?"

“Does that upset you? That I would flaunt your rules? Reject your gift?”

"Is this what you want... to bring down your family that loves you?"

"You knew how I felt! You knew that sending Etienne away would leave me friendless! You wanted me to be endebted only to you!"