In those tender moments in the depths of that bar when he had once so stared at those bottles of liquor with a lighter left in front of him - Tetradore had dared to do what he'd never allowed himself before. He had dared to hope. In those moments in which she'd confronted them at Isolt's bar, that ugly, falsified belief once again reared it's head and he had so naively latched onto that dream of freedom. It had been so sweet, his tongue surely had never tasted anything as utterly glorious as that sheer, unadulterated freedom. He had finally allowed himself to form relationships, to create a pack that relied upon him, to have friends, lovers, siblings, to entertain ideas he never would have even considered under that vampire woman's tyrannical reign. It was near brilliant of her, really, even Tetradore could concede to that as the truth so began to fall with such a rapid pace into place. He could almost seen it all - laid out ever so neatly before him in a game he'd never known he'd been playing. For the past several years that fire within him had grown increasing dull. It had all stopped mattering - her requests, her punishments, he'd simply stopped finding any interest in any of it. Maybe it was that dejection that had finally gripped it's talons too tight in him to even care. Now, she'd given him a reason to fight again, a reason to live, to care, to give into her requests, to fear her wrath. She was right, he had been so fucking naive.

His gaze turned to the floor, that look of near crushing defeat present not only upon his features but near noticeable even in the fashion he so held himself. He offered her no words in that fragile moment, hardly wishing to provide her with any more satisfaction of her victory then she surely already had. He had been so stupid, so careless, and now everyone he cared for would pay the price. Negotiation was never Risque's forte. She tended to take everything from him at every chance she had unless he could somehow persuade her to let him keep that life he lived. It was a near monumental task and yet, truly, was it not his only option? To cater to her? To make himself more valuable to her outside then stuck within those dark halls with all her other play toys? Were these not the games he'd always played with her? A soft sigh left his lips as the man tried to harden his heart in that same fashion he'd once so effortlessly done. How a few years away from her had so softened him and his hard edges.

Those softly uttered words on the properness of his greeting, however, so prompted his feet to sluggishly move forward, the man entirely aware of her ability to simply force his hand if she so wished it. That control she'd once held over him was great enough to see him comply - at least in some fashion. That team of faux endearment was so entirely literal when it left her lips. After all, was that not entirely what she thought of him as? Little more than a mere pet. A small scowl crossed his features and yet, rather than point out that near obvious distaste he held for her, the man inquired as to what she wanted from him. She didn't honestly expect he would simply come back to life in Syn without a fight, did she? After all, she had been the very individual to so stroke that flame within him back to life. His eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly at that mention of the debt he had to repay, even if the man hadn't the slightest notion of exactly what she was referring to. That notion of a life for a life caused an almost quizzical look to cross his features. Was she referring to the part where he'd set Isolt free? Or the part where he'd tried to kill her twice now? His gaze narrowed slightly as she spoke of his death, the very news of such had once rocked the were-community and yet, inexplicably, Tetradore simply didn't die - but how did she know about all of that?

"What are you talking about?" He inquired, though the question felt more like a demand from his lips. "I owe you nothing." Those words were spat with a sort of vengeance and yet, of this he had no doubts. He owed her nothing at all, not after all those years he'd spent under her thumb, fulfilling those little fantasies upon her mind. She had taken everything from him. He had already given her over the last decade of his life. A sound more akin to a near growl reverberated in the back of his throat at that insistence that he was hers. Though he might have been willing to accept that defeat of his freedom, he was equally as determined to ensure he did not let it wholly slip from his fingers, even if his grasp upon it was certainly diminishing by each passing moment. That demand for respect made those emerald eyes raise nearly defiantly towards the woman and yet, that threat made him hesitate in consideration. At the very least, Samantha was far from him. Nadya had near abandoned him anyways and now was under the fold of Frost. They would at least be safe. It was Tobias, perhaps, who might truly fall to her wrath and yet, Tobias likely would irregardless. If he stayed, the boy would follow. Tobias was, perhaps, the only singular being still left that he so desperately cared for. He was the only individual whom had never abandoned him. "I have little intention of being your pet." He uttered, his voice holding a near defiance to her, even in spite of that pain she so eagerly suggested would be within his future. He might regret this but, at least Tetradore would try.

His emerald eyes lingered upon her as she slipped closer towards his frame, near circling him with a certain kind of sickening grace. He remained ever vigilant of her, even as she reached out to trail her finger along his flesh in a way that made his skin crawl. How long had it been since she'd felt her fingers against his skin? Certainly not long enough. His skin flinched out of habit and yet, the man hardly moved as she pulled that necklace from beneath his clothing. A frown crossed his lips as she eyed that faintly glowing orange stone, the figure of a ebony phoenix so curled around it. He was rather certain that object didn't come from Risque, just as he was fairly certain the jackal that guarded his ship got this from somewhere other than her. "What...gift?" He inquired with a measure of suspicion and yet, it was the inquiry of that power that so caught the man off guard. He knew well of his own affinities, all five of them, just as he too doubted even she knew all that he was capable of.