" You and the babies have my protection from the Vampyres, Khalil said, his mental voice as smooth as a rope of silk slipping over her neck. At a time of my choosing, you will do anything I ask you to do, for the sum of one favor. Agreed?

She gave him a jerky nod. Agreed.

Khalil gave Grace a sulfurous smile. "

― Thea Harrison , Oracle's Moon (Elder Races, #4)