Ties That Bind

The Bellum Sisters 3

by T. A. GREY

DEDICATION

To everyone who has enjoyed The Bellum Sisters as much as I have.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to my beta readers who have answered my questions and helped me to perfect this book. Without your help, I wouldn’t be able to do this. Thank you to Regina Wamba for creating such beautiful covers for The Bellum Sister’s books, and to Tomas for helping translate and pronounce some Irish.

GLOSSARY

Dargen – Demonic assassins

Dreenaru finishama slinah – Demonic for “You feel incredible”

Dreenaru gina slinah – Demonic for “You are incredible”

Frika – Demonic for “fuck”

Haute – Royal shahoulin demons

idummi – A bottom feeding demon from the deepest layer under the rift. They are aggressive and easily manipulated creatures with poisonous talons.

Krishnoe! – Demonic for “Silence!”

lilit – A demonic term for a succubus.

new moon – The time when a succubus grows into sexual maturity.

prolitare – Non-royal shahoulin demons.

Protector – The male in charge of protecting and caring for a succubus

rift – The division between earth and the nether-realm where demons reside. The rift is guarded by the Atal Warriors.

shahoulin – A breed of demon that lives at the top of the rift. They have unique powers to save and destroy life.

PROLOGUE

To my youngest daughter,

my sweet and smart Lily,

I bequeath to you our home in Louisiana

and all of my books to be added to your library.

Most importantly,

I deem that on the day of your 29th birthday

in the year of 2012,

that you will be put into the Protection of

the demon Telal Demuzi;

to be protected by,

to facilitate a relationship with,

and to mate and breed with.

This I so order on the 8th of May, 2010.

Signed, dated and ordered at the event of my death.

Sir Francis Jeremiah Bellum

May 8th, 2010

CHAPTER 1

“Go long!”

The football whizzed through the air like a bullet. The group sprinted into action, bodies slamming together, dodging left or right with grunts and laughs.

Lily Bellum sprinted down the makeshift field, Draven only a few feet ahead of her. He turned back to her, his long silver hair blowing behind him, and grinned.

“Don't you do it!” she warned, pumping her legs faster.

His grin split into a shit-eating one and then he turned invisible.

“Fuck. Dammit, I said no powers!”

The football arched through the air slowly drifting down towards the other end of the field. Lily clamped her lips shut and bore through the burn in her muscles. No way was she letting him get that football.

The football stalled about six feet from the ground then moved in his invisible grasp. Now only a floating football ran furiously for the finish line. Lily narrowed her eyes on the floating football and quickly chanted in her mind.

Power surged inside her; warm like sun on her skin, and then her legs took her across the field at an unnatural speed. She closed in on the ball.

“I got you, you bastard.”

The ball stopped for a moment as if he'd turned back to look at her, and then raced off again with a boost of speed like he had NOS strapped to his back. Draven crossed the finish line and reappeared holding the ball and sporting a huge grin.

Lily glared at him and didn't stop running. His eyes widened at her. When she didn't stop charging towards him he took a step back holding his hands out in front of him.

“Now, Lily, it's just a ga—”

Lily slammed into him in a full-on tackle, catching him in the chest and planting his back into the dirt with a satisfying thump. She perched on top of him breathing hard but smiling like a fool.

She tore the football out of his hands as he dragged in wheezing breaths. “My birthday means I win.”

“No fair,” he gasped.

She smiled brightly and hopped off of him. “I stopped playing fair when you used powers.”

Shaking his head, he slowly lumbered to a stand. “You used magic, too. How else did you catch me?”

She ignored the question and merely cocked a brow. “My awesome leg strength of course.”

The rest of the crowd came forward. “Team Lily wins!” Half the team cheered while the other moaned.

“You won because I was on your team,” Willow said. Willow just had her baby the month before, a gorgeous baby girl whom she and Lyonis couldn't decide on a name for, and already her energy was coming back in full force. She had been the rowdiest of the bunch when they started the game. The fierce competitive gleam in her eyes still shone as she propped her hands on her hips.

“Time for presents,” Willow said.

The group milled around the buffet table that held an assortment of meats, cakes, alcohol and, of course, presents. Lily took her seat and ordered everyone to sit in a circle with her.

Chloe grabbed her present off the table first, a wicked grin on her face. Lily took it with a mixture of apprehension and glee. Her sister could be bad when she wanted to.

As Lyonis and Tyrian broke into an argument over fighting tactics, Lily tore into her present. She’d never been very patient with gifts. She’d always felt a certain amount of embarrassment opening gifts in front of others so she found it best just to tear into it and get it done with. She opened the gift and started laughing.

She held up the black lingerie for everyone to see complete with a bustier, garters, and black stockings. The best part was the lettering just underneath the bust which read “bite me” in cursive.

The half-demon, half-vampire Rayn leaned close to her with a sensual smile. “Any time you wish to try that on let me know, lilit.”

“I’ll try it on if you do.” His grin faltered then he started laughing. Turning to Chloe she said, “Why the ‘bite me?’ Not that I don’t appreciate its merit, of course.”

Chloe’s brow pinched forward. “Don’t demons bite or something?”

The crowd burst with laughter. “No darling, just vampires,” Tyrian said. Her sister blushed under her mate’s warm look and shrugged.

“No worries, I love it. I’m sure he’ll still do some biting.”

The next box came from Willow and had a pair of boxing gloves—for fighting the demon, of course—and a snow globe of New Orleans, Louisiana; her favorite city. Draven gave her a dagger that looked so sharp she didn’t bother taking it out of the case lest she make a fool of herself. Not that she normally minded such a thing, but recently, she’d been on edge. Strange dreams, strange feelings which she didn’t know what to make of.

Lucinda, Draven’s new mate, gave her a beautifully made leather-bound book that nearly strained her muscles when she lifted it. Eyes lighting up, she opened the pages to find them blank with paper thicker than normal and painted a cream-color.

Lucinda smiled, pleased at her reaction. “A spell book for whatever you want to use it for. Your potion recipes, for instance. I hope you like it.” She’d changed much since she and Draven had gotten together. No longer did she wear suffocating gowns from the Victorian Age but now wore an array of shorts, skirts, tanks, and flip-flops. Still she spoke quietly in that reserved way—unless she was laughing, then the woman sounded like a horse. Lily thanked her from the bottom of her heart and went to the last gift from her dearest friend, Rosa el Blanco.

Her real name was Rosa Medina Delgado but as a powerful white witch she preferred the nickname “Rosa el Blanco” or Rosa the White. And when a woman was as powerful as she was, people would use whatever name she wanted. Her friend’s smile only barely lifted her chocolate-colored lips. Secretly, she’d never been jealous of Rosa; however, she didn’t mind openly telling Rosa how gorgeous she was. Rosa had skin the color of cream mixed with dark cocoa. Her long black hair and dark eyes only accentuated her Spanish ancestry.

Lily smiled as she opened the gift. Inside was a bracelet surrounded by velvet lining. Warmth and positive energy flowed from the bracelet. The aura around the bracelet radiated power and white magic. The band was silver and laden with different sized hoops that jingled as she lifted it out of the box. Red and green gems added a vibrant color to the otherwise unusual piece.

“What is this?”

Rosa’s cheeks flushed as everyone turned to her. In a strong voice, laced with rolling “r’s” and fluid letters, she said, “A true charm bracelet. I have bespelled it to help protect you from dark magic.”

From the corner of her eye, Lily watched her sister Chloe grimace and pressed a hand to her stomach. Lily knew that look, that response—she had a bad feeling. While Lily didn’t have the magic “feelings” that her sister did, she too felt an ominous presence.

“Why would I need that?” The feeling triggered thoughts of her recent dreams. Dreams of a strange, dark man centered on a throne, surrounded by an evil so potent, she woke up screaming in terror.

The corner of her lip lifted into a half-smile. “Just in case.”

Lily wanted to know more about the vague words but for the life of her she couldn’t think of the right questions to ask, so she left it alone. As everyone came to hug her and give her kisses, she put on a bright smile. The goodbyes came and went and soon so did her friends.

Lily sighed as silence greeted her. A breeze blew by making goose bumps pop up on her arms. She rubbed at them as she surveyed the damage. Her yard was a disaster. Silly string, streamers, and now wrapping paper littered her pretty little yard. She got to work cleaning it, putting away her gifts, before she finally went to her favorite place—her laboratory.

When Papa died, he left this house to her in his will. There had never been any doubt who’d get the house situated in one of the most magical cities in the world—New Orleans, Louisiana. While the house was actually several miles outside of the city in the more rural area, Lily just loved being here. Even without the house, she felt at home in Louisiana.

The house itself was Victorian-style with several acres of rich green grass, bushes, and wild flowers. Though, her sisters would argue that those “wild flowers” were really just weeds.

Lily made her way to the laboratory, which sat on the second floor secluded in the back of the house down a short hallway with only the single door on it. Her sisters laughed at her “laboratory” but Lily loved it; it was her second home inside her home.

She chuckled as she went inside and hit the lights. “And this is where the magic happens.”

The lab was a decent-sized space with tall wooden bookcases against the walls and three equally tall windows that let in plenty of sunlight. A large rectangular workbench in the middle was the focal point that instantly drew the eye of whoever entered.

She had a carpenter craft the bench specifically to her taste. The wood was dark mahogany, the four legs each carved with beautiful designs of English Ivy. The table’s undercarriage housed many of the goodies her cabinet space couldn’t fit including spells, exotic oils, grasses, woods, and furs.

She nibbled her lip as she set about creating a new flask—one for herself. She couldn’t help but feel like a cheat using her own goodies for herself, but it had to be done. The dreams had been growing steadier for months now, growing darker. In her whole life, she’d never had a dream that she couldn’t eventually interpret, that did or did not come true, but for months she’d been without an answer. Besides the potion made her feel good—really good. Tonight she would have none of those haunting nightmares. She cranked on the stove and started boiling purified water, lavender, and slowly added in honey and milk.

“Ah, what the hell.” She tossed in some crushed chamomile leaves, scullcap, and Linden flowers. Tonight she’d sleep like the dead.

And she needed to sleep good tonight, because tomorrow she was going to see a demon.

CHAPTER 2

The letter was worn from being gripped too many times, too tightly. Telal finished reading it with a grimace that had everything to do with one man who'd changed his life for the worse. Francis Bellum. Carefully, he folded the letter back up and put it in the thick envelope it came in.

Two knocks sounded at the door, and then his person guardsman came in. “It's time, Sir.” Decked out in full SWAT gear including a Kevlar vest, pistols, and something not typical—a silver blade, Kearnyn was anything but a normal officer. Formerly he worked as an Atal Warrior under Tyrian en Kulev, but when Telal met him he'd liked his intelligence and persuaded him to come work for him. It'd been one of his better investments.

Telal stood from his desk and met Kearnyn in the center of the room. He laid his hand on his shoulder and let his powers take them. The room around them dissolved like grains of fine sand sliding down through an hourglass. It took only a second, maybe two, and a new room materialized, each of the grains falling into place, forming Tyrian en Kulev's study.

The vampire commander stood at a tall arched window staring out into the evening sky. He turned as he materialized, one side of his mouth curled up.

“On time. I'm surprised.”

As Kearnyn went to stand against the wall, arms crossed, eyes forward, Telal took a seat in a high-backed chair by the massive stone fireplace. “I can manage to be on time if I wish.”

Tyrian took the seat next to him. Telal smirked at the green smudge on his pale cheek.

“Busy night?”

Tyrian's brow lifted in surprise, then he chuckled and wiped his thumb along the smudge. “We were at Lily's tonight.”

In an instant, his body tightened. Tyrian watched him with a hawk's eye as if he were trying to note his reaction to the succubus. It was of no matter to him, she meant nothing. Instead of replying, he simply made a grunting sound in his throat. Tyrian's lips pulled into a wider grin now.

“Since you're curious, I'll tell you about it.”

“I'm not—” he interjected.

“We went to Lily's home today to celebrate her twenty-ninth birthday.”

Well if that didn't just cut him off. He had to be wrong; that made no sense. He opened his mouth to ask, and then shut it. What did he care about her business? I don't. Fuck it, if he wanted to know he'd ask.

“Her birthday isn't for another month.” And he damned well knew, had been practically counting the days to that fool's birthday since her father sent him that will. His eyes flicked to the moon just starting to show outside. Its silver shade against the blue sky could almost he beautiful, if it didn't remind him of the new moon.

“Yes, well, apparently she wanted to celebrate it early.”

“Why?” Bloody hell, he shouldn't ask any more questions. He already knew that this woman would only hinder him; after all, that he'd worked towards, all the progress he'd made, now she would come into his life at the worst possible time. Soon he'd secure the rift and let his people, once again, travel above.

Tyrian shrugged a strong shoulder. “You'd have to ask Chloe, I'm sure she knows. I'm surprised she didn't invite you.” Tyrian peered at him with those questioning eyes, trying to find an answer that he'd never get.

An invitation. Telal almost cursed or laughed. The damned lilit had been sending him letter after letter for nearly eight months now. He could still remember the words as clearly as if he'd just read them.

You looked down at me with that frustrated scowl you always wear when you look at me, but then leaned down and kissed me.

It was impossible after reading that not to think about doing just that. Her lips were well made. Damn, even he knew that was a lie. They were much better than that. Shit, before he started idolizing her lips he shut the train of thought down like a bad leak.

“She's up to something,” he said.

Tyrian sighed. “The Bellums always are, I'm afraid.”

“Let's get onto business.” He didn't come here to talk about Lily or any of the foolish Bellum sisters. He had better things to do—like learn to knit.

Tyrian retrieved a piece of paper from his desk. He handed it to Telal. “This is what I need. Ten thousand of them.”

Telal raised an eyebrow. “You want them enspelled? That's new.” It also wasn't really something he specialized in. Manufacturing an array of weapons—yes. Enspelling them? Not so much.

“I know you can do it or at least know someone who can. I want them enspelled with electricity. One of my warriors had a run-in the other day with a few escaped idummi demons. They managed to completely disarm him, but something strange happened. It was storming and my warrior eventually managed to retrieve his sword and stab the demon. Lighting struck the demon and literally killed him in an instant.”

“Electrocution killed him?”

A nod. “If we can enspell these weapons to produce electricity then it could make for better weapons. What do you think?”

Telal's mouth flattened into a grimace as he thought it over. Was it possible?

“It'll cost.”

“Cost doesn't matter. I want it done. How long do you think it will take?”

Telal thought it over. “Two months tops.”

“Fantastic.” They shook hands on it.

As he was walking back to Kearnyn to transport them back to the office, Tyrian said something that brought his feet to a halt.

“You will take care of her during her new moon.” It wasn't a question.

He almost didn't answer. The whole situation was so ridiculous he could barely wrap his mind around it. What the hell had Frank Bellum been thinking? Leaving his youngest daughter to him as her Protector? It was madness.

He turned back to Tyrian, letting him see the anger in his eyes. “I will not be her Protector, and I will not sleep with her.”

For a moment, he thought Tyrian was going to laugh as his lips twitched, but then he flattened them and gave him a hard, deadpan stare. “You'll change your mind.”

This time Telal didn't deign to answer. Reaching out he grabbed Kearnyn's shoulder without so much as a goodbye and transported them back to his office. When they appeared, Kearnyn gave him a watchful stare.

“A succubi's new moon is a fantastic thing. My friend mated with one before her twenty-ninth year too. He said it was the wildest sex he'd ever had. She craved it.”

Telal marched to his desk and slammed the weapon's contract Tyrian had given him onto it, knocking over his pen holder. “Good for him.”

“You've never said. Why do you despise the woman? You always have a reason.”

Telal poured himself two fingers of aged Scotch and chugged it before answering. “She and her sisters summoned Karr, an ancient demon. Her foolish activities could have had dire consequences. Even Lyonis was killed by the beast.”

Kearnyn stood silent for several moments. “But they still managed to kill the demon, both of them, once and for all. And you saved the Alpha shapeshifter.”

A pounding formed in his temples, beating a hard staccato beat like it was trying drill a hole out of his head. “If I hadn't been there, he'd be dead. If they hadn't heeded my advice, Karr and the demon he'd summoned could easily be killing thousands at this very minute.”

Kearnyn made a thoughtful noise then strode forward pulling a piece of paper out of his back pocket. “I wasn't going to bother giving it to you since you hate getting them. But she wrote you again. It arrived this morning.” He tossed the small envelope on his desk then left the room.

Telal glared at the envelope. The paper she used looked fine but felt thick like parchment and the ink heavy. He knew it well.

“Damn,” he cursed. He went to his desk and dropped into his chair making it groan in protest.

He ignored the letter.

Opening up the paperwork he'd been working on earlier, he set to work on it. Several times his eyes darted back to the menacing four-by-five envelope, but he caught himself each time and went back to work. Hours later, he rolled his stiff neck and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. The clock on his desk showed it to be the early morning hours. He flexed his hand to work out the cramp that had knotted in his palm.

His eyes strayed to the letter again. “I'm not a bloody coward.” He snatched the letter up and viciously tore open the top. He flattened the small letter out on his desk and read.

Dearest Telal Demuzi; Demon Warlord,

I cordially invite you to my birthday party this Saturday at my home in Louisiana. Presents are not mandatory, but acceptable. Address information is below.

Hope to see you there!

Lily

The letter crumpled in his fist. He strode to the door that led to his bedroom and went inside, flicking on the lights as he went. As he hit the switch, his fireplace flared to life with crackling flames.

He stood before the fire and stared into the burning embers. And then he tossed the letter into it.

CHAPTER 3

Lily revved the engine of her Ninja 250R motorcycle and raced past the slow beat-up truck in front of her. The truck honked in outrage but she merely gave a dainty wave as she passed it.

Leaning down to get better speed, she pulled back on the handle of the accelerator. Cars littered the highway with families and couples going out to spend the Saturday. The bright clear sky made perfect weather for riding, too. She spotted a small green sign on the side of the road and slowed to read it.

Now entering Atlanta, Georgia.

She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. Telal Demuzi, here I come. She threw her head back and screamed, “Woohoo!”

Whether it was from the dead-like sleep she’d had the night before or the fact that she was finally going to do this, she didn't know, but for the first time in the year since her papa died, she felt free, her heart light as air. She brought her eyes back to the round, and then screamed for real.

She saw a flash of yellow paint and part of a license plate number before she slammed into the yellow car in front of her. The crunch of metal and bone sounded horrifically loud to her ears, vibrating her tender eardrums like an explosion. The driver slammed on the brakes and her head rocketed forward, helmet meeting the metal trunk like it was trying to see what was inside.

It seemed like the squealing tires went on forever before it finally stopped. Her body hurt everywhere in an instant as her body curled around the bike and into the car which had become sandwiched together. Her lungs felt compressed like an anvil sat on her chest, and her limbs screamed at her in fiery agony.

Lily swore her eyes were open yet everything was turning a hazy gray, darkening. Was she still on the car? Was she on the ground? She had no clue. She tried to take note of the damage to her body but couldn't particularly feel anything except the screaming pain engulfing her. Hot burning sensations filled her lungs and stomach while sharp stabbing pain like little needles pricked her skull, arms, and legs. She heard a voice, young, male, and frantic.

She tried to let the poor boy know that she had insurance but her heart beat too fast and then her vision faded to black.

* * *

Lily came awake like she'd just been injected with pure adrenaline. She sat up in a flash, breathing hard, heart racing, her hands twisting in the sheets. Her eyes darted around the room trying to take in everything at once. White walls, white sheets, heavy brown curtain over the small window, a tiny TV mounted on the wall, electrical equipment made beeping sounds from the side of the bed.

“Damn it all to hell.”

Moving like an old woman, she carefully tossed her legs over the side of the bed and stood, keeping her hand on the bed in case her legs gave out. Her feet held steady and she stood up with only a little wobble in her knees. She took stock of her body with a rueful grimace. She wore a hideous blue hospital gown. Clear tubes came from her arm and white flat circular things were pressed against her chest. She gave a tug and tore the probes and IV out her arm and off her body.

A small dresser with three drawers sat across the room. She shuffled towards it and found her driving outfit folded inside. At least no one had stolen her clothes.

Clinching the paper-like robe in her fist, she lifted it off her body. She cursed again when she saw her body. Bright purple and blue bruises covered her from neck to hips with more violent contusions covering the span of her thighs and knees. She poked at the bruises and winced. Good thing it took more than a bad car crash to kill her. As long as she didn't do anything even more stupid she may even live to be as old as her papa did.

She pulled on her black leather pants, white tank top, and sexy leather driving jacket complete with zippers sewn in places that weren't necessary. It fit her like a second skin and made her feel like the world's biggest bad ass. She chuckled as she pulled on the clothes.

Looking down, she spied her bare feet. For a moment, she almost saw red. If someone dared to steal her shoes, they'd pay. Those black shit-kickers were her fave right next to her pink flip-flops. She threw open the rest of the drawers but found only empty space.

“Mother fuckers.”

As she walked to the door, her steps grew steadier, the feeling in her legs becoming solid as if blood has finally reached all the cells in her legs. She reached for the handle of the door but it swung open hard before she could open it. The door slammed against her face, crushing her nose.

“Are you kidding me!”

“Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn’t know you were right there!” a nurse said, squeezing through the door. She ushered Lily back on the bed and called for the doctor. She pressed a thick white towel gently against her nose to catch the blood. But all that did was push on her tender tissue. Lily yelped and slapped the nurse's hand away hard.

The woman looked surprised but backed up. A tall doctor with a good-sized bald spot on top of his head and thin wire-framed glasses came running into the room. He came and took the towel away, lifting her chin this way and that to examine the damage.

He lifted his hand toward her nose as if to touch it, and she actually snarled. “I wouldn't if I were you.” It felt like a grenade had exploded in the middle of her face.

His hands stopped in mid-motion, his jaw dropping. “Miss Bellum, I need to check to see if your nose is broken, if so then I'll have to straighten it.”

She shook her head hard then let out a cry as that only made her throbbing, bleeding nose hurt more. “No way. It hurts.”

“If it is broken and you leave it that way it can become infected and will not set straight. You will end up having a different looking nose for the rest of your life,” he warned in a firm voice.

Lily made a whining noise, then took a deep breath and slammed her eyes shut, hands fisting the sheets in a white-knuckled grip. “Do it, Doc.”

His touch was gentle but it still felt like he was viciously squeezing her nose in his hand like he wanted to strangle it. She gasped and couldn't stop the tears from spilling out her eyes.

“I'm not crying.”

“I know,” he said in a soft voice. “It's just a reaction to the pain. Okay, good news. It's not broken. But it’ll need a few stitches along the brim, and we can give you some pain medication.”

She grunted. “No, no pain meds. I don't do well with it.” She'd make her own pain remedy once she got out of here.

He fidgeted, his eyes blinking fast, and rocked on his feet. He cleared his throat. “Uh, yes, according to our records you are a succubus.”

Lily narrowed her eyes on him. Most humans were cool with meeting others like her, though they still preferred to pretend that beings like her didn't exist. And for the most part, they all obeyed and stayed low. But some humans bordered on hostile and others were straight psychotic about killing anything stronger than them.

“Is that gonna be a problem?” she said using her best “Willow's voice.” The voice Willow used when she wanted someone to back the fuck up.

The doctor literally did take a step back, shaking his head. “No, no. We accept all ill or injured in this hospital. Equal opportunity and all that.” He picked up the clipboard sitting in a compartment at the end of the bed and pretended to read something on it. “Okay, I'll go get the nurse to stitch you up and then you'll be all set, Ms. Bellum.”

“Thank you,” she said to his retreating back.

Another nurse came and stitched her up. She offered her pain meds again.

“No I don't want that crap. But you can tell me where my boots are.”

The young nurse’s eyes widened. “What boots?”

Lily looked down at her toes and wiggled them. “The ones I came in with.”

Her head cocked to the side, lips pulling into a frown. “Ma'am, you didn't come in with any. That's not a surprise, really. Many cases we get where a bystander hit by a car, for instance, their shoes fly off from the impact.”

Lily thought about that. “But I was on my bike.”

The woman shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe they're at the scene of the crash,” she said hopefully.

“Yeah, maybe.” Was it a big deal? No, but she’d paid a pretty penny for those boots and had searched long and hard for just the right pair to go along with her sexy bad-ass jacket.

Stitches finished, she left the hospital and stood outside. The sun had set and the skies were clear from clouds. She looked down at herself with a sigh. She'd meant to go to him looking bad-ass and ready to take charge. Now her bruised body could barely handle having the weight of her leather clothes on because even those hurt. Her feet were bare of socks or shoes, but at least her pink polish looked fresh and cute. And to the put the icing on the cake, her busted nose had white crisscross tape covering it. So much for looking cute.

Her bike was toast, her phone that had been in her jacket pocket and was crushed during the accident, smashed to smithereens. She felt her back pocket and pulled out her wallet. Cash and credit cards still intact.

A young man stood by a pillar, sucking on a cigarette and yacking on his phone. Lily smiled and strode towards him. His eyes flicked to her, froze, then drifted down her body in an obvious survey. Lily lifted her chin a little higher.

“Excuse me, could I use your phone? Mine broke. I was just in a car accident.”

He blinked slowly, and then closed his jaw. Without bothering to say goodbye to whomever he spoke to, he hung up and handed it to her.

“You are so sweet. Thank you so much,” she said with a sugary smile.

He cleared his throat and attempted to speak to her several times as she dialed information, got the number for a taxi, and had one sent on its way in under five minutes. With another brilliant smile, she handed the phone back to him. “Thank you, darling.”

His cheeks flushed. “You're welcome. Hey, anytime.”

Lily gave him a little finger wave and took a seat on a bench. The taxi pulled up some thirty minutes later. She got into the back seat and gave him the address.

The driver was young and dark-skinned, and super cute. “You sure you wanna go there? I heard that's the place with that...demon-man from the news.”

Lily nodded, and he shook his head with disappointment. Over the past year, Telal had been on the news' stations more and more with his message about the rift. Both human and supernatural media groups had taken to the story like flies on sugar. Telal made it clear that the rift needed to be open so that his people, the shahoulin demons, could be free to roam the earth again. Instead they were trapped below with violent demons like the idummi and jaheera.

Though the debates have been getting hotter and heavier as other supernaturals have come out to speak against it. Many said that the shahoulin demons were no less violent and that there's a solid reason why they were forced under the rift in the first place.

They pulled in front of the giant skyscraper a little while later. The building went up at least forty stories, easily towering over the small skyscrapers around it. The sign on the front read: Demuzi Manufacturing Inc. Cameras moved and watched every possible angle around the building, and two armed guards stood at the front doors.

Lily paid her fare and got out but was stopped at the doors. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes,” she lied and ducked inside. Even more guards waited inside the polished building. Bright fluorescent lights lit the room like a tanning bed. Unlike other office buildings that might have a couple of fake plants and cheesy paintings on the wall, this one had none of that. A wide arched desk sat on the left with computer monitors and two guards behind it; opposite that were elevators and a stairwell.

Lily kept her chin held high and marched towards the elevators. She didn't make it far. Three guards intercepted her. They wore full military-looking clothing with rifles and handcuffs—the only thing they were missing were helmets.

“Do you have an appointment, ma'am?”

“Something like that,” she said, giving the vaguest answer she could think of. She tried to walk past them, but the guards cornered her in, standing shoulder to shoulder. The camera in the corner of the room turned to lock in on her. Her heart started to pound as uneasiness built inside her.

“Unless you have an appointment, we can't let you see Mr. Demuzi.”

“He's expecting me.” Sort of. “Just call and tell him Lily Bellum is here.”

The guard in the middle shook his head. “Can't do that. Appointments are arranged in advanced. Please allow me to escort you back outside. You can make an appointment and come back another time.”

Shit. Lily quickly surveyed the guards in front of her and the distance to the elevator. Nothing was going as she'd planned today, but that wasn't going to stop her. It was as if the gods knew she wanted to see Telal but were doing everything in their power to keep her from doing so. Well, screw all that.

Pulling out her last card she said, “I'm Telal's woman. You might want to think twice about that.”

She'd obviously startled the guards. They each shared a surprised look and then the one on the right with a full head of blonde hair chuckled. He said, “Telal never has a woman.”

Keeping that little bit of info as food for thought later, she insisted, “I am his woman. His lilit as he likes to call me. Call and check but I'm not going to wait here any longer.”

“If you're his woman then why haven't we seen you here before?”

Damn. She was about to make up a lie but then a guard from behind the desk came forward, nodding his head. “She's been here before, though only once. I recognize her.” Lily smiled at the guard and his brilliant observation because it reminded her that she had come here before with Chloe and Tyrian. How could she have forgotten that? Must be because of the blow to the head she'd taken. She needed to make some calming tea and relax; her nerves were getting the better of her.

“See? I told you. Now take me up to see him before I tell him how much of a hassle you've put me through. He'll be pissed. Do you really want him mad at you?”

Each of the guard's frowned. Finally the middle guard nodded at her to follow him and took up in the elevator.

“If you're lying you'll be thrown out of here and never allowed back in,” he said.

Lily rolled her eyes then turned to flash him a bright smile. “He's my Protector, so I don't really think there will be a problem.”

The doors to the elevator dinged as they opened. The guard grabbed her at the elbow and started pulling her down the hallway. With a vicious yank, she pulled her elbow back. He moved to grab her again but she took off running for the two massive doors at the end of the hall.

He cursed and the sound of hard booted steps bounded after her. Heart racing like a stampede, she reached the doors just as the guard’s hand snagged her jacket. She lurched forward to dislodge his hand and finally came into his office.

A man, tall with short reddish hair gave her a hard look.

“Get her!” yelled the guard behind her.

The man lifted the rifle strapped around his shoulder. Lily panicked, eyes darting around the room looking for him. He wasn't here! The side door was her only hope, and she rushed for it. Then the hard blunt end of a rifle slammed into the back of her skull.

She cried out as her brain ricocheted around in her skull like a bullet. Not again, was all she could think as she collapsed like a sack of potatoes on the floor. Her nose smashed into the ground and instant tears. Her vision darkened quickly and blurred as tears came. Her nose pounded an angry painful beat and the back of her head hammered with burning violent heat. Everything hurt, from the top of her head down to her toes. It throbbed and pulsated and screamed at her for help.

She blinked her wet lashes, trying to rid the tears away so she could see, but it didn't help much because she knew she was seconds away from passing out—again. The door in front of her opened. Shiny black shoes and black pant followed.

She sucked in an airy breath through her mouth as those feet came closer. She tried to speak but nothing came out but air. All she could think as consciousness left her was “I swear I looked hot when I woke up.” And then she exhaled a shaky breath and went to sleep to make the pain go away.

CHAPTER 4

“Wake up!”

The hard voice jolted Lily from her happy sleep time. She blinked several times then squinted as the bright light try to sear off a layer from her eyeballs.

“Turn off the lights.”

“No,” said a hard, accented voice.

She knew that voice. Excitement fluttered through her. Lily slowly sat up and found herself on top of a massive bed. Her head pounded like someone had taken a jackhammer to it and she moaned. She touched the sore spot at the back of her head and winced.

“Dammit. That was not necessary.”

After her eyes adjusted to the blazing light she blinked, looking around the room for him. Telal sat at a desk, furiously writing like he was signing her death warrant. Awkwardness at the situation threatened to creep in, but she pushed it away and stood.

She swayed hard and her stomach felt like she was rushing downhill on a rollercoaster. She gasped, panting, and held tight to the bed post. What a day, she thought.

“What are you doing here?”

When she finally got her knees to lock and keep her upright without falling on her face again she ambled over to him. “You know why.”

He gave her one hard look, then returned to writing. “I do not. Even if I were to tag along with this whole 'Protector' nonsense, which I assure you I am not, you are still an entire month early. You will not be twenty-nine until next month.”

“Aww, you remembered my birthday.” She took a seat in the chair across from his desk and smiled her big beautiful smile that made everyone putty. He didn't even look up at her.

After a long moment he said, “Do you require a doctor?” The hand holding the pen tightened as he pushed harder on the paper.

“Already saw one. Had a helluva time trying to get to you.”

“How awful.” He didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in his voice. “Leave it to you to be completely inept at something as simple as making an appointment.”

She laughed and his hand stilled on the paper. She looked at him with a lazy smile. She wished she didn't hurt everywhere, this was not how she'd wanted this first day to go. She wanted to cozy up to him and start pushing all his buttons—which would make him loosen up—eventually.

“Oh please, don't act like if I'd made an appointment you'd see me.” He looked up from his paperwork, eyes narrowing on her. She was instantly taken with his eyes just as she'd been when she first saw them. Golden eyes surrounding a pitch-black pupil, and even then there were layers to the gold. It started light near pupil like sparkling sand in the sun then grew darker towards the rim like sorghum.

“It's rude to stare,” he said in a hard voice.

“It's rude to stare right back.” His mouth flattened before he went back to writing. “What are you working on?”

His silence greeted her. Lily let him have his way for a good minute before she leaned forward, planting her elbows on his desk and cradling her chin in her hand to watch him. His hand stilled then slowly his head lifted to look at her.

“You have beautiful eyes.”

His eyes widened, mouth opening in the perfect expression of shock. “You are truly mad.”

“I may be odd but that's far from mad.”

He sat back in his chair, glaring at her. “What is it you wanted to see me about?”

She shrugged. “I'm ready to move in with you, that's all.”

For a moment he looked as though he'd laugh, then his lips clamped shut, and he moved in his seat to get more comfortable. Slowly he shook his head at her.

“Ms. Bellum I know you are not well in the mind, but even you must know that you will never stay with me. I will not be your Protector no matter what your father's will said. Do you understand me? Or perhaps I should say it slower?”

Lily clinched her jaw to keep from reaching out and slapping his cheek. I do not believe in violence. I do not believe in violence. Closing her eyes, she took several deep meditating breaths until her muscles relaxed again.

“If you do not abide by my Papa's will then I'll see to it that the law enforces it.”

His jaw slowly slid left. Golden eyes twitched with anger. “You really wish to threaten me, lilit?”

She smiled sweetly. “Oh, it's not a threat. Just the truth.”

His jaw dropped and she couldn't help but laugh. She sighed, he was just so much fun. Curse her wrecked body right now, she could easily be sitting in his lap if she didn't hurt like the entire NFL had used her for tackling practice.

He stood slowly until his tall imposing body created a shadow over her. She'd have stood, too, but that would take a lot of effort. He gave her a look that held so much anger. She leaned back in her seat in an involuntary reaction.

Then, without a word, he left the room. The only reaction he gave to express his anger was the slamming of the door after him which shook the frame and hurt her ear drums.

“Darn.” Bracing herself on the arm of the chair, she gingerly stood and went after him at a much slower pace. She opened the door in time to see him having a conversation with a man who had short dark hair and a set of green eyes to swoon for.

“Get a car outside, now,” Telal said.

“Going somewhere?” she said, wobbling to him.

He didn't spare her a glance. “You are.”

She made a tsking sound with her tongue. “Okay, but am I really that bad? I mean, I was in a car accident that put me in the hospital,” she said as if she were ticking off items on a list. His eyebrow cocked. “Then I woke up to find my boots missing, hence the bare feet and cute toes.” Those golden eyes fell to her feet and his full lips pulled down into a frown. “And then a nurse slams the door into my face. See item number three, my bandaged nose.” His eyes surveyed her nose with only minute interest. “And then I get here only to find your place locked up tighter than the Pentagon and I get a rifle butt to the head for all my trouble.” She touched the bump the size of a baseball at the back of her head with a wince.

He watched her with an unreadable expression. She stared right back, hiding nothing. “You were in a car accident?”

“I drove my bike into the back of some guy's car. Wasn't pretty.”

“You're foolishness apparently holds no bounds, Ms. Bellum.”

“Maybe.” She hid the hurt his words caused behind a shrug.

“Sir, should I order the car?” The guard darted curious glances back and forth between them.

When Telal watched her she felt as if she had his complete unwavering attention. It was actually unnerving as hell and almost made her want to look away. But that would be cowardly which was the last thing she was.

“Leave us.”

The guard looked at Telal in surprise then quickly left the room. Telal crossed his arms across his big chest; his cerulean blue hair was pulled back with a tie which served to make him look stricter in his suit and shiny black loafers. Too bad suits were his clothing of choice because the demon would look fine in leather...or nothing.

He looked away, his eyes lost in thought. “You've put me in a difficult position.”

“I know.”

He shook his head. “You have one night and then you're gone. Do you understand me?”

“Why of course,” she agreed, giving him her winning smile that made all the males sigh.

“I'll have Kearnyn show you to a room, and then I want you gone first thing in the morning. Zero questions. Do you understand?” He took a step closer as if he was trying to intimidate her.

Lily took a step forward too, putting them only inches apart. Something dark flared in his eyes before he narrowed them on her...in warning. She felt as though she was playing with some beast that had been caged for far too long, but that didn't stop her from running just the tips of her fingers down his shirt. She didn't press to feel his chest underneath, only lingered down along the little white buttons of his shirt enough to feel the heat from his body.

He tensed like she'd just pulled a gun on him and then she let her hand drop. The door opened behind her and the green-eyed man came back in. “It's time for the conference.”

Telal lifted his eyes from hers and the connection snapped like thread. “Fine, show Ms. Bellum to a room then gets her out of here first thing in the morning.”

He turned and disappeared back into his bedroom.

With a small smile, Lily followed the dark-haired, green-eyed soldier down the hallway to the elevators. When he noticed how slowly she walked, he slowed his pace.

“What's your name?”

He looked surprised and didn't answer for a minute as if he contemplated answering. “Kearnyn.”

“That's an interesting name.” The elevator dinged and they got in. He pressed a number on the pad and the elevator moved swiftly, quietly down.

“I'll come and get you at six in the morning. I suggest you be ready.”

She chuckled. She had no intention of doing any of that. “Sure thing.”

The elevator doors opened to show another long hallway, this one with about a dozen doors on either side of the hall. He went to the first one and opened it with a key that looked like a credit card. He stood at the door as she went inside, surveying the surroundings.

The room looked like an elegant, upscale hotel room equipped with a flat screen TV, a speaker system, and four-poster bed.

“Not bad.” Yeah right, the room made her home look like a shack. The bed was carved and made from real wood, the wood floors were polished to a sheen, and thick maroon rugs spread across the small living area and bedroom area. They matched perfectly with the dark wood furniture and dim lamps. She almost snorted; the room could easily be called 'romantic'.

“Do you require anything?” He sounded pained to ask.

“Not at all,” she said with a small smile.

He looked at her hard as if he knew she was up to something then finally turned and left. Lily laughed to herself as she walked around the enormous room. It really was a great size. She pulled off her heavy jacket, dropping it onto the floor as she walked around the room. The bedroom came first then opened into a wide living area furnished with couches and the television. A partitioned wall sat in the space behind the living room and Lily found a small kitchenette inside. Down a short hallway from there she opened a door and gasped.

“Lord have mercy, I am in love.”

It was the biggest bathroom ever. Brown and red stones covered the floors and walls leading to a bathtub in the corner of the room that had two steps to walk up to get to. Dark cherry wood cabinets lined the entire side of one wall with granite counter-tops and two modern-looking sinks. In the opposite corner stood a tall shower with a showerhead the size of a giant sunflower.

Lily whistled under her breath as she began unbuttoning her pants. The sight of that bathtub made a rush of excitement flow through her. But her tired muscles screamed at her just to go to sleep, so she dropped her pants and marched over to the bed.

She had to use two hands to pull back the heavy comforter; and it was even harder to try to get into the bed. It sat so high that she ended up having to grab hold of the mattress and wiggle her way on top of it until she was laughing breathlessly.

She scooted until her head hit the pillow and sighed. “Just like heaven.” She pulled the comforter over her then grimaced and shucked it away with a fierce kick. Too heavy for her ribs still.

She made a mental list of all the supplies she'd need to make herself a healing elixir. As she reached the third ingredient though, her eyelids grew heavy and she went out like a light.

Chapter 5

“We have a problem, sir.”

Telal paused in the act of buttoning his shirt and looked at Kearnyn. Kearnyn was his most trusted guard. He paid him enough money not only to sway him from the Atal Warriors where he used to work but to keep his useful services. Telal tried to think of a time in the past four hundred years they've been working together when the man had ever had a problem. Ah, yes, there was the time when an angry mob of humans tried to storm his previous headquarters in Boston. Of course, that had been in 1805.

He didn't want to ask, afraid he already knew. “What's it about?” He finished buttoning his shirt and grabbed a tie to put on next.

“It's the succubus, Ms. Bellum.”

His hands froze for a moment at her name then continued to create a perfect Windsor knot. “She won't leave?” He'd expected it; hell, he'd have to be an idiot not to. The woman was the most foolish person he'd ever met, and he'd met a lot of people in his years.

Kearnyn rocked side to side on his feet, almost like he was nervous. “I knocked but she wouldn't answer. I don't know if she's a heavy sleeper but I didn't want to barge in on her if she were...indecent.”

Lily Bellum...indecent. Those words together were a dangerous combination. Everything about her was indecent, from her insolent tongue to her roaming hands. She'd almost touched him last night. His own fingers trailed across his chest where hers had been. Something had held her back. He'd seen her be bold before, but she hadn't outright touched him yesterday. He thought about it then decided it was a good thing.

“I'll take care of it.”

Kearnyn handed him the room key and he made his way down to her room, his gut tightening with something close to anticipation. It was just because he was about to throw her out, he thought. Indeed, he could have smiled it made him so happy.

He banged on the door with his fist, hard. No answer came. Inserting the key into the lock, he flung it open, only to have the door barely move an inch.

“Bloody hell.” She had lodged a chair under the door handle. What was she up to now? Bracing himself, he squared his shoulders and rammed at the door. It burst open like an explosion, the chair shooting back into the wall before toppling sideways and falling down with a broken leg.

His eyes searched the room like a ruthless hunter. He found the bed empty, the comforter pulled down, and the sheets rumpled. He stalked to it and pressed his hand to the sheets—it held lingering warmth from her body.

He made his way into the living room and then the kitchen, finding them both empty. But then he heard it—

singing. It sounded strong, lyrical, almost throaty. His hands curled into fists as he marched towards the bathroom and threw the door open.

He stopped in his tracks. She didn't.

She looked up at him in that large bath and smiled showcasing neat white teeth and a set of dimples. Wet dark hair curled around her shoulders and neck like curly-cues. Soapy bubbles barely covered the tops of her breasts and hid any sight of her naked body from him. Something dark and hungry coiled inside him. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at it until it went away, but that was impossible anytime she was near. She seemed to always draw out this side of him. Eyes, deep brown with a hint of green around the pupils, beckoned him to come closer.

He'd taken a step before he realized it. “What are you doing?”

Her eyes laughed at him. She picked up a soapy loofah and ran it up one smooth arm. “I thought it was obvious. Do demons not bathe?”

He jerked back a step to keep from going over there and doing something stupid. Like dunking her head under the water—or worse.

“Of course we do. Get out and get dressed. I have a car waiting for you outside.”

She nodded, then dunked her head under the water, coming back up with a gasp of air. Now even more suds slid along her wet skin.

Wet skin. Those two words nearly sent his mind derailing into territory he had absolutely no business, or need, occupying. He closed his mind off with a steel barricade.

Suddenly, she stood. It all happened to fast...the sight was incredible. Steamy water rushed over her body like a waterfall; soft skin pinkened from the hot water and covered in fluffy suds slowly trailed down her breasts, her stomach.

All the moisture dried up from his tongue like he had a cotton ball shoved in there. And then something even stranger happened, his dormant cock lengthened, stiffened.

She didn't linger but put one foot out of the tub, then the other, giving him more than a glimpse of smooth, soft-looking skin. A luscious, heart-shaped derriere, rounded thighs perfect for riding, and pert breasts, nipples hard, pointed high, dusky colored.

He swallowed hard as she started towards him. His eyes couldn't stop; hell, his mind barely worked. He felt as though he were running on an old operating system, lagging behind like a snail. Round dusky nipples centered in a pair of ripe breasts, perfect for holding, perfect for sucking. She ran a hand across her stomach, wiping away some suds and damned if his eyes didn't follow, eating up every inch she showed him.

She had a body shaped like an hourglass, all curves and dips. His lips were suddenly too dry and he darted his tongue out to wet them. Dark black, the patch of short hairs between her legs was a startling contrast to her lighter skin. He stared, unabashed, as she reached him.

“Do you like?” It might just be his ears playing tricks on him but it sounded as if she purred the words.

He blinked quickly then his eyes snapped up to meet hers. “No.” He couldn't hide the gruffness in his voice any more than he could the erection in his pants.

Her eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

She took a little step forward and the stupid organ in his chest started pounding like a ceremonial drum. Fuck, she was nothing but trouble. It took incredible willpower to keep his eyes from straying downward like they wanted to. Still, it didn't really matter, he now had the image of her naked wet body stamped in his mind forever.

“Get dressed.” He turned while he still could and slammed the hotel door behind him. He leaned against the wall, taking long deep breaths.

Get a hold of yourself.

If she wasn't a succubus then it wouldn't be a problem. That had to be what it was. Succubi had a sexual air to them that made a man think about things he didn't want to—like sex.

A moment later, the door opened. She came out wearing that ridiculous leather outfit and no shoes. He shouldn't be surprised that her toenails were painted something fit for a human sorority girl, but he was. Pink with a sparkle of a glitter.

“Are you ready?”

She smiled, but it held a hint of a secret to it. Dammit, she was up to something. “Yeah, I'm good.”

He led her back to the elevator and jammed his finger on the button for the lounge. He stood with his arms crossed, jaw clinched while she leaned back lazily against the wall.

He glared at the numbers as the elevator went down. He shouldn't have bought such a big building. This would take forever.

“You know, I think this is the same elevator Chloe and Tyrian had sex in.”

He choked, turning to her with wide eyes. “What?”

Her eyes turned contemplative. “Yeah, I think it is. She said they had sex in the elevator at your place. This is probably it.”

The elevator door dinged as it finally opened and Telal rushed through it with long steps. He reached the entrance and threw open the door.

“Out,” he said.

She stopped in front of him, facing outside. “Sure, just tell the driver to take me to the nearest council headquarters. I have a complaint to file.”

His voice turned cold. “What for?” He knew the answer, but had to be sure.

She looked up at him but didn't smile this time. “I'm going to file a complaint that my Protector has stated he will not do his job. Isn't that what you want?”

Telal saw red. He wanted nothing more than to grab her by the neck and shake her like a ragdoll. He controlled himself though, only letting his hands curl into fists. “You can't do that.”

Now she did smile. “Yes I can and I will. Bye, Telal.” She started to the black car waiting at the curb.

She reached it before he could finally utter the words. “Fine, you can stay.” She would interfere with his plans, but he could keep her out of the way and never see her.

She turned around to give him a hard look. He had to admit her eyes watched him with a smart tilt. “Promise?”

He let out a harsh breath. “I am not a child who makes promises—”

“Then I'll just go to the court and see what they have to say about this.” She nodded to the driver waiting at the car to open her door. He darted a look to Telal then opened the door. She got in, staring straight ahead, her arms crossed in defiance.

He'd rather pull his own teeth out than say the words, but she had him in a bind. “I promise.”

She put her hand to her ear as if she couldn't hear him. “What was that?”

The muscles in his back and neck tightened viciously. “I'll only say it once.”

Nodding, she got back out and whisked back to him. “I'll need some things so I'll see you later. Can I get you anything while I’m out?”

He watched her, trying to judge her level of sanity. When she didn't make a joke or smile he finally shook his head. She wiggled her fingers at him and got back in the car. The car pulled away with a slow rumble of the engine.

“What's the news?” Kearnyn said from behind him.

“She'll be staying here...for now. I don't want her anywhere near my office. Hell, keep her locked down on her floor. I don't want to see her face.”

Telal stormed back up to his office, but he couldn't get the naked image of Lily out of his mind.

CHAPTER 6

“Bring the prisoner forward,” ordered the king.

The room grew quiet as two guards dragged forth a disheveled woman. Her long blonde hair clung to her skin matted with dirt and sweat. Arianna watched the scene unfold with growing foreboding. The king was in a dark mood today.

The king lifted his goblet and took a big drink, swishing the bitter alcohol around his mouth before swallowing. He laughed at something his councilman told him. Arianna barely contained her hatred being this close to the man she despised. The king’s mother, the queen, having already imbibed too much drink, giggled high as the guards shoved the prisoner to her knees and watched the scene with hard eyes.

The king's chuckle died as his eyes leveled on the prisoner who slumped forward on her knees as if she could barely sit up straight. Her gaunt cheeks and bony arms had Arianna looking the other way.

“You wish for an appeal, I hear, again.” The king's low voice held a vibrant edge to it. He never had to raise his voice to be heard, when he spoke all talking ceased.

The woman swallowed hard, her throat muscles sticking out with the motion. She wet her chapped lips then said, “Y-yes, my king. Please let me free. I didn't steal from you I—”

The king slammed his hand on his thrown. The loud boom echoed throughout the great hall like thunder. “If you didn't steal it then that means that my mother, your queen, is lying. Are you going to sit there and tell me the queen lied?” he said in a quiet voice.

Arianna gripped her goblet in her fist and downed the last of the drink. It became harder to hide her disgust as the woman's eyes filled with tears and big fat droplets fell down her dirty cheeks in streaks. It was clear to see she was desperately trying to hold back sobs. Arianna could never understand why these prisoners came forward to beg for an appeal—it never worked. Even though she knew for a fact that the queen was the kind of narcissistic woman to get a measly peasant into trouble for laughs...or entertainment.

Arianna glanced at the queen from the corner of her eyes. Her blue eyes glowed brightly and borderline mad against her golden skin. Her midnight black hair shined like raven's feathers in the light. Sinister beauty all rolled into one twisted package.

Her friend Celine sitting beside her nudged her with an elbow. In a low whisper she said, “So do you think she actually stole it?”

Arianna always saw to it to keep a close eye on Celine whose family had all been killed in the Great War many years ago. They'd bonded when they were mere children, before the war started, and had never turned back. The only reason she wasn't in a similar position to the trembling prisoner right now was because she came from the royal line.

“Of course not. She wouldn't risk it.” No one would. The sentence for stealing from the king or queen, or any royalty, was to spend the rest of one’s days in a cell with barely enough food or drink to survive. Starving and dirty for the rest of their lives. Many times the women, and even the men, were susceptible to...cruel acts in prison. Arianna grimaced and refilled her goblet. She couldn't wait for this to be over and it would be—soon. Whichever way the pendulum would swing, it wouldn't bode well for the prisoner.

“Is that all you have to say for yourself?” said the king.

The woman nodded, her entire body trembling now. “Y-yes, your highness. I didn't...I didn't...” She gave up and bowed her head down. She rocked up and down as if she couldn’t keep still.

“I'll tell you what. I will allow you more meals and a bath once a week if you admit to the crime and tell me how you came to be here.”

Collective gasps floated around the room. The richly dressed royalty finally turned to see what was happening. Even Arianna couldn't believe it. The king never offered any kind of leniency or gifts. A part of Arianna understood why he'd want information from the prisoner, because this particular prisoner was not typical.

The prisoner looked up at the king with wide frightened eyes. She shook her head back and forth, her blackened hands opening and closing in the cuffs. “Y-your highness, I have already told you. Already told you everything.”

“Fine, take the prisoner—”

“Wait!” she cried and fought against the guards trying to drag her up.

Arianna tried to keep her expression neutral as she watched the scene unfold. The king lifted a hand to stop the guards. They shoved her roughly back down to her knees, which must have hurt, but she didn't make a sound.

“Shopping, I shopped at store. No, didn’t make it there. I don’t know. A man, a demon, came, t-took me. He’d kill me. I went. He d-dragged me away from my home.” She spoke so rapidly, her words ran together in a long stream without pauses except for large breaths. “We came near a rift. Atal warriors s-started to charge, to fight. The demon opened a portal. The Warrior pulled out a crossbow and killed him; he fell down, his body fell against me. I got knocked into the portal. N-now I'm here. I do not belong here.”

The king tapped a finger against the throne as he stared at her. His eyes, black as a sunless sky, watched her with an intensity that became of madness.

“Who was the demon?”

Tears slid down her cheeks. “I don't know. He...he took me away from my family.” Her soft voice broke and she hung her head low.

For several minutes, the only sound in the room was the thump thump thump of the king's finger on the throne. Then it stopped and silence suffocated the room like heavy rain.

“I'll allow you one bath.”

The news didn't make her smile, didn't light her eyes with joy. Her dried lips only pulled further into a frown. “B-but your highness, I do not belong here.”

He didn't blink as he watched her. “I know you're not one of us. But you didn’t admit to stealing from the queen and that must be punished.” He waved at the guards and they dragged the prisoner to her feet and out of the room.

Only after she left did conversation resume.

“Well that was odd,” Celine whispered.

“As if almost thirty years in a cell isn't punishment enough. Let alone for a crime she didn't commit,” Arianna said.

“Arianna, come here.”

Arianna froze, even her heart didn't beat for a moment at the sound of the king's order. Celine turned to her with wide, frightened eyes. She could practically hear her thoughts. Did he hear us talking?

Arianna stood on legs that felt like they were filled with water. Her gown swished around her slippered feet as she walked to the king's throne, her head bowed low. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the royalty and aristocrats watching the scene with curious gazes. She stopped before the king and dropped to both knees, her breathing unsteady with fear.

“Your highness.” Her eyes stayed trained on the gold and copper tiled floor below his booted feet.

“Look at me,” he said in a low voice.

She had to tighten the muscles in her body to keep from visibly shaking as she looked up at him. His eyes never used to be so dark. Once they were a deep brown but now black as tar. His skin, once golden like sunshine, now was darker—almost the color of coal. She had no doubt that years from now everything about him would be black, like his heart. His hair used to be a lovely auburn, red with a hint of brown that shined like polished copper in the light, but even that had turned over the years to the color of his mother's hair—black.

“Yes, your highness?”

He looked at her for what felt like a year. “You still have not taken a man?”

Of all the questions he could have asked her, in front of the entire audience, she never thought he'd ask that. “No, I have not.”

“Are you waiting on someone...particular?”

Where was he going with this?

“Yes,” she answered.

His eyes swept over her body. The look didn't linger, yet she felt the need to cover herself up with a heavy blanket. “Perhaps it's time for you to stop waiting and move on.” He paused to let that sink in. “He isn't coming back to claim you.”

She couldn't stifle her gasp. He was wrong. He would come back. But she kept her lips sealed, the last thing she wanted was to incur his wrath.

“I want you to dine with me tomorrow.”

She looked back down at the stone floor so he wouldn't see the panic in her eyes. “Anything you wish, your highness.”

She could hear the smirk in his voice. “Anything I wish....” He stood, every tall, terrifying inch of him. “Tomorrow then.” He stalked away, knee-high leather boots crunching on the stone floors.

Arianna stood, keeping her eyes averted from the Queen as she went back to Celine who looked as though she could barely contain her eyes from popping out of her skull.

“What was that all about?” she hissed in a low voice.

Arianna glanced around to make sure no one watched them, then snatched Celine's hand and pulled her behind the royal red curtain and down an empty hallway away from the throne room.

“He wants me to have dinner with him.” Her voice stayed controlled but her heart raced frantically in her chest. Sweat formed at her temples and a single drop slid down her face. She wiped at it with the back of her hand. Strange she was sweating because she felt decisively cold, almost freezing.

“What could he want?”

“I...I don't know.”

Celine pulled her into a tight embrace. Suddenly, Arianna found herself fighting back tears.

Don't be silly, she told herself. It's just dinner. Yeah, even she couldn't fool herself.

CHAPTER 7

Medina's was a little shop squished between two other small buildings on a narrow brick street. On one side sat a coffee shop that always made Medina's smell like freshly brewed coffee and on the other side sat an antique shop that always had a ‘closed’ sign in the window. Lily told the driver to wait for her and went into Medina's.

A bell that sounded like a wind chime rang as she entered. Bright chandeliers and wall sconces lit the shop. Old rugs, discolored from age, covered the floor and a variety of bookshelves and glass cabinets lined the room. Lily gingerly passed through the bookshelves and smelled a mixture of herbs and coffee. Soft instrumental music played from the back of the store. A soft voice hummed along to the tune and made Lily smile.

She passed the cases of books and came into the main room where an island sat with plastic drawers filled with fresh dried herbs, plants, and little bottles of oils plugged with a small cork.

“Rosa?” The humming stopped and then the dark-skinned beauty came through a beaded partition.

A smile lit up her face. “Lily! You're here!” They hugged, sharing a laugh. Rosa pulled away and looked her up and down. “And you're not wearing any shoes.”

Lily shrugged. “Long story. I was hoping to catch you here. I lost my backpack in a car accident and I need some supplies.”

Rosa shook her head and sighed. “You in a car accident? Why can I totally picture this?”

“Hey, I'm a great driver. The guy in front of me just slowed down too much.”

“Lily, I don't think that's how driving's supposed to work.”

She shrugged. “Whatever.” Picking up a brown paper bag, she began searching the shelves, grabbing essential oils, herbs, candles, and incense that got left in her pack.

Rosa took a seat in a wide but short chair that looked probably older than she was. “What happened to your nose?”

Lily told her about the car accident, the missing shoes, the door stamping her face, and then getting into Telal's.

By time she finished, Rosa was laughing so hard tears fell down her face. “You have such bad luck.”

Lily grunted. “Tell me about it.”

“So how long do you think he'll put up with you living there?”

“With my threat hanging over him—for as long as I want. He won't make it easy though. He's probably already ordered his men to keep me away from his precious office.”

“And him of course.”

“And him,” she agreed. “All right, let's get some of these brewing. My ribs are killing me.”

Together they went through the beaded curtain to a small kitchenette in the back. They began making the mixture together, one handing the herbs over, the other stirring them into a pot.

“You know this is a sign, Lily.” Rosa's voice held an edge to it.

“I don't care,” Lily said lightly, though her hand tightened around the wooden spoon.

“I'm sure you don't,” Rosa said gently, “but it's better to be cautious. Take things slow.”

Lily chuckled. “You know slow isn't my way.” She stirred the creamy substance until it came to a simmer then added crushed plant leaves, oils, and herbs.

“Patience is a great skill.”

“I bet it is. Unfortunately, I don't have any.”

“You could learn.”

“My party was great, huh?” she said, changing the subject.

Rosa didn't say anything for a moment. “Yes, I had a good time. Though that demon Rayn wouldn't stop hitting on me.”

Lily laughed, the sound forced. “Such a flirt. He's cute though. Maybe you should take him up on that date.”

Rosa looked away, a dark looking coming over her eyes. “No, I don't think so.”

Lily turned off the burner to let the remedy cool. Her ribs and abdomen ached by making even the slightest turn. This would help, though, at the very least it'd relax her nerves.

“Are you still having the nightmares?”

Lily lifted the pot over a cheesecloth covering a funnel that sat in a glass, and paused. “Not in the past few nights. Been going strong.” She gave Rosa a confident smile but Rosa's cocked eyebrow said she didn't buy it. “Okay, I didn't last night but that's all.”

“Their frequency shouldn't be ignored.”

Lily might have rolled her eyes but Rosa kept a close eye on her. “I know that.”

“Then what are you going to do about it?” said Rosa. She crossed her arms and in that green velvet dress she wore, she looked like a sorceress...or a monk.

Lily finished squeezing the liquid into the glass and tossed the cloth and funnel into the sink. “What do you think I should do?” She tried to keep the bite out of her voice but it didn't work.

“Be patient. Go slow and prepare.”

Her own patience, what little she had of it, quickly slid through the floor. “Prepare for what? I don't even know what or who it is. It's a dream about a dark man surrounded by evil sitting on a shadowy throne. Hell, it took me two months to even see that it was a throne he was sitting on. The dreams are too vague.” She grabbed the glass with the remedy and started chugging it in big gulps that hurt her throat when she swallowed.

“Are you wearing your charm bracelet at least?”

Lily pulled up the leg of her leather pants until the bracelet showed. Rosa nodded, her expression grim.

“I worry about you. You know it's out of love, right?”

Lily smiled for real this time and gave Rosa a one-armed hug. “I know. I love you, too.”

“Feeling better now?” Rosa grabbed her hand in her soft one. The touch was meant to be comforting, just a friend touching a friend, but then Rosa's pupil's dilated until the brown of her eyes disappeared completely leaving only black holes. She gasped, sucking in a breath of air, and then she stood there, staring but not seeing.

“Dammit, Rosa, are you okay?” Lily'd seen this before, but it'd never happened to her. She yanked on her hand but it was like trying to yank her hand out of an ogre's grip.

Rosa sucked in a sharp breath and her hand flexed open, fingers pointing straight. Her chest moved rapidly, then slowly her pupils receded back to small points. She blinked slowly before looking back at Lily. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Her cheeks were pale like she'd seen a ghost.

“What's wrong, Rosa? What did you see?”

“You. You’re dead.”

The shrill of an old time telephone tore through the moment like a chainsaw. After the sixth ring, Rosa jerked then slowly moved to the phone. She kept an antique phone, a vertical rotary one that hung on the wall. She answered it and her shaky voice almost sounded normal.

She hung up a minute later. “I'm sorry,” she said, her voice distant. “I have to go. A special meeting's been called. I'm required to be there.”

“What kind of special meeting?”

Rosa shook her head, her eyes faraway as she moved around the room putting supplies in a brown shoulder satchel. “I'm not sure. He just said I'm required to show up.”

“Who?”

Rosa paused in the motion of grabbing her keys. “Telal Demuzi.”

Lily's brows shot up. “My demon? I'm going with you.”

A brisk shake of her head. “No way. He said just me.”

Lily jammed her remedy into a bag and slung it around her shoulder. “You're taking me.” She stared at Rosa until she hesitantly met her gaze. The staring contest went on for a good two minutes before Rosa finally sighed.

“Fine, you win.”

“I always do.”

CHAPTER 8

“It's time,” Kearnyn said.

Telal finished putting his documents into a briefcase and snapped it closed. He nodded to Kearnyn and laid his hand on his shoulder. With a thought, the room around them disappeared. A new room slowly appeared with a long oval desk surrounded by more than a dozen leather chairs. A single door was the only way in or out and on the opposite wall was a white dry-erase board. Influential figures were already coming into the room.

Telal started around the room, shaking hands with each of the members. For all that he knew, nothing like this had ever been done, and certainly what he wanted to accomplish, had never been done. Most of the members he was familiar with, others were only an acquaintance.

Tyrian en Kulev came to represent the Atal warriors, Alpha Lyonis Keelan of the shapeshifters, Jeremiah Caine of the succubus council, and Rosa Medina a witch of incredible power. Telal glared as a small woman with dark curling hair came out from behind Rosa.

Telal stalked to her before he thought twice about it. She smiled when she saw him. He snatched her by the elbow and dragged her to the corner of the room.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was already hanging out with Rosa. I figured I'd come and see what this mysterious meeting was about.”

He looked away as if trying for patience. “If you do anything to destroy this meeting...” He left the threat at that.

She gave him a haughty look. “I'm not stupid. I just want to see what this is all about. Besides, I think I already know.”

“Your level of intelligence is debatable, Ms. Bellum. Just take a seat and keep your mouth shut.” He stalked away to welcome the newest guests before he transported her out of there himself.

Others started ambling in as well. Draven, Henry, and Rayn from Tyrian's staff. Jackie and Thane Vanner from Lyonis'. Spotting Kearnyn in the corner of the room, he went to him.

“Keep an eye on Lily Bellum. If she starts anything, I want her out of here and fast.”

Kearnyn nodded and Telal almost sighed. He trusted this man more than his own mother. Hell, that was no comparison; he trusted him more than he did Lily Bellum.

“Everyone take your seats and we'll get down to business.” Telal made his way to the front of the table. He set his briefcase on the table. “I think you all know why I've called you here.” An uncomfortable silence followed.

Tyrian spoke first. His eyes were cold and distant, body stiff in his chair. “You want to open the rift.”

“Yes. You've all known about my campaign to have the rift opened. I'm now officially ready to show you my proposal.”

A commotion started. Members turned in their seats, arguing with each other until they were nearly shouting back and forth.

Lily Bellum stood up and shouted, “Shut up! All of you! Listen to what he has to say.”

Telal clenched his jaw at the outburst. He looked to Kearnyn to give him the nod to get her out of here but his guard wasn't looking at him. He was watching the witch sitting next to Lily.

Jeremiah Caine threw back his chair as he came to a stand. “You do not speak to a man this way! Where are your manners?”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “Where are yours?”

He sputtered, cheeks reddening. “You are a succubus. Where is your man who speaks for you? I'll give him a good dressing down for this.”

Telal's spine went rigid. Though she surprised him with what she said. “I don't have one.”

Jeremiah’s mouth opened. “But you are a succubus. What is your name, girl?”

She sat back down and crossed her arms. She looked like she enjoyed this. “Lily Bellum.”

He smirked as if he'd guessed right. “Figures, the Bellums have always been a wild bunch. Now with your father gone and no male heir to keep you straight, you're as wild as a whore.”

Several people gasped at the insult. Telal felt a surge of feelings tear through him like a train. In a flash he saw himself jumping across the table and plowing his fist into the incubus’ face until bone cracked. Instead, he glanced at Lily, waiting for her to come back with one of her witty comments, but she didn't. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, her lips were clamped closed.

“Sit down, Jeremiah,” he said in a low voice.

Jeremiah opened his mouth to protest but Telal cut him a violent look that had him slamming his butt back down into his seat. He looked one last time at Lily to see her not meeting anyone's gaze, but he ignored it. He didn’t like the look of hurt and shame on her face, but now was not the time for her problems. Already she was on track to ruin his first official meeting.

“As I said, it is time for the rift to be opened. I have here a plan that we can implement that will allow demons like me to cross the rift once again and keep the idummi and other demons below the rift.”

Telal took copies of his proposal out of his briefcase and passed them along to each of the members. Since there was no governing body that resided over all, he had chosen select members of specific groups to meet with. Though, the one with the most leverage was Tyrian en Kulev. He and his Atal Warriors alone guarded and punished those who crossed the rift.

He waited until everyone read the proposal before continuing. “Tyrian, since you are the commander of the Atal Warriors I would hear what you think of this first.”

Tyrian neatly folded the proposal and pushed it away. “The shahoulin demons cannot be trusted. I don't see why we'd change something that doesn't need to be fixed. Also, it says here in your proposal that you'd recommend keeping the Atal Warriors under the rift to ensure that other demons do not cross to the top layer of the rift. That would mean my warriors are at risk of confrontation with the shahoulin.”

Telal knew Tyrian would say that. He'd had years to plan his operation and he knew each of the downsides to it.

“I believe the shahoulin can be trusted again. They once were as we all remember. If the Atal Warriors act as an objective governing organization then they can keep the top level of the rift safe and focus solely on the idummi or, god forbid, the jaheera. We are not violent people.”

Tyrian carefully chose his words. “I would consider this; however, I'd need unwavering certainty that the shahoulin will not start a war on the earthen-realm or with my warriors. I will not have another war.”

Jeremiah Caine slammed his hand on the table. “I can't believe you are even considering this. The world has been a better place since those demons have been locked up down there.”

“Oh, can it, Jeremy. We've all suspected for years that Tobius raged that war against the demons over a petty personal matter. I think that's exactly what happened.” Lyonis Keelan turned to look at Telal. “You have my full support, for whatever that's worth.”

Draven stood next. “It's about damn time we opened the rift again. Not that I'm looking forward to seeing any old faces.” Henry and Rayn slowly nodded too. Telal knew they were the ones in the most uncomfortable situation since they'd been fighting all these years to keep the demons who tried to escape in the rift. Being part-demon, that also made the matter more difficult for them. But they, like him, did what they felt was necessary for the times.

Rosa el Blanco spoke up, her soft, Spanish-accented voice sounding almost beautiful. “I agree. This has been a long time in the making. I fully support you, Telal.”

Jeremiah shook his head. “Well I don't agree. This is preposterous.”

Telal took a deep breath. He kept his face relaxed even while inside his guts churned like a machine in his gut. So far this meeting played out exactly as he thought it would. But that didn't mean the difficult part was over yet.

“Tyrian, this is ultimately up to you.”

Tyrian rested his chin in his hand, thinking for several minutes. Time seemed to slow as Telal waited for an answer. This one man held the key to his entire project, to his people, in his palm.

“This isn't something I'm prepared to answer right now,” Tyrian said.

“Of course.” Telal had expected as much.

“Right now I can say that I have one condition. A big one.” He leveled his cold blue eyes on Telal.

“What is it?”

“No one has been under the rift for nearly a thousand years. We have no idea what kind of leadership is in place right now. Whoever it is will need to be joining in on this conversation before anything else happens.”

Telal clenched his hand into a fist then opened it to scrub his hand over his face. He had not thought about this.

Tyrian continued. “Meanwhile, I'll consider it.”

Telal nodded but his entire body felt numb. Tyrian strode forward and clasped his hand, pulling him in close for a brief hug. “I do this for Chloe because she would want this. Not for you.”

Telal nodded. He didn't give a shit why he agreed, so long as he did. He ended the meeting but barely noticed people leaving as his mind ran through all the options. When he finally went through them all, he realized there was only one answer. He'd have to go into the rift—he'd have to see his family for the first time since he left them there.

CHAPTER 9

“Come on, let's get the hell out of here,” Rosa said, tugging on Lily's arm like an impatient child to her mother. She didn't budge.

“No, wait, I want to talk to Telal first.”

Rosa spotted the man in the corner coming towards her and her heart started racing. “Then get a ride home with him, I'm out of here.”

Lily muttered something that sounded like a goodbye but Rosa didn't stay to hear it. She bolted from the room. The male incubus tried to go through the door at the same time and stepped on her dress. She tripped and the material split with a loud rip. That male was coming closer, his brow pinched forward. Something about him frightened her, sent her running down the hallway towards the stairwell. If she could get there before he caught her, and some instinct told her that was exactly what he was trying to do, then she could cast her spell and port back to the shop.

Glorious relief surged through her body as she came to the door. She slammed her hands into the push lever and darted inside, breathing hard as she plastered herself against the wall. What on earth was wrong with her? She quickly dismissed that stupid thought. She always listened to her instincts and in this particular case they told her to run and hide.

A soft sound, like a footstep, came from the other side of the door. Rosa held her breath, stared wide-eyed at the metal door. It started to open, and her eyes widened until they burned with the need to blink. The man came through the door. He looked around then found her hiding spot behind the door. The furrow between his eyebrows deepened along with the frown on his lips.

“Are you well?”

Her heart drummed hard at the sound of his voice. It was deep but had an accent to it, almost Irish sounding.

She nodded at his question and hoped that the answer might be good enough for him. Maybe he'd just turn and leave.

He gave her a curious look then motioned back to the hallway. “Were you running from me?”

She gulped and found it strange that he thought someone running from him was odd. The man was big. “Si.” She nodded quickly to prove her point.

Though he wasn't standing close to her, he took a step back as if to give her room. “Why?”

She licked her dry lips, and standing this close to him, really got to take in just how big he was. She was no short woman, though she wasn't particularly tall either, yet he towered over her, had to be at least 6'5”. Yet it wasn't necessarily the height that had sent her running, but the packs of muscles he carried and the edge of violence that seemed to be barely contained in his body. His shoulders, arms, chest, and legs were huge and filled out the black clothes he wore. He had the body of a man who spent hours working his muscles to perfection.

Her senses chose that moment to speak up. As if another voice was in her head, she closed her eyes and listened to its advice. She still would have run if the man wasn't so big. Then what was it about him? “You're big,” she whispered.

His lips pulled into a frown as he looked down at his chest as if seeing himself for the first time. “I'm sorry...what?”

Knowing how stupid she sounded, she shook her head. “Just tell me what you want.” She crossed her arms. This dress was made tailored to her with sleeves that billowed around her wrists. While it looked pretty, she really had it made because sewn into each sleeve was a small pouch with a dagger, very light-weight and easy to use in it. She crossed her arms into her sleeves until she touched the metal.

He lifted a packet of papers in his hand. “Telal has a job for you. I'm his personal guard, Kearnyn.” He held out his hand to shake but she could only stare at the big paw.

Pretending to ignore his outstretched bear hand, she looked at his face instead. He had dark hair with natural streaks of red and green eyes that matched perfectly. His skin was much lighter than her own, but what she found the most distraction was his entire face. He was incredibly good-looking with high cheek bones, a square jaw, aristocratic straight nose and neat even ears.

“You're staring,” he said quietly in that deep voice.

Rosa felt her cheeks burn as she look down at the floor. “I thought I saw dirt on your face. Sorry,” she mumbled. “You said something about papers?”

He gave her a hard look that she couldn't read. “Telal has been given a job to manufacture enspelled weapons. He'd like to know if you'd be interested in assisting him, for a share of the profits of course.”

She swallowed hard and took the papers from his outstretched hand. What she'd tried to do was gently take them from him as if she was calm inside, but instead she snatched them, crinkling several of the pages in her fist.

Deep breaths, deep breaths. She quickly glanced over the pages seeing the sketchings and specs of the weapons and the kind of enchantment required. “How many do you want me to make?”

“Telal says that if you agree to split the work he'll share half the profits. That's 5,000 Weapons.”

Her stomach fluttered at his deep, rolling voice. “Sure, I'll do it.” She didn't even think about the answer, just gave the one she knew would make him leave the fastest.

He nodded and pulled a pen out of his back pocket. “Sign the line on the last page, Ms. Medina.”

She took the pen with shaking fingers and scribbled her signature where he indicated. “Just call me Rosa,” she said, handing the papers back to him.

He looked at her with a watchful expression that made her feel as though she were the center of his attention. It unnerved the hell out of her.

“Rosa, I look forward to seeing you again.” He held her gaze for a moment, then turned and left, the door slamming shut behind him.

Only after he left could she breathe normally again. Before he had a chance to come back, even though she didn't know if he would, she closed her eyes and chanted her porting spell. When she finished, she was back in her shop, but her encounter with the big man still lingered with her.

CHAPTER 10

Telal sat at the head of the conference table writing furiously in a small leather-bound notebook. Kearnyn stood several feet behind him, a man whose size alone probably deterred attacks on his master.

Lily took a seat on the table, her thigh brushing against the papers he had out. His hand stilled then he slowly lifted his head to glare at her.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Waiting for a lift.” He probably didn't realize it, or at least wouldn't admit it, but the meeting had been hard on him. The lines in his forehead were more pronounced, the grip on his pen looked like he was trying to strangle it.

“Go home with Rosa. I'm busy.” He looked back down, his hand scribbling across the page in a heavy-inked slanted scrawl.

“She already left. Sorry but it looks like I'll be hitching with you.”

He let out a stream of demonish that sounded a lot like he was cursing her and her entire family—and he probably was. Lily barely controlled her grin.

“Will you please stop kicking your legs like that?”

Lily glanced at her swinging legs over the ledge of the table and shrugged. “For you? Sure.” She stilled her legs, but it was like asking a child to stop squirming when he had an itch, and instead her bare feet started bouncing. His eyes swung to them.

“You are still not wearing shoes.” He said it slowly as if he couldn't believe it. Really, he was surprised, she thought?

“I haven't exactly had the chance to go shopping yet. It was slightly more important to make a remedy for my pain first. It's on my list of things-to-do though. What, do my pink toes frighten you?”

He stood and started shoving documents and his journal into his briefcase. “I can say, Ms. Bellum that is the first non-foolish thing you've done.”

Not feeling insulted in the least, she smiled at him. Then in a smooth move, she balanced her foot between his legs on the chair behind him and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling them close together. His eyes widened in surprise then strayed to her mouth. Her heart skipped an unsteady beat, her stomach tightening as breathing became difficult. But the look lasted barely a moment before his eyes turned to a glare. He looked at her as if she was nothing more than an insect he'd rather squash. Probably true, too.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

His eyes fell once more to her lips and she wet them with the tip of her tongue. How many times had she thought about his kiss? How many times had she dreamt of him kissing her? The answer was a lot. In fact, so many times that what were dreams and what were visions had become skewered together, blurring, until she didn't know which was what.

He looked her straight in the eyes and it was like the earth stood still. Particles, molecules, and dust around them paused as he looked at her not with contempt or disdain but something entirely different, something almost pleasant. He looked at her as a man might a woman he could be interested in, the look a man gave right before he bought a woman a drink at a bar. Warm, the look was warm, welcoming.

His hand slid across her cheek and into her hair where he loosely fisted it, then he leaned close. Her skin tightened in anticipation, need coiled deep in her belly. All she saw was beautiful golden skin, vibrant blue hair, and mesmerizing golden eyes that held her captive, left her waiting breathlessly.

He stopped, mere inches from their lips touching and in a low voice said, “Never.” And then he thrust away from her, leaving her trembling, aroused, and confused as he went to talk to Kearnyn as if nothing had happened.

Her mind still spun when he and Kearnyn stalked back to her. He laid his hand on Kearnyn's shoulder then hers and looked once more down at her feet.

He snorted, something close to a laugh. “So that's what it takes to make you sit still.” And then he touched her and the room around them fell like granules of colored sand in tans, browns, and blues then floated back up and materialized into hard, concrete shapes and objects.

Where they appeared wasn't Telal's office nor was it her room at his place. “Where are we?” Shoppers ambled around with bags of purchases from designer stores, the rancid scents of dozens of perfumes, colognes, and candles mingled together into something that made her want to sneeze.

“The mall. Go shopping. I'll send a car to pick you up in two hours.”

“Aw, but I hate shopping.”

Her words fell on deaf ears as he and Kearnyn disappeared before her eyes.

“Jerk.”

She started walking through the mall, not really seeing anything, because her mind was busy analyzing that moment at the desk. And it had been a moment—that much she knew. He had wanted to kiss her. He really, really had. She checked herself for a second. She had to be sure. Because if she was right then this was excellent progress on her plan to wear him down until he gave in to her.

He could have been faking the look in his eyes, but she'd felt something in that moment, a kind of static charge that swayed between them. That could not be faked. Telal Demuzi did want to kiss her.

For the first time in her life, Lily shopped with zeal and a smile on her face.

CHAPTER 11

Sitting on his knees with his feet tucked behind him, Telal closed his eyes and took deep breaths. In through his nose, out through his nose. He closed his mind off to everything. The specially-made room helped to block out all noise and had a concave cream-colored ceiling and white padded floors. Each little spec from the floors to the ceiling added to the harmony of the room and allowed him to open his mind.

Today, he couldn't get his mind to do what he wanted worth a damn though. Each time he focused his mind on nothing, heard only the fictional sound of waves crashing in his mind, it was shut off, staggered, until all he saw was her.

Kiss me. Her soft words still lingered with him, invading his thoughts like a fly buzzing around his head. He tried to swat it but it continued to elude him. He took a deep breath and tried again. His thoughts centered, focused, then the image of her sliding naked and wet out of the tub slammed into the front of his mind.

Fuck.

Slouching in defeat, he scrubbed a hand over his face. She was beautiful, yes, but he saw beautiful woman all the time and it never interfered with him like this. He knew this might happen if she came here. Even in the short amount of time he'd spent around the succubus, she'd managed to imprint herself in his thoughts so easily.

The last time he'd had a woman was nearly twelve months ago. He hadn't slept with her out of any kind of sexual frustration, but more out of boredom. His life had a habit of feeling tedious, boring. Go to sleep and try to get in a few hours, then get up and go to work and plan, plan, plan. At the time, he'd thought a fling with a beautiful vampire would change things up. Instead, he'd done the deed and left without a goodbye. It'd been cold, passionless. Then he'd had a restless night's sleep only to wake up to the same job, same work. He hadn't attempted anything with a woman since then. It wasn't the answer to his restlessness.

He'd found peace in meditating. Not only that, but his powers seemed to regenerate faster, to grow stronger. Coming from a powerful line of royalty, he had the power to bring back life. But there were conditions, such as the death must be very, very recent. It also drained nearly all of his powers. After he'd saved Alpha Lyonis Keelan he'd been depleted for a week. He'd barely had the strength to port everyone out of the rift and get himself back home before he'd collapsed on the floor—limbs like putty, eyes burning and bloodshot—only to wake up days later in his bed. His guard Kearnyn had seen to him, fed him, just another reason he paid the bastard so much.

In truth, he recognized that the succubus Lily Bellum presented a major problem to him. Several problems, in fact. She interfered with his job whether she was around him or not. She'd caused him nothing but stress in the past by summoning ancient demons, and now she lived under his roof. Naked and wet...

He shook his head to clear the image. The woman had to be daft to chase after him like she did. He was a demon and couldn't be further from compatible with her than if he were an idummi. If she realized it then she just didn't care. Foolish lilit. Yet he couldn't deny that the thought of touching her body, of tasting her lips wasn't completely appealing.

Forcing his eyes closed, he blanked his thoughts from Lily Bellum. He will not touch her; he will not let her interfere with his job. His people depended on him. Taking the succubus was not in the cards.

* * *

Hours later and only mildly more relaxed, Telal showered and threw on a fresh button-down satin shirt with black slacks. He went into his office, pleased that at least Kearnyn was already there and ready to go. At least something today would go the way he liked it—normal and easy.

“Rosa Medina signed the contract to enspell the weapons.”

“I figured as much. I want you to oversee the project. I'd do it, but it seems I have a trip to plan now.” And Lily Bellum was actually the least of his problems at the moment. Odd.

Kearnyn paused for a moment then nodded.

Telal didn't miss the unusual beat. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not at all,” he answered readily.

“Good, now let's plan this out. The last thing I'd expected was to make a trip into the rift.”

He grabbed a flat paper map of the earth which showed the lines where the rifts were and took a seat at his desk. Not only did he have to decide on the right point of entry which wouldn't get him immediately killed, but he had to plan on seeing his family—if they were alive—for the first time since the war. What would they say or think? He'd abandoned them to live atop the rift, though Tobius 'the bastard' Kulev had lied to him. He could still feel the burn of deceit after all these years.

When he'd agreed to help Tobius close off the rift, it was under strict understanding that only the lower levels would be closed off. He went along with it because his people would be allowed, as they always have, to travel on the earthen-realm freely; and the extra protection offered by the newly formed Atal Warriors would help to keep the idummi and deadly jaheera demons at bay. Or so he thought. Never could he have guessed his decision would lead his people into a hundred-year long war.

He didn't learn until the last minute when the Atal Warriors charged through the rift's barrier, that that wasn't what the Commander had planned at all. He was going to lock all of them under the rift. He could still remember the smirk on the bastard's face as he'd turned to him and said, “Don't worry; you're safe for all the help you've given us.”

He could have stayed below in that suffocated realm without a chance of leaving lest he meet his fate from one of the Atal Warriors, but he’d seen his chance at freedom. His decision was purely selfish but years later he realized he had made the right one, because if he hadn't left when he did then there would be no one to champion for his people's right to those who hold the power over them.

The day Tobius en Kulev and his mate were murdered by rogue demons was a day he'd celebrated. In traditional demon fashion, he'd ordered the finest alcohol in the city, invited all of his friends, though they were really mere acquaintances, and drank, danced, and fucked for a solid week. It happened ages ago but it still felt like yesterday.

Kearnyn and Telal poured over maps and ideas until they chose the ideal location. A part of the rift some ten miles away from the main rift city of Harumina. He remembered playing in the fields outside the city as a child with his brother Alrik. Trees of dark brown branches with fluffy pink and white flowers filled the grassy field with bright colors until it almost looked like a painting. At the time he'd taken it for granted, had never really appreciated the beauty of it. Yeah, he didn't do that until after he was gone and couldn't look at it again. Life was cruel like that.

He'd hike, hopefully uninterrupted, to the castle. His father's guards used to keep watch, so he'd have to get past them first and into the throne room. He'd wait and see what kind of welcoming he'd receive. Hell, he didn't even know if his father, mother, or brother were alive. If they were, then they hated him. That much he knew for certain. His father always had a cruel streak, quick to punish, quick to hurt and, as he got older, he stopped seeing his mother protest his treatments until, eventually, she joined in.

When he was young, he'd taken it upon himself to watch over his little brother. Telal never wanted to be king, but Alrik would be perfect for it. When his father died, Telal would be put in charge, so he saw to it to teach his younger brother so that he could hand the kingdom over to him. Alrik had a fair heart and a sight for justice, but even Telal had seen the effects of his father's 'grooming' over him. His opinions had started to change, to mimic his father's. Secretly, Telal would take him through the prisons or outside the castle’s walls to show him the non-royals—the prolitare.

The class injustice had always rubbed him raw. Even after he left the rift, he continued to see the same pattern in humans for hundreds of years. For a long time he thought it was just the way life worked. Though today he didn't believe it; he believed it could be changed.

As they finished mapping out and planning his course of action he went through the pros and cons of this trip. The pros—to see the kingdom and another true demon for the first time in a thousand years. The cons—seeing his family, if they were alive. If his father still carried the throne then he might toss him into a prison to rot for a thousand years while rats ate his flesh. Or worse, his brother was dead. His heart constricted at the thought like a fist squeezing it. He'd never loved anyone like he loved his brother. With any luck, his brother had heeded his advice and ran a kingdom where the prolitare were treated equally.

Too bad he wasn't lucky. His gut told him a different story. The chances of his brother turning out to be what he wanted were near to nil. The chances of him being alive were even less.

His thoughts were interrupted when the office door swung open and Lily Bellum sauntered in wearing a flowing white dress with blooming pastel flowers on it that fell just above the knee with a flat pair of black sandals. Her hair was pulled back with a tie that showed off her slender neck.

She's just a beautiful woman. Not even that beautiful. You've seen many before and will many, many more before you die.

“Hey fellas, what's going on?” She hopped onto the desk, crushing the map and papers he'd been making notes on and wrinkling their perfectly flat surface. He ground his jaw until it popped.

“Working. Get out.” He debated again throwing her out, but damn, he couldn't do it. She'd go to the law. This woman went after things like an eighteen-wheeler barreling a hundred miles per hour down the highway. Having the police breathing down his neck while he was this close to getting his people freed wouldn’t do. And if he were to admit it, he knew he owed her father Frank. He'd helped him get set up on this realm when no one else would even glance his way. Shit.

She smiled at him and he swore her eyes twinkled. She crossed her legs and started kicking the top one. His eyes fell to the smooth skin. Kick...kick...kick. A jeweled bracelet on her ankle chimed with the movement.

His chair slid harshly across the floor as he stood and planted his hands on the desk, leaning over her. “I said get...out.” He kept his voice low and deadly, every bit the threat he meant it to be.

She just smiled at him like he amused her. God dammit, she made him want to pick up his chair and throw it through a window.

She looked down at the papers on his desk. “Oh, planning your trip to the rift, huh? I hope you're making that a trip for two, because I'm going.”

He laughed, he couldn't help it. Her statement was the epitome of absurd, besides it felt good to laugh in her face. “No way in hell.” He glared at her to shove his point home.

“I'm going one way or another.”

He looked at Kearnyn for guidance or something but he only lifted a big shoulder in a shrug and discretely left the room. Telal's eyes narrowed on the closing door and he mentally made a note to cut the vampire's wages.

She hopped down from the desk and ran her hands over her hips then gripped the bottom of her dress and swung it side to side in a little dance. “Like my new dress?”

He grunted and started stacking the papers she'd messed up on his desk. He hated the disorder but righting it always made him feel peaceful inside. He did his best to ignore the obnoxious woman but he might as well pretend not to hear music blaring from an amplifier at a metal concert.

Grabbing the documents, he headed for the filing cabinet. Her soft steps followed him. “I bought it just for you.” He put the papers in the proper file in alphabetical order then locked the drawer before turning around and almost bumping into her.

“Get out of my office.” He headed back to the desk with the intent of calling Kearnyn to come drag her away when she touched his arm, pulling him to a dead stop. She walked around in front of him, a wide smile on her unpainted pink lips. Then she reached into the valley between her breasts and pulled out a thin long box.

He had to swallow twice before he could speak. “You keep things between your breasts?” His voice turned hoarse like he'd drank a gallon of acid.

Her eyes grew hooded, sexy; her smile wicked. “Not usually but I can if you'd like.”

“What? No.” He cooled his expression into a bored look as she handed the box to him. He stared at it as if it might explode the second he laid his fingertips on it.

She waved it at him. “Well, take it.”

“What is it?”

She rolled her eyes. “It's a gift. Come on, I thought you were smart. Just take it.”

He shook his head and ignored the strange feeling in his chest. No one gave him gifts, ever. Why would they? Hell, it felt awkward as fuck. “I don't want it. Just keep whatever it is.” He stepped around her and took a seat at his desk as he finished stacking his papers and locking up the important documents that he wouldn't want some succubus to get in to.

“Well, I'll tell you what. Either take the gift and open it now or I'll take off my dress and show you my new matching bra and panty set.”

His jaw dropped like a falling elevator. What the hell?

She was just playing games with him now. He slammed his finger into the intercom button and commanded Kearnyn to get his slow ass up here now. He ran a stiff-fingered hand through his hair and started making a few extra notes for his trip when she marched in front of the desk and planted her hands on it.

The gift dropped on top of his desk with a soft thud. “It's a matching underwear set. I bought a few actually in black, yellow, red, and pink. But this one I bought just for you.” Her hands teased along the edge of her dress, fingers slowly curling around the fabric as she lifted it just an inch up her thighs.

Telal dug his pen harder into the paper, but he couldn't ignore what he saw from the corner of his eyes—

and neither could his cock. It swelled and sprung up to life like it saw a woman for the first time.

The dress continued its assent, going up a little bit higher. Her voice turned sultry, a little husky. “This one is blue like your hair—my favorite color. Soft lace, a thong that sits right on my hips, between my cheeks,” she said, whispering now. His eyes no longer strayed but stared at the skin she revealed like a servant obeying his master. Slowly, moving like a dancer, she turned around to show him the curves of her ass as her hands worked that soft material up and up.

His cock shoved against the zipper trying to escape, and damn if he didn't want to help it do just that. He curled his hands into fists to keep from reaching for himself. He never jacked off.

“The bra cups my breasts lightly like a warm hand, pushing my breasts high and so close together they nearly kiss.” Her hips swayed side to side in a subtle rhythm as the dress reached the tops of her thighs. His breathing grew ragged. He wanted to see her ass again, had to see it again. Sweat formed on his brow but he ignored it and listened only to the sound of her smoky voice and the pounding of his heart.

“And the panties,” she said slowly pulling the fabric over her round cheeks, baring to him the dip from thigh to cheek. “Slides smoothly right...up...the middle.” All the air whooshed out of him as she finally lifted the dress all the way, brazenly showing off her bare, rounded cheeks with a strap of blue lace tucked between them. Heart pounding like a heart attack, he licked his dry lips just as the office door shot open.

Her dress quickly dropped back into place and she turned around to him with a sweet smile. She looked pointedly at the box on his desk. “Open it and yes, I am going with you.” Then she waved at Kearnyn and left.

“Sir...what do you need?”

It took him several moments to gather a coherent thought that didn't involve the words 'ass' or 'smooth' in it. “Nothing. Get out of here.” Kearnyn nodded without question and left.

The image of her perfectly shaped ass wouldn't get out of his head. Neither would his stiff cock go down. “God dammit.”

He picked up the stupid box and tore the thin red string wrapped around it and tossed off the black lid. He stopped at what he saw. Inside the box read Mont Blanc. His fingers trailed over the object that sat in velvet casing and then he plucked it out of its fitted cushion.

It was a pen. Black, not too slender, and it fit in his palm comfortably. The tip looked like a quill feather, an old-fashioned fountain pen that required an ink well. It weighed in his palm, neither too heavy nor too light. He took out a fresh piece of paper and scribbled a random sentence on it.

Shit.

She'd bought him a pen, and it was perfect.

CHAPTER 12

The summons came at precisely meal time. Workers had gone home to their families, the royalty were preparing for another grand meal, and Arianna couldn't figure out what to wear.

“Wear the black dress,” Celine said.

“But he is black, what if he prefers that color? I don't want him to like what I wear.”

Celine nodded in agreement. “Then just wear the cream one. It's bland and the plainest dress you have. It even has sleeves, but hurry, you don't want to make him wait.”

“Yes, the cream will do.”

Somehow as Celine helped her into the dress, she had yet to feel any real panic. She felt nervous, of course, but none more so than if she were meeting a “normal” demon male for dinner. She had a feeling though that once she saw him all that would change.

The cream-colored dress billowed around her feet in a circle; it clung snugly to her waist and hips and fell off the shoulder where the fitted sleeves covered her arms and wrists by a single loop of material around her middle finger. Truly it was the simplest in color and design, but she felt like she was going to the king in nothing more than her bare skin.

“Do you think he'll be kind?” Arianna said, trying her best to keep the tension out of her voice.

Celine finished buttoning the long row of buttons that went from her lower back to between her shoulder blades, then stilled. “I...I don't know. I can't lie to you and say yes, Ari.” Her voice clogged over with emotion. “If-if he tries anything, don't be afraid to run. I'll be here.”

“Oh, Celine.” Arianna spun around, wrapping a tearful Celine in her arms. “It won't be as bad as that.” She kept her tone positive, but inside insecurity rained like a thunderstorm.

Another brisk knock came at the door. “Coming,” Arianna said. She gripped Celine's hands one last time then gave a quick nod and a smile. “I'll see you soon.”

Celine nodded fast, her hand covering her mouth, eyes wet with tears. Arianna went to the door and opened it.

“His royal highness, Alrik Gravier Demuzi, is awaiting you.”

Arianna did a slight curtsy then followed the steward. She kept her facial features relaxed, her lips curled up in a hint of a smile, but inside her heart thundered, her muscles twitched with the need to run.

If this happened a thousand years before, and Alrik asked her to dinner, her response would be entirely different. Happy, thrilled, honored. Alrik was incredibly handsome in his prime with a rugged appeal that she'd always preferred. While his brother Telal was also handsome, he had cleaner, more aristocratic features. Where Telal's blue hair had always been long near his shoulders, Alrik kept his more curly hair cut just below his chin. His hair used to be a beautiful auburn, red with brown tints; his skin shone with golden brilliance characteristic of the Demuzi royal line, and even his eyes were violet. A brilliant, vibrant purple hue that glittered when he looked at you.

Now so much had changed. Everything changed after the war. Violet eyes turned black, auburn hair and skin turned to coal. In good light, one could see the piercings he wore. The royalty had gasped in protest when they'd seen what he did to his lips, nose, eyebrows, and ears, which now held studs and hoops of silver or gold. Not one of them dared to say a word.

“This way,” the steward said.

Arianna blinked as she remembered she was on her way to see him. He wanted to dine with her. For what purpose? He knew she was spoken for. He couldn't possibly be interested in her.

The steward turned down a hall away from the banquet hall. Arianna crossed her arms as if that might somehow protect her. “Where are we dining at?”

“Your highness has requested your meal to be served in the royal dining room.”

She stifled her panic as her mind screamed in warning. The royal dining room? Shit, shit, shit. The royal dining room was the most secluded dining area in the castle, reserved for royalty or elite guests alone. Though, she had to say it really didn't surprise her that he'd use it for something like this. Alrik did what he wanted, when he wanted.

They came upon two stalwart wooden doors with golden handles. He grasped the handles then pushed the groaning doors open. A small breeze flowed over her, rustling her dress and hair. At the last second, she remembered to put her arms back down at her sides and unfist her hands. Look calm, be calm.

The steward stepped to the side and bowed his head down. “After you, my lady.”

Arianna walked into the lavish royal dining room, her eyes widening at the pure luxury of the room. She had never been in the room herself, but she'd heard about it. It was rarely used anymore, if at all. She was surprised to find no dust or webs in the shadowy corners.

The room shined to an immaculate sheen. The floor was covered in a large hand-woven rug that spanned the length of the room in maroon and black diamond shapes. The ceiling was white and engraved with gold silhouettes of men with swords, women with baskets or children in their arms. She could have snorted at the blaring inaccuracy. What it should show is men and women drinking out of gold cups, wearing expensive finery, and laughing at the poor.

Two massive chandeliers hung over the incredible long length of the table. Her surveying stopped as she saw who sat at the end of that table.

“Are you quite ready now?” Alrik asked in a low voice.

Arianna took a deep breath and went to her knees, her head bowed. “Your highness, I apologize for being tardy.” She couldn't quite keep the stutter of fear out of her voice.

“Sit down,” he demanded.

Arianna nodded and scooted back to sit on the floor. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, head low as possible, which made her neck protest in pain.

“I meant...in a chair.”

Flushing with embarrassment, she started for a chair. She had to slow her steps though because she was practically running. Two dining places were set. One at the far head of the table where he sat and one right next to him. She swallowed hard as she neared the seat. Protocol stated that he should rise and pull the seat out for her, but he didn't.

Arianna didn't meet his eyes as she went to the back of the chair, grabbed the sides of it, and pulled—it barely moved an inch. Turning her face away from him, she squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her lips tight as she pulled with all her might to move the massive chair.

Suddenly a big, surprisingly warm hand enveloped hers. Her eyes popped open to see his hand touching hers. With a quick pull, he scooted the chair out then sat back in his.

Arianna delicately took her seat, but the chair was pulled out so far that she had to sit at the very edge of the cushion, and even then her hands barely met the table in front of her. Without a word, she sat there; her eyes trained forward on her empty white plate with veining gold etchings on the trim, and folded her hands neatly in her lap.

From the corner of her eyes she watched him. He slouched back in his big throne-like chair, one elbow propped up on the arm with his square chin resting on his fist, eyes watching her with keen interest. His legs were kicked out before him, one knee bent more than the other. He wore black again, not a surprise there. A black jacket with black pants and black leather boots that came up to his knees. Unusual attire for royalty, but not for him.

The silence drew on until she couldn't handle it any longer. “Your highness, I apologize for being late.” She winced as her words held a biting edge to it. She could already see her fate flashing before her eyes—she'd end up like that prisoner she saw the other night, begging for her life after being wrongfully imprisoned.

“You already said that.” His deep voice traveled over the room in a low pitch like a wave. He moved and the candlelight from the chandelier glinted off the metal loop in his lip and eyebrow.

She nodded, clamping her lips shut.

“I...I was under the impression we'd be dining in the banquet hall,” she said quietly, her eyes now studying the design of the empty flute glass next to her plate.

“I wanted us to be alone.”

She swallowed over her raw throat, her hands twined together like she was trying to peel her skin off. “Why?” she whispered.

A soft bell chimed and then a much smaller door than the one she'd entered opened as half a dozen servants came in with trays of food. Arianna sat so straight her neck and back flared in warning as the servants moved around them in harmony, one servant pouring wine into the glasses, and another serving food onto the plates with perfect execution. They left far too quickly for Arianna. Her eyes followed their retreating backs but none of them turned, and even if one had, there was nothing they could do to help.

“Eat,” he ordered.

Arianna grimaced as she eyed her distance from the table. Knowing she couldn't move the chair on her own, she gingerly sat forward to pick up her white linen and lay it across her lap. Then she picked up a gold fork and took a bite of salad. The crunch of the lettuce in her mouth sounded as though it echoed in the quiet room. She swallowed but it felt like swallowing a rock. Her eyes darted over to him to see he hadn't touched his food at all.

Arianna placed her fork down and thought carefully how to word her question. She had to step carefully here or who knew where she'd end up...or what he'd do.

“Your highness—”

“Alrik. You will call me Alrik when we're together.”

Arianna glanced at the massive doors she'd entered with a beseeching glance. Getting her expression back under control, she made her lips pull into a polite smile as she looked back down at her plate.

“Alrik, may I ask why you wanted me to dine with you?”

She held her breath as she waited for him to answer. Eventually though she had to take a breath or she'd die right there sitting next to the king. She told herself not to look, but her curiosity got the better of her, and soon her eyes trailed over the fine table cloth, up his broad chest, and to his eyes.

He watched her.

“I've decided on something that involves you.”

Arianna cringed at the vague answer. Dammit she wanted to crawl over that table and slap him or shake him until he told her what he wanted with her.

When he said nothing more she made herself chew the tasteless salad and drink her wine, at least that wasn't a hardship. She downed her glass without any thought to being polite and taking delicate sips as she should. When the bell chimed again, the servants came out to refill their drinks, remove her half-eaten salad and his untouched one, and serve steaming cuts of meat, potatoes, and vegetables from a golden platter.

As a servant stood between her and the king, Arianna quickly picked up her just-refilled glass of wine and swallowed the entire glass. The servant didn't even bat a lash and refilled the glass without a word.

Arianna's eyes watered as the liquid pushed past her throat like a big ball. She looked away, blinking fast and delicately coughed as quietly as possible. That didn't work, and what started as a little itch in her throat turned into an irresistible scratching.

She kept her head turned away as she coughed—hard, loud. A few tears slid down her face as her head felt like extra air got squeezed inside her skull and lungs. After a good eight, choking coughs, the tickle finally stopped. Gasping, she looked over at the king. Of course he watched her. He probably invited her here tonight to get some kind of secret pleasure over her embarrassment.

“You should drink more slowly.”

A fierce blush blazed across her cheeks. “What is this that involves me?” she said in a hoarse voice.

He finally lifted his head off his chin, only to drum it on the arm rest. Dum, dum, dum, dum.

“Eat,” he ordered.

Arianna closed her eyes to keep from grinding her jaw. With all the grace her mother had taught her, she cut her slice of meat into tiny pieces and ate. The meat tasted like paper, the potatoes tasted like paper, and yet she knew the cream sauce over the meat would normally be delicious and the meat tender and juicy. She took as much as she could before her stomach rolled like she was standing on a boat with too much liquid in her stomach.

She set down her knife and fork and sat straight up in her chair. Her bottom had turned numb within minutes of sitting down but now it bordered on a stinging/burning sensation. She tried to keep her eyes trained forward, to make him give in and say something, but that only lasted for about two minutes.

Her gaze slid boldly to his and stared right back at him. One dark eyebrow lifted just a fraction. As if he had been waiting for her to meet his gaze, his eyes fell to her bare neck and shoulders as if memorizing or studying her shape, and then dropped lower to her arms, her waist, and her legs. She barely refrained from crossing her arms across her stomach.

The soft bell chimed again. Servants came to clear their plates, refill the wine, and set a tall glass with creamy cold mint in it. They left and she ignored his look. She hoped she could at least taste this dessert; it was her favorite. She picked up the small gold spoon on the glass’ plate and scooped a tiny amount onto it. She ate it and smiled. Cold creamy mint with a hint of sweet vanilla melted in her mouth and slid down her throat. She took another bite and another. When her spoon clinked against the empty bottom of the glass, she frowned.

“Want mine?” he said in a gruff voice, gruffer than usual.

She eyed the creamy mint but shook her head. If he was anyone else she'd take him up on that. Thinking quickly, she folded the linen in her lap and laid it on the table.

She gave him a false smile. “Thank you for the wonderful dinner, but I should really be going now.” She started to stand but he held out a hand. It stopped her in her tracks, had her sinking back into her chair with defeat.

“My brother isn't coming back for you.”

Arianna bit her lip to keep from saying what she wanted to say. “You don't know that for certain. I will wait and find out.”

“You've already been waiting a long time.”

“And I shall wait for as long as it takes. If you will recall, there is a contract involved that cannot be voided unless he is dead.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. In truth, she thought, it wasn't that he'd completely lost his attractive appeal. Surprisingly she still saw it—the rugged good looks she used to fawn over when she was little. She’d always wished she could’ve had “the other brother.” The darkness that had transformed him, for which she had no idea why, in a way, added a mysterious edge to him. A dark edge that hadn't been there before. It scared her. He scared her.

“As king I have the right to void the contract.”

“Only for a rightful cause!” she said. She blinked at her outburst and quickly reined in her temper.

“Seeing as he hasn't been here for a thousand years, I'd say that's a rightful cause.” His voice held a hint of sarcasm.

Arianna had had enough. She stood in a rush, planting her hands on the table and glaring at him. “Your highness, I will never agree to that—”

“Your opinions have no say in that matter and well you know it, Lady Arianna.” His intense eyes watched her like a hawk. Arianna couldn't stand it anymore. Whatever he was getting at, she wanted nothing to do with it.

“Thank you for the dinner. I shall return to my room now.” She turned from him and stalked towards the door.

She never heard him move, not even a whisper of clothes rustling. Then strong hands curled around her arms, pulled her back against his body. Arianna flushed with a mixture of emotions: outrage, anger, pleasure. The last she had the hardest time dealing with. His body felt superior to hers, strong and incredibly warm, his hands didn't hurt but kept her from leaving. He could have been cruel, but he didn’t grip her too hard.

“I am not finished with you, Arianna.” His hands slid up her arms then down over the soft material of her sleeves. Choosing the dress with sleeves had definitely been the right decision. Her heart picked up its pace, this time for an entirely strange and unusual reason, one she didn't quite recognize nor want to analyze.

He pulled her further against his body—chest to back hips to bottom. Unable to move, she fisted her hands instead, her teeth tugging hard on her bottom lip.

“I seek an arrangement with you, Arianna.”

“No,” she said, the sound ragged.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck. This close she could inhale his scent that smelled so different than what she'd expected; he smelled wonderful, like a man ought to smell. He pressed a kiss to her neck and her breath caught in her throat as pleasure bloomed somewhere deep in her belly and spread out through her limbs, warming.

“Yes.” He trailed his lips to her shoulder then down to where the sleeve cupped her upper arm and then made the trip back to her neck, but going further this time to her jaw. She resisted the urge to tilt her head to the side and make room for him. Whatever he was doing made her feel wicked and wonderful all at the same time.

His hands trailed down her arms, fingers spread open as they slid across her stomach, barely touching her. “You are beautiful.”

“Many women are beautiful.”

His warm strong hands trailed up her torso, stealing her breath with each inch he moved. Her breasts pulled tight in her dress, nipples hardening like they did when she bathed in cold water. The hard buds grazed across the material of her dress, the feeling sharper, more pronounced.

“There is more to you. Things that I like and appreciate.” His lips found her ear, teeth tugged on it. In a deep growl he said to shell of her ear, “I'm done waiting. I will have you, Arianna.”

She sucked in a sharp breath at his words just as his hands slid further up, and cupped her breasts. He cupped just the underside of her breasts and in the barest of movements she registered a massaging motion. Her legs went weak and only by closing her eyes and concentrating did she keep from falling down. Hot liquid spilled from inside her, dampening between her legs. She'd felt it before while learning her own body, but never ever had another made her feel so. She felt suddenly so empty inside and breathing had never been more difficult.

“What do you mean you'll have me?” she said raggedly.

His right hand came up to cup her jaw, tilting her head to the side like she'd wanted to before. She felt bare and open to him, vulnerable—it made her heart race. His other hand moved up to tease the delicate bones at her collar before dipping down inside her dress.

Hot, blazing pleasure left her gasping, squirming in his arms. Her bottom rubbed against something hard and stiff at his hips. She knew what it was, and even as it shocked her, she couldn't help but think more. That hand of his squeezed her breast, filling his warm palm with her flesh and learning it. He caught the hard bead of her nipple between his fingers and teased it.

“Alrik!”

His breathing came in hot pants at her neck. Then she felt the wet sultry pass from his tongue as he licked a wet line up her neck. Chills spread over her arms and back until she shivered.

He pressed his cheek against hers, his breathing labored. “It means, Arianna, that I'm going to take you.” His hand squeezed her breast for emphasis. “I'm going to rock between your sweet legs until you come all around me, until I come.”

In a blink, his hand vanished from her breast, from her jaw, and cold air met her back. Breathing wildly, she spun around, dazed, to find him standing some distance away.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

For some reason all she could say was, “I did.”

“I'll call on you.”

He turned and left out the servant's door, leaving her standing there.

CHAPTER 13

Rosa Medina's shop, if one could even call it that, was crammed between two bigger buildings. Kearnyn paused for a moment outside. He told himself it was to make sure he had all the proper items with him, but he knew that was a lie.

Straight up truth—Rosa was gorgeous. Not pretty, not beautiful, not sexy, but straight-up fucking gorgeous. The kind of natural, makeup-less beauty that stunned a man, kept his eyes riveted like some kind of stalker. Yeah, that's what he'd be if he wasn't careful.

After seeing her for the first time and raveling his tongue back up from the floor, he'd thought of asking her out. But then after following her to ask her if she'd work for Telal, he realized quickly she'd rather date a dead snail. She looked at him like he was repulsive, like he'd start beating her at any moment.

Damn, that had been a slap to a face. He'd always had a big body, was just how he was built. But damn it all if seeing her look at him like some kind of freak didn't twist his ass hairs. Shit. It's not like he'd have a chance anyway. Even if he had a “normal” body like Telal or anyone else. She had the kind of face that made men write poetry and start wars for.

With a grimace, he turned the handle to the sound of wind chimes and ducked inside. He had only a few seconds to look around before he saw her. She finished shelving some bottles behind a counter with a cash register on it then came around with a smile, which died once she saw him. Her pupils dilated in a response he understood well, that he'd seen in many faces before—fear.

Shaking his head, he stepped forward and held out his hand. “Kearnyn MacTafferty. Telal's sent me to supervise over the work.”

She cocked her head at his hand as if he might suddenly make a move to strangle her. Slowly, she stuck her hand in his and just as quickly retracted it. Oh well, he held it long enough for him to feel just how soft her skin was. God, he was a creep.

“I didn't know I'd need supervision.”

He shrugged. “Telal has never worked with you before. He's a precise man, no room for error with him. Don't mind me, I'll just stand in that background. You'll hardly notice I'm here.”

“Like that's possible,” she said under her breath. With a brisk shake of her head, she motioned for him to follow her into a back room.

He had to stoop low as he walked through a partition of colored beads. “Did the shipment of daggers arrive?”

She nodded to cases with Demuzi Manufacturing Inc.’s logo on it sitting next to the back door. “Just this morning.” She headed towards a box, then stopped, turned back to him, not meeting his eyes. “You can sit there if you want.”

Kearnyn saw the small chair she noted and almost groaned. The damn thing looked tiny. No way would his big body fit in that; it looked like a child's chair. He debated over just standing, which he preferred, but he already made her nervous, so he went to the small chair and sat in it. The back of it barely reached the middle of his back and barely held half his ass. He held in a sigh.

Her lips trembled with a smile. Sure enough, she did seem to relax. She went to a box and tried to lift it with a grunt. It didn't budge.

“Here let me.”

She took several steps back to make room for him so he could pick up the box. She must be delicate, the box hardly weighed more than a few sacks of potatoes. “Where do you want it?”

He followed her nod and set it on the table, then pulled off the top of the case for her and returned to his seat like a good little boy. She went to the case and started pulling some of the daggers out when she stiffened, then shuffled around to the other side of the work table so she faced him. That was fine with him, he preferred it this way. He could watch her. Creep.

“So what do you call yourself, a witch?”

She spoke as she started pulling different items out of jars and cabinets. “I practice witchcraft. My powers come from my blood. We loosely use the term 'witch'. After the Salem witch trials in America we started using the term 'practitioner' because it sounded much more innocent to those who didn’t understand.”

Kearnyn sat back in his seat to watch her work, but that only scooted his ass further off the chair, forcing him to sit damn near erect. He stifled a sigh; he'd lived through worse things than an uncomfortable chair.

He kept quiet as he watched her work. She moved methodically: opening a thick leather tome to a certain page, grabbing oils and magnets. Today she wore another of those hooded robe-like dresses, only this one was yellow. He liked the look, the color looked amazing on her. Her darker skin and black hair only made the yellow glow around her in perfect contrast.

“Why do you watch me?” she said in a soft voice.

Kearnyn hid his surprise by looking down at his feet. “Why are you scared of me?” he countered.

She dropped the dagger in her hand; it landed on the table with a loud clang. “I...I am not afraid of you.” She grabbed the dagger in a fist and set her jaw as she got back to work. Her dark eyebrows pulled down into a furrow.

“Your actions show otherwise.” Why was he pursuing this? She looked like a Mayan goddess and he looked like a steroid-junkie meat head. Yet, even as he thought that he knew he wanted to know. Really wanted to know. Hell, maybe under her fear there was the slimmest chance she'd let him take her out. He almost laughed. Yeah, right.

“I am not afraid of you,” she said again, her voice a bit stronger.

For some reason he felt the need to push her. He wanted to hear the words from her soft pretty lips. Maybe because he was a glutton for punishment, or maybe actually hearing the words would make his mind shut her off from his thoughts like it should. He stood, and just as he expected, she took a step back, her eyes jumping to his, wide and alert.

“See, that's fear.”

Her eyes narrowed on his, then whether realizing it or not, her fingers curled around one of the daggers. That didn't worry him any, the blades hadn't been sharpened yet if she decided to use it.

“If I tell you will you sit back down?” His eyebrow flew up but he planted his ass back in the tiny seat. She let out an unsteady breath. “Let's just say that once upon a time I was with someone almost as large as you and he hurt me.”

Kearnyn gripped his thighs to steady himself. He knew he shouldn't, but he had to ask, had to know. “Broke your heart?”

She laughed, the sound hollow. “Broke more than that.”

Kearnyn's entire body froze, muscles pulled tight, limbs stilled, even his heart slowed to a steady crashing thud. “When?”

“Long enough ago,” she said after a minute. She resumed working, but now her hands moved slower like she had trouble concentrating.

“Is he still alive?” He already had plans in the making. They involved ropes, serrated blades, and a hammer. Good old-fashioned weapons made the best torture devices.

She shrugged. “No clue. Haven't seen him in years.” She hung her head and sighed. Then she looked right at him with her dark brown eyes. “I guess I need to apologize. See, he was a big man. Not as big as you are but big. I can't help but think of him when I see you. That isn't fair.”

“I understand.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, or disbelief. “You do?”

He nodded once. “I'd like for you to be comfortable around me, Ms. Medina. Is there anything I can do?” He probably sounded desperate, but something in him didn't want to let any chances with her to slip by.

She thought about it for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Yes, there is! I could touch you!” The thought of her touching him combined with her smile, gave him the hardest wood he'd had in ages. Feeling very male in that moment, all he could think was that he knew of a few places he'd like her to touch.

But he didn't say any of those things and break what thin progress they'd made. “What do you mean?” There, that was safe to say, no sexual innuendo lurking behind the words.

She came around the table holding her hands out palms up. “If I may? Just let me touch your hands.”

Kearnyn felt a wave of apprehension roll through him, but he stood anyway. “You shook my hand in the stairwell, why didn't you do...whatever then?”

“I have to actually open my mind. Otherwise when I shake hands it’s just as if you were doing it—no magic. So, may I?” She almost looked eager, and hell, if it put her mind at ease then why not?

He held his hands out to her. He felt like an ass; he had no clue if he should lay them on top of hers, or hold her hands, or what. It was okay though because she took over and curled her fingers around his hands.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath that she slowly exhaled through her nose. He watched her, waiting for something to happen. Would he feel a pulsing energy, static electricity, or anything?

Then her lips parted on a soft gasp, her hands squeezed his in a tight grip. A look of...pleasure fluttered over her face making her eyebrows arch, her cheeks flush, and the pulse at her neck beat fast. His own body responded, ready to give her anything she wanted. But then she yanked her hands away; they fluttered nervously to her neck and cheeks like a flustered nun who'd just seen a naked man for the first time.

“What did you see?”

* * *

What did she see?

How about their naked sweat-slicked bodies writhing together. His head between her legs sending her to a feeling of ecstasy she'd never known, or how about their bodies clinging together as he pumped his hips, working his length in and out until they both screamed? Yeah, that. She saw all that.

She swallowed over the dry lump of cotton in her throat and put on a bright smile. “I think you're safe to be around.” Or something... Safe wasn't really an accurate word, more like dangerous.

He nodded though he didn't look pleased not to hear the details. Oh well, she so wasn't going there. She went back around the table to finish enspelling the first dagger. Her hands shook but with some concentrating she got it under control. He still stood next to the table and her eyes couldn't help but dart over him.

He'd been one-hundred percent naked in her vision, his body packed with muscle and sinew that glinted under the light. He'd made her feel something incredible, something much greater than her measly hands could do to herself in bed at night.

Now she saw him through a different light. No longer did she see a menacing beast but a possible...lover.

“You won't tell me what you saw?”

She shook her head quickly. No way in hell.

“But you're not afraid of me now?”

“No, no, I don't think so.” Well, just not in the way he thought.

His deep green eyes watched her. “Good. That's good.” He walked to the beaded partition. “Because I'm taking you out.”

Rosa gasped and then he swept out the beaded door, swooping down low to get his tall body through. She heard the shop door closing a minute later. Only after he'd left did Rosa collapse into a chair and bury her face in her hands.

What had she gotten herself into?

CHAPTER 14

Lily woke up on a choked scream. She panted, gasping in shaky breaths as she stared ahead. Recognition of her surroundings came slowly to her dazed mind. The vision had lasted longer this time, the images, though dark and blurry like she saw it through a grainy filter had been slightly more distinct. The dark man at the throne smoldered with even more dark energy, that fiery black smoke undulating around him thick like a heavy blanket.

With no sense of her surroundings, only a black void where she didn't know if she stood on land or air, he'd turned to her, faceless, only a black mass that signified a man, and held out his hand. Then out came slithery black oil that moved, twisting and bending towards her like a mutated snake until it landed against her chest, pushing and shoving its way inside her. Pain like she'd never felt in her life ate away inside her until she fell to her knees. He'd killed her. She didn't know if her vision was similar to the one Rosa had but she'd find out.

Climbing out of bed, she shuffled to the bathroom and used the facilities. Her next stop was her satchel of items from Rosa. She pulled out the drink she'd made for her pain and took a few good swigs of the stuff. It didn't taste bad, though not too good either; kind of tasted like creamy watered down herbs. She lifted up her spaghetti-strap tank and looked at her stomach. Most of the bruising had disappeared and already moving around felt a lot better.

She looked down at the bag and thought of the other special items in there she'd taken from Rosa's. She told herself not to do it, but the itching nag inside her guided her hand inside to the items. She pulled them out and used the floor as a makeshift table. She moved quickly, already the thought of getting the juice inside her making her hands shake, her eyes widen.

She had the special mixture made in less than five minutes but, shit, it felt more like an hour. Sweat dampened her brow by time she finished, her hands shook with a fine tremble. She grabbed the drink and tossed it back. A tangy burning sensation slid over her tongue and down her throat. And then a big smile crossed her face as she fell back against the floor, laughing. The empty glass dropped to the ground forgotten.

She burped softly and giggled more. With lazy movements, she came to a stand and wobbled, laughing as the floor swayed side to side. She hobbled to the dresser and pulled on a pair of jeans, high heels, and a t-shirt that she'd bought at the mall. She needed to try different tactics with the demon. Maybe some more 'conservative' clothing would do the trick.

She walked to the door and groaned as the high heels stretched her calves to unneeded levels of pain and squished her toes together. “How can women wear this stuff?” she said as she locked the door behind her. She went to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

The doors dinged softly as they opened. Two guards armed to the teeth stood outside Telal's door. She eyed them but didn't see the one who'd rifle-butted her in the head.

“Hey guys, where's the macho asshole who hit me with the gun?”

The guards looked at each other; the one on the right responded. “He got canned, ma'am.”

“Canned?” She grinned as all sorts of happy thoughts floated through her. “As in fired?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma'am.”

She reached for the door handle but the guards scooted together to block her. “Do you have an appointment?”

This again? Really, Telal? “No, but if you don't open that door and let me talk to him then I'm going to go all sorts of crazy.” She narrowed her eyes on the guards. “You wouldn't believe the shit I can cause. Just let me in. I won't be but a minute.” Lie.

The guard on the left opened the door. “Hold on, let me check to see if he'll see you.” Lily peered around him but didn't see Telal in the office. The door slammed sharply in her face.

“Are you really his woman?”

She winked at the guard. “Oh yeah. He's all mine.”

The guard arched a disbelieving eyebrow. “Then why has he ordered us to keep you out?”

“Oh, he's just playing hard to get, that's all.”

The guard chuckled and the second guard came back in shaking his head. Lily rolled her eyes and pushed past him, walking as quickly as she could in her heels. Remembering what happened the last time she did this; she spun around, glaring daggers.

“If you hurt me, I'll curse you. My best friend is Rosa el Blanco.” She hid the fact that Rosa was a white witch and performing spells to hurt or harm were impossible for her. Well, almost impossible. But most people didn't know the difference.

The guards looked at each and groaned. “Just don't get us fired,” the one said and they left, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Feeling even better than she had before, Lily noted the office was empty and the door to his bedroom shut. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and let herself in.

Telal Demuzi sat at his desk writing. While that wasn't unusual, what he wasn't wearing was—clothes. Telal looked up quickly then went back to writing, and then his hand stopped and he slowly looked back up at her, his eyes hard.

Lily took a moment to take him all in. He glistened with drops of water from a shower. His hair shone dark like royal blue, his golden skin damp with little droplets of water on his shoulders and chest. What caught her attention though were the hoops, golden ones in each of his nipples. Her eyes followed the path down his chest. Her jaw fell at what she found. He had a tattoo that spread from under his right peck down towards his hip and back. Her body responded with a growl. She couldn't decipher the image, could only see vibrant blues and reds forming some kind of shape. Maybe an animal shape.

“I'm going to fire those guards because of you.”

“No you're not.”

Lily strode towards him. Actually she sauntered a bit, letting her hips slide side to side in the heels like they were made to do. When she reached the side of his desk she noted he wore a towel around his waist and nothing else. She could have purred at all that strong muscle and delicious skin. His pecks were defined, the stomach muscles beneath packed tight and hard to a narrow waist with hips bones sticking out.

He planted his hands on the chair and started to rise. Lily mumbled “oops” and fell across his lap. She couldn't give him a chance to move, to say anything, so she acted fast. Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull their faces close, and then she slanted her mouth and pressed her lips against his.

The temperature in the room instantly soared. Her body responded, half-aroused at the first touch. His lips were soft like satin, warm as the skin of his back that she teased with her fingertips, and so much better than she'd ever thought. She knew he'd push her away, so she did all that she could in the little time she had. Her tongue dipped across his soft lips, then pushed inside to discover his taste. A moan bubbled out from deep within her chest at his decadent, sexy flavor.

She pulled back to angle the kiss in the other direction and press her lips against his again and again in soft, needy pecks. The sweetest relief came when she felt his breath stutter out from between his lips, and a hard presence push against her bottom. She was so easily wrapped up in his fresh masculine scent, his minty taste like he'd just brushed his teeth that it took everything in her not to wrap her thighs around him and force him to kiss her back.

But he never did kiss her back. Still, his erection didn't escape her notice, not in the slightest. Everything from her waist down clenched in response. She pulled back, looking him in the eyes, noting the wet sheen on his lips.

“Nice tattoo.” His eyes were hard with anger but soft around the edges with—dare she say it?—arousal. He rolled the chair back, put his hands on her hip, and shoved her off his lap. She burst out laughing. “Haven't we already done this?”

He stood, gripping the towel around his waist with a hard-knuckled grip, his erection tenting the cotton. “Yes, but obviously you didn't learn the first time.”

“Ah, but different occasions, Telal.” She pushed herself to a sitting position. “The first time I merely whispered that I wanted you to lick me from my lips to my toes and everywhere in between, especially in between.”

He scowled at her and stalked across the room to a hutch-style dresser. He pulled out clothes and threw them on the bed in angry swipes. “Don't remind me. It's not as if I forgot.”

Her smile turned wicked as she stood and stalked to him. “Do you think about it often?”

His head jerked. “Never.”

“Liar.”

She followed him to the bed to watch him dress. With an arch of a brow, she realized he'd pulled out different attire than what he usually sported. All black, sure, but nowhere in the pile of clothes were suit pants, silken shirts, and a leather belt.

“Tonight's the night isn't it? I am going with you, Telal.”

He made a sound that resembled a chuckle. “I'll tell you what, Ms. Bellum. You tell me why I should let you go and I'll think about it.” The white towel floated to the floor in a damp wad.

Lily's tongue dried up, her breasts suddenly felt too heavy for her bra. He kept his back to her, giving her an excellent view of taut, round cheeks that were made for a woman to hold...or sink her teeth into. He began dressing in swift, efficient movements that made her groan as the muscles in his back bunched and flexed with the effort.

“I, um, should go because I can help in case things go bad.” She wished she could come up with something better, but her mind had trouble forming a thought. The clenching in her belly turned tighter, hotter.

He pulled his shirt over his head. “How's that?”

“I have strong weapons, and I know some pretty good spells.” Unlike Rosa, she could cast harmful magic.

He dragged black boxer briefs up his long, hard thighs and she wanted to fall to her knees and beg him to let her touch him. “I have better weapons than you do, and your magic is a trick compared to what I can do. So unless you have anything else to add...”

“Go slower.”

He paused with his black cargo pants around his ankles and gave her a confused look. “What?”

“I said go slower. This is too good.” She couldn't hide the need etched in her voice; hopefully she hid the longing, though. Even she wasn't prepared to express that need to him.

He jerked his pants up his legs in one hard move then stalked to an empty wall on the other side of the room. A small digital lock of some kind sat on the wall. It looked completely out of place on the blank wall, but as he entered some numbers into it a soft whoosh of air sounded and a partition came out of the wall to reveal shelves of sharp, deadly looking weapons. She let out a low whistle at the sight of all that metal.

“Not bad.”

He shook his head side to side. “I make the best weapons. ‘Not bad' doesn't really cover it. Of course you'd know that if you knew fine weaponry.”

Ignoring the jab, she came up next to him to get a better look. He grabbed a pair of small throwing knives and curved long knives that could gut a man in two. The blades glinted under the bright fluorescent lighting from the partition and she had to admit the craftsmanship looked expert.

“When do we leave?”

He scoffed and closed the partition. “I leave soon. You've had your little show and fun, now leave me alone.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Why do you always want to be alone? I know firsthand just how shitty it really is.”

He didn't answer her and only the sounds of his steps greeted her ears as he went about the room.

“Tell me how you knew my father.”

He looked at her, something close to surprise on his face. “You don't know?” He turned and went into the office where he studied a large map on his desk. A slow smiled curled her lips as she saw the pen she'd bought him sitting on top of it.

“No, I don't. He never said anything, to any of my sisters for that matter. Just one day he dies, then we get his will and see he's given us away.”

“The succubi do have a strict way of life.”

“Most do,” she said. “So how did you know my father?”

“We met during the war negotiations during the Great War. He was working under the newly formed Atal Warriors, and I was working with Tobius en Kulev to arrange the sealing of the rift. I was trying to help protect my people. Afterwards, he helped me to settle in.”

Lily took a seat in the chair across from his desk, genuinely curious. “Why did you help to shut out your own people?”

He laughed harshly. “Because Tobius is a lying sack of shit. The agreement was to close off the nether two realms below the shahoulin, my people. He lied and shut us all down there because his wife had been fucking some demon.”

Lily's heart went out for him. She didn't know much about the demonic people. She knew there were three different species, the magical and deadly jaheera demons like the ones that went after Chloe and Willow, the cannibalistic idummi demons, and the powerful shahoulin demons like Telal. If he had worked with Tobius then he must be important to the shahoulin people.

“Well, I can't blame her for that.”

He finished drawing a small circle on the map, and she made a mental picture of the location. Slowly, he looked up at her, his face pulling in confusion, but as she looked closer, she saw a hint of heat in them. Heat that she wanted to kick up several notches and smother herself in.

“What?”

“Let's just say we both share a common interest in wanting to fuck a demon.”

That heated look turned darker, hotter. She licked her lips and squirmed in her seat as arousal licked at her. The man could make her wet with only a look.

“One day you'll regret saying something like that to me,” he said, his deep voice turning hard, lower.

Her sex pulsed, heart pounded. When the look didn't fade, her heart kicked up its beat. Her breathing grew heavy and she wasn't going to let this moment pass. She had him almost where she wanted him.

She stood  with shoulders back, breasts thrust forward and his eyes fell to them then traveled down her jean-encased legs. Her hands flattened on the shiny wooden top of his desk and she lifted a knee onto it, ready to crawl across to get to him. She kept her movements slow and steady even as nerves shot around in her stomach like a wild bullet. The heat in his eyes grew until blatant arousal shined. Her nipples responded to the look, pulling tight and hard. The connection she'd felt between them, the one he denied so readily, roared between them at an undeniable frequency.

She lifted the other knee onto his desk so she sat on there in a half-sitting, half-crawling position.

His eyes traced over the spilled hair around her shoulders, teasing her breasts then landing on her mouth with a look that clearly screamed: Stop now or I will kiss you.

Lily actually paused. Being on the opposite end of the attraction threw her off, but she did want him, so much that thoughts of him had plagued her for nearly a year. So she slid her arms across the desk and followed the motion with her knees until only a few feet separated them.

She waited to see what he'd do for what felt like forever. Her breasts were heavy, aching, her sex slick and needy for something she'd only ever dreamed about. She wanted to grab his hand and put it against her breast just to feel a measure of relief. Any kind of relief.

And then he slid his chair forward. He didn't move slowly, steadily like she had, but jerked his chair forward until the armrests slammed into the polished wood. Seeing him so much closer now, she saw the lines of tension at the corner of his eyes, the hard breaths he took through his nose.

His hands came up and all she could do was watch like a wide-eyed girl as he combed his fingers into her hair. He stopped there, his big palms cupping her cheeks as his eyes looked over her face as if memorizing it. Her breath hitched, lips parted.

He pulled in closer, his eyes falling to her lips, and then in a deep, accented voice said, “I love your hair.”

She gasped, breaths turning to pants at the one nice thing he'd ever said to her. She didn't have long to bask in his words because he his hands cupped her head and tilted it to the side. Her eyes closed, she could feel the heat from his body, his hands, and she waited for the touch that was to come.

It came, but wasn't what she'd expected. Her eyes flew open. Not a kiss, but teeth, sharper than her own, sunk in to her bottom lip and tugged. Something dark and wicked inside her answered, pulled deeper, hotter feelings from inside her. She moaned as he released it, through her hazy eyelids she saw his lips retreating. She wanted so much more, his tongue thrusting in her mouth, his lips taking hers like she'd dreamed of. With a greedy little sound, she pressed her lips to his hard.

A sharp knock sounded, followed a voice. “Sir, it's time.”

The kiss ended like that. Telal sat back in his seat, his eyes smoldering and thoughtful, almost as if he was seeing her for the first time. He stood, then leaned down to her again. The edge of his fingertips trailed down from her cheek to jaw in a touch that made her tremble.

He looked like he might say something but then his eyes narrowed and he went around the desk to Kearnyn.

Lily's mind slowly came back to reality. She awkwardly climbed off his desk but had to stand there and hold on to it for support because her body hadn't gained its strength back from that touch.

“Wait, are you leaving now? Let me go with you!”

He turned to give her one last, fleeting look, then clasped Kearnyn's shoulder and disappeared.

“Damn you,” she said, but without much heat.

Stepping like she walked on hot coals, she collapsed into his chair, her fingers rubbing where his teeth had been. Even though all she wanted to do was go back to his bed and relive those unique moments between them, she knew she had to get moving. Taking off the ridiculous heels, she raced down the hallway to the elevator. She got off it and threw open her door and started pulling on her sandals, grabbing her enchanted dagger out of her bag, then went downstairs and ordered a taxi to Rosa's. She'd be needing the witch's help now.

CHAPTER 15

Telal dissolved with Kearnyn and reappeared in upstate New York. The area of the rifts scattered across the world like broken cracks in the earth’s crust. Some lasted for only a few miles while others spanned a thousand miles or longer. The rift he’d use traveled from Rochester, New York up into the desolate snows of Northern Canada.

The humans couldn't see it, though many had labeled the areas where the rifts were as 'haunted' places; the parts of the woods or countryside where mother's warned their kids not to go. For the best, really. Two Atal Warriors stationed over this particular section of the rift gave them a nod and walked away to give them some distance. He'd already cleared this with Tyrian; hell, he was the reason he had to go down there in the first place.

Telal chose this location to port into because, if his calculations were correct, it'd take him into the field outside the castle. Any number of things could be changed now. He just hoped to get in and out of there alive.

“Nervous?” Kearnyn said.

Telal took note of the bunched nerves in his stomach but shook his head. “No, just ready to get this over with.”

“Sure you don't want me to come with you?”

Telal checked each of his weapons and tried not to think about that kiss. She'd kissed him, actually kissed him. And then he'd let his guard down and done something he shouldn't have. If he wasn't careful...no, no, he wouldn't even let himself think like that. He'd be even more careful from now on. Lily's taste lingered on his lips and he licked it to get a better taste. Fuck, he couldn't hide it. If she was anyone else, someone he hadn't met under the circumstances he had, then maybe...

“I'm sure. Stay here and wait for me to come back.”

“How long?”

Telal stared down at the rift that only unique people like him and Kearnyn could see. The rift was a long jagged black path about a half a mile wide. It had a charred look to it like volcanic rock. Once he laid a foot on that special ground, he could port himself into the rift using a power born inside him and his people.

“Four hours. Any longer than that and I probably won't be coming back.”

“Telal...”

He shrugged. “If I don't have her seen after. Her new moon will be coming up soon.” His jaw cocked hard until a slash of pain slammed up into his temple. If she acted like this now, how would she be during her new moon?

“Yes, Sir.”

Telal hopped down from the small cliff, kicking up black ash that to a human's eye would look like dirt. The smell of the rift sent memories rolling through him, memories of home that he brutally slammed the door on.

“Four hours,” Telal said.

And then he closed his eyes and transported himself to a different world. The black charcoal line of the rift disappeared from beneath his feet, replaced by soft lush grass. He opened his eyes slowly, almost afraid to see his homeland for the first time in a thousand years.

He let out a shuddering breath at what he saw.

Bright pink and white flowering trees, grass as high as his calves and greener than the ripest earth plant. A thick emotion filled his chest and a hot liquid pooled in his eyes. He swallowed hard and knelt down in the grass of greens and dark yellows and inhaled the unique sweet scent of earth, his open hand trailing across the pointed leaves. The sky hovered like a dark ominous cloud up above; thick like fog, the dark sky held a glow to it somewhere between an orange and pink that lit up the land and shadowed it at the same time. That glow was the sun of this world, the closest thing to pure light they had.

Telal stood and looked around at his old home. With a frown, he realized nearly everything looked the same. The trees were the same, though there were more of them now, and in the distance he saw the castle where he'd been raised. Behind him, down several sloping hills was just one of the villages where the commoners lived. That pain in his chest pulled tighter as if someone twisted his heart in their hands like a rag to wring all the blood from it.

He made his way through the field in long, heavy steps. One of the first things he noticed was the lack of commoners, or prolitare, wandering outside the castle like they used to. Hope sprung in him; maybe his brother had taken over the throne and changed the class policies of his people. Though as soon as the thought came, he nixed it. This place just didn't feel right. Not the same at all. Maybe it was because he saw it through the eyes of a man and not a child, but something didn't sit right.

Down the sloping pasture of the grassy field, two heads popped up, headed for him. With a silent curse, he quickly dropped to the ground at the sight of guards. Not just any guards, but these wore a suit of battle armor with curved swords, ones his people specialized in making, strapped to their backs forming an ex. The deep lilt of demonic floated over his ears with the sound of swishing grass beneath their feet as they climbed closer to him. Telal planned to sneak into the castle, not get busted before he even made it there.

Focusing on the soft leafy petals on the ground below him, he called upon his power to cloak himself. Not all demons had that kind of power, but he did, his family did. The voices came closer until he could make out words. He clenched his jaw as he listened in on a language he hadn't heard spoken in so long.

“Do you feel that?”

“Hm, yeah, energy change over here.”

“We better check the fault line. If another demon escaped it'll be our heads.”

“I wish that weren't the truth...”

The guards made their way to where Telal had transported into, and he waited until they were far enough away before he stood, still cloaked in invisibility, and ran down the hill leading to the castle. Built from dark brown and grey stones, the castle stood tall with looming parapets resting at the left, right, and back side of the castle. There were several entrances into the castle, though they had specific purposes; doors for servants, for the commoners, and the big double door at the front for royalty.

Telal pressed himself against the chilly wall by the prolitare’s door. He waited to hear any voices, but none sounded, as quietly as possible he grabbed the door handle and turned it. A sharp metal screech echoed. Fuck. So much for not announcing his visit.

Not for the first time, he wondered if he was doing this right. He always planned everything to perfection. But simply coming home after betraying his people and waltzing in the front door didn't sound like a good idea to him. Right now, he planned to just get inside, check things out, and then, as discreetly as possible, announce himself to his family.

Turning sideways, he slid through the door and closed it behind him. He found himself in a hallway with a rounded stone roof only a few inches taller than he was, which made him want to hunch over anyway. Torches, one on either side of the hallway lit the long path, though not very well. More shadows than light flickered.

Telal kept his steps silent as he slid down the hall. Voices sounded at the far end, a conversation about getting more wine, and he fell into the shadows where the light from the torches didn't touch as two servants shuffled by wearing golden robes that trailed behind them; at least that hadn't changed.

He waited until the voices faded before he left the safety of the tunnel and made his way towards the throne room—the room where his family used to sit as they presided over the other royalty. And of course, that's where his father punished prolitare again and again. He'd heard his father had died, but that had been through rumors some hundred years ago. Though, he hoped it was true.

He passed under stone archways, down long and short hallways, turning left, then right until he neared the throne room. He wanted to become invisible, but using magic like that drained him. He needed to save all of his powers for what might happen.

Only one open archway remained to take him into the throne room. The room where the royalty dined, partied, and generally did 'blue blood' things. Feminine laughter, high and false mixed with the clinking of wine glasses, the metal tap of a fork on a plate, and the voices of the men. He actually rolled his eyes at the sounds; they threatened to take him back in time. The royal males commonly raised the pitch of their voices, which for the most part were naturally deep, in order to not sound like the prolitare. Telal didn't understand it when he was a kid, and he still didn't.

He crept closer to the opening and stopped, preparing himself for his entrance. He picked up on random pieces of conversation. From discussing the delicious food, to buying a new dress, and getting a new slave. His gut clenched. A slave?

Suddenly a booming voice rang out, echoing out from the room and down the hall. “Krishnoe!”

At the command, immediate silence stuttered over the room, words stopping in mid-pronunciation and echoing off the walls like a bell. Silence, the deep voice had said. Telal recognized the voice, but it had changed, grown deeper with age, harder. It was not his father's voice.

“We have a visitor. Come forth and show yourself...brother.”

Resolution came over him. Back straight, Telal stepped into the throne room, ready to face his brother for the first time in a thousand years. At least a hundred eyes stared back at him, but only one pair was dark as a moonless night.

“Hello, brother.”

CHAPTER 16

He left without me.

Lily slammed the taxi door behind her, marched up to Rosa's shop, and banged on it with a fist until she heard movement inside. Rosa peered through the small square window in the door then threw it open.

“What are you doing here? It's late, Lily.”

Lily brushed past her. “I need some of your magic skills. Telal went into the rift without me.”

“So?”

Lilly turned on her friend. “So? He might need help. He hasn't been back there since he left, and I'm pretty sure everyone down there thinks he betrayed them. He'll need help.”

Rosa pushed her frizzy dark hair out of her face with a sigh. The right side of her face had a red mark from where she'd been sleeping on it. “What do you expect me to do? I'm not a demon that can go transporting you around, you know.”

“I know that. But you can make a spell and send me there.”

Rosa made a choking sound, half laughing, and half snorting. “No way. I don't even know if I could do something like that, but if I did then it'd completely wear me down for God knows how long. No way, Lily. Just wait for him to get back. I'm going back to bed.” She crossed her arms like she was cold and ambled towards the back of the shop.

“Rosa, I know you can do this.”

“Blah, blah, blah. I'm not doing anything,” she said with a yawn.

Lily followed her. “Are you saying you're too weak to do a spell like this?”

That stopped her in her tracks. She slowly turned around, her eyes narrowed, lips pulled taut. “Don't you dare antagonize me, Lily Bellum.”

Lily gave her an innocent look. “Hey, if you can't do it then that's not my problem. You're the weakling.”

Her lips twisted as she ground her jaw side to side. “You are such a bitch,” she said finally. Lily only shrugged. Rosa's shoulders sagged. “Fine, I'll do it.”

Lily clapped her hands. “Now that's the spirit. Let's get started. I don't know how long he's been gone.”

Rosa turned on the lights and grabbed her spell book off the shelf. “Hypothetically, let's say I can get you to a rift. The nearest one crosses from Tennessee up to Wyoming.”

“No, not that one. I need the one in upstate New York.”

Rosa glared at her. “And why is that?”

“That's the one Telal used. Must be for a good reason or he wouldn't choose that one, right?”

Rosa fished through the pages of her book until she found the right one then started gathering ingredients and mashing them with a pestle. After a few minutes, Rosa shook her head. “And how do you plan to get by the Atal Warriors?”

Shit. She hadn't thought about that. Those bastards were stationed at intervals along every rift in the world. No getting past them. At least, for most people.

Rosa saw the look on her face and laughed. “You hadn't even thought that far ahead, have you? What about weapons? You have no idea what the shahoulin demons are like under the rift. They all might not be as nice as Telal.”

“I'd hardly call him nice,” she said. Though his touch had been a whole lot more than nice.

“Whatever. You know what I mean.”

“I'll borrow two of your daggers.”

“You do know I don't enchant my own weapons, right? I can't do harm—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Give me the good old fashioned ones.”

Rosa told her where she kept them and Lily went to fetch them. Her heart beat like a big drum in her chest, not quite a frantic rhythm but one that proved just how nervous she really was. She wasn't stupid. She understood the risk she took by going into the rift alone, without any guidance. But for him, she'd take it.

She came back and Rosa started working on another set of herbs.

“How long is this going to take?”

Rosa sent her a scathing look that had Lily throwing up her hands in the universal sign for 'don't hurt me'.

“The spell won't take you to New York. If I'm lucky this will take you to the closest point of the rift in Tennessee. That's if this even works. I've never tried to port someone over long distances. Hell, even a short distance.”

Lily clapped her on the back. “See Rosa, I'm just helping you to broaden your spell crafting abilities.”

Rosa sent her another glare that had her pulling her hand off her back like it burned.

“Here's the first one,” she said dropping a potion and a piece of paper with text written on it. “Drink it then read the spell. The quicker the better.” Lily eyeballed the drink which was nothing more than a shot glass full of dark red liquid.

“That isn't blood, right?” Her taste buds curled at the thought.

Rosa sighed. “No, it's not. Here's the second one. This should, maybe, take you into the rift. I made enough for you to get back out, too. So don't lose it or this spell.” She slid over another piece of paper, no bigger than a Post-It note with her cursive scrawl on it.

Lily read both spells out loud to make sure she said it right. The last thing she needed was to summon another demon by accident.

“That's correct. So, how do you plan to get around the Atal Warriors?” asked Rosa, one brow cocked in question.

Lily nibbled her lip. “I'm just going to be really fast.”

Rosa laugh, the sound filled with sarcasm. “That's your great plan? ‘Be really fast.' Well bambina, I wish you all the best. You have your protection anklet on?”

Lily nodded.

“Good, get out of here and if you actually manage to do all this, then give me a call. I'd like to hear about it.”

Lily grabbed her stuff and put it in her brown shoulder satchel. At the last second, before she turned to leave she said, “Hey Rosa, when do I die?” Rosa's vision of her death had been something she wanted to ask her about and avoid forever. But if this happened tonight, with the choice she was about to make, then she wanted to know.

Rosa sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes falling to the floor. When she spoke, her voice was soft as a feather. “Sweetie, I don't know. I saw only blackness, oily blackness breaking into your chest and you fell. You do not get up from that. You know it's not up to me to help or stop this from happening. That's all on you. So be careful.”

Lily's heart stopped beating in her chest. All the dreams she'd had of the man in black surfaced. She was going to die. A dark thought curled in her gut. It might even be tonight.

A voice broke into her shattered thoughts. “Hey, hey, are you all right?” Rosa's face pulled into a mask of concern.

“I'm fine.” She smiled as if to prove it. “I better go. Thanks a lot for all the help.” She turned and left before Rosa could say anything else.

* * *

Outside, she walked down the street and into the alley behind the row of shops. It smelled awful back there like rotten garbage and week-old stale coffee. She pinched her nose up and pulled the spell and potion out of the bag.

She started to take a drink then stopped and cursed. Pulling one of the daggers out of the satchel, she gripped it in one hand. She'd need it for where she was going. Closing her eyes hard, she tossed back the contents of the drink with a grimace. The vile taste coated her tongue like sludge and she gagged, her cheeks poofing up with the urge to vomit it all up. She swallowed hard though and forced the nasty contents down. Suddenly, the alley didn't smell nearly as bad, not with that awful rotten taste on her tongue. Gagging, her stomach convulsed with the need to vomit the shit back up, she pulled the spell out of her pocket and read the words.

The second the last word fell from her tongue, the world spun around her like a record player spinning too fast. Everything blurred, she couldn't be sure but it felt like she wobbled on her feet, her mind going dizzy. The awful shit sitting in her stomach swished around and she pressed a hand to it to keep it steady. It lasted for seconds or maybe an hour. Either way it was entirely too long.

The world stopped moving with a violent stop. Lily cried out at the jarring motion and fell to the ground, wincing as the blade in her hand slipped and bit into her palm. Panting, she sat trying to get her bearings. She was in a forest but not deep in it because she could hear a road or highway in the distance with cars traveling. Coming to a stand, she wobbled, her knees nearly giving out. With a grimace at her bleeding hand, she wiped the blood on her pants to get a better look at it.

It wasn't so bad, more like a good paper cut, though this one spanned her entire palm. Voices came at her, shouts in accented English. Shit, the Atal Warriors! Lily searched the woods but couldn't hear anything else, not even a footstep on a twig. The rift sat to her right in a long black ashy line. She made a break for it, knowing the Atal Warriors were close by.

Frantically, she pulled the other potion out of her bag. In her rush, the dagger dropped to the ground and she cursed. Another shout, this one much closer. She grasped the bottle and chugged the contents, no time to analyze the foul tasting liquid. Her hand felt around in the bag for the other note with the spell.

“Fuck!” Where was it?

Heart racing at frightening levels, every muscle in her body froze at the deadly words. “Stop or we will shoot.”

Lily stopped searching. The pounding of adrenaline, blood, and her heart sounded too loud to her own ears. She turned slowly, her hands held out in front of her. Her gut sank to the floor. Not just two warriors, but three. Fuck my luck.

The three spread out until they covered her from all angles. One held a black crossbow, notched with a sharp arrowhead pointing right between her eyes. She could practically feel the metal already digging into her skin.

“You need to leave here, succubus.”

“What?” she said confused. “How do you know I'm a succubus?” She eyed the dagger near her feet but knew there was no way she could somehow reach for it and take out all of these warriors like some kind of Hollywood ninja in a movie. She'd be lucky to bend down before that arrow pierced her skull. Besides, these men worked for her brother-in-law; she didn’t want to hurt them.

“We were warned you might show up.”

Her jaw dropped, then she choked on a laugh. “How? I didn't even know I was coming here until about ten minutes ago.”

“Our Commander ordered us not to let you go into the rift. He's ordered all of the warriors across the world's rift to keep an eye on you in case you decided to show up. He's worried about your welfare”

“Oh is he?” she said dryly. “And I suppose Telal Demuzi had nothing to do with this?”

The warrior with the crossbow shrugged, but didn't lower his weapon. She sagged in defeat, dropping to her knees and burying her face in her hands.

“This is so embarrassing.”

“We need you to stand and come towards us, Ms. Bellum,” the guard behind her said.

She sighed, shaking her head and opened her bag. The small white piece of paper winked at her from inside. She narrowed her eyes on it. You little bastard...

She'd already drunk the potion; she had little time before its effects wore off. Acting fast, she pulled out the spell and read the words in a rushed whisper. Her entire body clenched, waiting for the arrow to pierce her skull, to end her life, but it never came.

She had only a moment before the dizzying, rushing action began again. She looked up with wide eyes at the man holding the crossbow. He cursed then lowered the bow. Another guard charged for her, looking like he was ready to make a tackle, but then the forest spun and spun around her.

She felt a horrible sinking feeling in her gut, like everything inside her rushed up to her brain then back down to her toes. She slammed her eyes shut and waited for it all to end. She fell to the ground, the feeling much softer beneath her than the woods had been, and her eyes lazily blinking open. She didn't want to open her eyes. Not because some blaring sun scorched her irises, but because she suddenly felt so tired. Like she hadn't slept in days.

When she did open her eyes, she saw several dark shadows leaning on the ground at a sharp angle in front of her. She blinked then peered upwards.

She'd never been in the rift, had never known a demon besides Telal, but she knew she was looking at one. And she knew he was some kind of warrior or guard. He had dark red skin that reminded her of a fictionalized demon albeit minus horns and a tail. His eyes were blue, surprisingly, she'd have guessed they'd be yellow or something equally heinous. He growled something at her, his words garbled and very deep.

“What?” She cringed, her throat felt raw and her question came out hoarse. Probably from that nasty shit she'd drunk.

His dark black eyebrows pulled together. Even his hair was dark, but long; it hung down to his shoulders in thin braids that reminded her of dreadlocks.

“You trespass,” he said this time in English.

She had only a chance to look up at him with wide eyes, before he grabbed her by the shirt collar and lifted her bodily to meet him face to face, her feet dangling from the floor. In the background, she vaguely noticed the sky had a pinkish glow to it; the trees were white, pink, and red with vibrant colors; and far in the distance, a magnificent castle stood like a beacon of gothic excellence.

“I'm sorry.” It was stupid, but it was the only thing she could think to say.

He flipped her around then shoved her face into the ground. Strands of tall green grass and weeds stabbed at her eyes and nose, threatening to go up it. Before panic could set in, her wrists were grabbed in a hard grip and pulled behind her. She started struggling for real now.

“No!” he commanded. He tied some kind of thick rope around her wrists and she squeezed her eyes shut as true fear came over her.

Unknown land, unknown men, unknown people all led to some horrifying thoughts. He yanked her back up by the wrists and the muscles in her shoulders, arms and back pulled viciously, the muscles close to tearing. She cried out at the burning pain shooting through her.

“You come with me,” he said in that deep, accented voice so like Telal's.

She didn't really have a choice as he started walking her backwards. His steps were long but hers weren't, and she frantically walked backwards, trying to keep her arms from twisting in the binds.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To king for judgment, trespasser.”

Her eyes widened. The king as in Telal's father? Her gut clenched and she kept fumbling backwards to keep up. Shit, she'd really made a bad mistake.

CHAPTER 17

Telal approached the king's dais in long strides. His brother's appearance made him frown. What the fuck had happened to him? Gone was the auburn hair, the violet eyes, and golden skin and in its place was black hatred, without a soul.

The royal congregation stared openly as he climbed the stairs to the throne. His brother eyed him, cold and calculating. He looked across the dais and saw his mother sitting at a regal table with white linen draped across it. Her hand held a golden spoon poised in midair like she'd been about to sip from it when he entered. She'd changed too. She'd never been a maternal mother, his nurses had cared for him more than she did, but even now he could see her eyes were darker, more sinister. Others sat at the table too, wearing the clothes of wise men, Alrik's council. He didn't see his father though.

He should kneel before the king, but he didn't. He stopped in front of Alrik's throne, his soul burning to ask so many questions that have long gone unanswered.

“What's brought you here, brother Telal?”

“I need to talk to you.”

A dark eyebrow went up. “After all this time, you think you can come here and make demands of me.” His voice was quiet, hard.

Telal chose his words carefully. “I would just like to talk. I'm not trying to make any demands.”

Alrik scoffed, his lips pulling into a mean grin. He stood and Telal saw just how much he'd grown from the little boy he'd known. In his memory, even as he'd wondered what he'd grown up to look like, to be, he'd never have guessed this. They were about the same height, but aside from that there were no other similarities.

Suddenly, Alrik's gaze cut to the other side of the dais. Two women came through a red curtain partition, one with skin like glittering milk, the other a vibrant shade of ebony. Fleeting recognition crossed him as he gazed at the lighter-skinned one. She, too, paused when she saw him, her lips parting in surprise.

Alrik growled. “Come with me.” Telal nodded, following him back through the curtain and down to the study at the end of the hall that used to be his father's. It was the king's study, and only he or his special guests were allowed to enter.

Alrik swept open the doors and they slammed shut behind them, the loud crack echoed in the massive room. It looked the same, he noted. A large wooden desk, the walls filled with books and ledgers, the plush handmade rugs on the floor, and family portraits on the wall.

Alrik dropped into a tall-backed chair, his eyes cold as ice. “Tell me what you’re doing here.”

Telal took a seat across from him. “I'm here to talk business.”

Alrik laughed, the sound like insects crawling along his skin. “Business. I'm intrigued. What business could you possibly be talking about, brother?”

Telal held his questions about his family at bay. “I've finally started the negotiations to have the rift opened again.”

That seemed to take Alrik by surprise; both eyebrows flew up and his hands clenched the arm rests like he was trying to strangle them.

“Why would you want that?”

Telal stared at his brother for long moments. He'd never anticipated he wouldn't want the rift open. Not once in his life did the thought cross his mind.

“I think the better question is why wouldn't you want that?”

He came back with his own question. “You've come back to claim the throne. You know father died that night.”

“I don't want the bloody throne, Alrik. I always knew you were better for it than me.” As he said the words he cringed inside. After seeing his brother, he wasn't so sure. Something sinister wafted around him.

Alrik relaxed back into his chair, his eyes drifting off to stare idly at the wall. “My brother's come back to open the rift. Just how do you plan to do that?”

“I have an agreement with the Commander of the Atal Warriors. I have the documents with me so you can see the proposal.” Leaning forward, he took the folded proposal out of his back pocket and tossed it on the table between them. Alrik made no move to pick it up.

“Tobius en Kulev? I think I'm surprised you'd work with him, though I guess I shouldn't be since you've done it before.”

The jab cut straight to the quick. Telal stood in a rush, ready to get all the shit out. “No, Tobius died a long time ago by some renegade demons. His son, Tyrian, is in charge now. I have a loose acquaintance with him.” He left out the part involving the Bellum sisters. “He'll agree to the proposal but there are some 'ifs'.”

Alrik smirked. “Some 'ifs'...”

“Listen, that night I didn't betray you—”

His brother's booming laughter overshadowed anything he might have said. Alrik stood and walked to a long wooden table against a wall that held bottles of various liquors and glasses of various sizes. He poured himself a tall glass of frenzia, strong demonic liquor, and tossed back the harsh drink then poured another and did it again.

“I had an arrangement with Tobius to have the nether two rifts closed off for protection. I was trying to help us from all the attacks.”

Alrik nodded as if he understood. “That makes perfect sense, brother Telal. Go to our enemy the vampires and get help from them without consulting our father first. Perfect...sense.”

Telal clenched his jaw. “I know I was wrong now and foolish, but I'm trying to make things right.”

Alrik quickly turned around, his strange dark eyes swirling with an eerie energy. “Bad news for you, brother. I am king now and I don't want the rift opened.”

Telal shook his head. “Why wouldn't you that? It makes no sense.” Telal quickly thought back to all of his plans, years of planning, and already so many unexpected things had happened to throw him off. This especially he'd never figured into the equation. Of course, he didn't know his brother would be tainted too. Tainted with what? A voice asked in the back of his mind.

“Do you wish to challenge me for the throne?”

“A fight to the death? You have to be kidding me. You are my brother.”

Alrik's cool gaze turned positively icy. “As if that means anything to me.”

And just like that Telal's heart broke in his chest. A cold numb feeling drifted lazily through his body, filling his limbs and muscles with lethargy. Everything he'd worked for, to get to this moment, was shattered. He had the distinct urge to port home, put a gun to his head and blow his fucking head off. The one person he'd ever loved, his blood, hated him. How couldn't he? logic demanded. Fuck off, he told it.

“You have not become a good king.”

He had nothing left to lose now, even if his brother killed him it wouldn't be any worse than what he felt now. Hell, that would be a relief to the raw burning agony in his chest.

Real anger surged in his black eyes. “You're here for five minutes and think you know everything about my kingdom?”

Telal took several hard steps towards him, his hands curling, ready to throw the fuck down. “Where are the prolitare? Why are all the stuffy royals drinking gaily in their finery in the castle? If anything, it looks worse now than when father was king.”

Alrik roared and charged at Telal like a massive battering ram. His shoulder slammed into Telal's stomach, shoving all the air out of him. It felt like he'd tried to shove his innards out through his spine. Telal went stumbling back, his feet slipping on the rug, then he caught his bearings and dug his feet in deep, pushing back with a roar of his own.

They both went down to the ground in a roll, elbows digging into the ground, knees cracking on the floor.

Alrik pulled back his head then whipped it forward, cracking Telal's nose like a toothpick.

“Fuck me!” shouted Telal and pulled back his fist letting it fly. He only got in one good shot before arms wrapped around him and pulled him off his brother. He fought the restraining arms and slid several feet closer to his brother who stared coldly at him from the floor. He wiped at the blood at the corner of his mouth and smeared it across his cheek.

“Get off of me!” He started channeling his magic, breathing heavily, then let his power fly. The men holding him were shot backwards as if a wave crashed into them. They slammed into tables and walls, breaking everything in their path.

Alrik cocked a brow. “Your powers have grown too, I see.”

“Pull off the guards and fight me,” he growled.

Alrik gave the order and the men slowly got to their feet and shuffled out of the study. “I have a better idea.” He jerked his head towards the door and left. Telal followed, apprehensive, his blood positively boiling in his veins with the need to lash out. Alrik led them back to the throne room. Again he saw the woman and, like a punch to the gut, recognition hit. It was Arianna...his fiancé. Surely she'd moved on a long time ago. The marriage had been prearranged by his father and mother with her parents.

His mother rose when she saw him. She wore an exquisite gown of golden sequins and diamonds that trailed behind her as she slowly came towards him. She stopped before him, her pale hands clasping together gently at her waist.

“My son Telal. It's been a long time.” She said it as if she hadn't seen him in a year, not a thousand.

“Mother,” he acknowledged. Something was different about her. Her eyes, he realized. They were harder, darker. He hadn't thought that'd be possible.

“Whatever are you doing back here?” she asked softly.

Alrik came up to them. “Now's not the time for that.” She glared at Alrik as he whisked Telal to the center of the dais. He stood in front of his great throne and looked out over the throng of royalty. “My brother is back, ladies and gentleman, and wishes to open the rift to the Atal Warriors.”

Gasps of shock echoed throughout the great hall. Alrik held out his hand and the voices quieted. “According to him he didn't betray us. What say you to that?”

The response came immediately. Everyone stood, screaming and shouting, their fists coming down hard on the tables and rattling their golden plates. Telal watched the sea of red-faced royals with a dispassionate gaze. Alrik turned back to him with hatred blazing in his eyes.

“And you didn't come alone.”

Telal tensed, his mind searched to figure out what he meant, or if this was a trap. Had Kearnyn followed him after all...or did...no that was impossible?

Satisfaction filled Alrik's demented gaze. “Bring her in!” he ordered.

Telal's gut clenched. No way. She couldn't be here.

* * *

The bars to the door opened and Lily was shoved face first inside. She slipped on the hay-covered floor and fell. At the last second, she turned her head so only her cheek slammed into the ground. She groaned as hot, flaring pain throbbed in her jaw. Footsteps came up behind her and before she could try to scramble away, someone cut the ropes at her wrists. The steps retreated then the metal barred door crashed closed behind her.

Lily slowly turned around to a sitting position, her hand rubbing weakly at her jaw which felt broken. She knew it probably wasn't, but damn if it didn't feel that way. She looked around to survey her cage. Next to her cage, which was only about the size of a bathroom, no more than six foot by six, were dozens of more cages filled with people just like her. Well, she thought, not just like her. Many were multicolored demons with strange or unique skin and hair colors, both men and women. Most only gave her a passing, pitying glance then went back to talking in demonic to their cell mates.

Lily looked around her cell and saw a bucket. The smell of it quickly burned her nose with the putrid odor of bodily waste. She gagged, bile rising hot and thick in her throat and this time she couldn't hold it back. Quickly scurrying to the opposite corner of the cell she retched, part potion, part dinner she'd eaten last night. When she finished, she grimaced. Burning liquid pooled in her eyes but she squeezed them shut to keep any tears from falling. She rarely acted foolish but now she had to agree with Telal—she'd thoroughly fucked up.

There wasn't a bed, hell, not even a pallet of some kind. Just a bunch of dirty hay strewn about the dirty floor. Lily winced, her arms burning from being dragged about by the arms. She crawled to the back of the cage and leaned against it, her head falling on her knees. She wanted to cry but couldn't do it here. Not out of some female rage against tears but because others were around and she'd be even more embarrassed. For the first time in her life, she truly felt like a fool.

She wiped the foul taste off her lips with her sleeve. A faint tremble began in her fingers, then spread to her hands. She wished like hell she had her special juice from back at the apartment. She should have drunk some before she left. Her stomach rolled with nausea, the first symptom of withdrawal from it.

A hissing sound had her head jerking to the cage next to her. For the first time she noticed the person inside. An older woman, so skinny bones protruded from her knobby wrists, fingers, and shoulders. Her clothes hung loosely from her body as if she'd once filled them out but had loss significant weight. Her hair was a matted, dirty mess filled with knots and clumps from never seeing a brush. Her head jerked constantly as if she couldn't keep it still.

“Did you say something?” Lily asked hesitantly.

The woman suddenly crawled to the bars separating them by moving on her knees and fists like a monkey. Lily flinched as the woman's pale bony hands curled around the bars. Her hands were black with filth, but it was her face she was more interested in. It was her face she couldn't see. Dirt covered it, and what the dirt didn't cover, her matted hair did.

“You...you are new,” the woman hissed softly.

Lily's heart started to race with fear. The woman looked like a wild animal. Lily had the urge to go to the opposite corner of the cell, to get as far away from the woman as she could. But her choice lies between being close to the woman or the rotten excrement bucket. She chose the woman.

“Yes, I am.”

“What-what did you do? Steal?” She laughed, the soft sound hoarse, wheezing.

“No, I didn't steal anything.”

Suddenly the woman's head stopped shaking. Her grip on the bars tightened. “You...you don't speak in Demonic.”

Lily's brow raised. She'd assumed the woman knew she was speaking in English since she did as well. “Yes, of course. I don't know Demonic.”

The woman jerked as if she'd been hit, then frantically started shoving chunks of hair out of her face. Her eyes, glaringly white against the dirt on her face, shone wide and frantic as she stared at her. Her eyes raced over Lily’s face and hair.

“You, you are not demon.”

“No, I'm not.” She paused as she thought about it. “And neither are you.”

The woman didn't respond, but her eyes widened on hers with an edge of madness to them. “No one here is not a demon. No one.” She shook her head several times to prove her point.

She was right, but Lily didn't know what to say, so she shrugged. “That's probably true.”

The woman shook her head like she had bugs crawling in her hair and she was trying to get them out. “No, you don't understand. I am the only one who isn't a demon. Me. Who are you?”

Lily wrapped her arms around herself. There was a definite chill in the air, but the woman's word made her even colder. “My name's Lily.” It probably wouldn't matter but she withheld her last name from the deranged woman.

“Lily...” the woman said softly. She repositioned herself, plastering herself against the bars until her bony knees squeezed through the tight metal bars and her face squished through. “That name is familiar. So familiar.”

The hair on the back of Lily's neck stuck straight up. Finally having enough of the crazy woman, she scooted backwards, away from the partition between them. When she had some distance between them, she felt a little bit safer, no matter how crazy that might be.

“What...what's your name?” Lily asked, mostly out of politeness.

The woman's lips parted and a faraway look came to her glossy eyes as she lifted her head skyward. There was no sky to see here, only a black metal roof. “My name...” Her head slowly drifted side to side, almost as if she were humming a tune in her head or dancing a waltz in a past time. “My name is Mary. No one, no one calls me that. No one.” The faraway look disappeared in an instant, a candle snuffed out. She shook her head again and again as she said the choked words, her hands releasing then squeezing the bars over and again.

This is what I'll become if I stay here. The thought sent dread down her spine.

“If you aren't a demon then what are you?” The rift had been closed for so long; this woman must have been captured before the Great War. A thousand year sentence was an awful long time to be imprisoned. Lily could easily picture herself being worse off than this woman was.

“Succubus.”

Lily sucked in a harsh breath. Her eyes screwed up in amazement, shock. “So am I.”

The woman jerked again and started rocking, using her grip on the bars as leverage. She looked so much like an autistic child seeking comfort. Lily's defenses finally came down, and she crawled across the dirty floor to the woman, wanting to comfort, hug her, something. The woman stopped rocking as she neared, her eyes, half hidden by hair, peered at her shrewdly.

“May I ask you a question?” Lily asked. Well, right now she had several. Btu she felt the woman's fear and hesitance, too, and didn’t want to scare her off.

“I don't know,” the woman said, her body pulling back in a subconscious gesture.

Lily kept her voice quiet and relaxed. “How long have you been here?” The woman had to be well past her 29th-year, which meant she went through her new moon. Thought succubus could live to a really long time, like her father did, if they stayed well fed. How was she still alive? A succubus without sex of some kind to feed her, killed her.

“Can't be sure,” she said quickly. “Days runs together, never end. Long time ago.”

“Was it before the Great War?”

The woman's eye flew open with fear. “Not that long. Not that long.” She shook her head side to side and didn't stop.

“Do you...do you know your last name?” Lily's heart pounded as she asked. Something inside her told her this was important. She didn't know why, but maybe if she got out of here then with the help of Telal, she could get this woman out of here. Get all of these prisoners out of here.

“Forgot long ago. Lucky I know my first name.” She paused, her eyes bulging. “If that is my first name. Is my name Mary?” she whispered.

Lily kept her voice calm and low. “Yes, yes it is.” The woman looked relieved at her answer as if she could somehow give her information into her own life. “Can you try to remember your last name? I might be able to help you.”

The woman scurried back a few feet on her knees, scraping the skin but making no show that she cared. Her hands ran jerkily up and down her arms as she rocked. “I don't...I don't know.”

“Can you try, Mary?”

Maybe it was having someone use her first name, or just being kind to her, but she stopped rocking and stared at the floor, her face hidden by hair. “Beagle. Blue. Bells.” After each guess, she shook her head like she knew it was wrong. “Balls, low, bell, bells.” She was rocking hard now, each guess sending her voice higher, more frantic. Her hands gripped her hair in tight fists and pulled. “Bellum. Bellum. Bellum.”

The last word echoed in Lily's mind. She couldn't say anything. Couldn't even wrap her mind around it. At first, she analyzed the woman's words, tried to figure out if when she'd introduced herself she said her last name. But no, she'd been too hesitant to do that. Her last name didn't come up at all. This woman, this older woman... Lily scrambled across the cell to her. The woman jerked at her frantic response and scrambled away.

“Don't come. Don't come near.”

“Are you Mary Bellum? Are you Mary Bellum!”

The woman started shaking, her hands frantically covering her ears as she rocked and rocked, her head held low. “I don't know,” she whispered fiercely. “That...that could be an old friend, just some name I remember from the past. I don't...I don't know.”

Lily did know. It all lined up, fused together. “When did you get down here? Why? How?” she demanded, her patience waning in the need for answers.

The woman backed further into the shadows of her small cage, further away from her.

“Answer me! I need to know!”

“Years ago...years ago.”

Lily gripped the cold bars and leaned in. “How long? About twenty-nine years?”

The woman shook her head. “I don't know. I don't know. Stop talking. Don't talk to me anymore. I don't like.” She wrapped her arms completely around her head and rocked with her head between her spread knees.

A door opened at the end of the hall and some frantic force inside her made her speak to this woman in fast, rushed tones. “Listen to me. My name is Lily Bellum. My father is Francis Bellum. I have two sisters named Willow and Chloe. Does any of this mean anything to you?”

The woman made a whining sound, her voice blocking out Lily's questioning.

“Answer me, please! I have to know. Are you my mother?” The heavy footsteps, two sets of them came closer. One stopped at her cage. Lily only spared the demon a parting glance. “Answer me! Are you her?” she practically screamed as the key in the lock turned and the cage was pulled open.

The woman keened higher as her own cage door was opened. The guard came forward with a length of rope in his hand. Lily launched at her cage. “Don't touch her! Stay away from her!”

The demon gave her a laughing look. “Time to feed, succubus.”

Lily's face paled and she watched as the woman stopped moaning and stood, watching the guard with wide, terrified eyes. The guard made a lunge for her and she hopped to the side and darted for the open cage door. She didn't make it out. The guard recovered quickly and grabbed her in a brutal grip, then wrapped the rope tightly around her wrists until the skin around it turned pink from the circulation being cut off.

“You-you can't take her,” Lily said slowly. Her mind was in shocked overload. She couldn't be witnessing what she thought she was. The truth was too awful to comprehend.

The demon ignored her, and the woman bowed her head as he dragged her out of the cage, her feet scraping against the hard floor.

“Mary, are you her?” she shouted one last time as the demon in her cage pulled her arms behind her and trussed up her hands.

The woman and the guard neared the door. The demon opened it and at the last second before the woman disappeared, her face lifted completely, the hair free from covering her face for the first time, and Lily saw her sister's eyes.

“Mother!” she screamed as the door slammed shut.

CHAPTER 18

Telal braced himself as two guards came into the throne room. One marched ahead while the other dragged a fighting woman behind him. She faced away from him, but he recognized her size and hair color in an instant.

“What is she doing here?

Alrik watched his expression. “You should know. She came here with you.”

“No she did not. The idiot came here alone, probably thinking to help me.”

“Help you do what exactly?” Alrik said.

Telal leveled his hard gaze on his brother's. “To convince you to open the rift.”

Alrik smirked, his dark lips twisting. The guard stopped at the steps of the dais and shoved Lily to the ground. “Move and we'll make you regret it,” the guard said, releasing her.

They had her wrists tied behind her back, and Telal could see the strain it took on her body. But she didn't cry out, didn't make a sound. A small part of him...was pleased with her. Even though her own action brought her here, at least she handled it well enough.

“What do you plan to do with her?”

Alrik crossed his big arms across his chest. “She's fresh, young, and pretty. And she's trespassed. She'll be sentenced accordingly and I believe will become quite popular among the guards.”

Telal kept his expression blank as rage exploded inside him, making his blood race; his muscles tightened with the need to fight. He avoided her searching eyes; he couldn't look at her now or he might lose it and get them both stuck here.

“She's coming with me, Alrik.”

“Is she?”

His mother stepped forward and laid a manicured hand on Alrik's shoulder. “Let me touch her and get a feel for her.”

Alrik nodded and Telal tensed. His family always had strong magical powers. His mother's power was different, she could touch someone and sense things about them, though what good that could do her, he didn't know. Her powers didn’t end there, she had other darker abilities. They weren't made to be dark, but Telal had witnessed her vicious attacks with magic since he was a boy.

The queen took the steps down to the ground floor, her dress glittering in the candlelight like hundreds of little diamonds. She kept her shoulders pushed back sharply, her chin held high, her hands held loosely together. She wore her hair pulled back into an elaborate design that looped at the back of her head and trailed down in a mixture of intricate waves and weaves to her waist. She might look innocent, but he knew better.

She bent over Lily, a small smile playing on her red lips. She held out a slender hand to touch Lily. Lily jerked back, falling onto her bottom.

“Hold her,” the Queen demanded. The two guards came forward, each holding one of Lily's arms as she fought them like a wildcat.

Telal didn't entirely understand the response inside him, but some mixture of rage and possession roared through him like a battle shout. Before he knew it, he was walking towards her. Lily looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. The sight nearly killed him. He actually wanted to cradle her to him and tell her he'd get them out of this. Even with talks of jaheera demons and other things which would frighten most people, she'd never batted an eye. Now he saw real fear there and he was ready to pummel his fist into those who caused it. Starting with the guards holding her.

“Hurt her and you'll answer to me,” he told the guards, his voice low and steady.

The guards eased their grip on her arms. His mother turned to him with shrewd eyes. “This one means something to you?” Unsure whether to agree or not and not knowing which answer may make shit worse, he didn't say anything. His mother smiled as if she thought of something funny. “And to think Lady Arianna has been saving herself for you this whole time.”

Telal glanced back up at the dais to see Arianna perched delicately in her seat. She watched him with concerned eyes. When he spoke, he made sure to do so loud enough for everyone to hear. “That marriage proposal was created by my father who's dead now. The contract is void and very, very old. I have moved on.” He never even knew Arianna. He and Alrik had spent some time with her, mostly formal dinners with both sets of parents around. He couldn't particularly remember much about her, except that his brother used to watch her when he thought he wasn't looking. He'd felt bad about it at the time. He'd have gladly switched to be in Alrik's place if it meant making his brother happy. But things had changed since then.

“Get it over with,” he said.

The queen arched a thin brow at the order then pressed her hand to Lily's forehead. Lily's eyes squeezed tight, her lips meshing together as if in pain. Telal tensed. “Hurt her and you will regret it,” he warned again, softly this time for his mother's ears only.

His mother suddenly cried out and ripped her hand away from Lily like she'd been burned. Her eyes glowed wide, frantic. “She's strong. There's magic in this one,” she said to Alrik.

Alrik came forward. “I think we'll keep her.”

“Do it and die,” Telal growled.

Alrik sent him a chilling look. “Do not...threaten me, brother Telal.”

A cracking, sizzling energy tapped along his skin like spikes of electricity. The sensation grew along his throat and chest until the choking reflex kicked in. A warning from Alrik.

“I left the proposal in the study. Read it. I'll be back to learn what your decision is.”

Alrik took a seat at his throne, his chin on his fist. “You know what my decision is.”

Frustration crept in until Telal wanted to shout. “Just think about it, please!”

He could tell he'd surprised his brother, and for a moment, it looked as though the darkness recessed from his eyes. But just as soon as he saw it, it disappeared again.

“I will let you leave with the girl under two conditions.”

“What are those?” Telal's hands curled into fists. It wasn't just having someone else make orders of him, but that another held power over him that made him want to claw out his own hair.

“Vow to reject the contract between you and Arianna.”

“Done.” The woman meant nothing to him, and she obviously still held Alrik's attention.

“And never come back here again or I will kill you and any who enter.”

“Fine.”

The guards and queen stepped away from Lily, and Telal didn't hesitate, he strode towards her, wrapped his arm around her, felt her sag against him, and then he ported them the hell out of there.

* * *

Colors dissolved before Lily's eyes like a puzzle made of sand and all the pieces streamed coming together in little increments. She was in Telal's arms standing atop the black ashen rift; trees surrounded them, massive oaks with heavy branches and big green leaves. The air smelled different, colors looked different—they were home.

“Are you okay?” Telal said in his familiar deep voice.

Was she okay? Something hot and tight pulled in her chest until a sob broke from her, then another. Tears flowed down her cheeks in fast rivulets. He made a gruff sound and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her in his warm embrace. She felt him cut through her bindings at her wrists and then she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him to her like a child does a teddy bear when they're scared.

She couldn't even be sure what she cried about. Seeing her mother, knowing how they treated her there, or feeling for the first time in her life what it was like to be useless, powerless. Burying her face in his shirt, she let the tears come.

He spoke quietly to her in demonic words she didn't understand. She got their meaning; he was trying to soothe her. And it worked. Like snow melting in the sun, the cold chill of fear melted away bit by bit in his arms. He'd keep her safe; he'd protect her. One arm held her pulled against him so tightly that not a breath of air could pass between them, and the other trailed up and down her back in comforting strokes.

She let out an unsteady breath as the crying finally stopped. Her cheeks were warm from a mixture of crying and embarrassment, her eyes were wet, and now he had a large damp circle on his shirt. She pulled back and let out a ragged laugh; it felt good, eased some of the tension inside her. Then she looked up at his eyes, and stilled.

He watched her with predatory awareness. A tiger about to pounce. His eyes smoldered with needs, some of which she wasn't sure she could identify. His hand swept up into her hair to cup her head, tilted it to the side and her breath caught. She knew what he was about to do and every bone in her body wanted it. Her stomach and core clenched with something tight and hot, her breasts suddenly felt heavy in her bra like she'd break the straps of the flimsy material if she so much as jumped. And her heart raced so fast, so loudly, she heard it roaring in her ears, heard her choppy breathing cutting through the quiet air between them.

His eyes swept down to her mouth and then he leaned forward and caught her lips with his own. He didn't kiss her gently, he took her. His lips pressed hard against hers, his tongue conquering her, sweeping inside in a forceful thrust, paring against hers like he mimicked something else entirely. She moaned as the sensation swept up inside her, wetting her, teasing her, warming her blood like melted chocolate.

Her hands came up to grip the long tendrils of his hair. He groaned in approval then squeezed that arm and wrapped around her tighter, pulling her flush against his hard body. And hard he was. She pressed against him, eager to learn more about him, needing to feel him push against her and relieve the burning heat he created between her legs.

He changed the angle of the kiss, thrusting, circling his tongue heavily into her mouth, licking her lips, biting them, sucking them into his mouth and nibbling it with his sharp teeth. He bent his knees then rocked forward with her hips. A wild moan fluttered out from her as his cock speared against her sex. He growled something in demonic, then arched against her again, bending down then thrusting up against her core, rubbing his long cock against her swollen sex. Even with the obstruction of clothing, she whimpered and tightened her grip in his hair. It just felt so good; she'd never felt anything like it.

With a growing hunger of her own, she nipped back at his lips then thrust her tongue in his mouth, dueling and sucking the wet length. His hands became eager, sweeping down her back to cup her bottom and hold her still as he worked his hips against her, bumping his cock along her clitoris in a way that made everything clench tighter inside her like a coiling spring. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, everything was getting harder: her breathing, her tense muscles, her nipples. There was nothing else in the world except him and her.

A sharp whistle tore her out from her sultry thoughts. She whipped her head to the side just as Telal did and they knocked noses against each other. With a soft giggle she rubbed at the throbbing protrusion.

Atop a small cliff stood Kearnyn. Comprehension slowly came. Of course they wouldn't be back at the Tennessee rift, he probably had no clue she even went there. He'd ported them back to where he'd left from—where ever that was.

“Kearnyn,” Telal acknowledged. His arms were still wrapped around her like a second skin, still holding her bottom in his grip. He slowly opened his fingers then pulled his arms away, and finally took two steps back.

“It's been four hours.”

CHAPTER 19

“Yes, that long,” Telal said, distracted.

His eyes watched her with a mixture of disbelief, desire, and confusion. Then he looked away and the bond between them broke. At Telal's look, Kearnyn hopped down from the cliff, kicking up a black ashy smoke cloud. He came towards them and Telal wasted no time touching both of their arms and porting them again.

Telal's office appeared and with only a glance at Telal she could see he looked as weary as she felt. Suddenly, she felt so tired, exhausted.

Her eyes grew heavy, her muscles lax, and she yawned broadly. “Come on, I'll take you to your room.”

She nodded and started walking with zombie-like steps to the door, but then he came up behind her and scooped her up in his arms. She let out a surprised sound and wrapped an arm around his neck, then when he didn't protest that, laid her heavy head on his shoulder. She sighed. It felt good.

He turned to Kearnyn. “When I get back, we have to talk. Wait here.” Then he was walking to the elevator and they were waiting in it as the machine slowly drifted down to her floor. She kept her heavy eyelids closed the whole time and let her body relax more and more by little increments. He smelled wonderful, sexy and male. He felt even better, strong and agile.

He'd kissed her, done more than that. There was something there. The fact that she hadn't made that up in her twisted mind brought a smile to her face. He opened the door and kicked it shut behind him. She opened her eyes at the cold, modern hotel-style room. Her few meager items were still on the dresser and floor. The sheets still ruffled and pulled down. It all looked the same, but it felt so much different now. He walked her to the bed, tightening his hold on her as he reached down to pull the covers back.

“Want your shoes off?” he asked in a gruff, quiet voice. She was so tired she could barely talk so she just nodded and toed them off. He set her in and pushed her legs under the covers, then pulled them up to her chest. She just looked up at him, trying to figure out what she should say about everything. He looked awful. Handsome, but awful. Lines etched across his forehead, his eyebrows were drawn down in consternation, and his lips down in a frown.

He started to pull away and she reached up, her fingertips gliding across his cheek and lips. “Don't be sad.” She didn't know how, but she'd do everything in her power to make things right, to help him. He jerked his head to the side in a 'no'.

No what? He couldn't not be sad or did he not want her to touch him? He stood and started to turn away but at the last moment, came back around and leaned down over her.

“Telal,” she said softly.

He half-laughed, who knew what about. “I like you better like this.” She pulled back in confusion.

“Like what?” He only shook his head again and pressed his lips against hers, softly, the touch barely there. Then he pulled away and went to the door. His eyes scanned the room one last time as if making sure it was clear of perpetrators. His eyes caught on something on the floor—probably her mess of clothes. He walked to the other side of the room and picked up and empty jar.

Lily's stomach hit the floor, her pulse raced. He brought the jar to his nose and sniffed, cringing.

“What is this?”

“For my pain.” His eyes lifted to hers.

“Should I make you some?”

Her heart melted. That he'd do that for her now almost made her want to cry.

She shook her head. “No, I don't hurt badly. Just some sore arms.” He nodded then set the jar on the dresser, then glanced down at the floor and picked up her other empty jar. He smelled that one too. “This one doesn't smell nearly as bad. Two different potions?”

Her heart pumped double time. She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Y-yes. Both for healing. One to heal faster, the other for pain.” Nodding, he set the empty jar next to the other one. At the door he turned back to her. “Good night, Lily.”

“Goodnight, Telal.” He left, closing the door quietly behind him. Only after she heard the elevator at the end of the hall ding, did she spring out of bed and race to the jars. She gripped them both, hugging them to her chest. That was so close, too close. Her mind raced, panicked. She'd lied to him. God that felt bad. Really bad. She wanted to go straight up to him now and confess. But she couldn't. They'd made so much progress, real progress. He'd talked to her for the first time tonight not in that snide, condescending way.

Fingers trembling she put away the pain jar and took the other over to her sack of goodies from Rosa's. The sweats came again, her fingers trembling. She'd been so tired before, reading to pass out and forget all about tonight, but now she'd seen the jar. No way could she get it out of her mind now. She mixed the herbs and liquid then poured it into the jar. She sniffed it delicately and grimaced. It did smell awful. Her stomach clenched with need and revulsion. Revulsion not at the drink but at herself.

Wrapping an arm around herself, she stared at the foggy liquid and when the first tear slid down her cheek she swiped it away quickly. With three big gulps, she drained the jar. It fell loosely from her fingertips, rolling a few circles across the fancy white carpet. Her head whirled, the room spinning around her for a moment. She felt dizzy as the warmth spread throughout her body and cells. It took longer than usual for the feeling to come. She'd missed her evening drink, that's all.

The word withdrawal came to mind, but she quickly shoved it out of her mind. Then the feeling came.

Joy, pure happiness, rapture.

Lily fell back on the carpet, laughing, her lips split in a big grin. Her body felt amazing, loose, and warm. Her mind was quiet and happy, no nasty thoughts intruding.

Smiling until her cheeks hurt, she climbed across the floor and up into bed where he'd pulled the sheets back. She tucked herself in and felt—amazing.

CHAPTER 20

Kearnyn headed to Telal's office after a fitful night's sleep. This was definitely unusual for him because normally something really fucked up would have to happen to make him miss sleep. Even during war times, ages ago, when his shift was over he'd hunker down in his trench, pull up his furs with his sword clenched between his hands, and pass out like a baby to sounds of clashing metal and cries of pain. It was just how he was made. He slept heavy and deep like a hibernating bear.

But not last night. Last night he'd tossed and turned going so far as to turn completely around in his bed and try sleeping with his head at the foot of the extra-long frame. Didn't work. It's not like he'd had a whole lot on his mind. He hadn't. But something didn't feel right; he just didn't know what it was.

Of course, Telal looked like a mess last night. He'd never seen Telal look like that. There'd been only a few times he'd seen his boss even disheveled. The first had been when the news came that Tobius en Kulev had been killed and the other was last night. Everything about Telal had been off. His demeanor, his words, his look. He'd been passive, everything he said sounded like an afterthought. He'd looked...sad. Whatever happened in that rift had been bad, that much he knew.

Kearnyn bit back a curse as he went into the office. He stopped at once. The room was dark. What the... He checked his watch to make sure of the time. 6:00 in the morning on the dot. Telal was always up and working right now. Fuck, this must be worse than he'd thought.

Switching on the lights as he went, he opened Telal's bedroom door and flicked on the light switch. The lights flickered on to show an empty bed without as much as a wrinkle in the perfectly made comforter. Not a scrap of clothes were left on the floor—nothing.

This had to be really bad.

Kearnyn thought for a moment, and then went with his gut. He knew where he was.

Back at the elevator, he hit the button for floor thirty-five. The doors dinged open and a short path down the hall was a solid white door with a key code on the side. Kearnyn punched in the digits and the door unlocked with a whoosh of compressed air. Inside he heard a mixture of blaring noises, a television and music playing at the same time at a decibel that even a deaf person could hear. Cringing at the offensive sounds, he walked inside not knowing what to expect.

“Shit,” he cursed.

The rec room was Telal's personal space. To Telal, the space was more personal than his bedroom or office. This was where he went if he wanted to work out, meditate, or in this case...get stinking drunk while blaring every electronic in the apartment.

Telal sat in a leather chair, a beer in one hand, a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other. The Jack had only a sliver of liquid left inside. Only when Telal lifted the beer can to his lips did Kearnyn sigh with relief. At least he was still alive. Telal faced a large flat screen television that took up most of the wall with some kind of horror flick playing on it. A woman was running from a masked man with a big butcher's knife in his hand. Kearnyn smirked at it. Somehow, though she was running and he walking, the killer seemed to keep pretty darn close to her the whole time.

Stalking to the radio, blaring some kind of rap with a throbbing beat, Kearnyn killed the power. Instantly, the tension in his head eased. The woman on the television screamed as the killer neared her. Her cry seemed to pierce straight through his ear drums.

Kearnyn was trained for many things—picking up after his slobbering drunk boss was not one of them. Still, he went to him and hunkered down to meet him on eye level.

“Sir...” Shit, he stalled for words. He didn't know what to say.

Telal's gaze slowly slid from the TV to him. His eyes were red, glossy, and low-lidded. On closer inspection, everything about him looked wrong. His blue hair looked like a bird had made a nest out of it. It was fuzzy and matted like he'd spilled something in it; and its normal sheen looked dull and lifeless.

“Where'd the music go?” he slurred.

“I turned it off, sir. Can I help you get to your room?”

One eyebrow lifted. “Why'd I wanna go there? That song was my jam.”

Kearnyn frowned. This was more awkward and difficult than he'd thought it'd be. “'Yous a hoe' is your jam, sir?”

“Yes, in fact, buy me the rest of that artist's albums. I want all of his music. Pure genius, Kearnyn. Genius.”

“Yes...sir.” Kearnyn stood, not knowing what to do. “Sir, can I get you something? Food, water, a bed perhaps?”

Telal choked on a laugh. “You are funny, my friend. No, if you don't mind leave me now. I wish to drown alone, thank you.”

Drown alone? That sounded like some suicidal shit right there. Kearnyn took the bottle of Jack and beer out of Telal's hands and stalked to the kitchen. He'd leave, but first he was tossing all this shit out.

“Where are you going?” Telal asked in a deadly voice.

Suddenly pressure encased Kearnyn's body; his steps stopped, leg muscles spasming from some outside source, and tight suffocating pain enveloped him from head to toe. Fuck, not his magic. Sweat pooled on his brow. Burning pain breached his skin, singeing his nerves like he was standing over a fire. Then of their own accord, his body turned and he marched back to Telal. Telal’s glare held a spark of deep hatred that Kearnyn had never seen before. When Telal tore the bottle and can out of his hand he actually sighed in relief. As soon as he had them back, the look receded. The burning magic around him faded until he regained movement in his own body.

“Do not interrupt me until I say so. Got me, Kearnyn?”

“Yeah, I got you.” Kearnyn made his way for the door.

“Turn the music back on.”

Rolling his eyes, Kearnyn hit the power switch on the radio. 'Yous a Hoe' came blasting through the speaker system, the bass loud enough to demolish an old building.

“I'm going to Rosa's to check on production of the weapons.” The only indication he received that Telal heard him was the bottle of Jack being raised in a salute in the air. “What about your guest?” The hand paused in mid-air then slowly lowered back into his lap.

Even over the loud music and the terrifying screams of someone being murdered on the TV, he still heard Telal's low demand. “Do not tell her where I am.”

Kearnyn shook his head. “You got it.”

CHAPTER 21

A brisk knock came at the door.

Arianna closed the journal she'd been writing in and went to answer it. She recognized the steward from the other night and instantly her gut tightened.

“Yes?”

“King Alrik has commanded your presence.”

Oh, God. “Well, I will have to change.”

The steward shook his head. “I'm afraid he's ordered your presence immediately.”

Arianna nodded, feeling like this couldn't be happening to her. Oh, but it was. She closed and locked the door behind her then followed the steward down the hall. She still hadn't recovered from their last dinner together, and it was too early for dinner now. Maybe he wanted to have breakfast with her. Or maybe he wanted... No, she couldn't think about that. That's all she'd been thinking about since he told her.

And now things had changed. She'd seen Telal, her betrothed, for the first time since the war. His appearance was like seeing someone brought back from the grave, she'd been shocked beyond belief and excited to see him. Then he'd publicly denounced their marriage. And that was that. Her opinion made no difference on the matter. Now Alrik wanted her for...sex. Even thinking it made strange feelings grow inside her, made breathing difficult. Who could have thought that such a simple task could be so troubling?

The steward led her down the hall to the royal dining room again. She sighed with relief. Whatever he had planned, he wouldn't be doing it in the dining room. Or would he? Her eyes widened. He'd touched her the first time in there, had made her feel...strange and exciting feelings. If she were honest with herself, she'd admit she wanted to explore those feelings. See just how much he could make her feel. But it all felt so wrong. If this had been before the war when he was a different man, things would be so different. Now he was dark, his heart black. He was not a good man.

The steward opened the double-wide doors. “After you, Lady Arianna.”

She walked inside and mentally checked to make sure her small smile was in place, her hands resting neatly at her sides, her chin up. Alrik was nowhere to be seen.

Arianna turned back to the steward just as he was closing the doors. “Where's the king?”

“He shall arrive momentarily, my lady.”

Arianna flinched as the doors closed. From the last booming echo of the door shutting, she felt as though her fate had been sealed. Silence filled the air. The chandeliers were lit and flickering over the grand table, but no plates were set for a meal. Unease trembled through her. Unsure what to do, she walked to the table then crossed back to the door. Again and again. What did he want with her? Why bring her here now? Without a formal appointment? Her gut twisted and churned. Her fingers began to tremble and she wrung them together to hide it.

The servant's door burst open and she stifled a yelp. King Alrik strode through it looking more tense and angry than usual. His brows were pulled down, his lips flat. He started towards her and she back up until her back hit the door. He stopped at the table and tossed down a packet of papers.

“There,” he said.

Her brow arched. “There what?” she asked, breathless.

“Read it.”

With no other choice, she obeyed his order. She had to come close to get the papers, and he didn't move, which put her much closer to him than she wanted to be. It was inappropriate of him to stand so close to her but then again he'd had his hand down her dress last time. Her breath caught and she quickly starting reading over the papers. She shouldn't be surprised at what she read, but she was.

“So it's complete,” she said finally, her tongue dry.

“Yes.”

She nodded slowly then set the papers back on the table. “I am now officially...single.”

He shook his head. “No.”

Her brows pulled in confusion. “But this said I am not betrothed to anyone. Wouldn't that make me single?”

“Normally, but I have claimed you.”

She swallowed hard and closed her mouth to keep from panting. “What-what does that mean?” If he meant claim in the savage sense of the word then he certainly hadn't done that. She'd never lain with a man but she was certain she'd remember it. Especially by the dark king.

“It means that you are mine now.” He pulled out the chair beside him and dropped into it. He stared up at her with a lazy expression on his face, almost like he was bored. She tried to ignore his big legs kicked out and spread before him but she couldn’t help but notice how strong his legs were, how long. A blush crept over her face.

“But in what way? If we are not, that is, if we are not betrothed...” she whispered the last.

“Come here, Arianna.”

She stiffened but didn't move. Fear kept her immobilized.

“Come. Here,” he said again, an edge to his deep voice.

Arianna closed the space between them until she stood by his chair. His hand reached out to grab hers, then he yanked, and she fell into his lap. No lessons on manners or teachings of etiquette ever taught her how to deal with this. She stiffened awkwardly, and tried to keep her back straight but her bottom rested atop his spread thighs and her feet dangled off the side of the chair.

One strong arm slid around her back and instantly the strain in her back and abdomen lessened. His other dark hand came to rest on her stomach which clenched hard in response.

“We are not betrothed. You are mine now. I'd recommend that you don't let any males pursue you, Arianna. Now that the whole kingdoms heard what's happened, the males will come out to try to claim you.”

Her eyes darted to his gaze, and then quickly stared ahead at the wall. He meant to what, then? Keep her as some sort of concubine? The notion was absurd, degrading, and she hated him for it. A part of her wanted to say that if you don't want any males to claim me, then do it yourself, but that would only lead to huge, huge problems. Like what if he agreed? No way. No way could she be his wife.

The hand at her stomach flattened until she could feel the heat of his fingertips as though he was touching her skin to skin. “Why are you doing this?”

“I told you. I've waited a really, really long time for you, Arianna.” The hand around her back curled around her hip.

Her breath stuttered out from her lips as little zaps of pleasure shot inside her like fireworks. Somehow she found the strength to look him in the eyes. “But you've changed so much,” she said softly.

His eyes froze over, the heat in them disappearing like a receding wave on a shore. The hands on her body tightened in what felt like a warning. Then in a flash of movement, the hand at her back vanished and cupped her neck, pulling her face towards his. Wild excitement, panic, and fear all combusted inside of her. She could feel his breath on her lips she was so close. Her stomach trembled. She wanted to feel the wicked heat he lit inside her last time. Wanted to see just how far he could take her; discover what exactly he could make her feel.

His eyes narrowed on hers. “Then remember me how I was.”

His mouth came down on hers hard, demanding. Her inexperienced mouth didn't know how to keep up. One thing she did notice was the metal loop in the corner of his bottom lip. It felt surprisingly cold but smooth and not very noticeable. He deepened the kiss, his hand moving to cup her jaw, and his thumb pressed down on her chin, opening her mouth. And then his tongue delved inside, thrusting, creating a stir of riotous feelings inside her.

A fog drifted over her at the different sensations. Warmth pervaded her every cell until her clothing felt suffocating. The hand at her stomach moved, curling around her hip and squeezing gently. A soft gasp came from her, out of nowhere. He seemed to eat it up because he groaned, thrusting his tongue inside her faster, hungrily. An all new sensation came forth, like the one he'd made her feel last time.

She suddenly had the need to spread her legs and pull him on top of her. She craved the heavy weight of his body—only he could ease the needy ache building inside of her.

He pulled away from her mouth. “Kiss me back,” he ordered, his deep voice ragged with something she was starting to understand. She felt the hunger inside of her, it made her feel strange. Deep in her belly felt empty as if something was missing from there, and her body leaned closer to his to get more of his touch.

She nodded quickly then wrapped her arm around his neck. His lips parted and their tongues met. A beam of electricity passed between them at the touch. She struggled to breathe and kiss him at the same time, but somehow she managed it.

She slid her tongue against his rougher one and a burst of feelings erupted inside her. She squirmed in his lap feeling hot, needy, tight, and achy all at the same time. Her breasts felt taut, nipples hard and chafing against her dress. She parried her tongue against his thrusting one and wondered, if she asked, would he put his hand on her again.

He pulled back, breathing rough and ragged. “You are beautiful.”

She might have blushed if her cheeks weren't already flushed. “Thank you, King Alrik.”

“I told you to call me Alrik.” His thumb rubbed up and down next to her lips, distracting her.

“That's right. I'm sorry.”

He stood, taking her in his arms. “You taste so good.” His lips slid across hers, then pressed deep. When her mouth opened on a sigh, he slid deep and provoking. He set her on the table and stepped between her legs, but her long dress restricted him from pushing deep. He growled and grabbed the hem and started shoving the gown up to the tops of her thighs.

Arianna couldn't find her tongue long enough to voice her protest, because it felt thick and clunky in her mouth.

He pressed into her, his body warming her. He was just so hot. His hands settled on her waist and then, with a jerk, he scooted her forward pressing himself to the vee of her legs. She gasped, startled, as a flood of wetness escaped her. A fiery blush stole over her cheeks.

“This is inappropriate,” she whispered.

His lips found her neck, wreaking havoc with lips, tongue and teeth. Arianna couldn't hold her head up, it was too heavy, and it fell to the side. Not only that, but suddenly her entire body felt too heavy. She just wanted to fall back against the table and pull his heavy body atop hers and rub the spot aching between her legs against him. Just thinking such wild thoughts made her flush down to her toes.

His teeth caught at the juncture of her throat, imprisoning her. Pleasure bloomed from the bite, spreading to her chest, stomach, and legs. Strange things were happening in her body, tightening, heating, spasming; all from his simple touches. Her mouth opened to try to suck in more air.

“You are so soft, Ari,” he said, sounding pleased.

He called her Ari, the little nickname he used to. Her heart panged in her chest.

Before she could voice, or try to, some kind of response, the hands on her hips tightened and he rocked himself against her. A strangle cry escaped her. Her hands flew to his shoulders and held tight. More, more of that, she wanted to say, but her tongue had long abandoned her. He rocked against her again and this time she concentrated on the feeling. He was hard, rigid, and long as he pushed against her. That one touch eased the empty hole inside her and brought forth a new feeling. This one she was familiar with. She'd pleasured herself before, but none of those times were nearly as exciting as this was.

Hot lips trailed down her collar bone, kissing, licking, then down further to the edge of her bodice. Yes, yes! Her breasts were tight and full. They needed to be squeezed to alleviate the pain inside them.

Her hands bunched and squeezed at his shoulders in an unending kneading rhythm. “So eager.” His deep voice had gone husky with passion. The sound made her tremble.

She thought she nodded but couldn't be sure. Everything around her was happening too fast and too slow. Tentatively, she pushed her hips against him and moaned deliriously. She pushed against him again and another moan escaped. It felt so good. It pushed the neediest part of her against him and brought forth those intense clenching feelings in her womb, the ones that would send her shuddering with hot bursting sensations in her belly and flying outward.

“Fuck,” he cursed. And then something happened. Something was let loose inside him.

Alrik pushed her back against the table, following her down. Her heart jumped then started racing in an erratic pattern.

He reached behind her, gripped the back of her dress and tugged. She gasped as small pearly buttons shattered across the table. He was ruthless like a conqueror, pulling her dress down to uncover her breasts.

He kissed her lips hard then made his way down to the slope of one breast, pressing kisses around the rim of it. She trembled as her nipple pulled even tighter in response.

“Hold on to me,” he said between clenched lips, and she did, gripping the fabric at his shoulders in tight fists.

His tongue flicked out, tracing a path around her puckered tip over and over again. She squirmed beneath him, chest rising and falling in great heaves. Unable to contain herself, she lifted her chest, her nipple, to his mouth. His lips parted and she thought he was finally going to take the bud between his lips, but then his eyes trailed up to meet hers.

What she saw there made her gasp, made her hips pump up and meet his hard cock. Possession, burning need, barely leashed. She wondered at the look. Did her eyes reflect the same, because she surely felt the same simmering passion inside her right now? Then he closed his eyes and sucked her nipple between his lips.

“Aaah!”

The first touch felt heavenly and awful all at the same time. It brought relief to her aching breast as he pulled it between his lips, but made the empty ache in her belly her grow much much bigger.

They became wrapped up in each other as a sensual fog clouded over them. A primitive rhythm between man and woman locked them together, blocking out the world around them.

He worked her breast until she cried out, then he pulled away and molded it with his hand, squeezing and shaping until she craved his mouth on her again. But he didn't return. Instead he switched to her other breast, making her realize just how much she needed him there.

“Alrik.” She sounded like a completely different woman. Husky and sensual, so not like the usual polite person she was.

“I can't wait anymore.”

Her eyes flew open. What did that mean?

He reached down to grasp the end of her dress then shoved it up to her waist. While her stomach sucked in and her legs naturally closed at being bared to a man, her heart did a rapid thump thump.

Pulling back, he stood between her legs, his hands clasping her inner thighs in a possessive hold. He looked so...raw towering over her. His eyes were wild and dark, his breathing fast and heavy. And it was her he gazed down at with such passion. She had to admit, he was sexy when he was like this. He made her feel powerful, even though logically she knew she was anything but, especially compared to the king.

“Beautiful Ari,” he said, stroking his strong hands up and down her legs. With each pass, she gasped as he went higher and higher. Moving closer to the needy center of her.

The place between her legs begged to be touched in some way, and when one of his hands reached up to grasp her linen underwear, she lifted her hips easily so he could pull them off. Strangely, she found herself captivated by him. With one arm crossed across her chest in a form of half-modesty, she watched him look at her with growing hunger.

Her sex bared to him, he groaned, a shuttered look crossing his face. His tongue darted to wet his lips and then he leaned down and rubbed his cheek across her thigh, up to her hip. He pressed his lips against the bone there and she whimpered, her legs kicking. He'd caused this fire inside of her and now she needed him to do something about it.

“Please.” It was all she could say. But in that one word she voiced everything she was feeling inside, all the raw erotic energy twirling in her body.

His smooth cheek rubbed against her as he made his way back to the center of her legs. Hard, demanding hands pressed against the inside of her thighs and pushed. She resisted, startled, and clenched her thighs. A more useless effort had never been made. He easily overpowered her and pushed her thighs apart, opening her to him in one powerful move.

A surge of embarrassment came over her. She turned her head to the side, squeezing her eyes shut, hands curling into fists. A stream of cool air came over her heated, wet flesh. She gasped, hips jerked. She wanted to know what it was, what he was doing but couldn't, no, wouldn't, open her eyes to see. Having sex, dare she say, making love, was one thing, but this...this was complete debauchery. Men and women did not do this.

A finger passed over her, starting at the top of her hair then trailing over her wet lips. The touch was so light it could have been a feather he trailed. She knew it wasn't though. It was him and his hands touching her.

“Very, very beautiful, Arianna. I've wondered for years what you looked like, smelled like...tasted like.”

Her stomach muscles clenched hard. Tasted?

Suddenly, something very soft and fluttery passed over her lips in a gentle caress. She wanted to look, wanted to know, but not that badly. Whatever he was doing was wicked and wrong.

Something wet and firm passed over her, twirling around her flesh, sliding between it. A deep, groan reverberated out from his chest and she swore it made her body tremble.

His tongue. She knew it. It flattened, passed up her sex from the needy, empty part of her until a faint tremble began in her stomach, and shook out from to her thighs. His tongue stiffened, then thrust between her folds and found the magical spot she'd played with many times before.

Her gargled cry echoed in the massive room around them. The cries wouldn't stop because he didn't. Twirling, circular sensations stirred at the touch of his tongue against her spot, teasing and teasing. In a rush, her breasts pulled tight, nipples puckering, and her entire body trembled on the verge of something she desperately wanted to feel. A burning fire smoldered inside her, making her lungs burn with each panting breath. Her head swished side to side, her face drawing tight as he brought her closer and closer.

She finally reached the precipice, trembling on the edge of a crumbling cliff when he pulled away. Staggered, shocked and shaking, she looked up at him panting. He had a pained look in his eyes, and for some reason it turned her on even more.

“Why?” she panted. “Why did you stop?”

His hands reached for his pants and started to untie the laces. Her gut clenched. “Because we're going out together, Ari. The first time together.”

Her heart fluttered with panic...and excitement. He was going to take her? Here and now? Yes! She wanted it, she actually, really, desperately, wanted it. The ache inside her actually hurt since he left her hanging. The building surge she'd reached didn't fade but fell back into the background as she watched him. His pants dropped in a whoosh of fabric. She glanced between his legs then quickly turned her head to the side as a fiery burned blazed up her cheeks and nose. Improper, this was beyond improper!

From the corner of her eye, she watched him grip the stiff dark cock between in his legs. He wrapped his fingers around the shaft and stroked it up and down.

“Look at me,” he said. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “I said look at me, Arianna.”

She hesitantly obeyed the order, peeling first one eye open then the other. He leaned forward, resting his arm next to her hip as his wicked hand moved up and down that dark shaft.

“Do you want my cock inside of you, Ari?”

A hard pang throbbed inside her at his question, but she shook her head. He chuckled, the sound deep and husky.

“Don't lie to me. You're so wet you're practically dripping.”

Another blush blew over her, flaming her face, but she didn't look away. Instead she pursed her lips and glared at him until she saw the laughter floating in his gaze.

“Sit up, Ari.” She did. If it meant reaching that incredible precipice with him again, she'd do anything. “Now touch me.”

She froze, her fingers twitching, palms itching. She knew exactly what he meant, and she did want to do it. She wanted to know what he felt like in her hand, but she had no clue how. It didn't matter though because he took her hand and wrapped her fingers around his shaft.

Some internal, feminine response inside her made her moan at the feel of him. He was hard, thick, and long but soft as velvet. His breathing stuttered as she trailed her hand up and down him feeling the soft skin glide along her palm.

He growled then wrapped his hand around her neck and brought her in for a kiss. He kissed like a man out of control. Her reckless spirit jumped up and down that she’d made him feel so. That she’d done this to him. His tongue thrust into her mouth and she moaned as more wetness spilled between her legs. Touching his shaft and feeling his thick tongue thrusting inside her mouth created a heady sensation. Made her think wild thoughts about what it would be like to have that shaft between her lips.

He tore his mouth away and buried his face in her neck. The touch came, surprising, but sure.

A hot palm cupped her between her legs, fingers sliding, gliding across her wet flesh in stroking moves. He sucked at her neck, pulling her skin between his teeth until she shivered beneath him.

“Keep stroking me,” he growled, his words so low she barely heard him.

She followed his order and forced her hand to move up and down like she'd seen him do. But it wasn't enough and she needed to be closer to him, so she wrapped her free hand around his neck and held him close. He must have liked it because he groaned and bit her earlobe.

The hand between her legs parted her folds then circled her needy bud again and again, the touch light and gentle. It didn't matter; she quivered like a freezing woman. But she felt anything but cold, far from it. She burned inside, perspiration coated her skin from the heat of it. He slid his fingers along her, so easily from her wetness. Yet he wasn't embarrassed about it, in fact, he seemed to like it.

“Sweet, sweet woman.”

When his fingers trailed around her entrance, the place where no man had ever taken her, she tensed, her fist clasping him tightly. Another deep soul-shaking groan left him as he slowly, carefully, eased a finger inside of her.

She cried out, little moans coming again and again as she took in the sensations. It felt good, amazing, her flesh enclosed around him as he slid his finger out and back in again in a rocking motion. Her whole body loved it, wanted more of it, because while it brought something powerful out inside her, the empty ache inside her throbbed deeper. In a place where his finger couldn't reach.

“Touch me,” he demanded and his hand came up to cup the back of her head, threading through her hair and probably ruining the work she'd put into it today. But none of that mattered in the least because his thick finger pumped inside her again and again making her pant like a dog.

She moved her fist as her own passion went wild. Her grip tightened and her strokes came faster. It was as if through the pleasure she received she could give it back to him mindlessly. A sticky wetness covered her fingers, wetting them and she didn't know what it was, but it excited her.

The arm around his neck tightened, her breathing came in loud pants as her eyes squeezed closed. The finger inside her became two and she kicked out her legs, wrapping them around his thighs so she could rock her hips against him. His breathing stuttered against her neck as he came back at her mouth to claim her again.

She was lost in him. In his tongue dancing in her mouth, the hot rigid flesh in her hand, the tortuous pleasure he stirred between her legs. She must look like some kind of animal clinging to him, making gaudy noises, but she didn’t care at all. She only wanted one thing.

His palm flattened against her sex and began squeezing against her as his fingers worked—in and out, in and out. Pump, pump, squeeze.

The pleasure rose inside her like a great wave. Moans and gasps cried out from her throat and her hand worked him up and down, faster, faster. He kissed her harder and she knew they were both on the same wave length, riding the rising tide together.

And when it peaked, her entire body froze for a long moment, everything blanking, time seeming to stand still. Then it all came rushing back down in a great heave. She screamed as crushing pleasure exploded inside her. His lips pulled back and he shouted, the stiff member in her hand pumping, growing thicker, getting much hotter, and then warm wet splashes landed on her waist, her hip.

The fingers inside her slowed until they barely moved. Alrik breathed in ragged, jarring breaths just like she did.

He pulled away slowly and looked down at her legs. She followed his gaze. One brow flew up at the white substance covering parts of her hip to the thatch of hair between her legs. She reached out and touched it, finding it warm, creamy, and a little sticky.

His hands stroked up her thighs and hips. “Perfect.” She didn't reply because his voice sounded far away like an afterthought.

He pulled a white kerchief out of his pocket and wiped the substance off her stomach. After, he helped her to stand and let the dress fall down around her. As she leaned heavily against the table, her legs not quite stable yet, she watched him pull up his pants and tie them. She had to hold the top of her dress together. The table was littered with the small buttons that had held the back of the dress together.

A chill ran over her at his distant expression. She didn't know what to expect in regards to him with anything. Was he going to peck her forehead and bid her farewell now? Then call upon her when his need arose? Bitterness filled her, anger made her stiffen. If that was the case...then he'd be sorry.

He finished dressing then looked at her. Shock resonated through her core. His eyes...they looked almost violet like they used to. He cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing her. She swallowed hard and when he leaned down to kiss her, she savored it.

CHAPTER 22

Kearnyn took the company's bulletproof SUV over to Rosa's shop. The drive was short and with each mile closer he forgot about Telal and his problems and grew antsy with excitement.

It was nearly seven in the morning by time he reached her shop. He pulled his SUV to the curb and knocked on her door in the next second. He hadn't seen her in a while. Hell, he missed her. He was practically begging to be rejected and hurt by the beauty, but he didn’t care. It'd be worth the burn.

A dark, oval face appeared in the door's window and then the door opened. Rosa looked fresh and warm wearing a long dress with full sleeves in black.

“Rosa.” She looked amazing. He wanted to know everything about her until he knew her from the inside out.

With a hesitant smile, she turned the closed sign on the door to open and made room for him to enter. “Starting early today, huh?”

He loved how she spoke. All smooth tones and rolling syllables. He'd love it if she spoke her natural language to him. Shit, his dick hardened at the thought. Yeah, he'd like that a bit too much.

“Yeah, my earlier plans were canceled.” You could say that again, he thought wryly.

“Oh?” she inquired.

He followed her back through the beaded partition and into the work room. “Yeah.” He left it at that. Telal's business wasn't anybody else's.

Rosa got to work immediately. “Do you know if Lily got home safely yesterday?” She asked the question as if she wasn't sure how much he knew about the whole thing.

“Yeah, she and Telal got out of there. Don't know much else about it yet.” Not that he'd tell her, but it’d be damn hard for him to deny her. Man, he was being a total sap. All these crazy thoughts for a woman he'd barely talked to.

“I tried calling her this morning but she didn't answer.”

“Long night, heavy sleep I'm sure.”

“Yeah that must be it.” She didn't sound certain.

“I can have a guard check in on her if you'd like.”

She looked at him with wide, relieved eyes. Beautiful brown eyes. “Would you please? That'd mean a lot to me.”

He was up on his feet and in the next room ordering the call in the next second. Kearnyn finished and came back to take a seat but paused. The small child’s chair was gone and in its place was a sturdy wooden one. His lips curled up in a smile as he sat down. He sighed. It fit perfectly. She kept her eyes averted from him. He had the feeling she'd be embarrassed if he thanked her, so he kept his trap shut. The fact that she was concerned over his comfort now didn’t escape his notice.

Ten minutes later he received a text message. “Ms. Bellum is alive and well.”

“Oh, good. She's always getting into trouble.”

“And you're not?”

She seemed taken aback by the personal question. He'd have to tone it down; she was a shy one. “No, not at all. I keep to myself, quiet and busy.” After a moment of enspelling a weapon she grabbed another and started working on it. “So, where are you from?” she asked quietly.

Kearnyn smiled. He always felt good talking about his homeland. “Ireland.”

“I've never been,” she admitted.

“I'd love to take you sometime.” His voice deepened at the thought of her in his homeland. He could easily picture her there, lying in a sea of golden-samphire and blue-eyed-grass. She'd look lovely spread naked across it. His thoughts instantly derailed. Masking a groan, he fidgeted as his cock tried to stand up in his jeans.

“You have a lovely accent,” she said after a minute, her cheeks deepening with color.

“As do you.”

Her lips curled up in a semblance of a smile. He wanted to stand up and cheer that he'd made her do that or beat his chest like a preening gorilla. God, he was a beast.

Kearnyn waited for another three hours before he brought up what had been swirling around inside him. He waited until she made a cup of hot tea and sat down for a break.

“Are you ready?”

Her eyes widened. “For what?”

“To go out with me.”

She visibly swallowed. The teacup clinked along the saucer as she slowly placed it upon the table in front of her. “W-where are we going?”

“To lunch or breakfast. Whichever you prefer.”

“I'll have to get ready.”

He thought she looked amazing already but whatever. “Take your time.” Which really meant, I hope this doesn't take an hour. He wanted to feed her.

She came back in five wearing a pair of jeans that were neither too tight nor too loose and a plain white t-shirt.

“Why'd you change?” She still looked amazing. Just less witchy.

She shrugged and gathered up a black shoulder bag. “Something about wearing what I usually do makes me uncomfortable around normal people. They tend to stare.”

Kearnyn nodded though he didn't mention that what she wore probably had little to do with the attention she got. so much as how naturally beautiful she was. He led her outside and opened the passenger door for her. Her soft hand slid into his as he helped her up into the seat and he had to focus on not clasping their hands together like he wanted. He swore something passed between them with that touch—something warm and inviting.

His gut tightened. His cock started to throb with a dull pain from being semi-hard most of the morning. It made him feel like a creep around her. Maybe if he just got off once then it'd go away. Yeah, how many times have men tried that and failed?

He hopped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. He paused before pulling into drive and turned to her, one arm going to rest on the back of her head rest.

Eyes watched him, wary and shy.

“Before we go I need to tell you something.”

She scooted another inch against her seat. “Okay, what's that?”

He leaned in, keeping his eyes focused on hers. Damn, they were really pretty. Dark brown with flecks of gold and lighter browns. “I'm going to kiss you today.”

She gasped, her hand flying up to protect her neck like he'd just said he was going to kill her. “What? Why?”

He didn't move back, didn't give her the space her body screamed for. “Because I really, really want to.”

She practically trembled and while he could sit there and study her response to see if it was from excitement, fear or a mixture of both, he had a date to get her to.

* * *

They pulled up next to a cozy looking café in the city. Round tables with brown umbrellas sat under a wide red canopy from the building. People in business suits on their lunch break and groups of friends sat looking over their menus trying to decide what to order.

Rosa reached for her door handle, but Kearnyn's voice stopped her. “Let me get that.”

He hopped out the seat and opened her door for her. Again, her hand slid into his and it was like a spark shot between them. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she slid her hand out of his, disconcerted. Flashbacks from the vision she'd had still haunted her. Their bodies, naked and twining together while making love. Unlike her friend Lily Bellum's visions, hers were not hit or miss. They were always dead on.

She followed Kearnyn's big body into the café while her mind wandered off to her other recent vision—Lily dying. For once she hoped her visions were wrong, because the thought of losing her best friend made her want to vomit. Even the enchanted bracelet couldn't save Lily. When death chose you, there was no denying it.

She'd been through this before, too many times to count. Seeing close loved ones dying in a vision. A part of her had closed her feelings off to the matter; it was the only way she could cope with the grim knowledge she had. Lily's fate could possibly be changed, but that was up to her. Her own gift was merely an intermediary of sorts. She could see something but have no idea when, where, how, or why. So she dealt with the news as she did in the past—by pretending it didn't happen.

“What's wrong?” Kearnyn asked.

Rosa looked up from the table she'd been staring at. “I'm sorry, I was lost in thought.”

One reddish brown eyebrow shot up. “Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener.” She had no doubt he was.

She shook her head. “No, but thanks.” If she talked about her best friend dying then she might have a breakdown here and now. She had to keep herself detached from it, barricade her feelings from inside, or else she might not survive. She put on a smile. “So what's good here?”

He laughed a bit. “I have no clue. I don't eat food.”

Her lips pulled into a confused frown and then a light bulb went on inside. “Oh, I forgot for a moment that you're a...that you're a,” she glanced around the room for prying eyes then whispered, “Vampire.”

His green eyes lit up with laughter. “I am.”

Curiosity got the better of her. “So how do you, you know, eat?”

“Telal owns half a blood bank. He orders his own supply for me. It stays under the radar because I'm the only one who requires it on his staff.”

“Oh, the rest of his staff is human then?” He nodded.

The server came, a young woman with a bouncing blonde ponytail, and took her order. The waitress left with a promise to be back soon.

“You eat well.”

A flush warmed her cheeks. He stared straight at her and the look unnerved her so she pretended to study her hands. “Yes, well, I'm hungry.” She’d always had a voracious appetite.

He laughed, the sound very deep and masculine. “You don't have to sound sorry about it. I told you I wanted to feed you.”

Her lips twitched. “I don't recall you saying it quite like that.” Her eyes flicked up to meet his just in time to see his cheeks darken with color. She couldn't help but laugh and soon he laughed along with her, their eyes caught together.

After a moment the connection was too much and she broke it. She let out a long unsteady breath. I'm going to kiss you today.

The server came back and set a glass of tea on the table. Rosa sighed with relief at the much needed interruption. The café felt entirely too warm for her tastes. Maybe they should have chosen a table outside, she thought.

“How far along on you on the weapons?”

She took a sip of her tea. “I should be done in another two weeks. I could do it in one if you need them faster.” That would mean she'd get about two hours of sleep a night and she'd have to close her shop. She didn’t mind. Being on a deadline always gave her a rush that she liked.

“No, two weeks is great timing. So Rosa, are you going to tell me about the vision you had of us?” The way he asked it sounded erotic, husky. Caught off guard by the question, Rosa spit her tea onto the table.

Mortification quickly set it. Cheeks burning a deep red, she grabbed her measly white napkin and started patting at the mess. She’d never blushed so much in her damn life. It was getting to be irritated. He probably thought she was a simple-minded naïve fool.

“Here, let me.” He took the napkin from her and used his fresh one to clean the mess up. Still, she couldn't look at him. Instead she looked outside and watched cars driving by, people walking up and down the street with briefcases and purses all in a hurry to get someplace.

The server came back with her food and Rosa eagerly dug in if only to avoid answering his question or making a bigger fool out of herself. The man just rattled her so. From his large size to his kind eyes, the whole thing made her uncomfortable, nervous.

The silence stretched on as she ate. Eventually she had to look at him; they hadn't said a word to each other in at least five minutes. When she looked up, she found him watching her with a small smile on his face.

“What?” She couldn’t hide her defensive tone.

His smile turned into a smirk. “I just enjoy your company.”

She wanted to roll her eyes. “I doubt that.” I'm as boring as can be, she wanted to say.

“Why? You're beautiful, smart, and unique. I feel like I won the gold prize just sitting here with you.”

Oh. Her stomach clenched to try to quell the butterflies dancing there. She polished off her plate and pushed it forward. Her jeans suddenly felt tight and she wanted to undo the top button. Just another reason why she hated normal clothes. Normal clothes never fit her right.

“You're nice too,” she said and instantly winced at the lameness of the statement.

He tossed his head back and laughed a low rumble of sound. His laugh was so infectious she joined in and just like that the tension in her shoulders eased. She wanted to ask him about what he'd said, if he really planned on kissing her, but that would just sound immature, stupid, or needy. She didn't know what to expect with him after he said that, but she felt excited for the first time in a long time at the thought of it. Anticipation settled deep in her to wait. Even as he brought her into a conversation on magic and spellcasting, she answered while her mind sorted through all the possibly ways he could kiss her, all the ways it could feel. Would he be a slow and sensual kisser? Or maybe rough and a little aggressive? Her thighs squeezed tight at the thought.

“You're thinking about it,” he said, his voice laced with an erotic edge.

The jarring statement gripped Rosa out of her reverie with hard hands. She bit her lip and debated shaking her head as if she hadn't been, or maybe nodding and being bold like Lily just to see what his reaction might be. Instead she just looked at him, her lip caught between her teeth. His eyes wondered slowly down to watch her mouth and she could see the transformation in him. The darkening of his yes, the deepening of his, and the lowering of his eyelids into a sexy mask.

Sucking in an unsteady breath, she looked around the room avoiding the need to fan herself. It got hot in here very quickly.

“Let's get out of here.” He stood and tossed a big bill on the table. Not a light tipper she noted with a smile.

He helped her back into the SUV and they took off down the road heading back to her shop. She bit back her disappointment that he hadn't kissed her by putting on a smile. Not that the smile was fake by any means, she felt really good and relaxed around the warrior who, at first glance, had terrified her. Really it wasn’t her fault. He was built with a powerful body covered with hard sinew. He twice as wide as the average man. Now that he didn’t terrify her, she actually enjoyed looking at him. While working, she’d catch herself imagining what it’d feel like to be in his strong arms.

A tingling sensation bloomed in her belly and spread outwards like a veining plant. She hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time—the kind between a man and a woman. She placed her hand over her belly to help calm her nerves.

“Have you ever been married?”

The sudden question had her eyes flying wide. “What?”

He shrugged. She couldn't help but notice how well he drove. Such a simple task, one millions of people undertook daily, though not one she preferred at all. She'd never owned a car in her life and she was damn proud of her old ways. He drove with one big hand curled around the wheel, the other resting on his big thigh. And big they were; the man was built like an ox. Another bloom of pleasure surged through her, making her hyperaware of how close she sat to him, of how strong he was. He could easily bench press her five hundred times and barely break a sweat, she’d bet. She'd never been into muscular men until now. His muscles made her wiggle in her seat.

“Just wondering if you've ever been in a relationship like that.”

“No, never married. Just a few long-term relationships in the past. I stopped after—” she paused as she almost said his name. “I stopped after the last one. Didn't need another after that.” Understatement of the year. The man had managed to squeeze every ounce of confidence she'd ever had until she was completely dependent on his rare positive moments to feel good about herself. And when that wasn't happening, she was dodging his fists.

“I understand that. I was married.”

An eyebrow flew up. It shouldn't surprise her, but it did. She didn’t analyze the spark of jealous that flared up. “What happened? I mean where is she?” She didn’t know him well but she didn't figure him for the kind of man to just end something easily. He was a fighter by heart; he'd deck it out until the end.

He sighed softly. “It was a long time ago. Her name was Moira. We were married for a long time, but that ended a long time ago.”

She shouldn't probe, but she was dying to know. “May I ask why you aren't with her anymore?” she asked in a quiet voice. She wanted to make sure he knew he could back out of this line of questioning if he wanted to.

“She was killed,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “She fought in The Great War. She was a great fighter. Got killed when we were outnumbered.”

Rosa processed that like a snail. A warrior? A female warrior fighting for the Atal Warriors. She'd never heard such a thing. Though her death happened a thousand years ago, she could still hear the pain in his voice. Her heart panged with guilt at having brought it up.

“I'm sorry.” The useless words sounded incredibly insufficient in the context of things.

His big shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It was a long time ago. I've moved on, Rosa.”

The way he said her name made her breath catch. He said it softly, like a man who really liked something. Rosa quickly diverted her gaze out the window to hide another stupid blush. If this kept up she'd end up with permanent pink cheeks. Ridiculous how she was acting. She was a grown woman; she could control herself better than this.

“We're here.”

Nodding, Rosa reached for the door handle. Warm fingers wrapped around her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Don't,” he said.

As he walked around the car, her heart started pounding faster and faster.

I'm going to kiss you today.

Why?

Because I really, really want to.

Her breathing couldn't stay even as he reached the door and opened it. Her lips, her body, everything tightened in anticipation. He took her hand and helped her out of the car. For a moment they were so close she could feel the blazing heat radiating off of him. She swayed a little on her feet and bravely met his gaze.

Strong, sure eyes met hers, glowing with barely-contained heat. His arm reached by her and she tensed, a small gasp left her, but he didn't wrap his arm around her as she thought he would. Instead, he closed the car door behind her and nodded toward the shop.

“Come on, let's get you inside.”

Rosa blinked several times to clear the foggy haze around her. It worked—somewhat. It took her two tries to get the key in the lock and turn it. The welcoming scents of coffee, incense, and fresh herbs greeted her making her smile. It felt good to be home. While she'd never admit it, she didn't really like leaving her shop. It was her home. She knew she was somewhere between mildly agoraphobic and reclusive, but luckily not quite that severe.

She made it halfway through the shop to the little sitting area before she turned back around. “Can I get you anything?” Like the kiss you promised me? She wanted it. Badly. She wanted to try it, to feel (hopefully) sensual excitement rush through her blood and make her heart race in the way that only a certain kind of man could do. She frowned as she saw he still stood at the doorway.

His head jerked to the side and she frowned with disappointment.

“I need to get back to Telal actually. I kind of left things when maybe I shouldn't have.” He sounded different, hesitant.

“Yes, of course.” Her chest suddenly felt hollow like several key pieces were missing.

He must have seen her disappointment because he cursed. “Ah, hell.”

He strode towards her, one of his long steps eating up what two of hers made. With each step closer, her heart beat faster, harder, louder. Her chest shuttered, trying to draw in air, and then he stopped before her. One strong arm swept around her waist and smoothly pulled her against him.

“I told myself I wouldn't do this because you looked so nervous.”

“Not nervous!” she said, her voice high.

His eyes softened, darkened, and then his mouth pulled into a wicked grin that curled her toes. He didn’t make her wait long but gave her exactly what she'd been thinking about since he warned her.

He pulled her up against him until she felt like she could roll around in his scent, in his strong chest. His head lowered, her lashes fell. Just a hint of his touch passed across her lips, the touch so light it could have been a number of things. But she knew it was his lips because his breath blew gently across hers. As if he'd asked her something not communicated by words, her lips parted.

Only then did he kiss her. But “kiss” didn't adequately describe it. His lips molded against hers and his tongue took advantage of her parted lips and swept inside. A hot rush imploded inside her. All at once, she needed so much more.

With a needy sound, she flung her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Licking, thrusting, and learning his mouth, his heady masculine taste, the raspy touch of his tongue. But what caught her off guard, what made her core melt in need, was the fangs. She'd already forgotten, maybe because he didn't look like a vampire, maybe because he didn't run around hissing and showing them off like a teenager. But as she dipped her tongue inside she passed his fangs, two sharp points that could easily penetrate her.

He groaned a deep husky sound that came from deep in his chest. One big arm wrapped around her shoulders and lifted her until only her toes touched the floor. Even then he had to lean down because he was so much taller than her. But his other hand slid down her back and cupped one cheek in a possessive touch. She squirmed, her hold on him tightening as every part of her body burned for more. To be in a man’s arms again was thrilling, made her blood quicken. She felt needed, wanted, desired as a woman should be.

She grew wetter, hotter. Their uneven breaths panted against each other as they both fought to find the best angle, the best means of penetration. The need in her core grew to distracting levels. She needed relief, so she arched forward and caught his erection with her hips.

He groaned, pumped his hips once. And then he thrust away from her, and bent over his knees breathing like he'd just run a race. Rosa took a step towards him, her hands reaching. He'd started something and she needed him to finish it, finish her.

He held out his hand and she froze. “Don't come any closer. Damn.” He dragged in a deep breath and stood. “That was amazing. I have to go before I do something...” His smoldering gaze trailed over his body. “Yeah, before I do something.”

He stalked to the door, his hand pausing on the door handle, and then he turned it and left.

CHAPTER 23

Lily awoke feeling groggy but not too bad considering her night. She had to remember to call her sisters and tell them about the woman in prison...her mother. She still couldn't believe it. It seemed impossible that she was even alive after nearly twenty-nine years, but strangely, it had to be true. And that gave her hope. If Rosa's vision proved true then at least she could try to free her mother before she died. And if she had any say in it, she wouldn't be dying.

That bitter thought sent her scurrying across the room to her potions. She made up her special juice and chugged. As the pervading warmth and happiness spread through her, she checked her injuries but decided the dull pain in her arms wasn't worth another pain potion. She felt a thousand times better after the juice filled her system, like a hot air balloon floating high in the sky.

She showered, dressed, and headed towards Telal's office in under an hour. He'd acted so odd last night, but seeing that part of him gave her hope. Her father wanted this demon specifically to be there for her. She'd long accepted that and now wanted to see what was there between them. Because something was. The attraction between them wasn't just one-sided, and she needed to see just where it would lead.

The elevator to his office floor opened and she paused. No guards stood at the door. Odd but refreshing. Maybe he'd ordered them off after their little breakthrough last night. She laughed, yeah right. Knowing him, his kindness had merely been a lapse in judgment brought on from the stress of the night. And it had been one hell of a night.

Flinging the door open, she found the lights off inside. Next she found the bedroom the same. A prickling feeling settled over the back of her neck. Lily took the elevator down to the lobby of the main floor.

The guard behind the desk looked up at her as she approached. “Where is he?”

“Mr. Demuzi?”

She glared. “No, Santa Claus.”

“I believe the North Pole, ma'am.”

Her lips twitched but she refused to laugh. “Try that attitude again with the mood I'm in and see where it gets you,” she said in a cold voice.

The guard narrowed his eyes on her and sized her up. She knew what he saw—a short, small woman. But she still had power, enough to kick his ass if need be.

Finally, he shrugged. “I can't tell you that.”

Lily threw up her hands and stalked back to the elevator. “Fucking idiots,” she mumbled. That sickly feeling told her something was wrong. He had to be in the building, she just knew it. So she punched in floor two and made her way down the halls one floor at a time looking for him.

By floor ten she was cursing. “Fucking place is huge.”

By floor twenty she wanted to pull her hair out. It wasn't until she reached floor thirty-five that the layout of the floor shifted completely. This looked totally different from the other floors. The elevator opened to a short white hallway with a single door. Her gut clenched in warning and she knew she'd found him.

The small keypad above the door handle lit up with a red light and she paused. She tried the door but it didn't budge.

“Well, shit.” She wasn't a hacker by any means. Still, she started entering a random variety of numbers hoping to get lucky. After a few minutes of trying, it didn't work.

Sighing, she made a fist and banged on the door. “Telal! Are you in there? It's Lily.” Quieter she mumbled, “Yeah, I'm sure that'll bring him running.”

Defeated by a door with a numbered lock, she slid to the floor. Lily contemplated all the ways she could get the door open starting with bribing a guard for the code. She had just gotten up to bombing it when the elevator dinged open.

Telal's bodyguard, Kearnyn, came through. A small smile formed as he saw her. “Keeping him safe?”

She scoffed and stood up. “Not really. Can you get me in?”

The smile died and he stared shrewdly at her as if trying to deduce what she was up to. She held her hands up innocently.

“I think something's wrong,” she said.

If anything his face shut down even more, hiding everything, showing nothing. “Why do you think that?”

“I may not be a witch like Rosa but I have similar strengths. Visions, feelings, things like that. Is he in there?”

He took a deep breath and eyed the door with a grimace. “The reports say he hasn't left.”

“Left since when?”

The big Irish man shrugged. “He's been in there since last night.”

“Damn. Get me in there big guy, and I'll fix him up.” Her stomach formed twisting knots of worry. Her claim was also a bold faced lie. She didn't know if she could help or not, but she'd die trying.

He took a deep breath then gave her a hard, penetrating stare. “You get five minutes, then I'm coming in to see what's going on.”

She nodded fast. “No problem.”

He crossed in front of her so she couldn't see the digits he entered, but they each made a sound to correspond to the number and she mentally memorized it. Four, two, five, seven, one. She just hoped her short-term memory remembered it. He pulled down the door handle then turned back to her.

“Be warned.”

She took a step back. “He's that bad?”

He didn't nod or disagree but opened the door for her. Lily took a deep breath and stepped inside. A large recreational room greeted her. The ceiling towered high in a dome shape and the walls were bright and white. The room had a decent-sized kitchen, a large bar, TV, radio system and pool table. A man's lounge.

A movie played on the TV, some gaudy looking flick with unattractive boys and really sexy women. Not the kind of movie she'd think he'd be interested in. Slowly, she made her way through the room finding the main area empty. A leather chair faced the TV but it was empty too.

She stepped next to it and could still see the dimpled impression from where he'd sat in it. Bottles were scattered on the ground around the chair. Beer cans, bottles of hard liquor and a wine bottle—all empty.

“Telal?” she called out.

Hell, the TV was so loud she probably wouldn't hear him if he called back anyway. She grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. Two more rooms lead off the main room. She went to the one on the right and found a surprisingly large workout room with padded mats on the floor, weights and other workout equipment.

She flicked on the light but he wasn't there. “Telal?” she tried again.

As she made her way across the polished white floors, her gut tightened, coiled with worry. She never did get the unique feelings quite like her sister Chloe did, but she'd described them before, and yup, it sucked. It felt like a mixture between severe anxiety and nausea.

The worry pushed her and she forced herself to walk fast to the other door. The door stood ajar and a faint glow came from inside.

Flashes crossed her mind as to what she'd find. A dead body? Though she couldn't see the strong demon taking his own life, she didn't know him well enough yet to be sure. Just how fucked up was he from his trip to the rift?

She realized she'd soon find out as she pushed the door open and found the room empty. It looked like a spare bedroom complete with a closet, dresser, bed, and mirror on the wall. Another door connected to the room sat to the right, the glowing light coming from there. Her stomach twisted even more and she bit her lip as she made her way towards it. Somehow she was too scared now to call out to him, afraid he wouldn't answer her.

Reaching the door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, held it, and pushed the door open.

* * *

Telal's mouth felt like he'd been sucking on cotton balls the whole day. His tongue was dried and damn near crispy and his head throbbed like a hammer had been taken to it a dozen times. The worse was trying to walk. Nothing stayed still long enough for him to figure out which direction was which.

Slowly, he hunched forward in his seat, but in the process his legs kicked out and the bottles around him were knocked to the ground. Even the sound of the bottles hitting the floor sounded too loud to his ears, which had somehow gained hypersensitivity from the alcohol.

Bracing his hands on the arms wrests, he lurched forward, stumbling to keep his feet on the ground. It didn't work and his foot caught on one of the bottles. He shouted as the floor went out from under him. His ass landed hard on the floor, making his teeth clang together and his spine feel like it just got jacked up into his face.

“Ahh, fuck,” he groaned, his hand wiping over his pounding face.

He never drank. Didn't like the feeling of being out of control, but now he rejoiced in it. It dulled out all the shit that had happened last night. Shit he didn't want to think about for at least a hundred years.

With groans, grunts, and a fair amount of sweat spilling he finally managed to pull himself back up to stand. His whole body felt heavy like he'd gained two hundred pounds overnight. His arms hung at his side like boulders; each time he took a step, or tried to, it felt like he was dragging a planet behind him.

Bottles and cans slid across the floor as he shuffled by them. The room didn't just spin around it, it raced up and down, side to side, and freaking sideways. Squinting, he kept his eye on the bedroom door and made his way to it. By time he reached it, it felt like an hour later with the little baby steps he took and he’d managed to bump into every table and wall along the way.

The noise blaring from the TV, some obnoxious show he didn't even know he'd owned, helped him more than he could believe. The sounds seemed to keep him occupied, keep his mind from drifting where it wanted to go—even to his own detriment.

Pitch black surrounded him as he entered the bedroom. He'd turn on the light but right now the darkness felt welcoming. Like a cool hand on a feverish forehead. He made his way to the bathroom but must have been walking sideways because his shoulder slammed into the bedpost.

“Frika!” he cursed. His shoulder burned with the beginnings of a good bruise.

He stumbled into the bathroom and flicked on the light. With jerky movements he tore his shirt off, toed off his shoes, but lost his balance which sent him slamming face first into the ground. His cheek glanced off the hard tile and he felt the beginnings of another bruise start to form.

Fucking perfect.

Using his elbows and hands he crawled into the shower space and leaned against the wall. The frigid cold tiles sent a violent shiver over his heated body. He forced his eyes closed and made himself press all the way back until his entire body shivered like little electrical impulses shot through his body.

Swinging his arm up, he slammed his fist into the “on” button on the panel. Water poured down from a metal grate in the ceiling. The temperature was programmed in just how he liked it—a perfect lukewarm.

His eyes drifted shut and flashing images of his brother and mother projected behind his eyelids like scenes from an old movie reel.

Groaning, he shoved the heel of his hands into his eye sockets until pain flared and his eyeballs felt like they were going to explode.

As the water poured over him, matting his hair to his face, making his pants cling to his legs, he had a brief thought as to how ridiculous he looked. The laughter started and wouldn't stop. He slid down to the floor and felt the water beating over his face and neck. If he opened his mouth far enough he almost felt like he was drowning from the small downpour.

The images never went away. He saw his brother looking like he'd rolled around in coal dust, glaring at him with eyes so dark with hatred... Telal bit his lip until he felt blood.

He'd thought he could do this. Hell, he even thought it might be easy. How fucking wrong he was. With the water pouring over him, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

* * *

“Oh, no,” she said.

In a rush, she ran across the bathroom, sliding on her knees to his prone body. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him, saying his name, but his eyelids never even fluttered.

“Telal!”

Water poured over him from the shower head and she frantically pushed a metal button that shut it off. Her fingers pressed against his neck as her heart pounded. A solid bum bum bum beat against her fingertips.

Tears appeared in her eyes and she blinked them back. She let out an unsteady laugh as her heart slowly beat back at a normal rhythm.

“God you scared me.”

She called his name, getting louder each time but he didn't move. Was he in some kind of a coma or just that drunk? She hoped for the latter.

Gritting her teeth, she opened her palm and let it fly. The slap caught his cheek and jerked his head to the side. Finally his lips moved in a deep mumble she couldn't understand. So she slapped him again.

This time his eyes flew open but fluttered shut.

“Krinaru shetar'emu.”

“What the hell's that? Demonic?” Her palm stung with the force of the second hit and she sagged. She wanted to help him but with him like this there wasn't much she could do.

Footsteps sounded in the bedroom, then Kearnyn appeared at the door. “How's he doing?”

“Passed out stinking drunk, I think. He's alive though.”

Kearnyn nodded and lifted Telal bodily in his big arms. Lily whistled under her breath at his strength. It would have taken her an hour and a lot of struggling to drag Telal's big body into the other room, let alone actually lift him.

She followed Kearnyn into the bedroom and watched him put him on the bed. Spotting a small trash bin, she grabbed it and set it beside the bed. He'd probably need that.

“Good call,” Kearnyn said, grinning.

“Thanks.”

He headed towards the door and stopped. “You gonna stay and watch over him?”

Lily looked at Telal's sleeping form and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think I will.” He looked handsome while he slept, his face and body relaxed in a way she rarely saw.

“All right, if you need anything there's a phone in the kitchen. Just press one and you'll get me. Let me know when he wakes up.”

She nodded absently and was already on her way to the other side of the bed. She crawled in it and sat next to him, just listening to the sound of his breathing. His wet hair was a mess so she pushed it off his face. His skin looked so beautiful in contrast to that unique hair. Golden and almost shimmery.

She took in his bare chest that was so strong and packed with muscles. Gently she touched one of the gold hoops in his nipples, tugging on the metal between her fingers. Why did he have these? She wondered. Was it just a demon thing or something kinky he preferred? She couldn't see him doing something like that just for kinky kicks, though she didn't know him well enough to be sure. God, she wanted to though.

Her father left her to him for a reason. He had to know why. Her father had to have a significant reason to leave her in his hands. They must be strong, trustworthy hands for her protective father to do such a thing. She'd taunted him with a letter before that he must know the reason why, but now uncertainty prevailed. It could just be out of all the people her father knew, mostly businessman supernatural or not, he, Tyrian, and Lyonis were the ones he trusted most of all. She'd have to ask him about that. A smile tugged at her lips. She could already sense it'd be a battle. The man never wanted to talk about anything.

Her eyes drifted down his strong torso to his side with the tattoo. Without a light on she couldn't make out what it was, so she gingerly reached to the nightstand by the bed and switched on the lamp. Dim orange light lit the room pushing back some of the shadows.

She blocked the light with her own body so she positioned herself on her stomach with her head cocked to face him. It looked like some kind of symbol. A vertical tattoo, it had a bulb like end at the top and bottom in dark, royal blue that reminded her of the tops of the Taj Mahal. It began under his arm pit and ran down to cover his hip bone.

She stopped her perusal to trail her fingers over his warm skin. She bit back a moan and snapped her fingers back. Touching him while he slept felt so...wrong.

Colored in navy blue and royal reds, the symbol had a black band in the center near his rib cage as if it held the whole symbol together and wispy edges swirled out from the main bulbs like petals to a flower. Each was colored equally in different shades of red. From the outside rim the shape was dark then inwards it faded lighter and lighter.

The beauty of the piece impressed her. The skill it had taken to draw something so large and bold had to mean something. She reached out one last time to trail a single fingertip over the design.

Suddenly he groaned something in demonic and rolled towards her, one arm catching her around the back and pulling her in close. Her eyes flared wide as he aggressively tucked her against his body.

Then, as if to keep her from moving away, his strong leg wrapped across the top of hers. He mumbled more incoherent words then she heard the soft even sounds of his breathing.

Okay then. She scolded herself. Well you want him, don't you? Then don't be so nervous. She couldn't help it though.

It was one thing to...act and another to actually be caught up in it. She was so close to him this way, her face could easily bury in his warm neck.

With the quiet noise from the TV in the other room, Telal’s soft breathing, and the incredible warmth of his body, Lily soon found her eyes drifting close.

CHAPTER 23

Lily woke to the sound of groaning. Her eyes fluttered open, then stayed open as she stared into the face of Telal Demuzi.

Her stomach tightened with butterflies. “Good morning.”

His eyes searched over her face as if realizing she was actually there and not some figment of his imagination. Her usual bravado faltered and the butterflies shot throughout her body making her heart race.

“Lily.” It sounded like a question.

“Hi, Telal.” She wanted to say something sharp and witty, but nothing came to mind. He was completely wrapped around her, his face only inches from hers. When his eyes fell to her mouth and darkened in the way it does when a man is attracted to a woman, her breath hitched.

He leaned in and her hand shot up to press against his mouth. “Did you throw up last night?” The erotic glint in his eyes vanished and he fell back on the bed with a groan.

“No, I don't think so.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, rubbing the palm of his hands into his eyes. “God I feel like shit.”

She laughed, which helped to put her back to rights. “I'm not surprised. I'd feel like a truck hit me too if I drank as much as you did.”

He started to sit up but groaned like he'd been stuck with a knife in his gut. “Fuck.” He stood and she heard the trash can get knocked over.

“Any evidence of upchuck in there?”

He shook his head in answer. She watched him stumble with heavy, uneven steps towards the bathroom. She couldn't help it, she grinned. Watching the strong, smart demon look...human was amazing to see.

He flicked the bathroom light on and the door closed partway. She heard the toilet flush a minute later, then the shower kick on. Not sure why exactly, she went into the bathroom.

Her eyes widened. He'd already stripped down and stood under the spray of the shower. Under normal circumstances his body was incredible, but dripping wet, he looked glorious.

He'd just finished brushing his teeth when she stepped into the doublewide stall with him. He looked over at her with surprised eyes. So he hadn’t heard her. Grabbing the toothbrush out of his hand, she dispensed some paste on it from a container attached to the wall and scrubbed away. They watched each other, both getting doused under the oversized shower head.

She finished brushing and set the toothbrush back on the ledge carved into the wall. He picked up a rag, rubbed some soap on it, and began washing his arms and chest. Still his eyes watched her.

“You shouldn't be in here,” he said without any real heat.

She smiled because she couldn't find words as he slid that washcloth across his chest and over the loops in his nipples. Watching him made everything inside her feel tight and needy. With the wall of white suds on his chest she wanted nothing more than to step forward and rub her own chest across it.

He finished washing and she held her hand out for the cloth. Now it was his turn to smile and the feral look in in his eyes actually made her flush from chest to nose.

“Let me.”

She almost moaned and somewhere in the whirlwind of fog beginning to swim around her mind, she managed to nod.

“You shouldn't bite your lip,” he said softly as he soaped the cloth up again until it was nice and foamy.

“Why?” She sounded breathless and hoped he didn’t hear it.

His eyes flicked to hers. “Because it makes me want to.”

And breathing became difficult. God, she'd never expected this. Never thought he'd even speak kindly to her let alone...almost romantically. She closed her eyes and told herself not to think about it, if she did then she might jinx it.

“Turn around.”

She did, stiffly. When his body stepped up against hers, the air in her lungs exhaled in an unsteady stream of air. Hot and wet from the water, his chest pressed into her shoulders, and his groin against her lower back which gave her the strongest urge to rub back against him. And he was hard, his erection not quite digging into her, but making its presence known.

Dark golden arms came around her, so different from her own light skin tone. The washcloth flattened against her stomach, rubbed in small circles around her bellybutton and she sucked it in whether consciously or not. Her eyes watched his strong forearm, the dark dusting of hair there, a darker shade of gold, and the thick veins that fed blood through his system. He was so strong compared to her, it made her knees weak.

His arms curled more around her, bending her into him. His voice came at her ear, husky and deep. “You are quite beautiful, lilit.”

“What-what does that mean?” Her eyes closed as the washcloth swept across the expanse of her stomach from hip bones to just under her breasts.

“Succubus.”

She couldn't help it, she laughed. The answer was so underwhelming.

Her laughter stuttered to a stop as the washcloth moved up between the valley of her breasts, which sent some kind of signal to her nipples to pull them into hard, aching points. He rubbed the cloth along her neck and collar then back down between her breasts. Her chest sawed hard. It was almost painful how badly she needed him to run that cloth across her breasts, to squeeze her. But he didn't.

Moving slowly, he traced the cloth up either side of her arms, across her shoulders, occasionally stopping to rewet and soap it as it cooled. Her muscles turned to putty under his hands. She was completely at his mercy, under his control. She'd let him do anything to her in that moment. Hell, she hoped he'd do something to her. Like bend her forward then slip his cock inside. Her core clenched needily at the image and a soft moan bubbled out of her.

“What are you thinking about, Lily?” he asked in a soft, hypnotic voice. Her breathing quivered as he made his way with the washcloth across her hips, then rubbing bigger circles across each of her ass cheeks but never becoming indecent with the touch, never going as far as she craved.

A heated blush blazed across her cheeks. “I can't say it.”

She could hear the laughter in his voice. “Since when are you shy, Lily Bellum?”

“Since now apparently.”

Now he did laugh. A warm, delicious sound that drifted over her body like an embrace. He warmed the washcloth under the water again and knelt down, slowly tracing the cloth up first one leg, then the other. Her knees turned to jelly as he softly cleaned each foot forcing her to brace an arm against the shower wall to steady herself. She'd never have thought that rubbing a cloth slowly against the arch of her foot could connect to the need in her sex. But apparently that was the case because with each stroke across her arch, even in between her toes, need curled in her.

Her legs were squeaky clean by time he finished, but he didn't stop there. Oh no, he ran that decadent cloth up between her thighs then higher near her aching sex. Her breathing turned harsh and loud in the shower. He gave her the same treatment with the other inner thigh, and this time, just the barest piece of cloth scraped against her swollen lips. She moaned, a wild unsteady sound.

“Your ass is perfect.” His gruff voice bordered on demonic. She never knew crude words could turn her on until now.

The soapy cloth left her thighs to sweep more forcefully around each cheek and when he pressed in between her cheeks the caress was so erotic, her core actually spasmed.

“Telal!”

“You like my touch,” he murmured.

Then he stood, resoaped the cloth and rubbed it up her stomach, this time headed straight for her left breast. The first touch sent tremors throughout her body, making her thighs shake with the effort to keep standing. She had to lean back against him, if not to rely on his strength to hold her up, then to feel his body against hers.

He molded her breast with that cloth. It felt as if the cloth wasn't even there as his fingers shaped her, circled around her silkily, then he passed it across her distended nipple. Once, twice, then again and again. Panting moans escaped her throat. He brushed across that puckered tip creating a jolting sensation that ran straight inside her. She thrust her chest forward to get more of his touch but the washcloth left her and moved to her other breast, where he began the whole tortuous process again.

Lily felt like she was in a sensual cloud, her body a responsive tool to his touch. Her head fell back against his chest and she couldn't stop from kissing his collarbone, licking little droplets of warm water from him. In this position, her ear pressed near his heart and she could hear the hard, thumping beat of it. She wasn't the only one who was affected.

As if he couldn't bear it anymore, the cloth splashed to the ground and his hands cupped her breasts. Possessive and hard, his touch sent bolts of need crashing straight to her core. He plumped and squeezed, then gentled his touch, barely caressing her, alternating with touches that drove her wild. Her hips started moving, pumping and rocking, seeking him.

When he finally tugged her nipples between his hands, a little orgasm shivered inside her. It happened so quickly. The tightened response came, exploded, and left her panting in his arms.

“God,” he cursed, his voice as ragged as she felt.

They moved together in a dance as he turned her, forced her back against the shower wall, and claimed her with a kiss. Their movements, their bodies writhed to get closer, hands roamed freely over each other exploring and discovering. She couldn't seem to get close enough to him, to touch him everywhere at once. A frustrated moan escaped her.

He pulled back from her lips with a masculine laugh. Her lips followed his, loving the taste and feel of him. When his hands reached down to grasp her bottom and lifted her up to fit more easily against him, she sighed.

In this position, she could wrap her legs around his ass and her arms around his neck as she sucked on his wicked tongue. They ate at each other's lips, breathing erratic, hands grabbing harder, chests rubbing together in one of the most erotic sensations she'd ever experienced.

His cock nudged along her slippery sex and stroked up and down through her slippery lips. The sensation felt wild and wicked. He was so hard, she just wanted him to angle it right and shove inside.

“Telal,” she whispered against his lips.

Their eyes met, hot and wild. Then his gaze turned questioning and she knew exactly what he was asking her. After her heart did a little flip flop in her chest, she nodded.

“Please.”

That must have been what he needed because he shut off the water and carried her dripping wet back into the bedroom, their mouths fused together.

Her back hit the mattress and even it seemed to sigh as he followed her down. She made way for him with her legs and spread them wide. He paused at her hips and kissed first one hip bone then the other. His hands clasped them in a strong grip, this thumbs massaging the area.

“I like this.”

A muffled moan escaped her. That one touch, right there near her stomach, sent a flood of liquid heat pooling out from her. The first touch of his lips to her stomach sent her hips rocketing off the bed.

She was left squirming and panting as he lazily kissed and licked his away across from hip to hip, up to her belly button then up to her breasts. When he finally pulled her nipple between his lips she exhaled in relief and latched onto his hair to keep him from going anywhere. She had him right where she needed him.

The suckling, pulling sensation felt incredible and perfectly connected to her clitoris which throbbed with each pull. Everything felt connected. Each part of her he touched sent her temperature higher, her need tighter.

His hand curled over her hip then delved down and curled around her sex. She sounded hysterical when she moaned, but she didn't care. She just needed him to assuage the need he'd built up inside of her. She burned, her legs scissored, and nothing in her body could stay still for a moment.

He took his time like he had all the patience in the world. He petted her, sliding his fingers lightly across her, then teasing her entrance by barely pushing inside, and retreating.

“Telal!”

He didn't laugh at her eager cry but groaned and switched to work her other breast. She mentally applauded that he was equal opportunity but shook her head side to side with frustration. Her hips rocked against him and then finally he touched her for real. With a smooth glide, his fingers parted her folds then circled her wet clitoris in agonizingly slow circles. Her lungs tightened, lungs hitched to find air. Her entire body pulled as tight as a cranked up bowstring and her chest actually curved up, lifting off the mattress.

The touch began light and slow and her body coiled so tightly it only took that soft touch to shoot her apart. The climax came like hundreds of little explosions inside her. It started in her core where she froze for one second then shook her, legs kicking out, her chest jerking against his mouth, and her hands pulling so hard in his hair it was a wonder strands didn’t tear in her grasp.

But he didn’t relent. He just continued to rub her as her channel tightened and squeezed, milking something that she was bereft of. As the tremors started to subside he climbed up her body still rubbing those teasing circles across her with his wicked fingers. It amazed her that now she felt even emptier inside, her inner walls demanding to clamp onto something, a finger, anything.

His mouth founds hers in a kiss that made the room spin. All tongues and lips meshing and twisting together. His choppy breaths blew across her face.

“Tell me you still want this.” His voice was deeper than she'd ever heard it, his demonic accent sliding through.

She answered him by squeezing her legs around his hips, slanting her mouth across his, and rocking against him.

That was all he needed. A deep groan left him from deep in his chest and then his hands moved under her to clasp her bottom and lift her the barest of inches. His cock found her wet core and nudged in and out, teasing as their tongues dueled.

How could he still tease at a time like this? She wanted him to impale her and ease the heavy ache inside her that only he could reach. She was just about to complain when he pushed in a few inches. The sensations sent her head careening to the side so she could moan. He stretched her, filled her. It burned but made her tremble all at the same time.

“It feels so good.” She held on to his strong shoulders for dear life as he pulled all the way back out and pushed in further. This felt even better. The tight muscles inside her finally had something to cling and latch onto, to massage and it felt heavenly.

His breathing shuddered and he buried his face against her neck as he plummeted further, hitting the barrier that no man had ever breached. She felt the muscles in his back tense and panic filled her.

Just in case he thought to back away now, she squeezed her limbs tighter around him.

His hips retreated, dragging sweetly along those tender unused muscles. An incoherent moan followed from her lips. Then he struck her again, harder, possessively. Her barrier felled in the single thrust and he buried himself all the way inside, reaching so far, spreading her so far around him. He seemed rooted deeply inside her, and he stretched her so wide that surely he was meant to fill her.

Her lips parted at the unusual, erotic sensation. Beneath her fingertips she felt the muscles tremble in his shoulders and back. A wicked smile curled her lips. She lifted her hips, rocking against him and another moan came. The initial sting from the barrier breaking faded leaving only this incredible perfect feeling inside her.

“Dreenaru finishama slinah,” he growled.

She couldn't stop rocking her hips against him. “What does that mean?” She mumbled the words, they sounded dry and hoarse from the lack of saliva in her throat. All the liquid in her body seemed to pool around his cock inside her to make his movements glide.

He didn't answer her, but pulled his hips back, dragging his hard shaft through her, then pushing back in again. That started the rhythm that would sweep her up and making her see stars.

Incredible, powerful feelings swept over her. The need in her belly grew bigger, hotter, tighter. He pushed in and she rocked her hips against him, again and again. They created a sensual rhythm. His breathing grew heavier, faster and she swore his cock grew bigger inside her, or maybe she'd tightened around him?

Cries left her that she'd never heard herself make and he was right there with her, moaning, groaning, and thrusting into her with powerful strikes that worked her inner tissues so wickedly.

Her cries grew deeper, more guttural as he hit a spot inside her that pulled everything she felt into a tight ball in her belly. He pumped faster, his sleek cock spearing through her, sending them both toward ecstasy.

His name fell from her ragged lips again and again.

“Come, come for me,” he panted in a pained voice.

And just like that she did. The hands cupping her ass squeezed tighter and his thrust landed hard, pounding against something that detonated her orgasm. She screamed a strangled, hoarse cry as waves of hot, burning pleasure raced through her, shaking her, burning her down to her curled toes.

His long cry echoed hers as he pulled up and grabbed her hips in his hands then thrust into her with a fierce determined passion. It only took a few thrusts before he landed deep, groaning, and spilled himself.

She jerked, hands twisting in the sheets at the sensation that was unlike anything she'd ever felt. She could feel him shoot inside her; it was a rhythmic sexual thing that made her breasts arch towards him and her hips rock against him to prolong it for him.

He collapsed on top of her, breathing like he'd just run up Mount Everest with a hundred pounds of gear on his back. Their flushed skin stuck together with a hint of sweat but she didn't mind. Her entire body felt like it floated ten feet off the bed. Every muscle in her body felt more limber than it'd ever felt.

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her hands up and down his back and simply enjoyed the moment, the feel of a man in her arms. Her heart felt funny at the thought, and she scolded herself. Now wasn’t the time to get sentimental. That'd scare him off faster than she could say the word “love.” Which, she corrected quickly, she did not feel. Though there were definitely some strong emotions she felt for him. Maybe that's what an orgasm did to a girl though?

With a sigh, he slid off her and rolled onto his back, his eyes trained on the ceiling.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

His lips almost pulled into a smile. “Shouldn't I be asking you that?” he countered.

“I've never felt better.” It was the truth.

She felt as though if she looked at herself in the mirror right now she'd be glowing. Her body burned with simmering warmth, her muscles felt loose but strong. A thought struck her. It almost felt like when she drank her juice. She frowned and quickly forced the thought away. She didn’t need that shit right now.

She got up and started pulling her clothes on. She had to see her sisters and tell them about everything that happened, about their mother. When she came back from the bathroom she found him still lounged on the bed, his arms behind his head like a pillow, his legs kicked out long and slightly open.

Her eyes strayed to his cock and her lips suddenly felt dry. Her tongue darted out to wet them.

Lazily he said, “I wouldn't look at my cock like that. Unless you want to taste it.”

His deep voice sent chills down her body and just like that butterflies danced around in her stomach again. Hell, she even felt a blush color her cheeks. So much for keeping her cool.

“Um, I'd love to. Another time, I promise.” Even as she said it, she really meant it. She'd never tasted a man like that, and the thought of having him slide hard between her lips sent a thrill straight to her clitoris. “I just have to meet up with my sisters. It's important.”

Without a word, he started to dress too. Only he grabbed a clean suit from the closet, which was neatly pressed and ready to wear. He seemed a little distant from her but she'd expected that. To make a connection so fast to someone, especially to her, had to be hard on him. She almost chuckled. God, a penny for his thoughts though. She really wanted to know what raced around in the clever cogs up there. Did he plan to never sleep with her again? To force her out of his building once and for all? How would he react in a few weeks when her new moon hit?

A wave of arousal floated over her and she actually wobbled on her feet. She had no doubt that if he wanted to, he'd make her new moon experience incredible. But would he be her Protector for real? Would he pleasure her nearly every day like she'd need? The thought sent her mood spiraling down so quickly she plastered on a smile and strode to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He looked hesitant, but when she stood on her toes he came down and kissed her, his hand sliding along her jaw, his thumb caressing her chin. She thought the touch felt completely possessive but she was sure her mind made that up to improve her mood.

With a little smile she said, “I'll see you later.”

He nodded without a word and she left feeling torn in two extremely different directions. God she hoped her sisters could help.

CHAPTER 24

Alrik paced in the study. Back and forth, back and forth.

He didn't turn when the door opened. He knew who it was. The swishing of her dress against the floor gave her away. The door closed then the soft clicking of heels approached.

“Well, this has all been interesting,” his mother said.

Alrik almost snorted. That was putting it lightly. “I'm having trouble grasping it myself.”

His mother took a seat and smiled up at him with painted red lips. “Please son, take a seat and relax.”

He shook his head. “I can't relax. Too much on my mind.”

“Oh?” Her eyes widened then she opened her reticule and pulled out a slender vial plugged by a cork. “Why don't you take some of this? You know it always helps you to relax.”

He waved her off. “I don't need that.”

She didn't say anything for a moment. “How did it feel to see Telal after all these years?” Her voice was calm and inquiring but he knew her better than that. Rather she realized it or not. He knew she must be fuming at Telal's unannounced encounter the other night.

Sighing, he went to the sidebar and started to pour himself a stiff drink. Then he cursed and just took the whole bottle with him. He paced, interchanging his steps with swigs of the strong brew.

“I don't know. What the fuck do you want me to say? Bad, mother, bad.”

She made a thoughtful sound. “What do you plan to do?”

He gave her a cold stare. “I already said it. I will not open the rift. They'll have to go to war with us if they want me to open it.”

She nodded slowly. “Good work, son. Besides after all this time, he can't just come back and try to claim the throne.”

He waved her off. “He said he didn't want it.”

Her thin eyebrow shot up. “And you believed him? My dearest Alrik, why else would he want to open the rift?”

This gave him pause. She was right. In a way, at seeing his brother he'd reverted to trusting his words, at least, to a degree. He couldn't be trusted. Not after his betrayal.

“Please, sit down and let's discuss this. Your pacing makes me anxious.”

Alrik stalked to the chair opposite her and sat. The restless feeling in him grew to a boil in a second. He controlled himself, forced all the uneasy feelings deep inside, and locked it up. But he couldn’t keep from drumming his finger on his thigh in an incessant beat.

“You are so tense. Are you sure you wouldn't like my elixir? I must admit even I had to take some after that little incident with Telal.” She smiled like she'd made a small joke.

Alrik shook his head. “No, mother. I've been thinking since Telal left. I know him and he won't let this rest. He's always one to see things through. I'm going to give the order for to prepare for war.”

She folded her hands neatly in her lap. “What if I have a better idea?” Her lips pursed to try to hide a smile.

Alrik drank from the bottle, some of the alcohol spilled down his chin. “What is it?”

Her eyes snapped for a second at his bored tone and then they softened as a little smile coming across her face. “Send the dargens.”

He froze. “What?”

“That's right!” she clapped her hands together like she'd just discovered some great idea. “Send the dargens after him. They will end this before it even begins.”

His mind ran away with the idea. The dargens were the shahoulin's best trained demon assassins. Alrik had them created, trained, and bred them years ago as a precaution. The best fighters in the land were dargens. They were mostly used to kill idummi when they breached across their homeland. Their training made them dangerous killers of both magic and weapons.

“They'd have to make it past the Atal Warriors,” he said, lost in thought, a dark part of him growing giddy with glee.

“Pssht, the warriors will stand no chance against the dargen. Besides they'd love a challenge such as this. Just the thing to boost their spirits and the spirits of the people after that...awful interruption.”

“Kill Telal...”

She nodded. “And the woman. She was powerful. I'd have them both taken out. Should be fairly simple as it looked as though they were together.” She grimaced as she said the last as if she had a bad taste in her mouth.

“I'll think on it.” He leveled his gaze on hers to show him he wouldn't budge on the matter yet. He knew his mother and knew she'd expect one-hundred percent agreement right away.

Her eyes caught his, then narrowed, a look close to horror on her face. She stood in a fury. “Your eyes!”

Alrik shrugged. “What of them?”

Mother ran a hand through her hair with a shaking hand. She sat back down. “It’s nothing. Nothing. You're that upset about it? What does it matter?” He stood and returned the vial back to the bar.

When he turned back, she had the smile in place but her eyes were hard and unyielding. She held out that slender vial for him. “Take this and do not argue with me Alrik. I am your mother, and I know what's best for you. Besides, you've always said that it helps you to think.”

He barely refrained from cracking his jaw as he stalked to her and snatched the vial. She stared at him expectantly but he marched to his desk and took a seat, gently setting the vial on the desk.

“You won't take it?”

“Later, mother.”

She smiled wide and gave him a peck on his forehead. “All right, Alrik. You sleep well this night.” She reached the door and turned back. “You'll let me know what you decide.”

“Of course.”

Long after she left, Alrik sat in his chair contemplating everything. He ordered a servant to bring him a hand mirror and spent a long time staring at a pair of violet-colored eyes. They didn’t look bright or shiny; the color was still diluted, polluted. He'd never once, in all this time, questioned how his eyes changed. Or even why. He'd always accounted it to the blatant evil that had grown in his heart after the Great War. Everything about him had changed after that. He saw his father butchered by soldiers from the Atal Warriors. Saw his people murdered in a war meant to imprison them in the earth.

After becoming king, he stopped thinking such thoughts. His brother betrayed him and his people. Without a king, he'd had to step up and rule the kingdom.

Time squished events and feelings together until he couldn't really remember exactly how he'd felt and when. He remembered feeling anger worse than anything he’d ever felt at his brother.

He closed off his train of thinking with an iron fist. It didn't matter. What good was rediscovering the past when nothing could be changed? Another thought poked up its head. Arianna.

The woman had him enthralled. From her sharp wit to her incredible body, if he wasn't careful she could have him eating out of her palm. His chest tightened. He'd like that. He'd give power over to her for her loyalty and...love.

Alrik left the study and made his way to the outer barracks where the dargen resided. He'd first have a talk with them to see where they stood on the matter, and then he'd go see Arianna. He walked faster, anticipation guiding his movements. Already he couldn't wait.

CHAPTER 25

Lily used the phone in her apartment to call her sisters up. She arranged to meet them at Rosa's shop so they could all insert their much-needed advice on the situation.

She had a driver take her to Rosa's shop and made a mental note to buy another bike. She hated being chaperoned around like some teenager. She needed to get her own pair of wheels. She grinned. Maybe she'd have to buy Telal another gift. The driver pulled up to Rosa’s shop. Inside, her sisters were waiting.

She melted as she spotted the bundle in Willow's arms and she couldn't keep herself from racing over there and taking her.

“Hello, little Mary,” she cooed to the sleeping bundle. “It's your favorite Aunty, Lily.” She stopped cold. Mary. Things connected in a way they hadn't before. She'd know Willow named the baby after their long-lost mother, and Lily thought it was sweet. Until she found her mother locked up and treated worse than a mutt.

Chloe snorted and came forward to give her a one-armed hug. “How you doing, sis?”

Lily's smile faltered. “Fine.”

Willow sighed and took a seat, slouching back lazily in it. “I'm telling you this motherhood thing is hard. That baby cries more than she sleeps. But, of course, guess who can always calm her?”

Chloe grinned. “Lyonis?”

Willow made an angry face and nodded but Lily could see her eyes dancing. “How is he?” asked Lily.

“Oh, fine. He's already wanting to try for a boy and then he said he wants even more after that.”

“You don’t want to have any more?” Chloe asked, taking a cup of tea from Rosa. They all took a seat in the circle of chairs in the main room, surrounded by the smells of yummy candles, coffee, and fresh herbs.

Willow sent her an arched brow. “Why don't you try having one before you ask something like that?”

Chloe flushed deep crimson, her hand fluttered to her stomach. “Well actually...”

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me,” Lily muttered. “You too?”

Chloe nodded, her eyes wide and a little frightened. Willow smiled for real this time, the look soft and gentle. She wrapped Chloe in a hug, whispering something in her ear that calmed the fear in Chloe's eyes. Lily felt a pang of twisted jealousy in her gut. The feeling wasn't unusual but she always hated it, then hated that she felt that. Her sisters were fraternal twins, and they’d always had a different connection because of it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but still, it rubbed her the wrong way.

Her eye twitched and she cursed herself for not drinking her special brew before coming. She'd just been so...lost in thought. And of course, she'd felt amazing after being with Telal. Those effects apparently weren't permanent.

“Congratulations, Chloe!” Lily said, belatedly. The baby wiggled in her arms and she looked down at its soft, round face, itty-bitty nose, and curled little fists. Something squeezed tight in her stomach and she had to hand the baby back to Willow before she something stupid like tear up.

“Well it's really no wonder with the amount of sex Tyrian and I have. I mean that man is wild. Once he's unleashed, whew, he's gone.”

Lily screwed her eyes shut at the images projected into her mind. “TMI, Chloe!”

She chuckled. “Sorry.” Her voice said she so wasn't sorry.

“So, what have you brought us here for?” Willow asked, direct and to the point.

Lily's eye twitched again and her stomach knotted up in balls. She hated this. She shouldn't have called them. She'd always hated wrapping them up in her problems, which was why she'd never done it. She caught Rosa's watchful eye and at her encouraging nod, she sighed.

“A few things actually.”

“Is it a demon?” her sisters asked at once. She hid her sigh. She'd never have that kind of connection with them.

“I guess, maybe. Sort of?”

Rosa poured her a cup of tea and set it on the table in front of her. “Start with the visions.”

Lily wanted to bury her face in a pillow. You mean, the visions I've been controlling with a certain nasty potion?

“What visions?” Chloe asked, her expression pinched into a frown.

Lily sighed and told them about the visions of the dark man on the throne. She had no doubt now who it was. Telal's brother.

“And what’s so important about these dreams?” asked Willow.

Lily stared at the floor. “I die.”

After the flurry of curses, gasps, and a nearly crying Chloe, everyone calmed down enough to finally talk. Lily wanted more to just crawl back out of the room, tell everyone she was sorry, and leave. Her own eyes watered on the verge of tears but she curtailed them.

“We won't let that happen,” Willow said with an arrogance Lily didn't reciprocate. “I'll talk to Lyonis. I'll talk to everyone I know. I'm sure he knows some people. After all, Telal saved his life. He owes him.”

Lily shrugged but didn't voice that no one would find anything that'd help her. If it made her sisters feel better then let it be, she supposed.

“There's more,” Rosa said after a moment.

Her sisters glanced from Rosa to her, expectantly. “I, um, went into the rift.”

The look on her sisters’ faces flashed first with disbelief, then outrage, and then plain shock. “Why? How? When?” Chloe asked, her jaw hanging open.

“I'm sure Tyrian mentioned it, but Telal is trying to get the rift opened. Tyrian agreed to pull the Atal Warriors if he got a contract signed by the demon king. I went with him.”

Willow and Chloe shared a look. “He let you go with him?” Chloe asked slowly.

Lily flushed and ground her teeth together. She hated explaining her actions. “Not exactly. Rosa made me a porting potion, which she didn't even know she could do, and things happened then I went under the rift, was caught by some guards, and thrown in jail.”

“Oh my God, Lily what were you thinking?” Willow cried. The baby awoke at the sound of her mother's distraught voice and started crying. Instantly, Willow softened and started speaking softly, sweetly to the little baby. Quieter she hissed, “What the hell were you thinking?”

Lily's jaw hardened and she crossed her arms, not defensively but so she could squeeze herself to relieve some of the anger burning inside her.

“I was thinking of helping my Protector.”

Chloe looked confused. “But I thought he didn't want to be your Protector.”

“Yeah, and your Protector didn't want anything to do with you either, Chloe. Remember?” she countered, anger rising.

“Yeah but that was different. We're in love now and mated.”

Lily gave her a hard stare. “And that can't happen with me?” The tension in the room shot through the roof.

“No, it's just that I've met Telal and he's...abrasive to say the least.”

“Yeah, well I remember a time when Tyrian was nothing but a wife killer, bloodsucking, cold-hearted bastard.”

Chloe's jaw dropped, her eyes rounding in anger. “Don't you talk about him like that!” she hissed as loudly as she could.

Rosa stood. “Enough of this. No fighting. There is more to the story. Let her continue.”

Lily shot Rosa a look. She didn't know how much Rosa knew about anything at this point. She hadn't even told her about anything that happened in the rift.

It took her a moment to find the words. “I-I think I saw our mother.”

Another flurry of protests and questions came at her.

“Say what?” Chloe asked, her mouth hanging open in shock.

“When I was thrown in the cell, there was a woman in the one next to me.”

“Well that doesn't mean anything,” Willow said.

Lily cut her a look that told her to shut up. “She is a succubus and she doesn't know how long she's been there. She said her name was Mary.”

“Common enough name,” Chloe said but her lips pulled into a hard frown.

“I asked her what her last name was and she said Bellum.”

“Did you give her your last name first or something? I mean really this is impossible,” Willow said. “Maybe she just repeated what you said.”

“No I didn’t give her my last name.”

“Well maybe you don't think you did—”

“Willow, stop. I'm certain. When I mentioned your guys' names and dad's, she started freaking out even more. I think she recognized them.”

“Has anyone with the name Mary that we know ever gone missing or anything?” Chloe asked.

“Our mother,” Lily said flatly. “Not only that, but she has eyes just like Willow. The very same color.”

Willow looked at her baby, her jaw clenched tight.

“Okay, so what do we do about it?” asked Chloe.

“I'm going to get her out of there one way or another.”

“Well what's important now is making sure you stay safe,” Willow said. Willow always did have the hardest time dealing with the disappearance of their mother. But, Lily'd thought that since she named her child after her that maybe she'd forgiven her in some way. She wasn't surprised at Willow's outright rejection at the thought of their mother being alive. She'd her entire life removing their mother as far away from her life as possible.

“I think Telal can help me get her out.”

“How do you plan to do that?” asked Chloe.

Lily shrugged. “I don't know yet. I'll figure it out.”

Willow sighed. “Listen, the most important thing to do is to make sure you're safe. Not worrying about some woman in a demon prison, and not worrying about Telal's problem with the rift. And if this King Alrik looks like the man in your vision, you need to stay far as fuck away from him.”

Lily gave a tight-lipped smile. “I know. I got it.”

“So you won't do anything crazy?” Chloe asked, a wary look in her eyes.

“Nope. What could I do anyway? No need to worry about me.”

Lily made an excuse to go use the bathroom. Inside, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She knew her sisters meant well but it always seemed that no matter how old she grew, she'd never be anything but a child in their eyes. Turning on the cold water, she flushed it over her heated face then across the back of her neck. The freezing droplets raced down her heated back. She winced but it helped in its own way. Flushing the toilet just to make sure they didn't get any ideas about why she'd actually come in here, she dried her face and left feeling slightly more in control.

Henry and Draven were in the room when she returned. They were now officially her sisters’ transport system. Draven and Willow had formed some kind of relationship during her ordeal last year and so he was designated as her porting driver, and Henry or Rayn usually took care of Chloe.

Lily hugged and said goodbye to her sisters. At the end of the day, she still loved them more than anything. What with Papa gone they were all she had left. In a blink, they were gone, leaving her with Rosa.

“Come,” Rosa said, “I've made you something.”

Curious, Lily followed her through the beaded partition and into the workroom. Rosa squatted down and pulled a brown wooden box out from the back of a cabinet. She set the box on the table and pushed it towards her.

“Open it. It's for you.”

Lily grinned. “I already got my birthday present from you.” She lifted her pant leg to show her shiny anklet.

“I know this isn't for your birthday.”

Frowning, Lily went to the box and, for some reason, nerves slowed her down, made her apprehensive. “What is it?”

“By God, just open it Lily Bellum.”

She couldn't help it, she laughed. “All right.” She lifted the lid.

Inside the box was a foot-long silver dagger. Lily didn't have to touch it to feel the power radiating from it. Her fingers hovered over the blade feeling the glorious, wavering energy coming off it. She picked up the blade and felt the power oozing from it. Pure white magic.

“What’s this for?” She’d gotten one of these before, even helped to make one for her sisters, but she didn’t have the power that Rosa did. While Rosa was the real deal white witch, Lily was more of a wannabe weekend practicing witch.

“To protect you.” Rosa's gaze locked onto hers and her chest tightened with emotion.

Lily nodded and put the dagger back in the box. “Thank you, Rosa.”

“Are you planning on going back into the rift?”

Honestly? She didn't know. If it meant going in there to help Telal, she'd do it in a heartbeat. “I don't know. Probably not. King Alrik didn't want it open, so maybe Telal will just drop it.” She had a hard time seeing that. The demon was arrogant and determined. She smirked, almost like her.

“Promise me that you'll keep this with you at all times. It'll work wonders against dark magic.”

Lily let out a shaky breath. “Thank you, Rosa.”

Dark magic as in what the king had inside him.

They hugged and Lily got back into the car waiting for her outside.

“Take me to the nearest motorcycle dealership.”

Shopping for bikes always made her feel better.

CHAPTER 26

The office door opened but Telal didn't bother turning to see who'd entered.

“Sir, Tyrian en Kulev has called. He wants to meet with you.”

Telal flicked a glance at Kearnyn and nodded. He’d been sitting down for most of the morning, just thinking. Thinking about the past, about his family, about what happened at the rift, and of course, what happened with Lily this morning.

Now that the original shock had faded from seeing what his brother had turned into, a new feeling came over him. One of deep, seething anger. The feeling surprised him. He'd loved his brother more than anything, more than anyone. Even his own parents, though that was hardly a comparison. They just bred him. They were not his parents in any sense of the word.

Telal rolled his brother's necklace between his fingers, feeling the metal warm up in his hand and slide silkily back and forth. The band was made from black jet and attached to it was a pendant with the royal crest on it. Alrik had given him his royal necklace on his twentieth birthday. He could still remember the exchange down to the finest detail.

The royals spun around in glamorous costumes on the dance floor in a swirl of bright red and blue colors—the royal colors. Today was his birthday and everyone had gathered to celebrate. He gulped down the drink in his hand. Yeah, anyone who mattered, he thought. The thousands of prolitare spent this night huddled in their small homes by the fire just to stay warm while here he wore a lavish costume that was so warm it was nearly suffocating. Telal's gaze swung to all the massive fireplaces in the grand hall and a sickening guilt overwhelmed him.

Suddenly, he felt stifled as if there wasn't enough air in the hall. He stood, making his way to the front door. He had to get some air. Sweat beaded his brow and slid down his temples, the tightness in his chest compressed harder.

A hand caught his shoulder and he swung around to excuse himself from whichever well-wisher it was. But Alrik's wide smile stopped him. He sighed and nodded toward the doors. At Alrik's nod, they both headed outside. The night was cooler than usual and the wind blew strongly, rustling the trees until they bowed under its great strength.

“Enjoying the party, Telali?” his brother asked.

Telal smiled at the cute little nicknamed Alrik had called him since they were children. The nickname was silly but it'd always stuck and it always managed to make him smile. His brother had a way of making him feel good in spite of the turmoil that sat in his guy.

“A bit,” he said. “I needed some air.”

Alrik clapped him on the back. “I understand. The overwhelming scent of perfume and alcohol in there alone made me want to retch.”

Telal laughed, the tension in his chest easing. “Did you see what mother’s wearing?” They both laughed at the image. His mother wore an incredibly gaudy gown tonight that clung so tightly she literally couldn't sit down lest the seams tear open. But that wasn't the worst of it. The worse was the headdress she'd had made just for his birthday. It towered over two-feet off her head in a white column made of gauzy silk. On top of the headdress came out a dozen frilly tendrils made up of swirling coils of gold thread. At the end of each tendril hung a teardrop diamond.

“Did you see the way it moves when she walks?” Alrik asked, laughing until a tear came out of his eye.

“She looked like she had a frilly octopus on her head,” Telal agreed.

Their laughter died and they shared the view of the kingdom together with its faint pinkish hue, rolling green hills, and flowering trees. At skin level, it looked gorgeous, almost breathtaking. But below that beauty rested evil, treachery, and manipulation—mostly by his mother and father.

“I have something for you,” Alrik said hesitantly.

Telal turned to him in time to see a faint blush creeping up on his golden skin. He laughed. “A kiss?”

His brother relaxed, laughing. “You wish, brother Telali.” He reached behind his neck and unclasped the royal necklace from around it.

Telal watched in stunned awe. He had to screw his eyes in a tight expression to keep his eyes from tearing up. That necklace meant so much to his brother...it meant everything.

He held the black jet necklace with the royal pendant out to him. “I want you to have it.”

Telal's hand went to his own necklace, made not out of jet but of gold with the same royal pendant. His meant nothing to him, which he'd voiced to his brother on numerous occasions. But for Alrik, who knew he'd one day inherit the kingdom, it was dear to him.

Telal's voice sounded thick with emotion he tried hard to keep in check. “You said it helped to remind you of the right ways.”

Alrik's smile looked almost sad. “I won't need it anymore, brother. All the right teachings are here.” He pressed a finger to his heart.

Telal looked away to gather his composure. “You're certain?”

He nodded and stepped forward, holding the necklace out by the ends. Telal bowed his head and let Alrik attached the ends behind his neck. When he lifted his head, the necklace fell on his chest, next to his own royal necklace. His face nearly crumbled. He jerked Alrik into a hard hug.

“Thank you, brother.”

“Sir? Are you ready to go?”

Kearnyn's voice jerked Telal out of his memory. Telal clenched the necklace in his fist. It was the first time he'd ever taken it off. His heart sank in his chest, but he opened his desk drawer and dropped it inside.

“Yes, let's go.”

He grabbed Kearnyn's shoulder and ported them into the conference room at Tyrian's study. Tyrian and his guardsman Rayn waited for them there.

“Have a seat and tell me how the weapon manufacturing's going.”

Telal took a seat but realized that he had no idea. Shit. So much had been going on lately he hadn't even bothered to keep on his business. He looked to Kearnyn and the guard stepped forward. He'd only made a thousand in his free time. But with his trip to the rift, the work had been pushed far from his mind.

“Rosa Delgado has been working hard on her share of the weapons. I do not know the exact number she has completed.”

Tyrian took a seat in a leather armchair. “I'd like to see one of the weapons. Rayn has volunteered to be a test subject to the electric power in them.”

After a moment, they agreed that Telal would go and fetch the witch. With a sigh, he ported to her shop.

Rosa lurched when she saw him and screamed in holy terror, the color draining from his face.

“Didn't mean to startle you,” he said easily. “You are required at a meeting with Tyrian en Kulev right now. Fetch one of the weapon's you've enchanted.”

She stood there staring at him for a long minute, her hands clutched to her heart. Then slowly, methodically she went and retrieved a dagger.

“Next time port outside and knock,” she said with a glare.

Telal shrugged. He didn't care. In fact, he didn't feel much of anything right now. A cold numbing feeling had settled over his body. Going to this meeting should be important and take planning. He knew he should have brought one of the weapons he'd enchanted himself and not be here wasting time, but he hadn't done any of those things. Everything seemed so unimportant now, different.

She held out her hand to him and he took it, porting them into Tyrian's study. She faltered as she spotted Kearnyn a blush covering her cheeks.

“Let me see it,” Tyrian said.

Rosa handed him the blade and he studied it, nodding, his brow pulled in concentration. Then he stood and Rayn groaned.

“Really?” asked Rayn.

“Really,” Tyrian said. Once he was about ten paces away from Rayn, he grabbed the dagger by the blade and sent it sailing through the air. The dagger landed above the knee in Rayn's leg.

“Ah, fuck.” Rayn cursed and his body started jerking as if he shocks of electrical bursts zapped through his body. He fought it and tried to stay standing, but the power of the electricity was too much for him and he fell to his knees, yanking the blade out of his leg viciously.

Tyrian nodded with approval. “Very good. If we get a similar reaction or worse from the idummi then this will prove to be an excellent new weapon.”

“Agreed,” Telal said.

“Good work,” Tyrian said to Rosa.

She smiled. “Of course.”

Tyrian ordered Rayn to the medical ward and after he limped out of the room grunting and cursing, Tyrian took a seat, his expression all business.

“What happened in the rift?”

“My father died during the Great War and my brother Alrik has been king ever since. My mother still reigns as queen.” That twisted bitch.

“Your brother? Hm... How did the kingdom look?”

Telal looked away. He wished he could say it had turned out to be everything he thought it'd be if Alrik became King, but that'd be a flat-out lie.

“Bad,” he answered honestly. “Alrik has become corrupted worse than anything I've ever seen him. It's actually affected him physically, discoloring his natural appearance.”

“I've never heard of such a thing.”

“I have but I thought it was a myth. He appears to be ruling with an iron hand. Even his eyes are black.” Telal's chest tightened; he curled his hand into a fist as some kind of outlet to the anger twisting inside him. How did everything turn out so wrong?

“Has someone helped to corrupt him?”

“I have no doubt my mother has. She's always been a twisted bitch.”

“He won't accept the proposal then,” Tyrian said. It wasn't a question. “What do you plan to do?”

“I don't know.” It almost hurt to say. No, wait, it did hurt to say.

“If you plan to take the throne back then I'll support you,” Tyrian said, his voice quiet.

Telal stood, nodding. “The weapons should be finished in...” Fuck he didn't even know. He looked to Kearnyn who spoke up.

“In the next two weeks, sir.”

“Good, I look forward to it.” Tyrian came forward and thrust out this hand. Telal shook it then touched Rosa and Kearnyn and got them the hell out of there.

He ported to Rosa's first then grabbed hold of Kearnyn.

“Wait,” Kearnyn said, stepping out of his hold. “I need to talk to Ms. Delgado.”

Telal arched a brow and looked at the both of them. Yup, if they weren't already sleeping together, they’d soon be hitting the sack.

Telal left them and reappeared in his office. Lily Bellum sat on his desk, a wicked smile on her face. Seeing her actually made him feel better.

“Get off my desk,” he said out of habit.

Surprisingly, she did. She hopped off but ran up to him and jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. He was so stunned by the action his hands went around to hold her.

She pressed a kiss to his mouth and before he could kiss her back, which he realized he really really wanted to do—if only to lose himself for a while—she kissed along his jaw and to his ear.

“I have a surprise for you,” she whispered in his ear.

His hands tightened on her. Another one? He still hadn't gotten over the shock of the pen. “What is it?”

She laughed a low and provocative sound. His cock must like the sound because all the blood in his body pumped to there. He closed his eyes as she began nuzzling his neck with her soft lips. God, she'd felt amazing wrapped around him. She'd been so generous and soft in bed. He'd taken her where no other man has. A hot fiery surge of pride filled him. His hands reached to her ass and squeezed, bringing her against him so he could push his cock against her—to remind her of what he'd done. He felt more animal than man.

She moaned and licked up his neck. “Come on. I want you to see it.”

“See what?” he asked, his voice deep with arousal. She wore another dress, this one a light shade of pink. Just the thought of all the ways he could take her in that dress pulled his balls up tight.

She pulled back to look at him, her eyes shining with excitement and desire. “Your present!”

Cursing and mumbling, Telal let her lead him down stairs, out the main lobby, and outside. His guards sent him a varying degree of shocked expressions to which he glared at them—daring them to remark. Each time one of them glanced at Lily or the bare skin of her legs, a growl started from deep in his chest.

At the curb sat something with a black tarp over it. Judging by its shape, he had a feeling he knew what it was.

“What is it?” His lips curled with distaste.

She hopped to the curb and grabbed the black tarp pulling it a way with a great flick of her wrists like a magician. His jaw dropped at what he saw and he quickly shut it.

“You bought me a bike?”

Her eyebrow cocked. “Not just any bike. A Harley Davidson Iron 883. Just came out this year.”

Telal had to admit, the bike looked sharp and sleek in a badass kind of way. It had a black body with two chrome exhaust pipes coming off the side. Everything from the seat to the handles was black. It looked manly. A part of Telal actually flexed at the idea of riding with that between his legs.

Lily caught his expression and smiled, knowingly. “Yeah, you like it.” She crossed her arms with a satisfied expression.

He sighed. “I do.”

She came up beside him, a little smirk on her face. “Now you just need to learn to ride so I can go with you.”

“How would we fit on there?” A part of him was surprised he'd even asked. But then he remembered his plan had been foiled; there really was no reason to push her away anymore. Besides, not that he'd ever admit it to her, but he wanted her again. He hadn't touched her nearly enough since their first time. He had so much more to explore with her. Plus, he'd had a lingering hangover at the time and hadn't been able to etch into memory everything like he wanted to.

She moved to stand in front of him and he had to crane his neck down to look at her. Her eyes were warm and inviting. Or maybe he just saw what he wanted to see?

“By me holding real tight to you.” The image flashed in his mind. Him driving her on a dark night, the wind flying past them, the vibrations of the roaring bike rocking between them. She’d wrap her dainty arms around him, squeezing him tight with her legs pressed against the back of his.

Suddenly, he was grabbing her hand and hauling her back through the lobby.

“Hey, what're you doing?” She sounded breathless and he wanted to roar. She wanted him. He made for the elevator then thought better of it and practically ran down the hallway to the stairs. Once inside the stairs he tugged her up about two flights before he stopped and pushed her back against the wall, his body crashing down on hers.

“Telal?”

Her wide eyes were beautiful. He'd hated her when he first saw her. She had lush, dark curling hair, a ripe young body, and eyes the color amber and golden brown around a black pupil. The way she'd pursued him without qualm to his history, his demonic ancestry had surprised him, and angered him. He'd taken out his anger by calling her on her foolish actions. He could still remember the night she'd slapped him in front of Lyonis Keelan's cabin. So he'd been late. He still managed to save Lyonis' life.

“Where did you go?” she asked softly.

He blinked and remembered he had her plastered against the wall in the stairwell.

He looked down at her supple body in that flowing pink dress and all of his instincts flared to life.

“Nowhere.”

And then he kissed her.

* * *

Lily moaned at Telal's kiss. If this was how he thanked her for buying him gifts, then she'd remember to buy him one for every day of the week.

His kiss awakened need deep in her belly. Her core ached and grew wet as his tongue slid along hers.. She felt a desperate urgency in his strong hands, in the hard bite of his kiss.

He pulled back. “Are you sore?”

She did feel something lingering inside her. It didn't quite hurt but it felt like she had just learned how to use a muscle that had been inactive all her life. She shook her head and then his mouth crashed back down on hers.

Urgent hands gripped the bottom of her dress, pushing it up roughly to her waist. The cool air on her did nothing to cool the rampant fire burning inside her. His hands fingered the lacy material of her panties then tugged them down with ruthless pulls. Her pulsed raced, roaring in her ears drowning out all other sound. Her skin pulled tight at his touch, awaiting his next caress as if she were made for him.

“Step out of them,” he said, his voice husky and deep. She shivered as she obeyed, kicking the panties away.

His mouth came back on hers but only for a second before diving down to cover her breast over the dress. Her hard nipple easily poked through the material and he found it, teeth tugging on it, sending needy spikes of pleasure straight to her sex. He made her wet, made her squirm, with just the smallest of touches.

“I hope you don't care about this dress,” he said.

“Why?” she asked, her hands spearing into his hair.

He answered her by grabbing the collar of her dress and ripping it nearly down to her waist. Her braless breasts spilled free and he groaned a deep, feral sound like an animal's.

“Beautiful,” he groaned then licked her nipple before sucking the hard tip into his mouth.

She shivered at the raw sensation, her hips starting a rocking rhythm. One hand came up to mold her other breast, to hold it, then his mouth devoured that nipple in a sucking rhythmic fashion that made her legs tremble.

“Telal,” she moaned.

The sound of a door opening brought them both to a standstill. They both looked up at the staircase that wrapped up to the upper floors. They listened to the footsteps going up another floor and then the door opening and slamming closed.

Telal wasted no time going back to her breast. When a long low moan escaped her, he tore himself away, and kissed her hard. “I could stay there forever. You have perfect tits.”

Her eyes could only widen at the words 'tits'. She didn't recall that term ever being used to her before, but then her shock faded as his hands latched onto her bare ass and he lifted her against the wall.

“No more waiting.”

He pressed his hips against hers to keep her upright and she held on to his shoulders for leverage as he heatedly ripped opened his button and zipper. His beautiful cock sprang free, strikingly hard and a deeper more golden color with his excitement. She licked her lips and knew she wanted him in her mouth. To taste and feel him sliding between her lips.

“Telal.”

He looked at her as his pants slid to the floor and his hands once against captured her cheeks. “Soon,” he said in reply as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, and then his cock nudged her wet entrance and pushed inside.

Their choked moans rang out in the stairwell, echoing back at them. Her tight muscles made him work to fit all the way in and he did, pushing, and rocking in and out until he buried himself all the way in. And then he did it again until he had a pounding hard rhythm inside her.

“Fuck,” she moaned, her eyes unable to stay open at the exquisite, erotic sensations he touched inside her. Each thrust hit her clitoris, making the little bundle of nerves tingle and tighten the muscles in her body.

“Exactly.”

His lips found her swaying breasts and he didn't stop taking her for a second. And that's exactly what he was doing—pounding, hammering into her with hungry, hard thrusts.

She managed to keep her mouth shut for all of five seconds before the pleasure was too much for her. Her jaw fell open and cries, moans, desperate sounds escaped, escalating higher and higher as he moved faster, harder until her ass bounced off the wall.

She held on tight to him, pushing more of her breast into his hungry mouth. He groaned and the sound vibrated over her sensitive nipple down to her sex that he worked in hungry thrusts.

The hot need inside her curled in a tight ball of pleasure. He sucked hard on her breast and landed deep, and that was all it took. She choked on a scream, some sound between a moan and his name. Crashing waves pounded inside her. She shook wildly, her hips rocking against him, her nails biting into his scalp as erotic, pulsing pulls trembled raged inside her like a storm.

Telal was right there with her. Burying his face in her neck, he shoved through her milking muscles and then growled, the sound so deep and sensual, her body pulled tight. With a hard thrust, he held himself deep and jetted how and wet inside her.

Breathing hard, they slowly fell to the ground together, him still buried deeply inside her. Using her weak hands, she pulled his face up from her neck and kissed him slowly, gently. He didn't respond at first, still struggling with his labored breathing but when his lips claimed hers, her heart pulled so tight she thought she might cry.

His strong arms banded around her and then he rocked his hips. She felt his cock move inside her, still semi-erect. She moaned, it felt good. He was softer now, the touch more of a tease. He did it again. And again. Until he grew hard and long inside her, making her muscles quiver.

He took her like that. With her knees spread atop his thighs as he slowly thrust in, with their mouths fused together.

When her body climaxed, he kept his mouth fused to hers, letting no sound escape. Her body needed to release all that incredible pleasure somehow and so it gripped his cock furiously, kneading it until he groaned deep in his chest and spilled white-hot inside her.

The moment touched her unlike anything had before. Her heart felt soft and tender and her brain struggled to regain control of herself. He wasn't ready for anything more than this, she told herself.

She looked into his beautiful golden brown eyes and wondered if he ever would be. And could she ever deal with that?

CHAPTER 27

“Send for her.”

“Right away, your highness.”

Alrik listened to the fading footsteps of the steward but his eyes were glued to the painting on the wall. It was a massive work, one of the largest in the castle; his father had it commissioned when he'd just been a boy of twelve. He used to study the painting many times during the Great War when he'd been relegated to the castle for protection. While the armies clashed outside the very walls he slept within.

The painting showed his father sitting on his throne wearing his royal grandeur--the long robed gown, the royal blue cape with gold trim. Next to him sat his mother in her finest royal gown made of hundreds of sparkling diamonds. But none of that interested him. It was the two boys sitting below the king and queen on the steps of the dais. He and Telal looked so young and innocent on the surface. But the painter had captured the hard look in their eyes quite well. Telal's dark golden eyes looked stern and unforgiving, much like their father’s, while his own younger gaze looked fresh with its violet hue.

It had been so long since he looked like that—golden skinned, reddish hair, and violet eyes—that he started to forget that he’d changed, morphed. The changes to his physical body had happened over a time, slowly. At first, he hadn't noticed it. Really he didn't notice it at all until one day after a bath. Just another ordinary day, but on that day he looked at himself in the mirror and saw his dark skin. He remembered feeling surprised by it; he'd touched his arm, watching his reflection in the mirror, to see if it was some kind of magic trick, a spell. Even then he hadn’t questioned it. Instead he’d welcomed it as if someone had told him he’d be having coffee today instead of tea. Now he wondered as he looked at that painting, why hadn’t he cared?

Many things could drive a person to change so drastically. He knew that, understood it, and had taken that as an answer to why he'd changed. Then he didn't think of it no more. Now his eyes had changed back. Why now? After all these years? Only two answers seemed possible. It could be finally having Arianna or seeing his brother. His mind felt scrambled with wild thoughts. He couldn't seem to keep his mind clear and steady any more.

What did it mean that they'd turned back to their old color? Would his skin change as well? Would the searing hate in his heart vanish too? Hate at his brother who'd caused it all?

Alrik roared at the painting. Screamed all of his venomous rage at Telal until his voice dried and shriveled to a croak. He was caught in another place, a place where emotion controlled him. All that he heard was his own harsh breathing and the sound of metal cutting and cutting.

When his voice stopped and the echoing shout faded, it still wasn't enough. His arms shook, his breathing sounded harsh. Alrik grabbed a sword from the table and slashed at the painting in hard sweeping cuts. The sounds of tearing paper, the ripping of cloth and snapping of the wooden frame cooled the hatred inside of him, if only a little.

His brother's body turned into slashes on the canvas like bears had ravaged it with their claws. The canvas folded in half, then dropped to the floor in tatters.

“Sir?” a hesitant voice said.

Alrik stared at the shredded painting, at the place where his brother used to be. His heart squeezed tight and his eyes watered. What had he done? Getting down on his knees, his hands trembled as he lifted the shredded remains of his brother's face.

“Sir?”

Alrik turned to the voice, and knew his eyes were glowing with simmering hatred. The steward took several steps back, his hand flying to his heart. As if that would save him.

The steward swallowed hard. The stench of his fear clung to air. “She, Lady Arianna, says she is ill and cannot receive you right now.”

A cold deadening feeling settled over him, starting in his heart and spread all the way to his fingers and toes. Alrik stood and stared down at the pieces of the canvas. Something snapped inside him.

He stormed into his study. The vial his mother had given him still sat on his desk. He grabbed it, uncorked it, and drank the entire contents. In a gradual rush his anger lessened, the trembling in his arms stopped, and his mind calmed. Taking a deep breath, he threw the empty vial into the fire and watched it blacken then shatter under the flames.

In the next second, he stalked out the door and up the stairs to Arianna's room. Sick or not, she wouldn't ignore him. She was his now. And she'd learn her place if he had to make her.

He didn't bother knocking but turned the handle and found it locked. Though his anger had lessened, it still simmered inside him. His mother's concoction allowed him to have better control of it. Bracing himself, he slammed his foot forward and kicked in the door. It burst open, the wood cracking along the frame. A feminine cry sounded from inside.

Alrik entered, finding Arianna sitting at her desk writing in a small notebook. Her eyes were wide and scared, and when she saw him, she immediately stood and backed up.

Good, he thought. You should be scared.

* * *

Arianna couldn't stop her heart from trying to beat out of her chest. Alrik looked more fearsome than ever. His chest rose and fell in great heaves; his hands were held stiffly at his sides as if ready to strike in a moment's notice, and his eyes... She gasped; his eyes had turned black again. The longer she stared the more she realized they swirled like black snakes coiling amongst themselves in a pit. What had happened to him since she last saw him?

He took a step into the room and kicked the door closed behind him. The realization that she was alone with him with no means of escape aside from her window that led to a forty-foot drop sent apologetic words falling from her.

“King Alrik, what are you doing here? I'm so sorry I couldn't make your request today. I'm-I'm really not feeling well, truly. I hope you understand.”

He didn't say a word but slowly took one step then another and another towards her. She felt like a weak animal being stalked by one much stronger than she was. When he got within a few feet of her, she screamed and darted to the side. His hard footsteps sounded after her.

She reached the bed and tried to climb over it, to get to the other side and to the door. She reached the edge of the other side of the bed, her hand curling around it as she frantically scurried across it, when a strong hand grabbed her ankle and tugged. She fell onto her stomach, sliding back towards him. She cried out again, tears forming in her eyes. He's going to kill me.

Strong hands grabbed her waist and flipped her over. She slapped at him, tears falling uselessly from her eyes, but he only grabbed her wrists and planted them on either side of her head. He leaned down over her, those dark terrifying eyes boring into hers.

“Why did you ignore my summons?” Even his voice sounded deeper, almost garbled.

“I-I told you. I do not feel well. Please let me go,” she said softly.

Those swirling eyes cut to her desk, then back to her. “Yet here you are writing with a little smile on your face.” His eyes traced over her face then down her body. “You seem well enough, Arianna. Did you lie to me?” he asked slowly.

Her mouth open and closed. Then some kind of resolution came over her and she stifled her tears and steadied her breathing. Softly she said, “Yes, I did lie and I'm sorry. I was just busy and didn't want to stop yet. I swear I was planning to come see you once I was finished. I swear. I swear.” She squeezed her eyes shut.

It was the truth. She'd been in the middle of writing in her journal. About him. She hadn't wanted to stop, because she'd been trying to analyze her own feelings towards him. Especially since she last saw him, when they'd shared each other's bodies. She had to stop and try to figure out how to feel about it, and she always did that best by writing.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

She popped her eyes open and almost flinched at his dark eyes. But she kept her gaze locked on him.

“Do not ever lie to me again, Arianna. I don't think I could stand it.” She froze, feeling an odd truth in his words. Had her lie really mattered that much to him? But why? He only wanted her body.

He stood and turned to stare out at the bright sky through her window. Arianna slowly sat up, rubbing her wrists though they didn't actually hurt. Embarrassment crept in that she'd overreacted, but no. She was justified in her reaction. She'd been certain he was going to kill her by the look in his eyes, by the furious energy radiating off him. Anyone would have thought the same.

After a moment, he walked to her desk and sat at it. An all-new fear fired inside her. She ran for the desk but as she reached to grab her precious journal, he cut her a hard look that had her stumbling to a stop.

“This is what you were doing when you ignored me...” He proceeded to flip through the pages of her journal, ignoring the many earlier entries in favor of the newer ones.

Arianna found it difficult to breath. She could only stare in horror as he flipped directly to the page about when she'd first been invited to dinner. He settled down over the journal, his elbows on either side like a dog protecting his bone.

Arianna wanted to go bang her head into a wood plank a few dozen times. Either he read slowly or he was re-reading passages because he took forever on just the first two opened pages. When the crinkling sound of paper came indicating he'd turned to the next, a furious blush came over her face. Now he was reading about the other night.

She knew the words on the page by heart. Because she'd written them from her heart, by her own hand. Good thing he hadn't come by tomorrow to read her journal, because what she had to write after he left was not going to be pretty.

His eyes lifted from the page and landed on hers. Her knees suddenly felt weak and she collapsed into a chair by the fireplace. She buried her face in her hands to hide her mortification. She knew exactly what he was reading.

Alrik appears to have many different façades than I could ever have imagined. Not only is he far more intimidating in person and alone, but he appears so conflicted at times that I just want to sit down and talk with him. Find out why he's become the man he has and simply ask him: do you like who you are? I have a feeling he's never asked himself this question. It's as though as the years have passed, he's merely accepted his position, the darkening of his soul. The harbingers of pain to the prolitare. The answer to the prayers of the royal. I can still remember sitting with him and Telal when we were all ripe, and see his eyes shine with admiration at Telal. While Telal's betrayal cut us all deeply, I still cannot believe he hasn't accepted it, at least in some part, and grown to do what was right.

Tonight, this changed Alrik, the one who sits high on his throne and rules with a dark fist, ordered me to come to him. I knew now what he'd expect, at least as much as a virgin could. The experience was...well you know how it was. Horrible, exciting, odd, and incredible. I almost want to start calling him the man with so many faces, because that's who he is.

At one end, he'd so cruelly punish a prisoner whom I'm sure he knows was wrongfully imprisoned, and on the other he can look at me as though I'm the only person in the world he cares about. It isn't the first time I've seen the man-with-so-many-faces glance at me so. In fact, I’ve steadfastly ignored his gazes for a long, long time, not knowing what to make of it, and terrified to find out because something in my gut would seize so tightly and hold me captive.

It had to be fear that I'd felt—or so I thought. I learned my lesson tonight in the dining room during my private audience with Alrik. He touched me... how could this man's touch, this man of many faces, create such a stirring of passion inside me? He'd made me do debasing, sexual things that even now as I write this, stirs something needful inside me. He didn't take my body as I thought he would. But what he did instead, how he touched me, and made me touch him, felt more...erotic...than I can ever imagine sex being.

So the question now, journal, is what do I make of this man? Why even now am I still thinking about him? How I wish he were different, like his old self, then I don't believe I'd have any problems caring for him. But what happens when I begin to care for a monster?

The tension in the room escalated to nearly suffocating levels. Arianna gripped the armrests with a white-knuckled fist as Alrik slowly lifted his head from her journal. He'd read her most private words, entered her most secret world that no one knew of. No one now but him. She had no idea how to prepare herself, because she had no idea how he'd react.

“Do you believe you can fix me?”

“No,” she answered. How could someone fix something when they weren't sure what was broken? She didn't even know if she'd want to anyway.

Alrik stood, his hand curling around the journal and taking it with him. Arianna tensed as he headed for the door.

“Where are you going?”

He stopped at the door. “What do you care?”

“You have my journal.”

He looked down at it. “So I do.”

She stood and marched up to him, extending her hand. “You can't have it.”

“I can have anything I want, Arianna. Anything,” he said, his face leaning into hers.

“What happened to your eyes?” she asked in a rush. If he was leaving and going to take her most precious belonging then at least she wanted that much answered.

Those dark eyes narrowed on her. “What did you expect? That one night with you would cure me?” He shook his head then slammed open the door, leaving her standing there gaping after him.

Arianna growled in frustration and slammed the broken door shut. The insufferable man was driving her crazy! She wanted to yank out her hair and scream until her voice turned hoarse. Cure him? Cure him? She had no thoughts to curing him. Where the hell did that even come from?

Arianna paced back and forth across her room, slapping her hand against the post of her bed in her anger.

“What is he talking about?” she asked to no one.

That rotten, irresponsible, jackass thought he could come in here and command her around. While he technically had every right to do so, that didn't make it right. And his response still didn't come close to answering her question. Why had his eyes turned even darker now? Why had they reverted in the first place? Wasn't he curious? Didn't he want to know?

“Obviously not,” she bit out and kicked a chair, knocking it over.

It wasn't until night fell and she'd calmed down that a thought struck Arianna. Did he think that being with her would cure him? The thought staggered her so much, she righted the chair she'd kicked over and sat in it. Did their...experience together somehow help to bring him back from whatever dangerous cliff he stood on?

“What if I can help him?” she whispered, her wide eyes trained unseeing on the wall. What if he wants me to help him?

Arianna tucked herself into bed that night with an all new perspective on the wicked king.

CHAPTER 28

Kearnyn waited in the small living room of Rosa's shop feeling more nervous than he ever had. He hadn't even been this nervous on his wedding day. All of that had been planned and understood. He and Moira knew exactly how the day would precede even leading up to the consummation of the marriage that night. Even then, he hadn't been so nervous.

Now he pulled a kerchief out of his suit jacket and dabbed at the sweat beading his temples. God damn. He had to get a hold of himself. He'll be a pile of sweat by the time she got out here.

After the meeting at Tyrian's today, he'd asked her on a date tonight. They both understood it'd be a real date, not some out-in-the-daylight-at-a-cafe date. He told her to wear something nice. Already he was thinking this was all a shitty idea. He wore his best suit and, god, did he hate it. It made him feel like a giant fucking penguin with the matching jacket and pants and tie. Still, he wanted to do something nice for her. He wanted to get her to loosen up and talk to him. He craved hearing her voice, knowing more about her.

He froze in the process of dabbing his sweat when he heard footsteps. No, not footsteps. The soft tapping of heels. He almost groaned at the thought of her in sexy shoes. God, this was a really bad idea. How was he supposed to talk to her when he had a hard enough time keeping his dick under wraps, and that was when she wore a loose unflattering dress. Heels...dark long legs...were they slender, muscular, or rounded and curvy? God, he didn't even care. He just wanted to runs his hands and tongue all over them. Pervert.

The soft sound came closer and he actually forced his eyes closed as she came through the beaded partition. He didn't want to see. He didn't want to know how difficult this night was going to be.

“Kearnyn?” she asked in a shy voice.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. And nearly groaned. This was going to be a really long night.

“God...wow. Uh, Rosa, you...” he sighed as he fumbled for words like an idiot. “Yeah, you look really great.” He hoped that didn't sound as lame as he thought it did, but his tongue didn't feel like cooperating just yet.

A sultry smile lit up her face as her head bowed at his look. She wore a white dress—if that little scrap of clothing could be called as much. Was she trying to make him lose control?

The top of the dress stopped at the top of her breasts—completely strapless—and it fitted to her surprisingly curvy body in a way that made him drool. The white dress contrasted perfectly to her darker skin, seeming to make her glow. And it didn't stop there. The dress stopped at the top of her thighs and he couldn't help but think that if she bent over, he'd see her bare ass. Another thought rammed into his skull: did she wear panties under that dress?

Breathing became difficult, but he forced his gaze back to her eyes where they belonged. Beautiful, chocolate eyes that watched him with a sultry tilt. He couldn't help but wonder if their shared kiss had broken some defense in her. Shit, he couldn't even say honestly whether he was happy or not about the change. Right now, he just knew that he was happy he wore his tight briefs or else his cock would be pitching a damned tent right now.

Her hand ran down the side of one hip. “Do you like it?” she asked shyly.

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it, afraid he'd garble nonsensical words at her and instead he nodded, quickly. He wanted to ask her if she was ready to go but just jerked his head toward the door instead, not trusting his mouth to form real words.

Thank God. She got the picture and crossed the floor to him. Every muscle in his body tightened at the sight. Her long hair sat around her dark, creamy shoulders in curly waves that he wanted to bury his hands in. And those heels—dark red like blood—only brought out the white of her dress even more and ruby at the end of a necklace around her neck.

She reached his side and smiled up at him. The look in her eyes said she knew exactly the effect her dress had on him. Suddenly he laughed, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the shop. He waited for her to lock up before he helped her into the SUV.

Moving slowly as she got in, the short skirt riding way up her thighs, revealing more smooth leg. Once she got situated, he closed the door and went around to his side, pausing for a moment to take a breath before he got in.

Starting the engine, his eyes skipped over to her legs, then up to the swell of her breasts that peaked out generously from her top. Holy hell. The date hadn't even started and he was ready to jump on her.

“You look very nice, too,” she said.

He couldn't help but grin. “I feel ridiculous.”

“I'm not surprised, but the look suits you.”

He smiled at her compliment and her cheeks colored until she looked away, blowing out an uneasy breath.

“So where are we going?”

“Food, drinks, and then we'll see.”

She turned to him, one knee coming up on the seat. He ripped the kerchief out of his pocket and scrubbed his face with it. God, he could just see her inner thigh. She had slender legs with curves and thickness in all the right places.

“And anything else?”

He cocked a brow. “What else would you like to do?” If she said have sex, he'd pulled the car over right now and bury his face between her legs. Shit. Get a grip.

She shrugged a bare shoulder. “It's just that last time...you said you'd kiss me.” She didn't sound as shy now but curious.

“I'd love to do that again.” His husky voice showed just how much. He'd had to yank himself away from her last time. Her lips had been so soft and pliant, her gentle tongue meeting his eagerly. She'd made this throaty noise, somewhere between a growl and a moan. It'd nearly made him take her right then, push her right up against the bookshelf and plunder. So he'd torn himself away from her and beat feet out of there. It was too soon, even he knew that.

“So would I.”

They drove in silence the rest of the way to the club. When they arrived at the brightly lit club her eyes widened with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

“The Grind? I've only ever heard of this place,” she said.

“Good, then I'm the first one to bring you here.” And hopefully the last, his mind finished for him. He tensed as he reached her side of the door, but hell, he was right. If he could keep this intriguing creature for the rest of his life, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

Tucking her hand in his elbow, he cut to the top of the line and handed a stack of Benjamins to the security guard.

“Nice to see you, my man,” the guard said and let them through the partition.

The Grind was a classy club, not one that many youngsters could get into. The dress code was elegant, the music smooth but good, and the drinks were never free or on sale. But for the atmosphere alone, the price was worth it. A maitre'd led them down a short hall painted in deep browns and black creating a classical and romantic atmosphere with the soft sconce lighting and murals on the walls. They took a seat at a small table with a white tablecloth and two candles with a little bundle of flowers in the middle.

Kearnyn ordered a bottle of wine and let Rosa over her dinner.

She looked up at him after he finished. “Aren't you going to eat something?” She blushed beautifully. “Oh, never mind.”

Kearnyn waited until their wine came before he leaned his elbows on the table. He wanted to be closer to her, he couldn't help it. “How long have you known Lily Bellum?”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Geez, a long time it seems.” She laughed at her own joke. “I guess it's been close to ten years now. I met her at one of the succubus balls they throw each year. Her father took her and her sisters.” She sipped her wine. “How long have you known the demon Telal?”

Kearnyn laid his hand flat on the table, halfway across. Was it obvious he wanted her to put her smaller hand on top of his? Probably, but he didn't care. He wanted to touch her. “Oh, I met Telal in the mid-fifteen hundreds*. He'd come for a meeting with Commander Tyrian and while he was there one of the warriors picked a fight with me. Don't even remember what it was about. Telal saw my fighting skills, then coerced me onto his team.” He grinned at the memories.

“What did he do to persuade you?” She finished her glass of wine so he refilled it for her.

“Money.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Sounds petty, I know, but it's the truth. I came from poor stock; the kind of money he was talking about was nearly enough to convince me with just that.”

“Nearly enough?”

He shrugged and finally pulled back his hand. “Even I needed a bit more than that. He told me his future plans of getting the rift back open. Though I'd been a member of the Atal Warriors for a long time, I knew that keeping the demons in the rift was wrong. Next thing you know, I'm switching sides and guarding the big demon himself.”

Her meal came and then Kearnyn had to sit there and watch her eat. Who knew that could have been a kind of torture? Fuck, it was, though. Each little bite sent her eyes fluttering shut and a soft moan from deep in her throat. Even the way her throat tightened, convulsed after each dainty bite fired his blood.

Her eyes flicked up to his, and for a moment, he panicked. Busted. But then her eyes softened, blazing with what could only be pleasure, and this time she had no food in her mouth.

“Come on, let's dance.” He stood and held his hand out for her. She took it and he led her past the tables and onto a dance floor where a soft passionate song about love and loss played. Kearnyn tucked her head under his chin and swayed with her to the soft beat. She fit against him perfectly, chest to chest, hip to hip.

Growing warmth filled him. It was a comfortable, good feeling that she stirred inside him.

“You feel good, Rosa.”

She pressed her cheek to his chest. “You do, too.”

After four more songs, he led her back to the table . Her eyes shined bright with excitement and energy. Kearnyn couldn't hold back the question that had been rattling around in his head for days.

“What did you see between us in your vision, Rosa?”

She choked on her wine.

“Damn,” he cursed and came around the table to pat her back as great whooping coughs came out of her. “I'm sorry. I wasn’t trying to kill you.” He cringed at his own poor joke.

She chuckled as she got her voice back under control and took a tentative sip of her wine. She looked up at him with a big grin. He realized he must look possessive—or worse—because her grin quickly faded.

“Sorry,” he mumbled and took his seat again. God, he was going to ruin this. Maybe it was time to call this whole thing quits and just take her home.

“It's fine. You're question just surprised me.”

Kearnyn flagged the waiter down and asked for his bill. Rosa sent him a wide-eyed look.

“We're leaving already?”

He paused reaching for his wallet. “I thought you'd want to. I'm not...good at this.”

“Oh.” Her dejected look cut straight to his heart.

“Come on. Let's dance some more.” He tossed some bills on the table and led her once more off to the dance floor.

The soft song that had been playing changed to something much more rhythmic and upbeat. Rosa's eyes lit up and she spun around in his arms, her hips swaying, knees grinding as she writhed up and down his body in time to the music.

Kearnyn's cock lengthened, turned hard as stone watching her move. She grabbed each of his hands and wrapped them around her squirming waist. He couldn't dance for shit like this, but still he found his body moving with hers until they created an undulating sensual rhythm and he forgot all about not being able to dance. He simply moved with her flexible little body, curving around her as she dipped and bent.

The first press of her ass against his cock made him groan. There was no way she didn't feel that. She had to have noticed it but didn't care because now she pressed herself against it again and again, rhythmically undulating her hips against his cock until breathing grew difficult. He found himself moving back against her, thrusting and rubbing himself as his hands rubbed around her stomach, catching her hips and feeling her muscles flex and move under his grip.

The song neared the end, slowing the pulsing beat, and she swayed one last time in his arms before spinning around and wrapping her arms around his neck. Their eyes met, locked. Passion and desire clung to them. She kept her hips pressed tightly against his; until his cock dug into her. She didn't seem to mind though, at all. The song ended and they stopped dancing but their eyes didn't leave each other’s.

A loud shrilly laugh cut the connection. Kearnyn's gaze flicked to the drunken woman giggling madly at something her date said, and glared.

“Why don't we go?” asked Rosa.

Nodding mutely, he took her warm hand in his and led her back to the SUV. Getting her into the vehicle turned out to be one of the most erotic adventures of his life. As he opened the door and stepped back to help her inside, she turned to him, stepping close. Her body pressed against his, soft breasts flattening against his chest and pushing them up and out of that dress. It took effort not to stare at the delicious swell of flesh.

Her hands pressed against his chest then drew upwards until her fingers curled around the lapels of his jacket. His breath caught, his cock aching as she gently, steadily tugged his head down to hers. Their lips met. Soft, warm lips pressed against his like a feather, then gradually pressed harder, deeper until they were fused together by the seam.

Kearnyn’s blood ran hot like lava in his veins. Need pounded inside him, drawing his sac up tight with the urge to release. A groan left him as his arm curled around her waist, crushing her to his chest. Her moan sounded like a dream come true to his ears.

Their lips parted at the same time and tongues met, hers so much softer than his abrasive one. She tasted delicious—her own unique flavor mixed with the rich red wine she'd drunk. His cock seemed to have a direct connection to his tongue because each time she swirled hers around his, licking at him, his cock throbbed, pulsated.

It took every ounce of strength inside him to remind him where he was and stepped back. He blinked as he realized he had her pressed up against the car door. People walking up and down the street stared at them with grins or disgusted glares as they passed by.

“Get inside,” he said, his voice shaking. He couldn't even help her into it he was so rattled. He just walked to the driver's door and got in, buckling his seatbelt in a mechanical motion. He briefly looked over at her to make sure she had hers on before he rolled the engine over and drove off.

“Do you still want to know what my vision was?”

His hands squeezed the steering wheel. “Now?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Now or never.”

He sent a look her way to judge her expression and found her eyes alight with mischief and arousal. It was a heady combination to be aimed at him. For a moment he debated saying never; he honestly didn't know what her vision entailed, but he had an idea.

“If we crash it's your fault.” It was a bit of lie; he'd never lose enough focus to endanger her. Still, he narrowed his eyes on the road and concentrated harder.

“Is that a yes?”

He jerked his head in a sharp nod.

She spoke in a quiet, steady voice, her accent thicker. “I saw you licking me between my spread legs. I saw myself writhing in pleasure at your touch. I-I saw you holding me closely thrusting inside me.” Her voice trailed off until the gentle roar of the engine was the only sound in the suddenly tight confines of the SUV.

Kearnyn's mind felt dazed and spinning around in his skull—mostly with the images she'd painted for him. Belatedly, he realized he'd missed a turn and took the next available one to get them back on course. Everything she'd just said was not only things he desperately wanted to do, but they had been his own fantasies as well.

“Are you going to say anything?”

He blinked and jerked his gaze to hers. He hadn't even felt her gaze watching him. His eyes caught hers and his heart started pounding in his chest at her look. Her deep brown eyes were glowing with need all focused on him. He tore his gaze away.

“You shouldn't look at me like that.”

“Why not?” she asked softly.

He debated over his answer for, oh, half a second. “Because I have half a mind to pull this car over and take you up on at least one of those things.”

She heard her breath catch. And then he heard movement, the rustling of clothing, tight clothing. A part of him didn't want to look, but hell, he was lost to her. His gaze glanced out the corner of his eyes and he stiffened—his cock growing twice as thick and he swore he almost came in his pants.

She'd pulled her top down to expose her lush, brown breasts. Sweated beaded his brow and his muscles pulled tight with the need to reach over and touch her. He focused back on the road, on keeping the car straight in his lane. When her hand touched his thigh, he jumped and barely managed to refrain from slamming on the gas with the motion.

Her warm fingers curled around the hand on his leg and his fingers instantly curled with hers. “You don't know what you're doing.” Hell, he didn't know what she was doing. Trying to make him crash? Trying to make him lose his mind and take her in the car in the most unromantic place possible?

“Yes I do.” She tugged on his hand and he resisted for a moment before giving in and letting her guide him. His breaths came in great heavy pants. She uncurled his fingers, spreading his palm open and then led his hand to her breast. All air left his lungs in a rush.

Soft, warm skin filled his palm. The hard bead of her nipple pressed stiffly against his palm. Damn his soul but he couldn't keep himself from touching her, from squeezing her pliable breast between his fingers, tracing the contours of her lovely shape. He could hear the sound of her breathing growing deeper, sexier.

When her hand went back to touch his thigh, he didn’t even jerk. He wanted to kick his legs out, sprawl back and let her do whatever she wanted. As his hand shaped and cupped her, pulled her hard nipple between his fingers, hers traced up and down his thigh. Slowly that hand dipped deeper, higher, her touch growing stronger.

He found his own perverted hand touching her harder, pulling that stiff little nipple repeatedly. When a car horn blared at him, he cursed, tearing his hand away from her. In a quick move he pulled up into an alleyway between two stores and shoved the car into park.

“You deserve better than this.”

“This has nothing to do with deserving and everything to do with how badly I want you right now.”

He'd barely comprehended the words before she unbuckled her seatbelt and started unbuttoning his pants.

“What are you doing?”

Her eyes flicked up to his, dark and aroused. “I want you. Now.”

“Not here, Rosa,” he said, his tongue feeling dried up and twice as thick. He grabbed her wrists when she tried to tug his zipper down. He gulped at the sight of her full heavy breasts spilling out from her dress. He had to slam his eyes closed before he could speak. “No.”

He heard the seat compress and his eyes opened to find her nearly in his face. Then her lips slanted across his, her wicked tongue finding its way in his mouth and working a magic of its own. He groaned, his hands tunneling into her hair to take control of the kiss.

When he felt her slender fingers reaching for his zipper again, he didn't stop her. He might be a perverted bastard, but damn did he want whatever she wanted to give him. The zipper released and instantly he could breathe easier as the pressure along his cock eased.

Her moan covered his groan as she cupped him through his briefs, tracing the outline of his cock and squeezing his shaft. He kissed her hard. Licking all the corners of her mouth and sucking on her sweet little tongue. Their breaths sawed together in a hot mist, lips meshing in a hungry kiss.

Finally, thankfully, her hand delved inside his briefs and released him from the harsh cotton material. The cooler air did nothing to stanch the flow of blood raging in his cock. In a gentle caress, her fingers curled around his girth, squeezing gently.

He had to tear his mouth away to breathe. “Ach, God.”

Her lips detoured down his jaw, his neck, kissing and licking him until the temperature in the car skyrocketed. He wanted to rip his shirt off, shove her back against the seat and slide inside her sweet heat.

“You are gorgeous,” she said against his neck, then sank her teeth in.

He groaned as her hand started to slide up and down his shaft, slowly squeezing him tighter, moving faster. “Hardly, Rosa. You're the one that—”

She nipped at his jugular. “Stop that. I do not lie.”

“Yes, ma'am,” he muttered over her chuckle.

Her hand scraped through his hair, her nails trailing along his skull and another groan left him. Everything she did drove him wild. Her palm slid over the crown of his cock and stayed there just working the tip of his shaft in a squeezing motion with his own pre-cum gliding the way.

Suddenly her breath was gone from his neck and then she was scooting down in his lap. She gave him only a moment to register what was happening in shock, before her tongue darted out to flick across the tip of his cock.

“Rosa!” his hand curled in her hair to keep her still, to keep her from taking him inside her sweet hot mouth. If she did, then he'd be gone. No way could he not spend himself inside her wet mouth. She only laughed, a husky, rich sound—the little witch—as he held her still. No matter, she simply swirled her tongue around the tip of him, and her dainty breaths tortured him worse than he could ever have imagined.

She flicked her tongue across him making an mmm sound. “I can do this all night, baby.”

Maybe it was her determination or maybe the sweet nickname she called him, but he released his hold on her hair. One hand curled around his cock and then her mouth surrounded him in a wet, suctioning hold. All the nerves in his cock danced at the erotic sensation. Her little ministrations sent his orgasm rushing to the forefront, ready to explode from his body.

He bit down hard on his lip, the little ounce of pain it gave him, enough to force away the orgasm...for now. Her mouth glided over him again and again, her tongue dancing along his shaft, coaxing the same orgasm he was trying not to have. When her hand started into a steady pumping motion at the base of his cock he cursed.

“If you don't stop...” he warned.

Her mouth released him and he sighed with relief while his cock screamed in protest. His eyes flared open then as she scurried into his lap, shoving her tight dress up to her waist and exposing a sexy white thong that looked very feminine and wicked against her darker skin. She straddled his thighs, poised above his cock, then looked him straight in the eyes.

“This is not a good idea.” Even he didn't sound convinced. Hell he wanted nothing more than for her to continue what she was doing. She smiled at him, all woman, and he knew he was putty in her hands.

Her lips caught his in a feather-light touch, nipping softly against him as her hands flattened on his chest. His hands found her waist, he had to touch her. He hated the fabric blocking him from feeling her warm skin so he trailed them up her legs instead, stroking her smooth skin up and down.

The hands on his chest curled into his shirt and then she pulled hard. Buttons of his white suit shirt flew across the seat. Her eyes caressed his bare chest in a look he could only describe as erotic.

“I like,” she purred.

She kissed him hard then, her tongue filling him and flattened her breasts against his bare chest. Her fluttery moan, her naked skin against his, set him off. He cupped her face and pulled her away.

“Do it now or I will,” he said darkly.

Her sultry, low-lidded gaze studied his face and a slow smile pulled at her lips. Then she leaned back and he watched her hand snake down her stomach to her sex. His jaw clamped down so hard pain flared all the way up to his temple.

Her fingers curled around the white underwear and tugged it to the side, exposing her soft pussy. The sight of her dark curls made his mouth water. He wanted to taste her there, needed to learn her taste, feel her come apart by his tongue.

But then she lowered herself over his awaiting cock. The first touch sent his orgasm flying up through his body. Kearnyn bit his fang into his bottom lip hard, drawing blood to keep him from spending now. The pain helped to ease him.

Her eyes widened at the sight of blood and he wanted to slam his head into a wall. She was new to vampires, wasn't used to the whole blood thing, dammit. But her eyes softened and then her hands curled around his bare shoulders, holding tight, and she slammed herself down, engulfing him.

Their cries shouted together. She was so damned tight, she squeezed him without even moving, and so damned wet she coated every inch of him. Her head fell back and she started riding him in a hard, fast rhythm meant to achieve climax in the quickest way possible. Fuck, he was down with that.

Her soft breasts bounced and swayed as she worked his cock in and out of her. He locked her like this, brazen and sexy as hell, into his memory. Her panties pushed to the side, her dress all the way around her waist because he knew he'd be visiting it again in the future.

He couldn't resist her luscious breasts anymore though, and licked her nipple before sucking her into his mouth. Harsh moans, sweet erotic cries left her throat as he worked her breast. She changed the rhythm, rocking against him fast and he groaned. Each thrust, each pass brought him immeasurably closer to finishing this whole thing.

He heard her breathing change. It became choppy and erratic, her hips losing their rhythm and he wanted to shout to the whole world that his woman was coming apart around him, because of him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her writhing waist, flicked her nipple relentlessly, and then she squeezed incredibly tight around him, her hips not even able to move anymore as her orgasm came.

Growling, Kearnyn took over, his hands grabbing her waist and rocking her against him. Her cries became even louder, her nails dug into his back, and her tight pussy clenched and massaged around him like a fist as she climaxed. The pleasure was too much for him, the sensations too erotic and incredible, and he let his release come.

It was harder, more intense than he'd ever felt in his life. The pleasure shot down his spine and to his cock, exploding his hot release from the tip of him, deep into her. He couldn't stop grinding her against him, prolonging both their climaxes.

They fell back against the seat trying to catch their breaths.

A slow chuckle left him and made sure to wipe the lazy smile off his face before she saw it. Amazing didn't cover it. Hot as fucking hell came only slightly close. Her soft laughter followed his.

A hard knock at the window had his head jerking to the side so hard his brain swished around. “Damn.”

Rosa looked and saw the cop outside, flashing a flashlight in on them and blushed darkly, then buried her face in his neck.

“Roll down the window, sir,” the cop said.

Kearnyn obliged. “Yeah?” Was that his lazy question? Damn right, he hadn't felt this relaxed in a long, long time.

“Sir, you know that prostitution is illegal.”

His good mood left him in an instant. His cold eyes leveled hard on the human cop. “She is not a prostitute. She is my woman.”

The cop narrowed his eyes back on them. “That's not what it looks like from here. Hey, you, let me see your face.”

Rosa shook her head against his neck. God damn, her muscles were so tense, the cop scared her. He had every intention of stepping out of the car and laying a good beating into him when Rosa drew in a deep breath and let the cop see her face.

“Show me your arms.”

Face pinching in confusion, she held out her arms. The cop studied her elbows and Kearnyn cursed. The damn cop was looking for signs of drug use.

“All right, I can't prove she's a prostitute, but I'm writing you a ticket for indecent exposure.”

“Whatever.” Kearnyn ground his jaw, the sweet ardor completely banished from his intrusion. Still, his semi-erection was inside her and each time she moved, he twitched as she stroked him.

Kearnyn took the ticket and waited until the cop left to help her into her dress.

“I'm sorry about that.”

She smiled at him and pulled her top up, then crawled off him and fixed her panties and dress. It was a damn nice sight to see.

“Not a problem. So why don't we go back to my place and do this again?”

His jaw fell and he clamped it shut. “Yes, ma'am,” he said like a smart man and drove away.

CHAPTER 29

Alrik entered the great hall but found it empty. Cursing, he made his way down the hallway towards the study. A servant started past him carrying a silver tray with new candles he'd be setting out.

Alrik stopped him. “Have you seen the Queen?”

Wide-eyed, the servant shook his head.

Alrik went through every place he could think of. The back gardens, the royal study, the royal dining room, even the kitchens though he doubted his mother had ever stepped foot in there before. Anger rising by the second he stormed up to her bedroom and flung opens the door. An empty dark room greeted him. He started to turn away but a soft sound caught him, like someone was having a whispered conversation.

Alrik lit a candelabrum at the door and entered his mother's room, trying to find the source of the voice or voices. He hadn't been in his mother's room since he was a small child. One night he'd had a particularly scary dream and had ran into her room for help. She'd scolded him and sent him back to his room without even walking him there. Even thinking about it now made him embarrassed more than mad. He should have gone to his nanny's room, not his mother's. She would have helped him.

A tall and impressive bookcase stood against the far wall. The bookcase caught his attention for a few reasons, one of which was that his mother hated to read. The voice, a single one he realized, got louder as he neared it. Some of the rooms for the king and queen have escape passages and such for emergencies, so Alrik started looking for a lever or something to pull because that soft voice came from behind the heavy shelf.

He didn’t find a switch so he examined the bookcase but realized if there was a room back there, there was no way his mother could move the book case back and forth each time she used it. There had to be a mechanism. He started reading the titles of the books when his eyes caught on one in particular. The Fall of the Rift. Written after the Great War by Yurina Chinal the historical book had been traded and sold in waves after its release, giving all the details on Telal's betrayal that led to the fall of his father.

Alrik pulled the book out and found a small black button made into the wood. He pressed it and the bookcase slid to the side of the wall to reveal a small passage and a room at the other end. Holding the candelabra high, Alrik made his way through the passages, the words becoming clearer.

He paused to listen then froze. He recognized the sound of his mother's voice, and he also recognized the chant of a black magic spell. When he heard his name used in the same sentence he ran inside.

He found his mother on her knees, rocking with her eyes closed, and gripping an idol. The idol looked like it was made out of a small stick with several items wrapped around it. His eyes narrowed on the reddish site of hair and realized...it was his old hair. There was black hair too and he barely refrained from touching his own because he already knew it was his.

“Mother.”

His voice cut through her spell like ice. Her eyes flung open in fear and she scuttled back away from him, clutching the idol to her chest.

“S-son, what are you doing here?”

“I believe I should be asking you that.” Sucking in a deep breath, he inhaled the essence of dark magic. By God, he didn't even need to breathe it in, he could feel it. The dark energy saturated the room like a heavy cloud of angst and fire.

“I was just casting a spell to ensure that Telal doesn't bother us again.” She gave him a wobbly smile and stood.

“That isn't his hair on that idol, mother. Tell me what you've done to me or I'll make you hurt until you do.”

Her eyes widened and she took a step back. “Now, son, you know I'd never do anything to you.”

“Do I?” he asked coldly.

She hesitated. “Of course. I'm your mother.”

“By name only and don't act as if you don't know it. Tell me what spell you were casting on me and maybe I'll be lenient.”

She looked as though she'd talk but then she straightened, holding her chin up high. “I did nothing wrong. I was casting a spell on Telal like I said.”

Alrik stalked to her and slapped her clean across the face, the sound of it like a crash in the small room. She panted, cupping her reddened cheek. He tore the idol from her hands, fingering the strands of the hair he used to have.

“Tell me everything now.”

She quivered under his stare but kept her lips sealed. Rage boiled through him. Alrik grabbed her hand and dragged her through downstairs to the main hall. He found the nearest servant.

“Call the royal house. We have a traitor on our hands.”

Soon the royalty came down from their room, whispering excitedly to each other at the news. Of course they'd be ecstatic. This was quite the gossip. Alrik dragged his mother to the throne dais and shoved her into the seat.

“Guards, watch her, and if she moves, kill her.” The guards obeyed without question, surrounding her with swords drawn.

Alrik waited until the hall swarmed with aristocrats. “Take your seats,” he said in a booming voice. “Today I've learned something that will interest you all, I think.”

He looked at his mother and only saw steely determination in her eyes. No love, not even fondness. He'd learned long ago those weren't feelings she was capable of. Turning to the crowd, he held up the wooden idol in his hands. Though only made of wood and hair, the object weighed heavily in his palm from magic.

“Tonight I caught my mother in the act of treason against me.” The crowd roared profanities at his mother, but their eyes were excited. “I found her in the midst of her treachery, casting black magic on me and using this,” he said, holding the idol out for all to see, “as the foundation of her evil. If you look closely you'll see the hair taken from my own head used as fuel for her evil.”

He turned to her, unfeeling to the fear in her eyes. “What say you?”

His mother spoke loud and clear. “I deny these charges. What Alrik has witnessed was a casting on his brother, Telal Demuzi, the real traitor.” The crowd booed and hissed at her words.

“I hold this idol as evidence, which you can all see has my hair from ages ago and from now. What say you to that, mother?”

She clamped her lips shut and looked away. The crowd stood, yelling for her head, as, in unison, they began banging their fists on the table, rattling the silverware and glasses set out.

Alrik watched as his mother paled and understanding seemed to dawn on her beautiful face. “Tell me what you've done to me and I will show you some leniency.” The crowd hushed in an instant to hear what she'd say.

“I-I did what was best for you. You were weak.”

“I've never been weak!” he roared. He reached her and knelt over her. “Tell me what you did to me. This is your last chance.”

Seeing the fear in her eyes felt good, made him feel stronger; it fueled the anger he'd carried for so long.

Her eyes narrowed on him and in a hissing whisper said, “If you get rid of me you'll regret it, Alrik.”

Alrik stood stiffly. “Get her out of here.” The guards grabbed her and she started fighting. When she couldn't yank herself away from them, her eyes glowed brightly and magic burst forth from her. The guards went flying away and when they got up to charge at her she quickly hissed out another spell. The men choked, grabbing their stomachs at the same time as they fell to their knees convulsing and vomiting all over the floor.

Alrik held out his hand and thrust his own magic at his mother. He closed off the air to her until color drained from her face and she slumped to the floor.

“She is banished from these walls forever. Get her out of here and let us hope we never have to see her face again.”

More guards stormed in and dragged his unconscious mother out of the front hall to all the gawking eyes of the aristos. Without a word, Alrik left the great hall and his mother behind.

Now he knew why he'd changed, but the question now was, could he be changed back?

CHAPTER 30

Two weeks later.

Lily nibbled on her lip as she checked the calendar. Only five days left. A feeling close to panic flared up inside her.

“I need a drink.”

On top of her dresser she had all the items out and ready to go. She started making her special juice and chugged it down in no time. She smiled, the panicked feeling already going away. Good stuff, she thought and went back to look at the calendar.

In five days, she'd hit her new moon and become fully succubus, requiring physical intimacy to live. Even with the drink loosening her up, her chest tightened. Her and Telal's relationship, if one would call it that, had become tumultuous at best.

One day he was ravaging her in a stairwell and the next he'd locked himself in his rec room for sometimes days on end. He'd even programmed it to lock from the inside so she or Kearnyn couldn't get in to see him. When he'd finally come out he'd have a grim, sad look on his face that made her want to cry. He'd shower and throw on fresh clothes after he was done...doing whatever it was he did. She didn't really know, he wouldn't tell her. She guessed he was allowing himself to wallow.

That couldn’t continue forever. Her mother was in that rift. She waited for the flood of emotions to hit her at the thought, but the juice didn't allow it. All she felt was a warm, cozy sensation in her mind and body.

“Better than yoga.” Laughing, she finished dressing and went to find him.

She'd given him as much time as she could before she broached the subject of the rift with him. Two weeks was a damned long time considering her mother was in the demon's prison. Even if his plans fell through and he couldn't open the rift, then she at least had to get her mother out. Aside from breaking her out, she really couldn't see any other course of action. That is, unless he can make a truce with Alrik Demuzi. The likelihood of that seemed to be going further and further away though.

His office and bedroom were vacant again. It looked the same as it had two weeks earlier. It was as if he was slowly shutting down and simply giving up. Sighing, Lily knew where to find him and headed for the rec room. She swore if the door was locked she'd find a way to break it down. She tried the handle and smiled when it turned.

She heard two male voices inside. Telal and Kearnyn's. She paused in the hallway just inside the door to listen in; they were in the midst of a heated discussion.

“Are you sure that's what you really want, Telal?”

“Yeah, I'm fucking sure. I didn't stutter did I?” Lily flinched at the anger in Telal's voice.

“But all of your years of hard work.” Kearnyn paused. “And you’re certain?”

“For the last and final time, Kearnyn. I'm done with it. Done. Finished. Fucking over it. Now get out of here.”

Footsteps came towards her and Lily had the urge to flatten herself against the wall to try to hide. Kearnyn strode towards her, a grim look on his face. He shook his head at her and left. Slowly, she made her way into the room. She heard a loud crash and flinched but she made herself continue into the room in case he was hurt.

Telal heard her steps and his gaze swung to hers. Lily almost backed up a step. He looked positively livid, feral. His hands were fisted, shoulders bunched hard, his eyes sharp and breathing hard. Her eyes left his to see a lamp crushed against the floor from where he'd thrown it.

“Are you okay, honey?” she asked softly. Even with the juice inside her, she felt nervous, her stomach doing somersaults and cautioning her.

He looked away from her and she watched him try to get control over himself. After a minute his breathing slowed and after another his hands and shoulders relaxed. He turned to her, the look in his eyes now dark with something else. He crooked a finger at her.

“Come here.”

Lily knew that look in his eyes. He wanted her. She swallowed over her suddenly parched throat. “We need to talk.” Still, she went to him. He pulled her against him and her body responded with a feminine sigh.

“The last thing I want to do is talk.” Strong hands ran up and down her back in soothing caresses.

His lips sought hers out but she pushed her head to the side. “Please, it's important.”

He sighed in disgust and stalked away from her. “Please, enlighten me Lily.” He poured himself a rather tall glass of alcohol from a pitcher and started drinking it as he leaned against the wall with a one hip, his eyes watching her.

“What do you plan to do about the rift?”

One eyebrow lift. “To do? What is there to do, Lily?” His angry words bit at her.

“Are you going to try to compromise with Alrik to get it open?” she asked with exceeding patience.

He smiled at her like she was a little child. “No, Lily. Alrik made his intentions quite clear. I believe you were present for part of it were you not? Maybe you just don't recall?”

She glared at him, her own ire rising. “Yeah, smart ass, I remember. So what? You're just giving up then? Giving up on helping your people who are suffering under a ruthless king?”

His grip tightened around the glass. “That's exactly what I'm going to do. It's none of my business anymore. I no longer have a brother.”

She blanched at the raw, painful look in his eyes. She was walking to him before she realized it and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice tight.

“Hugging you.”

He made a disgusted sound, but after a minute, one of his arms came around her shoulders. It was a loose hug, but it still counted in her book. Pulling away, she looked up at him.

“You can't stop your plans.”

“Why not?” He gave her another sarcastic grin.

“Because my mother's in there.”

His face flared with real surprise. “What on earth are you talking about now, Lily?”

“I saw my mother. The one that's been missing for most of my life. The one that disappeared without a trace. Papa searched for her until his dying day and never found her. Now I know why.” She cursed herself for not drinking more of that potion because tears filled her eyes and her heart squeezed painfully tight in her chest.

“I know about your mother,” he said distractedly, his gaze focused elsewhere as he thought.

“What do you know?” He moved away from her and she hated that he wanted to put space between them.

“Frank contacted me to help find her. I hired professionals and did everything I could, but no one found anything.”

“When was this?” she asked, her voice raw.

He didn't meet her gaze. “Almost twenty-nine years ago, I suppose. It was right after it happened. What do you mean you saw her? Tell me everything and do not miss a detail.”

Lily told him about being thrown in that awful dirty prison cell, then meeting the woman next to her. She told him how she was a succubus and how they were keeping her alive by...feeding her. She might have broken down at this point but the juice kept her from feeling the brunt of the pain.

“How certain are you?” he asked in a hesitant voice.

“Certain enough. She has Willow's eyes and said her name was Mary Bellum.”

“I see.”

Lily took a seat in a leather chair. “So what do you think?”

He shrugged. “It may be her, but it might not be.”

“Will you help me get her out of there?” She knew it was her mother, just knew.

He laughed this time. “And just how do you suppose we do that? March in there and request her freedom from my broth—from Alrik?”

She didn't like the snide tone in his voice. “I don't know what to do, but I have to do something. If anyone can think of something it's you.”

“Of course. Well, sorry to tell you, Lily, but I'm not going back there. It's done. Over. Gone. I'm leaving it alone. I'm going on with my life.”

Lily stood in a rush. “What? Why? You've spent years planning this. How can you abandon it now just because of one problem?”

He laughed a cruel sound. “Just one problem? My brother became a tainted demon possessed by darkness. You saw him. That is not natural. God only knows how powerful his magic is. Even if I wanted to take over the rift do you know what that would mean?”

She squirmed under his scrutiny. “Not really,” she admitted.

“If he doesn't agree to my proposal, which he won't, then that means I have to fight him—to the death—to get the throne.”

Her eyes flew wide. No wonder he didn't want to go through with it. She understood now. He'd have to kill his own brother...or be killed.

“I don't even know if I could beat him. The darkness around him is attributed to dark magic. You know, the kind that hurts people.”

Gritting her teeth at his tone, she barely refrained from flipping him the bird. “I know what dark magic is.” Asshole, she added silently.

“How would you feel if it was your mother trapped in there?” As soon as she said the words, she regretted it. Not because the words were cruel but because she'd seen his mother and his reaction to her. Trying to draw sympathy from him via his mother was about as likely as him saying he loved her.

Yup, his boisterous laughter proved her right.

“I’d feel relieved, excited. Justice would be served.” His eyes softened at her angry look and he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry, I'm an ass.”

Her mouth fell open. “Well, yeah, you are. And it's okay.”

“Listen, give me some time to think about it. Maybe I can work something out.”

This time she went into his arms and pulled his head down for a kiss. He quickly took the kiss further, his tongue sliding deep, his hands crushing her to him.

A terrible sound started blaring through the room or maybe it was the entire building. It sounded like a rad alarm on a military base. Telal tensed instantly.

“Stay here,” he ordered and ran into the bedroom. She followed after him.

“What's going on? What the hell is that?”

He didn't meet her eyes as he grabbed a pair of guns from another secret panel in the wall along with several knives that he deftly attacked to his body with holsters.

“We're being attacked.”

Lily's mind struggled to process that information. “Who'd attack here? This place is like a fortress.”

“I don't know, but they must be good.”

Her stomach tightened. “Why do you say that?”

He quickly pulled on a pair of black military boots. “Because that alarm only goes off if a guard pushes it in need of help on the main floor. That means they've already breached through.” He stood. “Stay here. I'm locking the door. Do not leave. Do you understand me, Lily?” He grabbed her by the arms. Too stunned to say anything she simply nodded like a fool.

He took off, the sound of the door closing after him like a hollow thump.

* * *

Telal raced to the main floor, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He felt like an ass for leaving Lily alone, but he had to. Maybe he should have lied about the alarm but he just wasn't the type to say something to make someone feel better.

He reached the bottom of the staircase and plastered himself against the door. A gargled sound in the hallway made his muscles tighten with adrenaline. He knew that sound and one of his men just died. Tapping into his powers, he turned himself invisible and palmed a blade made specifically for cutting. It didn't take a lot of pressure for it to break skin. Peering out the small window, comfortable knowing he stayed hidden, he saw a flash of movement.

Who the fuck was doing this?

He knew he'd lose some element of surprise opening the door, but it had to be done. He opened it and quickly stepped through. The blur that had passed was a man—not a man, he realized—a demon. He didn't stop to process why or how a demon got here, because the demon turned at the sound of the door.  Though he was invisible the demon’s vibrant blue gaze seemed to land right on him.

Telal kept his steps completely silent as he stalked up to the demon. The demon's gaze didn't follow him but his grip on his two swords tightened. Telal walked within three feet of him. All he'd have to do was shove that sword forward and it'd pierce his side. But the demon didn't hear him. Telal ducked past him and, in a quick move, sliced the demon's throat. The demon dropped to the ground, rolling on his back to look up at him. Telal watched the demon's eyes gloss over with death then moved on down the hall.

Bodies of his guards littered the floor like a war zone, the stench of death and blood rotting the air. Telal hurried past them, his magic couldn't keep him invisible forever. It sapped him of magic and eventually it'd sap his strength as well.

A commotion sounded in an office down the hall. Telal ran for it, darting inside. Fuck. He found Kearnyn in the throes of a deadly battle, sword to sword, grimace to grimace. He was barely keeping up with the demon. The demon suddenly backed up, disengaging their clashing steel, then spinning around sweeping his blade in an arc. Kearnyn jumped back but not enough and the blade cut a deep neat line across his stomach. Telal charged the demon, hitting him in the side and taking him down to the floor. The sword fell from his grasp and he planned his knife through the demon's neck with a wet, bone-crushing sound. The demon bucked under him then stilled.

“Are you okay?” he panted, turning to Kearnyn. The vampire was pale but he nodded grimly.

“As fine as can be. Who are these demons?”

“I counted five.” That left three more.

“Stay here.” Telal closed the door and had to lose the invisibility as the magical energy steadily sapped his powers. He had a feeling he'd need them. These demons weren't like anything he'd ever seen before.

Taking the stairs four at a time, he climbed up to the top floor—his office. Inside the hall was ominously quiet, his door, ajar. Telal pulled the gun from his shoulder holster and kept his blade in his other hand. He reached the office door and peered inside. No lights were on. Demons didn't see better in the night like vampires could. If they'd meant to find him sleeping in his bed as they stealthily made their way inside then they were going to be quite disappointed.

Blood pounding hard, he slid past the door without touching it. A demon with bright yellow hair turned to him in an instant and with a flip of his wrist let a throwing dagger fly. Telal had only a second to dodge it, but the blade still landed in his upper shoulder. At least that was better than his heart, he thought. The muscles in his arm instantly went lax and the blade he held dropped uselessly to the floor.

The demon didn't stop but let fly a barrage of daggers. They whizzed through the air at him like sleek bullets. Telal ran across the room and leaped over the couch, huddling behind it. Without looking, he pointed the gun over the couch and started firing. The shots sounded obscenely loud in the small space like little explosions going off. Four bullets later and he heard a loud thud. Taking a moment, he pulled the blade out of his arm and tried to flex his fingers—they barely twitched in response. Fucking great.

“Groolana has'in trume?” Who are you? he asked in demonic.

Suddenly a voice came from right behind him. “Trumei toch.” Your death.

A sharp blade was shoved deep into his back. Telal choked in pain as every cell in his body screamed at the intrusion. He looked down for a moment to see the blade sticking out through his stomach. And then he sucked in a deep breath and let his powers fly. The demon soared back from him, his back slamming in a crushing blow against the wall. Telal reached behind him, hesitated, and then slowly pulled the blade out of his back. Sweat dripped down his face, his teeth gnawed hard on his lips as tendons, muscles, and God knows what else tore in its path. Finally, the blade gave way and he dropped it to the floor.

Panting, bleeding pints down his leg, he stood just as the demon did. They squared off. Raising his gun, he fired. The demon dodged each bullet with incredible speed, swiftly darting left, right, then down. He tugged four little sharp blades from his belt and threw them at once. Telal dropped to his knees but not before one of them embedded in his chest. At once he felt the change. The tip of that blade had been poisoned. He knew this poison too, had watched it made in the rift by special craftsman. This poison was designed to drain magic from a demon.

Telal felt his body weakening and not just his magical energy. His vision started to darken, his muscles relaxed and felt loose, weak. With one last burst of adrenaline, he dropped the gun, held his fingers out, palms to the ground and chanted. It sickened him both mentally and physically.

Using black magic left a dirty feeling in him for a long time. It was unnatural what he was doing. But it was necessary right now. He couldn't beat this demon. The demon pulled his second sword from his back and charged at him only to slam into an invisible barrier. The demon's eyes flared then he started chanting back. Telal spoke louder, his keeping the barrier up as the demon's dark words fought to bring it down. The demon took a step into the barrier, then another and Telal backed up. His shirt dampened with sweat, his entire body burned with hot searing pain from the poison and wound. He wanted to just give up and let the demon end his life, but Lily was out there. He couldn't leave her alone.

Using every ounce of power inside him, he channeled the darkest magic he could. Black wisps shot from his fingertips like smoke undulating in the air then slowly crawled through the air to the demon. The demon's words stumbled and real fear filled his glowing eyes. Sweat dripped into Telal's eyes, burning his pupils but still he continued to chant, to coax the black energy to do his bidding.

The wisps floated smoothly through the crumbling invisible barrier and then attacked at the demon. A blood-curling scream escaped from the demon as the dark wisps slid around the demon's neck and chest and covered his face until his body disappeared beneath the squirming mass. The scream stopped suddenly. The wisps forced themselves into the demon's body. Telal could only imagine the excruciating pain boiling inside him as the death energy ate him with sharp teeth, draining away his life one painful bite at a time. The demon's eyes glazed over, his skin faded to a sickly gray, and then he collapsed to the ground with the slithering energy crawling inside him.

Telal stopped channeling the energy and the wisps swiveled out of his body and faded into the air like a poof of smoke. Telal stumbled as he made his way back down the hall to the stairwell. His vision didn't stay still. His body trembled hard from the poison and his entire body felt like it needed a gallon of water to rehydrate it. The only thought he had as he started back down the stairs was—there's still one more.

* * *

Lily flew at the door, jamming her shoulder into it. Whoever was on the other side grunted then the door slammed open, catching her chest and sending her flying back. Her shoulder nailed the wall and an explosion of pain took up residence in her shoulder socket. She had only a moment to see that, indeed, it wasn't Telal before the man, no, demon, grabbed her hair in a violent grip and started to drag her out of the bathroom.

Instant pain flared as her scalp pulled and strands of hair tore and snapped. She fumbled, trying to walk backwards and pressed down on the hand tearing out her hair, while still keeping the knife in her grasp. The task wasn't easy.

“Who are you?” she gritted out.

The demon had dark green hair cut short in spikes around his head with very pale—almost white—skin and he didn't answer. They reached the bedroom door and Lily wrapped her legs around the frame then tightened her grip on the knife and stabbed at the hand holding her hair. The demon shouted as he released her.

Adrenaline pumping furiously in her blood, Lily darted for the bathroom with a hysterical cry. She threw the bathroom door closed behind her with a sharp snap only to have it burst off the frame in slabs of broken wood as the demon charged at it.

Screams tore from her throat as the demon charged again at the door, tearing it almost completely off the frame. He glared at her with raging fury that left her gasping in fear. He took one long step through the door then his bloodied fist from where she'd cut him curled into a fist and uppercut her in the gut. All the air wheezed out of her stomach and sharp pain throbbed. Lily fell to the floor desperately trying to suck in air; the knife fell to the floor as she held her stomach.

A large foot came into view and kicked the knife across the bathroom floor. Lily didn't even care. Her mind was screaming at her to breathe. When the demon grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her once again, she fell forward onto her stomach and he started dragging her across the floor. Her feet locked on either side of the bathroom door with a tight grip, stalling the demon's progress. He let out a fierce growl that made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end.

Then he pulled back and let fly a kick so hard that when it landed on her back she screamed feeling as though her spine just got split in half. Hacking coughs racked through her, making her stomach muscles tighten in reflex and hurting her all the more. All her energy was sapped. She lied there uselessly as he dragged her into the living room and towards the door.

“Where are you taking me?” she whispered between unsteady breaths. She didn't expect him to answer and he didn't.

She stared up at the ceiling watching it pass by in increments. They made it over the doorway and started down the hall. Her breathing finally started to return to normal, which gave her a boost of energy. It wasn't much of one, but it was there. Lily forced her legs to work and awkwardly came to a stand. With a hard shove, she pushed her back against the demon. He didn't even budge.

Turning around on her, his eyes feral, he let his fist fly. The blow caught her cheek and she expected to see stars but all she saw were black dots coloring her vision. She knew she hit the floor but everything went hazy from there.

The last of her adrenaline rush vanished. She lay clumped in a pile on the floor steadily trying to suck in air through her nose as the pain from her mouth, shoulder, and stomach suddenly came at her with full force.

She heard something but the more she blinked her eyes the worse the black dots clouded her vision until she didn't know if she was still staring at the carpet or not. A hand curled around her hurt shoulder and she cried out as burning agony scorched the hurt muscle there. She couldn't do it anymore, was sick of being tired and scared. The black clouds took over her vision and Lily let it take her wherever it wanted to go.

CHAPTER 31

Telal had no magic left from the poison eating away inside him. If he didn't get it out of him soon then he'd never be able to use magic again; it would suck away all of his natural powers.

Each step felt like he was dragging a mountain behind him. He'd never felt so weak in his life. Whoever these demons were, they were good, real good. Telal stopped at the top of the stairs that led to the rec room to catch his breath.

A feminine scream pierced his ears and he took off. No thoughts of his injury ever entered his mind, no thoughts to the poison draining him, or the blood slowing him down. He just moved. He didn't bother with stealth anymore. He charged in like a bull.

He went through the doorway just in time to see a green-haired demon's fist crash into Lily's face. Even as he flinched, a fierce rage stole through him, tightening his muscles for action, pumping his blood fast to make him move quicker, and the protest rose inside him like a roar.

Telal let that roar fly and channeled it at the demon. The demon jerked around, startled and Telal charged letting his war cry go. He didn't just slam into the demon but barreled into him like a supernatural linebacker. They soared through the air for a good ten feet before landing with the demon’s back smacking hard against the floor.

Telal had no questions in his mind, only purpose. To kill. And he used his fist, pummeling the demon again and again. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was like a blood thirst being quenched. All he could see was his woman being hurt, being met with another's brutal anger. Bones snapped and cracked under his fist; blood splattered his hand and still he kept going.

He couldn't be sure how long ago the demon had stopped struggling for his life before he finally scooted off of him, panting and raging still. Pulling a knife from the demon's own belt he took it in his good hand and impaled the demon's heart just in case.

Stumbling away from the dead demon, Telal crouched down next to Lily. It wasn't until he saw the rise and fall of her chest that he knew for certain she was alive. He gently touched her shoulder shaking her to try to wake her, but she didn't even make a sound.

With the only thought of getting them out of there on his mind, he closed his eyes ported them out of there. He kept a small secluded cabin in Northern Georgia. It hadn't been used in more than five years. Dust had collected in a heavy layer along the floor and furniture. Telal pulled Lily up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. The top comforter was covered in that layer of dust so he pulled it off the bed and laid her on the clean sheets.

His knees shook as he stood and it took everything in him not to collapse. But he had one more trip to make. Closing his eyes, he ported back to his headquarters. Kearnyn sat on the floor his head bowed forward, his skin paler than normal.

“Kearnyn?”

The vampire was slow to respond but eventually his head lifted and his unfocused gave settled on him.

“I've got to get you out of here.”

Kearnyn nodded then his head drooped back down. The ten steps it took to reach him felt like ten miles. When he finally neared him, he touched his shoulder.

“Rosa,” Kearnyn whispered.

“What?”

“Take me to Rosa.”

Telal didn't question it. He literally didn’t' even have the energy to. He just ported Kearnyn inside Rosa's shop and didn't even stay for longer than a second before he ported back to the cabin. Once there, his knees gave out and his cheek crashed against the dirty floor.

He felt blissful lying on that rotten floor. He didn't even remember falling asleep.

CHAPTER 32

Rosa's ears twitched as she heard a sound from the other room. Grabbing her pepper spray from her bedroom, she slowly made her way through the workroom. She'd closed shop to get some work done on the weapons so no one should be here. She felt with some certainty that she could handle a robber if that's what it came down to. Not only did she have her pepper spray, but enough spells in her mind to make him change his mind and back away.

She peered around the beaded doorway and into the living room. A man lay on the floor unmoving. In a second, it hit her. The pepper can fell from her numb fingers. She ran to him sliding on her knees.

“Kearnyn? Kearnyn baby? What's wrong? What happened?” Tears filled her eyes as she gently rolled him onto his back.

He groaned but his eyes didn't flutter. She blanched at his stomach, her mind going into freak-out mode at the sight of all that blood.

“Oh my god, what happened to you?”

She proceeded to lift up his shirt to get a better look at the wound but gasped at the sight of the ghastly cut. He'd been cut clear from hip to hip. The wound was so deep the skin had separated creating a gap where she could see inside of him. He looked awfully pale like he hadn't fed in days. Panic faded. She needed to help him. She could do this, she coached herself.

In methodical movements, she stripped off his shirt and pants. For modesty's sake, she left his briefs on. She grabbed a basket full of supplies from the workroom then came back to him.

She started creating a poultice first with a mixture of healing herbs then some oils. Using her pestle, she mushed the ingredients together until they formed together in a nice clump. She hesitated over the wound then closed her eyes and gently pushed the oily herbs into the wound. The wound was so big she had to make even more until finally she had it covered.

With a wet cloth, she cleaned the blood from his waist. The area around the wound beat bright red with inflammation. She nibbled on her lip as the wound was still spread open. She'd never taken a needle to someone before.

Maybe I should take him to the hospital?

She cringed at the thought. Not only would they ask questions she surely didn't have answers to, but whoever attacked him might be coming for him. Cursing, she went around to the front and back door making sure they were locked, all the windows sealed tight. Then she opened her spell book to the page on warding off energies. In the next hour, she cast a spell around the building that would ward off any visitors with negative doings. It would need to be reapplied every day to last but at least they'd have some protection for now. Until he woke up.

She hated seeing him lying on the floor like this but she knew he was way too big for her to attempt to pull him into the bedroom. And even if she managed to get him there, he had to be at least two and fifty pounds of muscle; no way could she lift him onto the bed.

With that in mind, she grabbed a sheet and pillow from her bed. After tucking the pillow under his head and covering him with the sheet she felt only slightly better.

Her chest felt way too tight. As the hours passed and she sat over his breathing form, watching the rise and fall of his chest, she came to a rocky realization. It didn't hit her like a bolt of electricity but settled inside her in a warm melting feeling.

She cupped his cheek, leaned down, and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Do not die, Kearnyn. I care too much.”

Care might not have been a strong enough word for what she felt but she couldn't bring herself to say the other. In a surprisingly short amount of time, he'd brought out feelings she hadn't felt in a long time. She'd forgotten what it was like to care for a man. To be with him simply because you enjoyed his company.

Rosa lay out beside him, careful not to get too close and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I'll be here when you wake up, okay?”

He didn't answer; didn't even blink. But that was okay. As she closed her eyes, her senses flared to life. Natural instincts, which couldn't be hindered or ignored. It came as a thought as if someone spoke the words in her mind, but they were not words so much as a thought.

Something awful was coming.

A shiver raked over her and she scooted as close as she could. Then she waited.

CHAPTER 33

Lily came to with a startled cry on her throat. It registered that what she'd seen had been a dream. No, not a dream, but a vision. But she couldn't recall it. As soon as she came into consciousness the vision faded from her like an ocean's wave swept it away. She squeezed her eyes shut. Fuck, she had to remember it! It was important.

She punched the mattress beneath her and the bitter scent of dust reached her nose making her sneeze. AT once, the muscles in her stomach tensed at the sneeze and then everything came to her in a rush, her dream forgotten as the all the aches in her body awakened.

“God,” she groaned.

She inspected the damage. Her stomach had a vicious bruise the size of a grapefruit and was multicolored with yellows, reds, and blues. She rolled her shoulder back and winced at the sharp pain. Well, that arm was useless for now. Everything else seemed in working order so she got off the bed and stopped dead.

“Telal!”

His body was on the floor, his face flat on it, his arms and legs sprawled. He looked like a murder victim lying there just waiting to have chalk drawn around his body.

“Telal?” She pushed the hair out of his face. When his lashes fluttered a sob left her and she realized just how scared she'd been.

It took some effort but eventually she got him rolled over onto his back so she could assess his injuries. He looked battered and pale but no obvious bleeding anywhere. She made quick work of opening his shirt and found she was wrong about the blood. He had two wounds on his chest. One near the center that looked as though it'd barely missed his heart and the other in the meat of his shoulder. What startled her most about the wounds was the greenish tint surrounding the outlying skin from the wound.

Lily sat back and tried to figure out what to do. She had no clue where she was but the place smelled heavily of mildew and dust. Moving quickly, she found a bathroom and rummaged through it for any kind of medical supplies. She cursed, finding nothing. She went to the kitchen, slamming open every cabinet and drawer until she was almost shaking by time she finished. Nothing, not even so much as a band aid.

She heard a deep groan and ran into the bedroom. Telal's eyes were slowly opening, his lips pulling to a tight grimace.

“Telal! Are you okay?” Her voice shook and she realized that wasn't the only thing. Her hands trembled and even her stomach felt like it was vibrating. Fear and panic threatened to overwhelm her and she wished like hell she had her herbs with her to make her special juice. Just to calm her nerves.

“Lily?” His voice was a mere croak.

“I'll be right back.” She darted for the kitchen and poured a glass of water, thankful the water didn't come out brown or sludgy. She took it back to him and lifted his head, pressing the glass to his lips. He took in a good five sips before he jerked his head away.

His eyes opened all the way and he scanned the room and sighed. “God, I feel like shit.”

A choking laugh left her and a stupid tear slid down her cheek. He looked up at her and his eyes narrowed on the betraying tear. His hand slid up and a finger caught it.

“You cry for me?”

She nodded because she was afraid if she tried to speak she'd sound like a horse. “What can I do to help?”

He grunted and started to sit up. “There's nothing you can do. I just need time.”

“What's happened to your skin? It's green.”

He looked down at his chest. “Oh that? It's poison.” He stood and rocked on his feet. She immediately stood and wrapped an arm around his waist to brace him.

“What kind of poison?” Please don't say the killing kind.

“It removes my magic from me. I'm pretty sure I'm completely depleted.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes, I am.”

“How do you know? What did you try to do just now?”

“Port us to Tyrian's castle. It looks like we'll have to travel the old-fashioned way.” He started to the bathroom adjoining the bedroom and with each step he seemed to grow stronger, steadier.

“How long will it last?” she asked, following him.

He reached into the shower and turned it on. When steam billowed out from the stall something like a smile curled his mouth. “I knew there was a reason I kept this place.”

“How long?” she insisted.

He shrugged. “Could be as long as week. I don't know. I got two darts shot in me and they stayed long enough to release all the poison.” He pulled off his suit shirt with a fierce grimace and started unbuttoning his pants.

“Who were they?” She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared. Really scared. Even seeing the demon she and her sisters summoned from the rift in London didn't scare her as badly as this. If only she had her medicine, then everything would be all right. He got into the shower and she realized how itchy her skin felt. So she undressed too and got in beside him. He didn't say anything so she sidled up next to him. The shower wasn't nearly the size of the one they'd been in together. It had only a normal showerhead meant for a single person.

“Demons.”

She sighed. “I know that. But who were they and why were they trying to kill us?”

“Alrik,” was his only answer.

A bar of soap still wrapped in its package sat on an indented ledge in the shower. Lily opened it and started making her hands sudsy to clean herself.

“What are you going to do?”

Telal slammed his fist in the shower; the bang sounded so loud in the close confines that she jerked back, her foot slid in the water and she fell back against the shower wall, her shoulders landing hard.

“Ow. What was that for?” She rubbed at her shoulders blades and when she met his eyes she saw he was furious. “What?” she said more softly.

He tore the soap from her hands. “I'm not doing anything right now. What would you have me do, Lily?”

She suddenly felt like they were back in his rec room having the same conversation they'd left off at. “Well, do you think he'll send more of those...demons?”

“Probably.”

“Then are we going into hiding or something? Is that why we're here...wherever we are?”

He soaped his whole body and his hair then rinsed off under the spray. Then without a word, he stepped out of the shower completely wet and left the bathroom. Lily wanted nothing more than to curl up on the floor of the shower and let the water rain over her. She hated the feeling; hated even more that tears filled her eyes at his retreating back. She should be happy she knew that they were still alive. But she wasn't. Her emotions were a torrent of negative energy swirling around in her like a hurricane. She wanted to cry; she wanted to scream at Telal. Most of all, she wanted her juice because that always made her feel better.

With robotic movements, she washed herself then her hair. The water turned cold and she let it pour over her as goose bumps beaded her arms and legs. It did felt good. It seemed to numb her skin which mirrored how she felt inside. Ignoring Telal, ignoring everything she in the tub and let the water drown her in its frigidity.

Tears came and she let them. Let the harsh sound of the water drown her out. She wasn't sure what she cried for. For making it out alive, for Telal's fucked up problems or the way he treated her, or because she was so much further away now from saving her mother. Or maybe because she was so fucking weak it made her sick. Made her sick that she needed her special little concoction just to deal with life. Without it all she wanted to do was curl up in her house and never leave, never speak to anyone.

The water turned off. Blinking, Lily looked up to see a strong golden arm pressing down on the handle. She didn't know why but that made her cry harder, made her heart squeeze so tight she thought it might burst. He grabbed her by the waist and picked her up into his arms. She couldn't bear to look at him, to let him see how pathetic she was, so she buried her face in his shoulder.

He carried her to the bed and set her onto it. His body followed hers and wrapped around her. He felt so incredibly warm against her cold wet skin. She shivered hard as her body tried to meet his temperature. At some point she managed to stop crying and just stared numbly at the wall as he held her.

“This wasn't how it was supposed to be,” she said, her voice hollow.

“I know.”

“I just wanted to be with you.” Her chest squeezed tight with the urge to cry but she bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut until the feeling went away.

“I know.” He paused then added much more softly. “I think I wanted that too.”

Her eyes widened and she turned around in his arms. His blue hair was matted to his pillow and shoulders in a wet clump. His golden skin looked better but the color was still dim compared to how he usually looked.

“What do you mean?” She told her heart not to get its hopes up, but it didn’t listen. It was ready to hang on to every word he said.

He looked away for a moment then caught her gaze again. Soft, warm eyes met hers, no lies hidden in there. “I could have kicked you out. I could have made you leave at any time, but, a part of me didn't want to.” His brow pinched and she knew it was because he didn't like his reaction to her. But for her, her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

“Why didn't you?” she asked so softly.

He looked away this time and didn't answer for so long she didn't think he would. “Something about you makes me come alive, makes me wish I was different.”

She swallowed hard. “Different how?”

He rolled onto his back with a sigh, one arm bending over the top of his head. “I don't know. More free, I suppose. Less controlled.”

Guilt suddenly pulled in her belly and now she looked away. A part of her now wanted to tell him that the only reason she acted the way she did was because of a drug-like mixture she drank daily. That she started drinking after she summoned a demon and was so consumed with guilt and worry for her sister Chloe that she'd wanted to hole herself up in her room and never come out. What would he think of that? She wondered. Nothing good.

But her feelings for him had never been a lie, not even close. He'd captured her attention from the moment she met him. He'd been like an untouchable God, so superior and smart. She'd wanted to pick his brain for knowledge while curled on his lap kissing him. That feeling had grown, though. What had started as excited butterflies every time she saw him turned into a needy pool in the pit of her stomach. And now? Now she'd spent the last several weeks together. They'd been nearly killed, nearly imprisoned, and had shared their bodies. Now her heart tugged every time she saw him. The few glimpses of a smile he gave her made her feel a thousand times lighter, like she'd never need that potion again.

“I like you just the way you are.” It sounded so cheesy she laughed. His eyes crinkled around the corners then his deep laughter followed. “Lame but true. I do. I've liked you from the first moment I set eyes on you.”

His expression turned grim. “I wanted to run hard and fast.”

Her mouth fell open and she slapped his arm as female indignation swept up through her. His heavy laughter floated over her though, but she still pouted.

“Not nice,” she said.

He nodded. “True enough.” His eyes locked on hers turning serious in a second. “But do you know why I wanted to run?” She shook her head mutely. “Because you scared me. I saw you with your free smiles, bubbly laughter and it felt good having it aimed at me. You looked at me not like I was a demon, but a man you could want. I liked that. I liked that a lot.” His voice grew even deeper, softer. As his words resonated in her addled mind he stiffened then sat up in the bed.

She knew after what he just revealed that he was ready to retreat and pretend it didn't happen. But she wasn't going to let that happen. Lily sat up and wrapped her arms around his chest, pressed her breasts against the warm skin of his back.

“It's all right. Just...be with me.” She felt as though she was secretly asking more from him but even she wasn't sure what, exactly.

He stood and she stifled her disappointment as a chill brushed over her where his body had kept her warm. Her nipples hardened at the chill and she crossed an arm across them. He turned around though and her heart started to thump. He was so big, so strong. A golden god of sorts. The blue hair, so surreal looking one would think it was a dye job, but not on him. He'd never do something so fake.

He leaned down, his fists landing on either side of her hips in the mattress, denting the material. His gaze roamed over her eyes, her lips. “I used to look forward to your letters.”

She laughed. It was either that or have a heart attack from shock. “No way.” His body moved in, cornering her and she leaned back and back until she fell flat across the mattress.

“Yes. Sometimes I'd read them half a dozen times. I could almost hear your voice talking to me. One in particular I kept.”

“So you did toss them in the fire!” She grinned because that had been a guess purely on her part.

He caught her bottom lip with his teeth and tugged. An answering jolt of arousal sparked inside her, made her breath catch. He released and growled a deep vibrating sound that went straight to her core.

“I did. But not all of them. I kept one.”

Her mind tried to rack through all the letters she'd sent him. She must have sent at least twelve. Had it been the first one where she told him she had a dream of them kissing under a sky that looked an awful lot like the rift's sky? Or maybe it was, no. A dark blush bloomed over her face making her feel warm under his focused scrutiny.

“You remember.” He pressed her fully onto the mattress, his strong hot upper body trapping her, thrilling her. “I recall each little detail. I suppose I could throw it away but I couldn't make myself do it. It kept me up some nights.”

She blushed so hard she had to look away. It was one thing writing to him about her sexual fantasies it was another to hear about it from his own lips. His hands caught her wrists and then he slid down her body like a slinking cat and pressed her hands into the mattress in a way that clearly meant: do not move. Her entire body tightened and her heart raced wildly like a stampede.

“What are you doing?” she asked, breathless. She felt his tongue before she saw it. Warm and wet he pressed his tongue to the center of her stomach and slowly licked a path down to her belly button. Her hips arched, writhing against him at the touch.

“What you said you wanted me to do that day at Lyonis'. I'm going to lick you from your head to your toes.”

Her fingers fisted the sheet beneath. A fine tremble began in her stomach, seeping out to her thighs and arms.

“Relax,” he said gently, his tongue dipping into her belly button. His soft lips kissed a path to each of her hipbones before starting down the top of one leg. His hands held her in place, gave her some stability or else she might shoot up and start making demands. A mixture of wet tongue and warm lips played against her skin, creating a stir of arousal and goose bumps. He made it to her first knee and she could barely catch her breath as he lifted it and spread her open.

A flash of embarrassment caught her and she scolded herself. They'd had sex before. Though he'd never actually been this close to her pussy, he'd been inside of it. Still, she stiffened because he could see her so clearly now. Then a soft moan left her as his tongue traced the seam behind her knees. Her breath caught and let out on a needy sigh; her hands kneaded the bed sheet.

“Oh my god.”

“You have beautiful legs, Lily.” His demonic voice sounded as if it'd dropped an octave. The sound of it unfurled need in her, making her wet and damp. He kissed his way down her leg, then released her hands when he couldn't do both at the same time. “Do not move,” he warned. The growl in his voice made her lock her hands in place. She'd do anything he asked so long as he continued to touch her.

He reached for a foot and pressed kisses to the arch, gently biting on her toe. She undulated as warm pleasure swarmed inside her. She'd never known. Never knew that being touched there went straight to her core making her pant like a dog.

He nibbled the toes on her other foot until she giggled and fought him. Then he made his way back up her other leg with wet tongue and warm kisses. Suddenly, seeing him creep up her body sent a wave of longing through her. She wanted to part her legs and feel his mouth between her legs, just like she'd teased him about a year ago.

“You are soft as silk,” he said as his lips kissed over her knee then inside her leg, moving upwards. She had to part her legs or else he wouldn't fit, but insecurity got the better of her and she didn't. His eyes shot up her body to watch her. “Since when are you shy, Lily?”

Since I'm not juiced up on my meds. Instead of that honest declaration she said, “I've never done that before....”

His smile positively curled her toes. His hands grasped her thighs then slowly spread her open as he kissed his way up. Lily slammed her eyes closed, her entire body tense like a taut bowstring as she waited for the first touch.

One of his hands left her thighs and he kept her propped open with his big shoulders. A finger passed down her wet lips then pushed inside her needy tissues. A moan left her and when he slowly began to pump his finger even more breathy moans came. His stiff tongue passed over her then delved between her lips to find her clitoris. He barely moved it. Just rotated the tip of his stiff tongue across her excited nerves as if he had all the time in the world while pumping that finger in her slick passage.

“Telal,” she croaked, her head swishing from side to side.

Her entire body was tensing up, coiling, readying to fly apart with something she knew would be earth shattering. Then his tongue left her, and his finger pulled away leaving a heavy, empty feeling inside her. She panted, her hands crushing the sheet in her fists.

“Don't stop, please,” she moaned.

And then his tongue thrust inside her, retreated then thrust in again, fucking her. She moaned high, her hips rocking against him at the slick, soft intrusion. It felt wonderful, incredible but she needed more. Her hands threaded through his hair to tug but he pulled back.

“Touch your tits and don't stop.”

She met his stern gaze then did as he said. She realized she liked touching her breasts like this. Not only did it fuel the passion inside her, bringing her that much closer to ecstasy, but it gave her something to do. Her nipples became the next object of her attention as she tugged and pulled on them.

Only after he watched her play with her breasts with that hungry gaze for a minute did he go back down. He licked her everywhere, tasting every inch of her; even sucking her lips into his mouth in one of the most erotic sensations she'd ever felt.

Her clitoris felt so tight and needy like the barest of touches would set her off. He growled and set his mouth over it, flicking slowly, drawing little circles and zigzags across the nerves. Her breath raked in and out hard. Her hips pumped, her skin burned hot.

The climax hit her hard in a bright explosion that blinded her, robbed her of breath. Everything pulled tight then released in an instant. He never had to move his tongue fast, just that slow swirling brought a scream from her, made her hands squeeze her breasts hard. It faded slowly, leaving her feeling incredibly warm and almost numb. If he asked her to lift her arm it would take great effort to do so.

As her mind drifted back down to earth, she felt his finger thrusting inside her. She was so wet, so much more now from her orgasm, that he easily passed inside. Another finger entered and widened her in an incredibly way. Lily felt a hard pounding ache inside her and she realized the orgasm was only the tip of the iceberg. She needed his cock, needed him to appease the emptiness.

“Telal!”

“Dreenaru gina slinah.”

He slid up her body, pulling one leg onto his shoulder as he did. He looked feral, possessive, and so sexy it hurt. His strong hand ran down her thigh then slapped her bottom. He sat on his knees, his cock dark and golden, hard as steel between them. He gripped his cock in a fist, his other hand massaged the cheek he'd spanked, then he pushed it against her entrance and pushed inside on a hard thrust. All of her muscles eased around him, fitting him like a glove.

He groaned, his head tossing back and then he took her. His thrusts were hard, punishing. Her wet pussy took him easily, smoothly. She felt spread open from his thick cock, the little nerves shooting sparks of pleasure throughout her from the tips of her hair to her toes. Each thrust landed against her clitoris spiking the erotic sensation even more.

His face was drawn in a mask of sensual pleasure. His eyes swept to her breasts and then, as if watching them jiggle with each thrust was too much, he reached forward and cupped one, tugging the nipple.

“I cannot take much more,” he gritted out.

Lily couldn't either. He released her leg then came over her, crushing his mouth to hers, tongue thrusting against hers. She held him tight, her nails digging in at his shoulders. Noises left her throat, muted by his lips and her hips rocked harder, faster as his pounding thrusts built to a crescendo. Her pleasure spiked and she had to tear her mouth away to scream as her entire body jerked against him. He groaned long and hard as her pussy squeezed him trying to wring his release from him. His teeth found her neck and bit down and then he slammed inside and held himself there as a hot wash of liquid jetted inside her.

They stayed locked together for some time. When he started to doze off while still inside her, she shook him and he rolled over, pulling her on top of him. With a soft smile, she fell asleep in his arms feeling good for the first time all day.

CHAPTER 34

Arianna stroked the petal of a blood-red rose. The scents of sultry, sweet, and earthy flowers rose from the garden, teasing her senses. She cut the sharp pricks off the stem of the bloom then cut the stem.

Holding the big bloom to her nose, she pushed her nose into it and sniffed. The delicate scent always brought a smile to her face.

Celine strolled towards her holding several white and pink roses in her grasp. She hadn't smiled in days, not since the theatrics in the throne room. Since the Queen was declared a traitor and banned from the lands. But now a smile covered her face and her eyes glowed. Being around flowers always had that effect on her.

“You seem to be feeling better,” said Celine.

Arianna's brow flew up. “Me? You're the one who's been all dreary these past couple days.”

Celine laughed, shaking her head. “You've been depressed. Sure I've been shaken with all the drama going on. I mean how could I not be?” She ran a finger down the stem of her roses. In a quiet voice she asked, “Have you seen him lately?”

Arianna grimaced. She didn't want to speak of Alrik. She felt so conflicted about everything going on. The news of the Queen’s treachery had been like a blow to everyone. Even Arianna hadn't seen that coming. In a sick, demented way it made sense, though. All the dark changes in Alrik that had taken place after the rift closed made sense now.

“I haven't seen him since he banished the Queen. He hasn't called upon me.” She didn't know how to feel about that. She had wanted to go to him to see how he was. A part of her had wondered if his hair would be that beautiful reddish brown again, his eyes that vibrant violet. But she'd stayed away because what if it wasn't? What if he looked the same, was the same? She wasn't sure she could handle that.

“Do you think her spell is why he's changed so much over the years?”

Arianna shrugged. “I think so. It would explain it. I thought he had just let his anger consume him. Maybe I was wrong.” I hope I was wrong.

Celine watched her closely. Arianna shifted, discomforted under her scrutiny. “You care for the king, don't you?”

Arianna exhaled a shaky breath. “I...I might. I don't know.” She felt torn between the passion he stirred in her and the cruel streak he carried. She wanted to tell Celine about how he'd stolen her journal but kept her lips shut. For some reason, the thought of making him look bad didn't feel right with her.

A tinkling noise brought Arianna around. A servant came forward carrying a silver tray laden with a kettle and tea cups. Arianna directed him to the table and chairs besides the flowers and he set it down.

“Thank you.” The servant bowed then started back towards the house.

“It's all right if you care for him,” Celine said, taking a seat. “Perhaps you can help to change him back to how he used to be. With his mother gone, the black magic around him should fade.”

Arianna nodded in thought. “Perhaps. I think...I think I'd like that,” she admitted. Celine set a saucer and teacup in front of them then poured the tea.

“It could benefit everyone if you did.”

“How so?”

“He might be more lenient. More...right-minded, don't you think?”

Arianna had thought about it. To have the kingdom feeling healthy and positive once again almost seemed impossible to achieve. But maybe. There was always hope. Arianna took a sip of her tea. She recoiled, the burning hot tea stinging her tongue. Hissing, she quickly set the teacup down, sloshing some of the mixture on the saucer.

Celine patted her on the back. “Are you okay?”

Suddenly a stifling energy filled the air. Arianna turned slowly to see Alrik striding for her, his expression almost violent. She flinched at the look in his eyes. Black energy swirled like twining snakes in a bowl in his irises.

“King Alrik?”

He grabbed her arm hard and jerked her to a stand. “Who hurt you?” She blanched at his voice. It was so much deeper than it normally was, almost garbled together.

“No one. No one hurt me.” Her eyes were wide with fear, her breaths coming in pants. The urge to yank her arm back and try to run, even knowing she'd never get away from him, was almost too strong to deny.

“I heard you gasp. You're in pain.”

Celine stood and even her voice trembled. “She burnt her tongue while drinking tea. It was too hot, your highness.” Arianna didn't spare her a glace; she was too caught up in the sight of his eyes. Something was wrong—very wrong. Her heart deflated as hope dried up. She'd really hoped he'd be different, like his old self again. He almost seemed...worse.

“Servant!” he roared, his nostril's flaring.

Arianna gently tugged on her arm, but his fingers tightened until the skin nearly pinched. The servant who served the tea came rushing out. He bobbed into a bow, never meeting the king's eyes.

“Yes, your highness?”

“Did you bring her tea?” He stared into her eyes with all that anger that seemed to be literally coming to the surface of his strong body. The hate and anger pulsed off of him in waves capable of tearing down anyone in its path.

“Yes, your highness. She requested it.”

The hand around her arm disappeared and then Alrik had the servant by the throat, his feet dangling off the ground. The servant latched onto Alrik's wrist, his face turning red, and the veins at his temples protruding from stress.

“Did she request it scalding hot, servant?” he asked in a low voice. Arianna took a step back feeling real fear now. Not only for herself and Celine but for the servant in his grasp.

“N-no, your highness. It was an accident.”

Alrik squeezed tighter and the choking, wheezing sounds of the servant’s throat being closed off were too disturbing to hear.

“Alrik!” she called to him. His head jerked and then he looked at her. “Please let him down. Truly it was an accident.”

His lips twitched with a snarl, the grip around the servant's throat squeezing harder, and then he roared and threw the servant. The servant screamed as he flew back and landed with a bone-crushing whack against the castle.

Arianna screamed and started for him but Alrik caught her arm and pulled her to a stop. “You do not go to him, Arianna. You are mine.” Her skin crawled.

“You hurt him. I just want to make sure he's all right,” she said calmly. She slowly pulled on her arm until he released it then walked slowly to the prone servant.

Celine met her there. The servant bled from his mouth and nose; his breathing came in short, gasping bursts.

“He needs a healer now. I’ll get help.” Celine ran inside and Arianna stiffened as Alrik's hard steps came towards her. Her heart beat a frantic, wild rhythm. How could he make her feel so good one minute then so terrified the next?

He grabbed her hand. “Come with me.” Arianna followed because she didn't have a choice. He took her to his bedroom. The royal suite looked extravagant, rich with tapestries, lush bed spreads and intricately carved statues.

The door closed behind him and she felt completely shut off from the rest of the world. Completely alone with the beast. He took a seat in front of a roaring fireplace but aside from the light it casted the room was dark. Each step she took felt like she was walking to her own death, but she went and took a seat in the chair next to him.

“You care for me,” he said.

Her eyebrow flew up in surprise. “What?”

His eyes locked on her, pulled down low in anger. “I read your journal many times. You care for me.”

She couldn't even be sure how she felt about him, but after seeing him brutally attack a servant for something so miniscule her feelings lent more to fear now than 'caring'. She wouldn't tell him that. Who knew what he might do.

“I am not sure how I feel,” she said after a minute. She carefully chose her words to reveal some while hopefully not sending him into a rage that'd leave her broken and crying against the wall.

“Something is wrong.” He held out his hand, his fingers spread. He looked at his hand as if seeing it for the first time, studying it and turning it over to discover his black palm.

“What's wrong, Alrik?”

“I feel different.” His deep voice, almost hoarse, brought chills down her spine with his odd words.

“How so?” I want to help you, she wanted to say.

“I've never attacked anyone before like that. I've never felt so angry.”

She wanted to defend him because even with how messed up he was, she wanted to help him. “You were just coming to my defense. A bit too...strongly, though.” She waited to see if her words would sent him into a rage. But they didn't.

“I wanted to kill him. To crush his throat with my bare hands.” He studied his hands some more then turned to look at her. She was struck by the dark swirling energy in his eyes, so unnatural, yet beautiful in a strange way. “Now I want you.”

She stood so fast the chair rocked back on its legs and fell over. “What?” Her chest rose and fell in a rush.

He stood, too, his broad shoulders and tall form making her feel so small and insignificant in comparison. “I'm going to have your body now, Ari.” He started pulling off his overcoat and shirt, revealing dark, charcoal skin, silver hoops piercing his nipples, and the royal tattoo along his right side.

“Not now.” She backed away. Not after what she'd just seen. Not after her hopes of seeing him changed with the magic spell around him canceled vanquished. His body was gorgeous though. He looked the same as he did when he was younger, before he changed, yet so different. If she focused hard enough, she could still see his vibrant hair and eyes.

“Now.” His boots hit the floor then his pants. He wore nothing underneath and his cock sprang rigid and thick at her. She tensed and kept her eyes trained on his face.

“I'm not ready.” She didn't want it like this. Didn't want to experience sex for the first time with a man she wasn't sure was a man anymore.

But when he came towards her she didn't back away. She felt frozen in place, drawn between two places: one that wanted to run away from him forever and another that wanted to hold him, kiss him and fix everything for him.

“Don't do this,” she begged. It sounded weak, she knew, because she did want this with him, just not now. Not like this. Not with his brutal actions and strange eyes hovering over them like a thunderstorm.

“I must.” He pulled her into his body and turned her around. His hands slowly undid the buttons of her dress, the ties that cinched the dress in at her waist.

His hands gently teased her bare shoulders then slid down her arms as the dress fell to her breasts as it loosened, then dropped completely to the floor. She stood before him, trembling, naked, completely exposed.

“I have to have you at least once Arianna. Before...” his voice trailed off.

“Before what?” she whispered.

He didn't answer. His hands swept over the curves of her breasts and down her stomach in long strokes. Her body started to warm at his gentle touch, she found herself leaning back against his naked chest. His erection pressed hard against her bottom and she felt the urge to rub against it, so she did.

His hand had been passing over her breast when she did it, and he stopped, his hand cupping her harder. “Do not do that.” She apologized at once and stiffened. She felt him let out an uneasy breath. “You didn't do anything wrong. I'm battling not to take you how I want to, Ari.”

His hands took each of her breasts, working them until warmth spread throughout her body and she grew wet between her legs. When he finally touched her nipples it felt like being zapped with pleasure. Her head fell back against his shoulder and she panted, her whole body swaying in a subtle motion.

She tried to think of some way to reply but her mind slowly started to shut down. She wanted to just feel what he did to her and forget about everything else. Lips and teeth found her neck, biting and teasing. Her body started to burn hotter, her skin pulled tight with that sensation he'd given her before. She wanted him to touch her with his fingers like he did last time and make her feel that incredible climax.

One arm wrapped around her, the hand capturing her breasts and squeezing it while the other wrapped around her waist then trailed down to cup her sex. She moaned a high, needy sound and started writhing.

“Hold still,” he commanded in that deep voice. Then his teeth sank into her shoulder muscle. It felt as if all her muscles went paralyzed, just sitting in place for him with that bite. His fingers slid across her wet lips, circling her tight bundle of nerves, and all she could do was try to breathe in and out in a steady rhythm.

It didn't work. She panted. Her lips parted and cries left her as he thrust a finger inside her, not gently but in a powerful push. In and out he worked his finger until she felt his breathing grow loud and heavy against her shoulder where his teeth pinned her. Then he growled, the sound reverberating through her pores and down to her clitoris, and his fingers swirled fast and hard around her clitoris. In a flash everything tightened to an unbearable point inside her. A fire roared in her blood, through her veins and she screamed a hoarse, raw sound as everything released in a hot, wet rush from inside her.

He came at her then. As if with her release done he could finally take her how he wanted. She was pushed to her hands and knees, had only a second to comprehend his cock nudging her unused entrance, and then his hands held her shoulders to keep her in place and he thrust in.

A cry left her, a mixture of shock, pain, and pleasure. He groaned harshly and started thrusting through her tight muscles, his hips slapping against her bottom with each dive. She felt stretched and so full; the sensation felt maddeningly wonderful. She panted, her mouth unable to stay closed. His hands went everywhere as if trying to touch her all at once. He cupped her breasts, plucked at her nipples, squeezed her bottom, and pressed kissed across her shoulders and down her spine as he worked his hard length in and out of her.

It felt too good. The initial sharp pain was fleeting and all she felt was a raw earthy passion inside her; it felt so right. He bumped repeatedly against something inside her that pulled her tighter, hotter, made her burn.

“You are mine, Ari.” Now his deep voice sent pleasure blooming in her belly. Or maybe it was just his words, she didn't know. “Take me,” he growled.

He pushed her shoulders down to the floor. She went, so low her hard nipples scraped back and forth across the rug with each pounding thrust he gave her. It felt completely wicked, so unladylike, but incredible. She wanted to do this every day for the rest of her life so long as it felt like this.

One hand clasped her hair in his hand and kept her down so her bottom was raised for him. His free hand curled around her waist, squeezing tighter and tighter as his thrusts landed harder...faster.

The deep ball of need in her belly unfurled, unraveled, flew apart. She screamed as her entire body shattered into a million pieces. This sensation felt so different from the releases he gave her before. She could feel the difference. Could feel her sex squeezing around him, wetting him with a fresh gush of cream. He growled, the hand in her hair tightening, and then he pumped in one last time and a wet, hot sensation burst inside her. He gave her his release. She found her hips writhing against his, wanting to take in all of it.

He pulled out as soon as he finished and it took all of her strength to turn around, her limbs falling loosely all around her, to look at him. He didn't meet her gaze. A chill went through her heated body.

“What's wrong?”

A slight jerk of his head and he stood, pulling on his clothes in hard jabs. She felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dropped on her. Her chest pulled incredibly tight like a cord being wound. The urge to cry crept up on her.

“What's wrong, Alrik?”

“Look at me!” His shout made her jerk hard.

“I-I am.”

He looked at his hand then curled it into a fist and punched the bedpost. The frame cracked and fell to the floor with a loud groan.

His lips fell into a flat line, his expression one of defeat, then he looked her in the eyes. “Tell me what they look like?”

“Does what look like, Alrik?”

“My eyes!” he shouted.

She flinched, her lips trembling. “B-black. They're black.” Tears escaped seemingly out of nowhere, but she had so many emotions running inside her, they had to get away somehow.

He slowly shook his head then finished pulling n his boots. Some awful, panicked feeling filled her. It felt so unlike anything she'd felt before. As if she were about to lose something precious that she wasn't ready to let go of.

“Please let me help you.” The tears ran fast down her face.

He shook his head at her, the rawness in his troubled eyes piercing her. “You can't. No one can.” He left, leaving her huddled and crying.

CHAPTER 35

The next day came and Lily started to feel claustrophobic in the cabin. Telal had taken his knife and managed to kill a squirrel and rabbit. He'd cooked it, but her stomach had seized up at the smell of the meat and she'd refused any food though he tried to make her eat.

Her arms wouldn't stop itching. The skin started to turn pink from her nails dragging up and down it. Even her scalp itched and she couldn't stop scratching it. She couldn't stop pacing, but after a few minutes, she'd grow weary of that, and have to sit down only to repeat the whole process all over again.

Telal came out of the shower, fresh and wearing some clothes he'd kept in his dresser. They looked good on him but different. She wasn't used to seeing him anything other than a suit—or maybe naked. He wore a black t-shirt fitted across his strong chest and pair of loose black pants, not the expensive looking kind either. He almost looked normal—except for his gold skin and blue hair.

She smiled at him and continued pacing, scratching her arms. “What's wrong?” he asked.

She pretended to be surprised. “Nothing, just sick of being holed up here.”

“It's only been a day.”

She shrugged, let him think what he will. He inhaled deeply then his arms stiffened. “The new moon is soon.” She shrugged again. That hadn't even been a thought in her mind. Not when she wanted to rip her hair out, run back to the hotel, and make her juice. God, she needed it.

“Is your magic back yet? Is it safe to leave?”

“For the twentieth time, no. My powers won't come for some time. Maybe even a week. That poison was strong and I got hit twice.” His eyes flicked over her then he grabbed her arm. She yanked it away but he cut her a warning look before he grabbed it again and studied it. “Why are you scratching yourself?”

“I need to get back to the hotel.” She knew she was whining but desperation held her in its grasp.

“You're not telling me the truth, Lily. Why are you acting like a strung out junky?”

She stiffened then jerked her arm out of his grasp. “Fuck you, I'm not a junky.” She marched away from him before she did something that'd get her in trouble—like punch him. She ended up sitting on the bed kicking her feet out up and down.

He came in a minute later, a dark look on his face. “I didn't call you a junky. I was making a reference. Why did you get so defensive?”

Shit. She hadn't even realized she'd messed up. Panicking, she kept her eyes trained on the floor and pretended she didn’t' hear him. This became hard to do when he stepped in front of her and she had to stop kicking her legs else start pelting him with her feet.

“What are you on, Lily? And do not lie to me.”

Lily wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. A part of her wanted to tell him, she did. To finally let someone know about her guilty secret, the one that had been eating away at her for almost a year. But what would he think of her then? A pathetic fool who had to resort to a homemade drug just to get on with life? No, thank you.

“I'm not on anything.” Technically true since her goods were currently in her apartment at Telal's.

Telal squatted down in front of her cupping her face in his strong hands. A part of her faltered, her defenses cracking at his sincere expression. The warmth of his eyes almost warmed her skin.

“Please tell me, Lily.” Her eyes teared up and before she knew it she launched herself into his arms sobbing, clinging to him for dear life. “God, Lily. What is it?” The concern in his voice almost did her in. Almost sent her into a level of sadness that would require at least two boxes of tissues to fix.

“I don't want to tell you,” she said in a small voice. She hadn't told a soul. Not even Rosa.

His arms tightened around her making her feel warm and safe. “You can tell me, Lily. After all we've been through together how bad can it be?”

She laughed a little. When compared to seeing her mother in that demon prison and barely escaping death at his office he had a point. In a small voice she told him about the special “juice”.

“You make it yourself?” he asked.

She nodded against his shoulder. “It makes me feel...good, free, and happy. Like nothing can go wrong, nothing can stop me.”

“How long have you been taking it?”

She shook her head. She didn't want to spill the details. His arms tightened around her. “It's okay, you can tell me. Maybe I can help.”

She took a deep breath. “A year. Since Papa died.”

“Why did you start taking it?”

This was the question she didn't want to answer. The one she dreaded the most. “I don't want to talk about it, Telal.”

He pulled back and kissed her hard on the mouth. His eyes bore into hers. “Tell me.” His voice left no room for argument she soon found the words falling from her lips.

“I was so sad. With the will, with worry over summoning that demon that was all my fault. Papa had just died. I couldn't stand it. So I made it and it helped me to get out of bed and feel strong again. I'm so sorry.” She buried her face in her hands and wept. Her words felt so inadequate at explaining what she'd felt. How miserable and sad she'd been. How some days she really did just stay in bed and stare out the window. She could have died then and been the better for it.

Telal pulled her against his chest and stroked smoothing circles across her back. “You have nothing to be sorry for. But if I'm going to be your Protector then I must lay down the law. No more of this, Lily.”

She jerked back, eyes wide. “What?”

“You heard me. I want to be around you as you're meant to be not how some herbs make you feel. I like being around you,” he said gruffly a faint blush creeping up on his cheeks.

“No, I meant what did you mean about being my Protector.” Her hands latched onto his shoulders, squeezing tight.

A corner of his mouth lifted. “Well I am, aren't I? Besides, I don't think I could let you go.” He sounded as if he'd just made this realization and didn't know how to feel about it.

A big smile split across her face. “Really?”

His eyes darkened with heat. “Really. I crave you, lilit.” She might have swooned but instead his lips crossed hers and gave her the kiss of a life time. All swirling tongues, meshing lips, and ragged breaths sawing together. She pulled him closer between the vee of her legs and his cock, hard and thick, pressed against her pussy. She moaned and tore at his pants with frantic hands.

He was just as hungry. His own hands pulling open her jeans and working them down to her ankles then dragging the underwear she'd washed by hand in the shower down with them. She tried to kick the material off her feet but they got stuck around her ankles. Telal growled, his mouth fusing against hers again and then he slid forward, his cock brushing against her sex.

She panted, anticipation filling her blood like something hot and wicked. His strong body covered hers, pressing her back into the mattress, his hands burying into her hair, and then he thrust inside. His shaft spread her muscles wide, the nerve endings sparking like fireworks.

She held onto the damp tendrils of his long hair as their tongues mated and his hips created a rocking rhythm that pushed him in and out. “Telal,” she moaned. Her heart felt near to bursting along with her body. She wanted to tell him. God, she wanted to tell him so badly how she felt, but she bit on his lip to keep from doing so.

He made love to her with slow, passionate strokes that built her climax up steadily. When she came, she screamed, clutching him to her and he groaned coming right with her in a burst of wet heat inside her.

His head jerked up, his expression tight with concentration.

Suddenly she felt the need to whisper as her skin prickled worry. “What is it?”

“Put your clothes on.” She was right to whisper because he did. They both stood and righted their clothing, then the sound of the front door being kicked in sounded as loud as a gunshot. Telal grabbed her hand and rushed into the bathroom shutting and locking the door behind him. He peered out the small window that was high and meant more for ventilation than using, then opened it.

“Get out now.”

She froze. “You're coming too?”

“Of course,” he said urgently.

He lifted her waist and she barely managed to squeeze through. The window frame squeezed her hips and shoulders that surely would cause bruising, and then she floated through the air for a few seconds and landed in the leaves below the window.

Lily waited, staring up at the window, glancing all around her, and chewing her nails into jagged pieces as she waited for him. Her stomach clenched when she heard a thump inside. Her hands flattened against the cabin as if trying to reach out and help him. She wanted to call out to him but didn't know whether that would hinder him or not.

After a minute, Telal strode around from the back of the house at a brisk pace. He had blood splattered on his hands and arms. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand then started running into the woods—fast.

He didn't stop until her breaths came in haggard whines. Her throat felt tight like she'd been choked and her lungs and chest burned from the inside. He let her rest against a tree.

“We have to keep moving. Come on, walk.”

Through uneven breaths she said, “Port us.”

He shook his head. “I'll try.” He grabbed her hand but nothing happened. “Fuck, come on. If there's one then there's more of them.”

He settled them into brisk walking pace, which allowed her lungs to recoup but made her legs burn from the work. She made mental note that if she lived she'd purchase a Treadmill and start running.

“Same demons that attacked at headquarters?” He nodded, pulling her under thick branches and helping her over larger stumps. “How did they track us?”

“That's what I've been trying to figure out.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Keep moving.”

A feeling came over her that everything was useless. Nothing they could do could help. Unless they managed to kill all of the demon assassins or something. They couldn't port anywhere. The only safe place may be Tyrian en Kulev's castle, but that was in Norway.

They walked on for hours through the dense forest without passing a single road or human being. Past the point of pain, her body drove straight into exhaustion. Surprisingly, she didn't feel thirst or even hunger. With the new moon coming, her body had already started to change, to require a different sustenance to live. In a way it was good, she supposed, but Telal still needed to eat.

“We have to keep quiet out here, okay?”

She nodded mutely. And when he stopped them for the night near a thin stream, she fell to the ground and wished him a goodnight. She'd never fallen asleep so fast in her life.

CHAPTER 36

Lily awoke with the moon blazing high in the sky. She trembled not with cold or fear but with an array of arousal that left her palming her own breasts and panting. Her pussy was wet already and she hadn't even touched it, had just woken. She searched the makeshift camp they had and didn't see Telal around. Worry gripped her but she forced herself to relax. He just went to get food, surely. Though when Telal returned from searching for food...

A moan hit her and she squeezed her lips shut to keep it from passing. He told her to keep quiet and stay put, but that had been before the new moon settled high in the sky and she began her journey into full-succubus. No food for her, but she'd take his mouth, his fingers.

Unable to stop herself, she lie back flat on the leaves and spots of grass beneath her and unbuttoned her zipper, pulled down her fly. She was burning up as if she had sunburn covering every inch of her skin. Her nipples were pulled so tight the bra she had on hurt her nipples feeling more like sandpaper than cotton.

Lifting her shirt, trying hard to breathe in quietly through her nose, she squeezed a tight, heavy breast. The sensations went straight to her pussy, making her wetter. She could feel her underwear dampen in an instant. With a soft cry, her free hand delved under her panties and started rubbing her throbbing clitoris. Her orgasm built steadily, quickly. She was nearly there, was a trembling piece of aroused, sensitized flesh, when she heard a thump.

Eyes popping open, she darted to a sitting position to see Telal staring at her, the rabbit he'd killed sitting on the ground where he'd dropped it.

“It's time,” he said in a husky voice.

She nodded mutely. He didn't hesitate, didn't question it, he just came for her. She stood up on her knees and met his embrace halfway. Her hormones guided her, and within a timeframe that had to be a world record, she had his pants down, him flat on his back, and was sinking down over his hard cock with a moan.

His lips parted while his hands fondled her breasts. She couldn't sit still if she wanted to. She braced herself on his chest, lifted, and lowered herself, plunging his cock deep inside her wet core again and again. The cries left her... No thoughts as to keeping their location quiet could keep her from moaning hysterically as he stuffed her so full, so perfectly.

She rode him hard until both of their bodies were running in perfect synchronicity. His hands grabbed her hips and helped her to work his cock in and out. And when her release exploded inside her, he clamped a hand over her mouth to keep her scream from echoing throughout the forest. His release burst inside her, filling her with his own hot, creamy essence. She ground herself over him even after they'd spent. She still felt the itch, the need to go again, but for now she felt mostly sated.

After a while, they righted their clothes and took a seat in front of the small fire he'd made. In quick work, he skinned the rabbit and cooked it slowly over the fire. His eyes kept returning to hers until a blush stained her cheeks.

“What?” she finally asked, defensive.

He grinned, the look all man, all rogue demon. His blue hair glinted almost black in the fire light. “You're beautiful and a hell of a lay.”

Her mouth fell open and she grabbed a rock from next to her knee and threw it at him. She saw the laughter in his eyes too late. He'd only been kidding but still she turned her head away.

“We'll just see if you get any more of that.”

“I know I will,” he said in a voice that unfurled something erotic in her belly. She pressed her hand over it to steady it.

“I don't know about that,” she said flippantly.

“Just wait till the next need hits you, baby and we'll see. And I'll be waiting right here for you.”

She caught his molten stare; he looked so possessive and aroused as he watched her. Feigning a fake yawn, she settled down in the leaves and mumbled, “We'll see about that.”

Lily awoke to find the sun soaring into the sky. The forest talked with the chirping of animals, the squawks of birds in the early hours of the morning. She saw their campfire fire smoldering in black ash, the flames having long been put out. And then the heavy arm around her waist stole her attention. Telal was wrapped around her.

As if just knowing how near he was triggered something, her sex throbbed, growing wet. She became aware of her breasts, heavy with hard-tipped nipples scraping against the inside of her bra. Her breathing deepened, grew heavy.

“Telal,” she whispered. God, she needed him. Right now. He stirred behind her but didn't wake. Slowly she rubbed her ass against him. Whether he was awake or not he certainly had an erection that made her moan and her body weep. He felt good; hard and stiff poking along her cheeks and in between the cleft.

A low groan left him and the arm around her waist tightened. She felt his body stiffen. “Lily?” His morning voice was the sexiest thing she'd ever heard—low, vibrating, a bit hoarse.

“I need you.”

He made a happy sound, something close to a purr and slid his hand up under her shirt, pushing her bra up to free her breasts from the stupid material. He cupped her gently, stroking her soft skin with lazy passion. She didn't want it like this. Her body was too tight, too needy. Her stomach clenched hard, the pain entirely uncomfortable and painful. A sweat broke out over her brow at his tortuous touch.

“Please!”

In a second, she learned he was fully awake. He growled a warning then his hands were pulling at her jeans, shoving them down her legs. Her panties received the same rough treatment and it turned her on, made her body burn with excitement. He pulled back and she felt naked at the loss of his heat but she heard him unzipping his own pants.

She started to roll onto her back but he came back to her, spooning her. His mouth found her neck, his strong body pushing her chest down into the ground with a twisting motion. She kept her hips arched back towards him, rocking, seeking him out.

His tongue licked a wet path up her neck, then he breathed in her scent and bit down. Hot sweeping sensations swept through her body in a rush. His hand curled around her thigh then lifted her leg over his. And then his cock slid hard and sure inside her.

The wild moan that escaped her silenced the woods. He worked his hips fast and hard, slapping against her cheeks as his cock dragged through her wet tight flesh.

“Kiss me,” he commanded.

She turned her head and met his lips. A hand reached for her pussy and rubbed it. Coating his fingers in her cream then stroking her lips, around where his cock pushed in and out. He took that cream and circled her clitoris then rubbed over it again and again. The combination of his cock inside and the bundle of nerves being tweaked was too much and she screamed into his mouth.

He caught her tongue, sucking on it, absorbing the sound as she shook and shuddered beneath him. Only after her cries faded did he break away and start taking her in earnest. Her head dropped the ground, her eyes fluttering closed to simply feel him pushing his cock in and out of her tight muscles. His breathing turned harsh, his hand gripped her thigh in an almost bruising grip keeping her spread open and then he thrust hard, his hips slapping her cheeks with an erotic sound. And then he jetted hard and long inside her, breathing hard.

Still inside her, he found her lips again, kissing her gently. Her heart squeezed tight in her chest like a hand fisted it. What she felt for him now wasn't drug-induced euphoria but real, raw, and a little scary. She'd never loved someone before. It was a strange feeling. She wanted to stand up, throw her arms out, and scream it to the whole forest to hear. But especially, she wanted to tell him. Tell him how much he'd come to mean to her, how the thought of him in danger, of losing him made tears come to her eyes.

“We have to get going,” he said after a while.

They righted their clothing, splashed some water on their faces from the stream then headed what may have been south, following the stream.

“The water will lead us to people,” he said.

Of course, he was right. When the sun settled high in the sky, she heard the sound of cars and picked up her pace. They'd only been in the woods for a night but it felt as if she hadn't seen civilization in forever. He grabbed her hands as they broke through the woods to a street.

Cars roared past them and an old gas station sat across the street looking worn and run down. A car pulled into it and a man, older with a scraggly beard and stained overalls pumped the gas for the driver.

Telal led them to the man. “Do you have a phone here?”

The man squinted up at them as he put the gas hose back in its compartment. “Yup, but it'll cost you to use it.”

“You don't have a pay phone?” asked Lily.

He shook his head and hitched his thumbs in his overalls. “Nah, haven't seen one of them in years. Everyone has cell phones nowadays, don'tcha know? You can use Betty's cell but it'll cost you twenty bucks.”

Telal pulled a wad of bills out of his back pocket and handed a crisp fifty to the man. “Where's Betty?” he asked.

The man nodded towards the gas station. “Inside, tell her Rick sent you.”

They went inside and found Betty in a seat behind the cash register. She sat in a lawn chair with a fan blowing straight on her face and even still sweat slicked her dress to her plump body.

“Rick sent us. Said we could use your cellphone.”

The woman eyed his blue hair with growing disdain. “What are you one of them emo kids?”

Telal didn't say anything, only reached into his back pocket again and pulled out another fifty. “The phone, please.”

The woman scoffed but stood, walking with a limp into a back room then coming back with a black phone.

“You got two minutes on it.”

Lily wanted to say they could have all the time they wanted since they dropped a hundred bucks, but she kept her mouth shut. Telal dialed and she could hear the voice on the other end—Tyrian.

He hung up then pulled her outside of the gas station. Within a minute, Draven appeared with his usual grin.

“I heard you needed a lift.”

The gas station attendant blink, his eyes bulging out of his skull. “We probably shouldn't have done this in front in front of the human.”

Telal shrugged. “Get us out of here.”

Draven touched their arms and then the world faded around. They appeared in Tyrian's study. Chloe was there and she flung herself into Lily's arms before she'd even got her bearings.

“Hey, sis.”

“God, I was so worried.”

“Why?” Her heart felt strange and she fought the urge to blush at her sister's attention. Her voice sounded like she was trying to hold herself together.

“We heard about Telal's headquarters. You were attacked! Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?”

Lily shook her head. “No, but Telal was poisoned.”

Tyrian nodded. “You should see our healer, Nanu. She's very skilled. She may have something to help.”

“There is no combatting this. I just have to let it run its course and get out of my system.”

Draven disappeared without a word and came back a minute later with Willow, Lyonis, and the baby. Lily melted at the sight of her wrapped in a soft pink blanket.

Willow gave her a one-armed hug. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Willow pulled her away from the others.

“Listen, I thought about what you said about mom.” Willow let out an unsteady breath. “We're still naming the baby Mary, and... I've come to terms with the fact that she's alive. Now I want to get her back.” Her eyes turned hard with determination—the look that said nothing could get in her way.

“We're going to get her back, I promise.” Relief flooded Willow's eyes making her look sweet.

She walked back to stand beside Telal and listened in on the conversation he was having with Tyrian. “Kearnyn went to Rosa's. I need you to pick them up. They might be after them as well.”

Draven sighed, muttering under his breath. “What am I a taxi?” Then he left and reappeared with Rosa and Kearnyn.

Rosa's face looked ashen, her clothes disheveled. Kearnyn lie prone on the floor. At once, Tyrian ordered for his healer and everything happened in a flurry of movement. Kearnyn was taken to the medical ward. Tyrian and Telal went off with Draven, Henry, and Rayn to speak in private which left Lily with her sisters.

For some reason being around them felt more uncomfortable than usual. She felt as if she'd been leading them on with a lie.

Chloe smiled a little and poked her in the belly. “Happy Birthday.”

Lily blinked then started laughing. That's right. She turned twenty-nine yesterday when the new moon hit. “I completely forget,” she said in all honesty.

“Have you been...feeding?” asked Chloe, a twinkle in her eye.

Lily blushed but grinned. “Till I'm stuffed.” They all laughed and the tension in her shoulders eased.

CHAPTER 37

Telal scrubbed a hand over his haggard face. He felt as if he hadn't had a proper bath in ages. He wanted to sit under a blazing hot spray and scrub his skin until it fell off. Still, he'd get his shower later; now wasn't the time for that.

Tyrian led him down a long corridor and to another smaller room that looked like a library. “Tell me everything,” he said.

Telal took a seat because he felt weak and recapped everything that happened starting with the attack at his home.

“These sound like specially trained assassins.”

“I think they are,” agreed Telal. “They were way too good to take out all of my guards. Those humans were ex-Special Forces, Rangers, and Seals. Not as impervious to damage like we are but skilled at what they do. They dropped like flies next to these demons.”

“Why do you think he wants you dead? You already told him you'd leave him alone.”

Telal shrugged and pressed his thumbs against his eye socket. A throbbing beat stamped against him in his skull and at his temples. The pressure in his head felt tight. “I don't know. He's different. He hates me too. My mother might have put him up to it. Maybe he feels threatened and wants to ensure he doesn't lose the throne.” God, he could never have believed how his brother turned out. Physically altered from the cruel life he'd led. His chest pulled tight and he refrained from burying his face in his hands like he wanted to. He didn't want to think of Alrik, couldn't without the guilt eating away inside of him.

“What are you going to do about it?”

A knock sounded at the door then Alpha Lyonis Keelan came in looking grim. He took a seat with them and leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

“I'm on board for whatever you need, Telal.”

Telal cocked a brow in surprise. After the way he'd last treated the Alpha when his mate had gone missing, that surprised the shit out of him.

“Thank you,” he said finally. The words felt strange coming from his mouth even though he meant it.

Tyrian spoke carefully. “I believe we should be prepared for an attack. I think we should head in there and take out Alrik one way or another. If we catch him, we can subdue him and imprison him. You are the eldest brother and will rightfully gain the throne.”

Telal almost laughed. Subdue his brother? It had to be a joke. His brother was demented and would only give up with a fight to the death—he'd said so himself. Telal didn't know if he could wield the final blow that would end his brother’s life.

“My powers are gone for now.”

“We'll wait until they come back. I can bring some of my people,” Lyonis said. “They are excellent fighters, especially when shapeshifted.”

Telal's head pounded even harder until it felt like his brain was trying to escape. “I don't want innocents to die.” But how could it be done without any casualties?

The aristos lived in the castle. If they planned the timing right then they could attack and try to single out Alrik while the others were in bed, but then there'd still be servants and soldiers in the way. Either way it was risky and people would die.

“Alrik has sent assassins after you and Lily. I don't think he'll stop until you die. Could you let her die, Telal?” asked Tyrian in a soft voice.

Telal stiffened, his heart pounding with a strange emotion. He'd never really thought about it. What if she died? He swallowed hard because the thought made him want to vomit and kill something at the same time.

Lyonis suddenly laughed a hearty sound. Telal hated it. “You do love her.”

Telal glared at him. “I care some. I do not love her.” He felt a twinge inside that felt as if he'd lied. Panic instantly swelled inside him. Love? Did he love the crazy succubus? God, he did not want to think about that right now because his heart and his mind were disagreeing on the subject.

“Whatever. I'd recommend that you don't let a great thing like that pass you by. You never know when she might be taken away.” Lyonis' expression turned grim. Telal knew he'd almost lost his mate to the jaheera demon, but seeing how it affected him made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.

“I'm going to bed,” said Telal, coming to a stand. “I'll think about it and let you know.” He was a planner, had always excelled at weighing the pros and cons of a situation. He'd do the same with this one. Only this time was different because he was weighing his life to his brother’s.

After shaking hands with the men, Telal found Lily and let Chloe escort them to the bedroom they'd be using. Telal made for the shower and dropped under the hot spray letting it clean the feeling of filth from his skin and loosen his tight muscles.

He heard her soft steps before she came into view, beautifully naked. She stepped into the shower with him and wrapped her arms around him. His heart squeezed tight and he held her in return. It felt good to have her in his arms. It eased even more tension in him but made his heart thump erratically. Did he love her? God, he hoped not. Lyonis' words floated in his mind. But he shoved the thought away because they didn't count. Even if he did decide to go to war with his brother, he'd never let her come. She'd be here in the castle safe and locked away.

Her hands roamed across his back then cupped his cheeks giving him a playful pat. He almost laughed. She thought she was so much different off that drug of hers but really, he liked her like this. A little bit more serious, still sweet and naive, and kind.

The shower spray covered them both, matting their hair down and wetting their bodies. His eyes roamed over her form, loving the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips, and the soft press of her mounds against his chest. She felt womanly and perfect against him. She pressed a kiss to his chest then another, slowly going lower.

His cock punched hard and erect, his body growing tense once again. “What are you doing, lilit?”

She smiled up at him with warm eyes, her lips pressed underneath his belly button. “You're tense. I thought I'd help you to relax.” She kissed further down to each of his hipbones as her hands trailed up his thighs.

He almost staggered at her touch and had to slam his hand on the shower wall to keep from falling over. His cock fell against her cheek. He ached to have her suck him in deep but she ignored him and continued to lick her way down his groin.

She trailed her fingers over the area. “Why don't you have any hair here? Seeing blue down here would be pretty fun. Do you shave it?” The naughty witch asked the innocent question while her hand curled around his cock light as a butterfly.

“No,” he gritted out. “Demons don't grow hair down there.”

“Oh.” She said it like it was the most interesting thing to learn. She pressed her forehead against his thigh. In a voice devoid of playfulness, she said, “If you don't want to retake the throne that's fine. I support you. But please, please help me to get my mother out.”

He swallowed hard over the tightness in his throat and rested his head on her hair, so dark and wavy, beautiful. Love. Is this what it felt like? The need to please her and do anything for her to make her happy?

“I'll get her out, Lily.”

She looked up at him and saw the sincerity in his gaze. Like a light flipping on, her expression lit up bright as the sun. “Telal...thank you. Thank you.”

Then in a smooth move, she swallowed his cock whole, burying him to the back of her throat. He did choke now, his hips jerking from the raw pleasure.

“Lily,” he warned. Though he wasn't sure what he was warning her about . She made a moaning sound around him then slid him out and back in again, flicking her little tongue around him and licking his shaft like a delicious treat. Raw possession came over him. He wanted to keep her, he realized. Only let her mouth ever please him. The thought didn't shock him as it might have even a few weeks ago, but it settled deep inside him like concrete—sure and strong.

She pulled back, letting her hand massage over the tip of him trying to coax his orgasm from him. And it was working. His sack pulled tighter and tighter, his muscles clenching. Hell, it took an effort not to let his toes curl. The pleasure of just watching her getting poured on from the shower and pumping his cock in her little fist nearly undid him.

“Let me have you.”

She shook her head and swallowed him whole again and again. Breathing became a chore as his lungs pumped hard to suck in oxygen. His head fell back and he let his fingers touch the tresses of her wet hair. He didn't hold her to him or guide her because what she was doing to him was magic of its own.

His body grew incredibly hot as his climax neared. “Let me inside you,” he begged without shame. The torture of her mouth sucking on him was too much.

She pumped him with her hand and bobbed up and down his shaft, moving faster, sucking harder. His hips started jerking in response. The hand in her hair tightened out of reflex. He only had one last chance to warn her so he did.

“I'm going to come in your mouth if you don't stop.”

Fuck. She moved faster. A growl started in his throat then ended in a ragged shout as his entire body jerked from her little mouth. His semen seemed to shoot down his spine and out through his body in hot, erotic spurts that didn't want to end. The little succubus moaned around him, licking him clean then gently released him.

He fell back against the shower and when she came into his arms again he held her tight. His mind felt foggy and heavy. He wanted nothing more than to drop onto the bed and pass the fuck out.

“Let me finish you,” he said instead though. He had to make it even, make her come.

She kissed his peck and smiled up at him. “No, let's go to bed.”

She shut off the water and he followed her by hand into the bedroom, too tired to do anything else. Before he passed out, he wrapped his arm around her to pull her close. She felt so right there so good. So he told her so.

“You're not so bad yourself, baby.” He heard the laughter in her voice and smiled as he fell asleep.

CHAPTER 38

Kearny's eyes popped open as he groaned. Someone was jabbing at his stomach with something hard and unforgiving.

He jerked to a sitting position with his fists pulled tight ready to fly. A woman with dark skin, darker than Rosa's, stepped back from him, her hands raised in a defensive pose.

“I'm Nanu, the healer. I'm just stitching you up.”

He smelled her before he saw her. Rosa came up from behind him. She looked raw like she'd hadn't slept in days and her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

“What's wrong baby?” His voice sounded too hoarse from not being used. That and his tongue felt brittle as dried wood. He needed blood. She surprised him. She knelt over him pressing a dozen kisses across his chapped lips and holding his head in her hands. “It's all right. I'm okay.” She made a half-sob, half-laughing noise and pulled away, her lips trembling in a smile.

“I thought you were going to die.”

His chest felt entirely too tight at her words. He didn't know what to say so he just pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, his heart beating with an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time.

She stepped away after a minute. “Let Nanu stitch you up so we can get you out of here.”

He smiled at the order. “Yes, ma'am.”

Nanu stitched him up in no time and offered him pain meds that he refused. His stomach hurt but it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. Once he got some blood in him he'd feel even better.

Rosa had to help him stand up. His legs wobbled like rubber bands and his upper body felt too heavy to be supported by his weak legs. He hated looking so frail in front of her; hated even more that he had to lean on her just to stay upright. She only smiled up at him and his worries eased just like that.

“I missed you.” They moved slowly out of the medical ward taking it one step at a time.

“I missed you too, bambino.”

They stopped at the foot of a staircase that looked so long the image of them spun in his head with a dizzy spell. But she only tightened her arm around his waist and helped him up the stairs one foot at a time. God, he loved her. He smiled at the thought and when she caught it and raised an eyebrow in question he merely shrugged. He didn't think she was ready to hear that yet. He'd tell her at the right time.

She helped him into a guest room furnished with two dressers, a huge arching window, tall ceilings, and an adjourning bathroom. The idea of a shower almost gave him enough energy to take one but after the journey up the stairs his muscles started to tremble from exertion. She pressed him against the bed and he fell on it with a groan. She instantly lifted his shirt to inspect his bandage.

“Are you okay? Did that hurt? Maybe I should get you that pain medicine.” She looked away in thought. “Or I could make you some. Maybe the healer has herbs or I can have that demon Draven port me back to my shop or—”

“Kiss me.” He enjoyed the surprise and pleasure that fleeted over her face.

“What?”

He would have laughed but his stomach felt raw and he didn't want to tear the stitches. “You heard me, Rosa.”

Her cheeks darkened with color and then she leaned down and placed her lips over his. Soft, smooth like silk or satin or some kind of fabric he didn't recognize. But no flimsy material could hold anything on her, not with the heat and pressure she added. Her scent teased him, soft and delicate. Fresh like a flower. Her tongue darted across his lips, wetting them, then pushed inside. He groaned. His body hardened at her womanly taste at the slippery glide of her much thinner, smaller tongue. His hand curled into her hair, pulling her closer but she broke away breathing in an unsteady way that made him grin.

“We can't...not until your wound is better.”

“That's a shame.” He meant it too.

She laughed a little. “Can I get you anything?”

His eyes fell to her neck. The animal in him wanted her to part her hair off her neck so he could see the pumping pulse there. His hands crushed the comforter in hard fists.

“Blood. I need blood.”

Her eyebrow flew up in that pretty way and another blush darkened her cheeks. Her hand fluttered to her throat. “Mine?”

His cock jerked in his pants at the huskiness in her voice. His turned equally low. “No, Tyrian will have some here.” Get out before I take yours. He wet his lips, his eyes closing as he tried to imagine what she'd taste like. That only made him harder, made his mouth drier though. “Please go.”

“You can have mine,” she said softly.

He tensed, the points of his fangs throbbing in time to his cock. She had no idea what she was asking, what it meant. He couldn't take her blood and not her body. No matter how much he wanted to feel her wet heat wrapped around his cock again, he couldn't do it. He needed to get strong again.

He looked her straight in the eyes. “That means a lot to me. I promise to take you up on that as soon as I can do sit-ups without breaking my stitches. But right now, if I take your neck...” his mind wandered off as he envisioned taking her inner thigh right next to her pussy. He almost started panting. “If I do then I'm going to fuck you. It's going to be hard and fast, and now is not the time, baby.”

Her chest rose and fell in fast waves but she slowly backed up then fled out the door. Shit. That hadn't gone well. As his mind tried to figure out if he'd ever see her again or if she'd just gone to get him some blood, he also thought about the demons that had attacked him.

They were good. Trained like fucking assassins, which made since. They'd had a purpose coming to Telal's headquarters: to kill Telal and everyone in their path. Kearnyn didn't wish to be in Telal's shoes right now. He couldn't begin to understand how he felt. He'd never really known his own five. Some died of illnesses before they were even twelve, and, well, those who were still alive turned their backs on him when they found out what he'd become. Like it was his fault. He ground his teeth but stopped as his fang almost cut his tongue.

Sometime later, a soft knock sounded at the door and Rosa came in with a plastic container filled with red. His tongue watered. She gave him a wobbly smile and handed the container to him. He tore it out of her hands and was chugging it in big gulps in the next second. He closed his eyes in pleasure. He hadn't realized just how thirsty he'd been. His taste buds opened up, absorbing the delicious taste. The blood fueled his body moistening his muscles and cells, powering him up. He finished the entire container and wanted more but he refrained from asking her to get some.

If he took too much he could make himself sick. He wouldn't vomit the blood up but he'd get tired and lethargic from overeating and it'd take him at least a day to adjust to it.

She took the empty container from him and set it aside. “Can I sleep with you?”

He almost laughed because there was no way she wasn't sleeping with him tonight. “Yeah, get over here.”

She pulled off her dress and he groaned. She wore nothing under it. Not a stitch on her beautiful body. Only all natural woman, just how he liked it. She didn't flush with embarrassment either and he smiled. Good to know she was adjusting to him, because he planned to see her body a lot more in the future.

She cuddled up next to him but didn't touch his stomach.

That night, he slept like a rock.

CHAPTER 39

After slow, passionate lovemaking with Lily, Telal grabbed a quick shower and dressed in some clothes provided by Tyrian. The clothes weren't his usual fair but they fit. Plus, he had to admit, wearing suits got bothersome. Not enough pockets and even the smallest of spills resulted in a dry cleaning bill. The money didn't bother him but it always felt like a hassle, one necessary to his job.

The forest green cargo pants, black tee, and boots worked out better than he thought. If he were fully equipped with his favorite weapons, his knives since he'd always favored them in hand-to-hand combat, he'd have enough pockets to put all his extra gear. Lily came up beside him with a satisfied expression that showed just how sated he'd made her. His chest swelled with a mixture of possessiveness and pride. He had the urge to grin at her and say, “Yeah, I did that, baby.” But he didn't. He wasn't going to make himself look like a fool even if he did feel that way.

“Ready?” she said.

Nodding, they went downstairs to a meeting he'd call with everyone. All the Bellum sisters were there along with their mates and even Kearnyn felt well enough to attend. Rosa sat next to him, their hands clasped together.

Telal's stomach felt jittery. He'd awoken early in the morning and had lay there with Lily wrapped in his arms as he'd thought…planned. He weighed the pros and cons of all the possible situations the best he could. He'd miss something, he knew. Last time he'd had no idea his brother was the king or his father dead. At least in some ways that knowledge might help him to succeed. He still teetered on the edge though. What he really wanted to do and what needed to be done were two different scenarios. And in this case, not just for him, but also for Lily and his people, he had to do the latter.

Lily tried to pull him down in the seat by her but he pulled away. He needed space from her right now. He stood in front of the group and crossed his arms.

“I'm going to overthrow Alrik from the throne.” His eyes caught Lily's expression and he frowned. She looked sad or disappointed. Isn't this what she'd wanted? Why she'd supported him?

“Share the details,” Tyrian said.

“Since we have no choice but to drop in announced we can't use stealth to our advantage. They're going to see us. I believe since Alrik has sent assassins after us he may even be expecting an attack.”

“I and the Warriors will back you,” Tyrian said. His mate gasped and squeezed his hand in a tight grip. Telal looked away from the emotional sight.

“So will my men.” Lyonis' mate didn't look scared but nodded slowly as if she was ready to take arms and go down there with him. He almost laughed. The Bellum family was so diverse yet similar it rattled his mind.

“We'll go late at night so most of the royalty will be asleep. I don't want innocents dying if we can avoid it. We'll storm the castle. But Alrik's mine.” His eyes met the understanding nods of the group. Seeing their acceptance actually helped him to resolve to do this, he realized. He felt better after getting their agreement, like he wasn't doing this alone.

“When do we start?” Lily's curious question, met with her soft beseeching gaze, made his chest pull tight.

“Just so we understand each other, you're not going. None of the women are.”

Anger darkened her face and she stood, her voice almost a yell. “What? You need us down there. Me especially and what about Rosa? She can help with any healing if it's necessary.”

Telal didn't voice the fact that whether Rosa wanted to go, even if he'd allow, should be her decision because he honestly didn't want to fight with her. He cared for her and whether or not he made it out of the rift as king, he wanted her to be safe in Tyrian's castle.

“You are not going. None of the women are. Rosa will stay here and help the injured after it's done.” He paused. “Besides, we can't take a legion of men with us. Only a small group.”

“Why?” Chloe said.

“Because I can only port in as many people as I can touch. It'd take hours to port in even half the Atal Warriors, and that will only exhaust my powers. I'll need them to go up against Alrik.”

Tyrian nodded. “He's right. Even with Henry, Draven, and Rayn helping to port people in. Sitting around while waiting for more help to arrive isn't going to help the surprise attack.”

“I'll make a detailed list of who's going, though if you don't want to you don't have to go. It's entirely up to you. I'll get the list out by the end of today. We'll attack four days from today.”

Lily's eyes widened. Had she realized that he'd planned the attack around her new moon? He did. He wanted to be here for this, to be with her for his final days. Hopefully by then his powers will be back in full force.

“That's all for now.” The room cleared out except for Lily who came at him with a pointed finger and hard steps.

“I'm going with you dammit. I haven't sat around this whole time planning to help you just to sit here twiddling my thumbs while you could get hurt.”

“It'd bother you if I got hurt?” he said softly. The notion gave him a peculiar feeling in his chest, something like happiness.

He thought she might explode from her reaction. “Bother me? My god I—”

She stopped and the silence that followed was deafening. It felt as though the floor just dropped out from under his feet and he was free-falling in the air with his arms and legs kicking nothing but air around him. Then he landed with a crush that jarred him back to reality.

“You love me?” His body felt strained and tense, torn between wanting to flee and squeeze the life out of her.

She crossed her arms and looked away, a bright blush covering her cheeks. “I do not.” Her stiff words brought a smile to his face and a joy in his heart that he'd never felt before.

“Don't lie to me, Lily.”

She gawked at him. “Don't use the imperial voice on me. We've had sex.”

“What does that have to do with it?” He hadn’t realized he liked her switches between mood and until now. She was just so...cute. God, now he was going to blush.

Her mouth opened and closed several times. “That means you can't order me to do anything.”

He couldn't help himself. He stepped forward, lowered his voice. “If I told you to take off your clothes for me you would.”

Her eyelids drooped but then shot right back open. “Nope. Nope. Don't turn this around like that. I'm going with you and you can't stop me.”

“I couldn't take it if you went with me.” He hadn't meant to say something so blatantly true but she'd broken down something inside him, and he didn't want to lie to her. She deserved better than that.

Her expression softened. He couldn't keep from touching her anymore so he threaded his fingers in her hair. Her eyes narrowed on his, bright and clear. “You love me.”

His hand fell from her hair, his lips dropping into a flat line. “No.” Those eyes, he swore, were trying to see inside him. He took a step back, ready to leave. He didn't need this foolishness from her, not now.

“Stop.” It wasn't the command but the plea in her voice that kept his feet from moving. She flattened her hands against his chest and he stretched out his neck to loosen the muscles before looking away. He couldn't look at her like this, pleading. It made him feel raw inside. Scratched with vicious nails from the inside out. It reminded him of being a child in the rift and his brother Alrik begging him to take him into the fields to play. He had the same plea, the same eagerness, and the same wide eyes. God, his heart felt crushed.

“You do, don't you?”

“This isn't about me,” he said after a minute.

She took a deep breath and it came out shaky. “Okay then. Let me tell you something.” He stiffened, but something strange happened, his heart started pounding. Not the pounding of arousal or fear but the hard slow steady thump of anticipation, building and building inside him until the beat of it resonated in his ears. He wanted to hear what she said. Had to hear it.

“Telal, I love you. I wasn't going to tell you yet but I don't think I have much more time.” Her voice faltered, thickened with sorrow. He barely managed to refrain from ordering her not to cry and pulling her into his arms. The only reason he managed not to grab her was because her words had rooted him in place like a statue. He was frozen, slowly trying to absorb her words. He just learned that it was one thing to assume Lily loved him and another to hear the words from her mouth.

“If you go and... don't come back. What am I supposed to do?” Her clear eyes wobbled then tears spilled down her cheeks. The sight of them crushed his heart in a brutal fist. He felt humbled. No one had ever loved him like that, said those words to him and meant it like she did. He felt so undeserving. Like a dirty old fool.

“Then you understand why you can't come with me, Lily.” He pulled her into his arms if only so he didn't have to see her tears anymore, which were really droplets meant to crush a man's soul.

They held each other for what felt like a long time. She was the first to pull away. He hesitated to let her go. Her face had dried of tears and he felt his shirt wet from where she'd laid her head. A part of him was actually proud, happy in fact, that he'd been able to help her stop from crying in some way.

He looked down at her and caught her smile; it curled from a grin into a full-blow smile that melted his heart. “You do love me.” Then she stood up on her toes, kissed him, and left the room with a certain bounce to her step.

Telal stood there, baffled, confused, and elated for some time. He swallowed over his dry throat and raised his hand to stop her, but he didn't know what to say. It might take him some time to work through all his emotions and everything that had just happened, but he did know one thing. He loved Lily Bellum.

CHAPTER 40

Each day that passed felt like a noose being wrapped tighter and tighter around her neck until the bristly rope cut into her skin, cutting her. Anytime she tried to speak to Telal about letting her go, he simply changed the subject, usually by kissing her senseless. Her skin felt itchy everywhere, she couldn't stop scratching it, and this time it had nothing to do with the juice. God, the juice. She didn't even miss it now. Okay, she did miss it. If she had some of that in her system, she wouldn't be pacing back and forth across the living room while her stomach felt like insects were crawling inside.

Two more days. She had him for two more days. She wanted to scream; she wanted to cry. Most of all, she wanted to go with him. Not just because of him but because her mother was down there in that dank and dirty cell. What if something happened to him? Then how could she free her?

Oh god, oh god. Tears did fall from her eyes and she brushed them away hard, hurting her eyes in the process. It didn't matter. The little sting of pain helped to take out the heavy weight over her heart.

“Lily?” said a soft voice.

Lily turned to find Willow and Chloe at the door to the living area. They both wore expressions of understanding. Lily shook her head. She didn’t need to see them now. Not now. They couldn't help her. Telal had already made his plans. He was taking Kearnyn, Tyrian, Lyonis, Draven, Rayn, Henry, and Jackie and Thane. Everyone had been ported in. Now they all just sat like sitting ducks for the day to come. Her stomach squeezed tight and she wished she could still eat food just so she could throw up to try to ease it.

“Hey, hey. Come on now. Everything will be fine.” Chloe wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she wanted to throw it away, push her away. She didn't want to stop pacing; had to keep moving.

He loves me. I love him. We're supposed to live together like Chloe and Willow have gotten to do.

“You know we understand what you're feeling.”

Lily snapped. “Oh really, Willow? And how's that?”

To give Willow some credit she didn't flinch, didn't even cock a brow. But she did flip her off. She actually chuckled at that. So characteristic of her sister. “Did you forget that we have mates, too, who are going down in that demon hell? Like I want him going there. I've been in the rift.”

True. “But that was different. You were in a sub-layer. Where he's from is...pretty. The sky a hazy pink and orange. Everything looks more vivid there. The grass is greener. Thing smell different. Not bad, just different.”

“That's all fine and dandy but it still doesn't make us feel better,” Willow said.

“I get it. I do.” Lily walked to a window. Chloe'd made Tyrian put bars over them to keep anyone from accidently falling out. He'd done it without hesitating. “I love him.”

“I know.” Her sisters both said it at the same time and shared a little laugh.

“How does he feel about you? It's so hard to tell with him,” said Chloe.

Lily sighed. “He loves me, but I don't think he'd admit it.”

“Then he and Tyrian have that in common. Tyrian was so adamant about not feeling anything for me. Yeah, that didn't last long.”

Lily nibbled her lip. She'd been thinking about this ever since he announced his plans. She was going to go with him. She didn't have much magic, but she'd made half a dozen potions when he wasn’t around. She couldn't test them out but Rosa assured her they'd work. They'd both enspelled the potions, really nothing more than small vials of foul-smelling liquid, to freeze the target in place. It should last anywhere up to thirty minutes. They'd run out of supplies so she'd only been able to make six. She'd have to use them wisely. She also had Rosa get several of the daggers she'd enchanted with electricity. If she had to use one, she would.

Could she tell her sisters about her plan? Or would they run off and warn Telal. “Can I trust you guys with something?”

They nodded. Lily sat on the floor in front of them so she could whisper. She didn't need any prying ears to pick up on this. “I'm going to the rift with Telal. I'm going to have Rosa make another potion and take us there. This time since we're leaving from the same place as Telal we'll arrive in the same place in the rift, too.”

“Are you sure about this?” Willow didn't tell her no, didn't condemn her for what she wanted to do. Lily supposed she was surprised because she'd always felt like the odd man out with her sisters being fraternal twins.

“I'm sure.”

“Have you had any visions to think you could help?” Chloe's brow pinched forward in consternation.

“No. I haven't had dreams in a while.” She left out the part that the juice she made helped to assuage them. And, that the last dreams she'd had were of a black man with evil energy around him. Alrik Demuzi. She'd stay away from him in the rift. She'd free her mother, help out if she can, then get out. If luck prevailed she might not even have to see Telal and he'd never know. Well, until he realized her mother was in their bedroom.

“Why not?”

Lily ignored Chloe's probing stare. “I don't know; they just dropped off. I'm going to bring mother back.”

The sisters stiffened but nodded almost in unison like they'd choreographed it. “How...damaged is she?”

Lily frowned, the image of her mother rocking and shaking in her cell coming to mind. “Very.” She didn't know what else to say so she left it at that.

Her sisters hugged her one at a time. Lily squeezed them back, her heart swelling in her chest. “Take care and be alert,” said Willow.

“Be careful,” Chloe said, giving her one last squeeze before leaving.

Lily started to leave but stopped. She felt better. The tension and worry in her had been alleviated; it wasn't completely gone, the worry still sat there but not like it had been. She afforded her first smile of the day and went in search of Telal. If she only had two days before he left for the rift and she snuck in behind them, then she wanted to spend the days with him.

She found him in the bowels of the castle, deep under it where a staircase seemed to never end. Strong, tall, strapping warriors moved around corridors glancing her way as she passed them. In a room at the end of the hall she found Telal sitting inside on a padded floor that looked like it was used for sparring or wrestling. He wore a white t-shirt which looked glorious across his golden skin and muscled body and a pair of loose fitting white pants.

She knocked softly then entered. He didn't turn to look at her. “Telal?”

No response so she crept forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly he grabbed her waist and slammed her to the mat, his lips catching hers. She laughed against his mouth, feeling winded. The move didn't hurt her but she felt stunned, shocked. His lips slid over hers creating a stir of feelings that warmed her.

He pulled back something close to a smile on his lips. “What are you doing here, lilit?”

“The name's Lily not lilit. I came to find you. I missed you.”

He did smile now, and when this demon smiled she felt like she'd just been granted some kind of unique gift. The smile lit up his whole face, softened his eyes, and made them brighter.

“I know your name...Lily,” he said softly. He closed in on her then caught her lips in a caress she barely felt, then he nipped at her, tugged on her lip, and traced it with his tongue. “So you came to play?”

Her heart kicked up several beats. “No, well, sure, but no.” God, what was she saying?

His smile disappeared, turning his look into something dark and wicked. He stared into her eyes, simply looking at her until she started to squirm.

“You are beautiful.”

She pursed her lips as a blush came over her. She hated blushing; it was her job to make others blush. “Thank you.” He kissed her again, his lips consuming her, making her thoughts fog and derail like a runaway train.

“Come on. I want to take you somewhere.”

She barely had the “huh” out of her mouth before he led her upstairs and ordered her to wait. He bounded up the stairs, came back a few minutes later in thick winter wear and boots. He carried a woman's snow coat in his hands and a scarf.

“Put this on.”

“Whose is it?” She put the dark purple coat on. It felt cozy and soft and had a hood with white fur trim lining it. The white scarf didn't fit easily around the bulky coat but he helped her to wrap it around.

“Chloe's. She said you could borrow it.”

Two guards were stationed at the front door, if one could call it that; the two massive doors were made of some dark metal with gothic designs carved into it. The handles themselves with large rings that the guards grabbed and pulled open.

Telal grabbed her hand in his, the heat of him instantly warming her as they stepped out and into the snowy landscape of northern Norway.

Lily let out a sigh of wonder. She'd seen the view from her window a time or two, but it was another to really see it. To feel the cold biting at her cheeks and hands; to see the puffs of smoke coming out from their mouths. Snow seemed to go on forever as if the entire world was covered in it.

They walked down the steps and the first crunch of snow under her shoes made her smile. The snow didn't cover as much here. They must shovel it to keep it from getting too deep because from the castle to the fence which looked like it belonged in a high-security prison, the snow never looked to go much deeper than ankle deep. Yet, outside the gates the snow looked higher, climbing up nearly halfway up the gate.

“You like the snow.”

“Not usually but this is something else. The snow we get in Georgia is usually accompanied by ice and a lot of car wrecks. Out here,” he paused, “just listen how quiet it is.”

She did. The air seemed still but alive, the wind blew in the distance kicking up clouds of loose snow. It was quiet, peaceful.

Suddenly her heart felt like it was going to burst. “I love you!”

His jaw dropped then he fixed it. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know.”

Fine, she'd let him get away with that for now only because they were sharing a moment together that she loved. Under her breath she said, “I know you do too.”

He didn't laugh but she caught his grin. “Come on, let's walk around.”

They kept near the castle where the snow only reached their ankles. The place felt like something out of the Dark Ages. The castle had parapets with armed Atal Warriors carrying bows across their backs and along the wall and even more guards paced the perimeter.

“Tell me about your life in the rift.”

He grimaced and didn’t speak for so long she didn't think he'd answer. “My parents weren't in my life much, but my father coached me to be a king. I spent hours every day learning how to govern people. When I grew older I realized I didn’t like how he'd been doing it.”

“Why?”

“The rich got to live in this lavish lifestyle while the workers who provided the jewels and clothing from hard-earned time got nearly nothing, living in decrepit houses. I hated it. Made me feel guilty.”

The castle was so large it took them nearly five minutes to reach the back of it. Only more snow met them. Lily could easily see a pretty little garden, maybe even a barbeque pit out here, but not with the snow. Maybe a hot tub, she'd have to mention that to Chloe.

“Alrik used to follow me around. Wanted to be wherever I was, used to hang on to every word I'd say. He also used to get me into a lot of trouble.”

Lily laughed thinking of the time she'd made it look like her sisters had trashed the bathroom while she'd been asleep. They'd gotten in trouble but later fessed up to the deeds. For which her sisters responded in kind by giving her a tittie twister and a noogie. Sigh, good times. Innocent times.

“Do you know why he changed...physically?”

His lips tightened. “I've given it some thought.” He said it so casually she knew he probably hadn't stopped thinking about it. “Either he's truly become corrupt in his heart and the evil of it has metamorphosed to alter him physically, or he's under a spell of some kind. I wouldn’t doubt either one.”

“What kind of spell?” Telal turned to look off in the distance and Lily suddenly had a great idea. Kneeling down, she scooped up some snow.

“One to control him, change him. I don't know. I know some dark magic but nothing like that.”

“Who would?” She packed the snow into a tight ball between her hands. The snow froze her skin, melting a little in her palms.

His shoulders tensed. “My mother and some of the royalty come from a strong line of black magic users.”

The snowball sailed through the air and plopped against the back of his head. Lily giggled, her hands flying to cover her mouth as powdery snow clung to his hair falling in specks onto his jacket. He turned slowly and her heart pumped faster.

The evil gleam in his eyes made her squeal and she took off running as fast as she could with the snow slowing her down. The snowball landed square in the middle of her back and she yelped even though it didn't hurt, falling into a fit of laughter. She turned to see him barreling after her. She knelt and deftly made another snowball. She threw it but he dodged to the side and missed it. Her heart raced even harder now, her laughter unstoppable. She made another and let it fly. The snowball landed straight in his face in a puff of white dust.

He plowed into her laughing. The sound so free and wonderful she laughed with him. He shook his head like a wet dog and the snow fell onto her face making her squint and jerk her head around to avoid the cold flakes.

Their eyes caught and laughter slowly died. Everything tensed between them, even the air and wind didn't bother them. His head came down so slow as if he had all the time in the world or was ready to savor it. And then his lips crossed hers. Her arms pulled him down, melting them together, pressing their bodies as closely as possible.

Warm and wet his tongue felt so much hotter against the cold of her cheeks and nose which had surely turned pink by now. A hot, raw sensation built in her belly. Each time his tongue darted, circled, pulled back to only sweep in again, she grew wetter. The demon could kiss.

He pulled back, his eyes dark with arousal. She shivered under his gaze which clearly stated I'm going to take your clothes off now.

“Let's go inside.”

She nodded and let him pull her off the ground. She laughed as he patted her back to knock the snow off and in the process managed to grab her ass several times.

“Deviant.”

“Witch.”

“Demon.”

“Lilit.”

She glared at him as she struggled to think of another name. “Rogue!” He laughed at that one and pulled her inside the castle. He started to lead her upstairs when Tyrian stepped out of his office at the end of the hall.

“We need to discuss some things.”

The happy feeling inside her died just like that. Telal nodded, gave her a quick kiss then left her. Right before he went into the study he turned back and gave her that sexy look again. “Be naked when I get back.”

She laughed and darted for the guest room.

CHAPTER 41

“Hey you!” Lily stopped at the top of the stairs as Rayn came around the corner.

He grinned and eyeballed her outfit. “Been out playing?”

“Yes and it was great. How you doin'?”

“Good and happy birthday to you, Ms. Bellum. Have you gotten to wear that little lingerie number Chloe got you?”

She laughed. “God, I'd completely forgotten about that; it's back at home. No, I haven't worn it yet.”

“Well my offer to see you in it is still up.”

“And so is mine. You try it on first and then I will.”

He pressed a fist over his heart. “You wound me, Lily. What does a man gotta do to get you naked?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “You are such a flirt and a bad one too.”

He smiled big. “That's not what women tell me.” He backed her against the wall and leaned one arm above her head caging her in. “I hear I'm pretty good at it.”

She laughed at his attempt at a deep and sexy voice. “You are so ridiculous, really.”

“How about a kiss for old time's sakes?”

She pushed at his chest. “Oh please, we've never kissed to begin with and we're not starting now. I happen to be in love.”

He shook his head, his eyes turning sad. “There's nothing he can give you that I can't. Besides, I'm heading into the rift soon and I might not come back.”

He'd meant it as a joke but her smile dropped. “You'll come back.”

“Damn, sorry, didn't mean to kill the mood. Now I'll never get that kiss.”

“No you won't,” said an angry voice. Lily and Rayn turned to see Telal there just as his fist came flying. It connected with Rayn's jaw and sent him stumbling, his back nailing the wall and shaking the paintings hanging on it.

“Telal!”

Her plea went unheard or ignored because Telal advanced on Rayn and socked him in the mouth, hard. Rayn groaned and dropped to the ground, his hand cradling his face.

Telal pointed at Rayn. “Never touch her again.”

Telal grabbed her hand and dragged her down into their bedroom, the door slamming behind him. He cornered her, backing her up.

“Who's he? Why did he almost kiss you?” He looked wild, crazed.

“He's one of Tyrian’s guards. I met him a year ago here at the castle. He's just a friend, barely that.” She realized she had her hands up in a protective stance and forced them down to her sides. Even though he bristled with anger he'd never hurt her. “You didn't have to hit him.”

His jaw clenched so hard she was surprised teeth didn't break. “You're mine and no one else gets to touch you. Do you hear me?”

She thought about it for a second. “Maybe if you phrase that differently then I'll hear you.”

He shook his head. “What are you talking about? I don't play around and neither do you dammit.”

“Tell me how you really feel.”

He rolled his head around in a circle. “I am telling you. Are you listening to me, Lily?”

“Yes and that's not what I meant. Tell me how you feel about me.”

That snapped something inside him. He took a step back as it registered. He looked away then his gaze crawled back to her, possessive and menacing.

“Take off your clothes.”

He reached for his and started peeling layers revealing golden skin, a royal tattoo, and pierced nipples she wanted to flick with her tongue. “Not until you admit it.”

He glared at her. “Take. Them. Off.”

For some reason she obeyed. Her fingers shook as she took off the coat and shoes but she stopped there. “Say it, Telal.”

He stood there butt-ass naked and tossed his head back with a frustrated shout. When he looked at her again his breathing had deepened, sped up. “Fine.”

She pulled off her shirt and pants, leaving her in her bra and underwear. “Fine what?”

She had the pleasure of watching his cock lengthen as he looked her over with his hungry eyes. “Just...fine.”

“Just fine doesn't do it for me.” She lifted her chin a notch.

He marched to her so fast she didn't have time to back up. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and looked her in the eyes. “I love you, all right? You good now? Because I'm ready to fuck.”

“Oh.”

Telal pulled her panties down her legs and unsnapped her bra in a matter of seconds. He grabbed her by her ass and lifted her, her legs naturally winding around his ass. He gave her no warning. He speared inside of her. A harsh moan left her. He didn't move slowly but thrust into her with hard demanding strokes. Their mouths met, fused together. Passion encased her like a dense cloud. An orgasm rose inside her. His cock swelled even more and she knew he was right there with her. She had to jerk her head away, her arms squeezing tight around his neck as her core shuddered, milked, and came.

“Lily!” he called out, his voice laced with lust. His hips picked up pace and his gliding strokes prolonged her orgasm into drawn-out erotic rush.

They fell onto the bed, each helping the other up to the pillows. “That was...”

He grunted and buried his face in her hair. “Fantastic.”

“Yeah, that's about right.”

Lily's muscles felt warm and she yawned as her body melted into the bed.

“You meant what you said?” she said.

His lips kissed over her ear soft and gentle. “I do.”

Her heart felt like it'd burst from her chest. “I love you, too.”

Lily curled up against Telal, and when his arm easily went across her waist to hold her, she smiled. Everything was finally looking up.

Hours later, something woke her. A sound, or a creak in the floorboards, something. Night had settled in casting the moon's glow through the window and creating shadows in the corners.

“Telal?”

Lily patted her stomach but didn't feel his arm. She turned around on a sigh and tossed her arm over him. Her arm landed on cold bed. Her eyes flew open.

“Telal!”

She was out of the bed and in the bathroom, and finding it empty in seconds. Her hands shook as she pulled on her clothes. She couldn’t seem to move fast enough. In the process of pulling on her underwear she snapped the seam.

“Damn it!”

She ran down the hall, her bare feet slapping on the cold stone floor. She came to Rosa's room and banged on the door with her fist. “Rosa! Open up now. Rosa!” She heard movement inside but couldn't stop her hand from hitting the door.

The door swung open hard and she couldn't halt her fist. Her swing glanced off Rosa’s cheek.

Rosa’s eyes darkened into a scowl. “What do you want?” Her accented voice sounded heavy from sleep.

“Telal's gone. Where's Kearnyn?”

“He's—” Rosa paused then ran back inside. Lily followed, flipping the light on. “He-he left?” Her big brown eyes shimmered with tears.

“I'm going to search downstairs maybe they haven't left yet.”

Lily searched the castle up and down. Her mind racing faster and faster. He couldn't have left yet? He wasn't supposed to leave until tomorrow. He just told me he loved me! How could he do this?

She woke Chloe and Willow and found them both surprised that Tyrian and Lyonis were gone.

Lily's panic transformed into anger. “You really didn't know they planned to leave a day earlier?” she said to her sisters.

They shook their head. “No,” Chloe said, “Tyrian said they were leaving tomorrow. It looks like they fooled all of us.”

Lily ground her teeth until her jaw cracked. “Come on, Rosa.”

“Where are you going?” Willow called out.

“I'm going down there with them.”

Willow pulled her arm bringing her to a stop. “You can't go down there. They are trained warriors; there's going to be a battle down there. You'll get yourself hurt.”

Lily shrugged off her hand. “I can take care of myself. I'm going to get mother out. I promised her I would.”

“Take me with you,” Willow said.

Lily slowly shook her head. “No, Willow. You have a baby. Stay here with Mary and wait for Lyonis.” Willow looked like she'd argue but her eyes softened and she nodded.

“You're right, Lily.

Lily let out a deep breath she hadn't known she'd taken “Chloe, you're staying too.”

Chloe threw up her hands. “Fine with me, I didn't want to go in the first place.”

Lily laughed, she couldn’t help it. Chloe laughed with her and some of the tension inside Lily eased. There was only one last person she needed to talk to. Lily turned to Rosa. Her eyes looked hardened now, the tears long gone.

“Will you come with me? I could use your help but if you don't want to, I completely understand.”

Rosa nodded, her eyes sharp with knowledge and power. “Let's go.”

It took much longer than she liked to prepare two protection spells, gather the enchanted daggers and the potions she'd made before. Lily and Rosa pulled on a shoulder bag and stuffed their items inside. Each had a potion that would take them and her mother into the rift and one to take them out.

Lily had never seen Rosa look so resolute. She moved calmly but her power practically glowed around her.

“The protection spells won't last long. If we get hit physically or with magic, it'll take the brunt of a few blows, but depending on how hard or powerful it is, the spell won't last. We need to get in and out.”

“Got it,” Lily said.

They each double-checked their items and Lily wondered if Rosa's stomach tossed and turns like hers did. Sweat beaded her brow and her heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Chloe and Willow came forward. “Be safe,” Chloe said. Lily returned Chloe's hug and inhaled the fragrance of her sister’s hair just in case.

Willow hugged her even harder with her strong arms and she thought she heard a sniffle but when she pulled away Willow’s eyes shone clear. “Stay strong and tough. And do not give up.” Lily understood these words came from experience, from Willow's own dark experience under the rift.

“I will.”

Rosa pulled her in for a hug too. Surprised, Lily wrapped her arms around her long-time friend. Guilt ate at her with sharp teeth. She had brought her only friend into danger. If something happened to her... God, she didn't want to think about it.

Lily stiffened as Rosa whispered in her ear. “Remember my warning.”

I die from a dark man on a dark throne.

Lily knew that but she also believe she had a say in her own death. Visions can't always be accurate and if she had to prove it herself, she would. She needed to help Telal, and she needed to save her mother. That was more important than anything else. It’s what Papa would have wanted.

She already had the plan in her mind. Rescue her mother, send her back with Rosa, then go and help Telal. She didn't know how she knew it, but he'd need her help; all the evidence she needed was sitting right there writhing around in her gut. He'd need her.

Lily felt the need to say something back, but she stumbled over the words. Eventually she pulled away. “I love him, Rosa.”

She nodded, her lips pulled into a sad smile. “I know.”

They locked hands together, picked up their potions, and then drank the vile sludge. They both gagged and forced the drink down. Her stomach rolled and flexed trying to push the sludge back up her pipes and spew but she kept her lips sealed shut to keep it down. A hard gulp later and together they read the spell aloud. When the last word left them, the world spun, and darkness enveloped them.

CHAPTER 42

The team conspired in the study in the middle of the night. Lyonis and his main lieutenants Jackie and Thane hung together, battle ready with armor and tight fitting clothing. Telal hadn't anticipated shapeshifters coming along but their skills could be a great asset. The demons didn't have any practice or experience fighting with shapeshifters, their great sizes, speed, and strength would help them much on this night.

Telal ran a hand across his mouth, still feeling the lingering taste of Lily from when he'd kissed her before he snuck away. He'd debated leaving a letter, even using the pen she'd bought him which had easily become his favorite utensil. But something had kept him from doing it. Whether the thought that he might not come back and she might cling to something so negative or because he might not have been able to leave if he stayed there for much longer.

He'd done one thing right at least. He told her he loved her. And he did. So much so that he planned behind her back to leave early while she slept. He knew she'd still try to come. It was in her nature to want to help him, protect him and even others. She was the same way with her sisters, her friend Rosa, wanting to help and protect anyway she can. This wasn't her battle though, and the thought of her being down there while battle raged on made him cold with sweat.

Everyone spoke in hushed voices or not at all. Tyrian was armed with metal gear over his shoulders, chest, and legs in a modern take on a knight's outfit, and three of his best Atal Warriors stood quietly, lethally holding battle axes that shined to a point and swords at their hips with knives and God knows what else in that belt. They wore loose-fitting linen shirts and close fitting pants. Telal was as ready as he'd ever be.

He wore some of his borrowed clothes from Tyrian, boots, pants, and a shirt. In holsters over his shoulders he had an enchanted long blade he'd made himself, enspelled with the same electrical spell as the daggers he had at his waist. He'd meditated for an hour before the meeting to check on his power levels. He wasn't near one hundred percent capacity yet but he'd be able to do some damage.

The past week he'd lain awake at night sometimes falling into fitful dreams about his brother. He saw different versions of the night going down. In half of them his brother killed him, and in the others he finished off his brother. Were they prophetic? Possibly.

What had surprised him though were his thoughts tonight. None of them catered to his brother or the predictions of what might happen. Instead he'd kept his nose buried in Lily's sweet smelling hair and held her close. He did love her, the little wench. How could he not when she so obviously forced herself into his life, changing him? He wanted to do more now. Wanted to learn how to ride that damn bike so he could take her out on it. To impress her? Maybe.

Most of all, his thoughts had drifted to the thought of mating. It was a joke how easily he could picture her in the gauzy black mating gown, the sacred etchings painted on her hands, stomach, and feet. The words of possession, love, and trust sharing between them in front of the entire kingdom. He could almost feel the audience kneeling before them as they recited their sacred vows, then the eruption of applause as they kissed under the bright sky of the rift. Almost. It almost felt real.

“We're ready.”

Telal nodded at Kearnyn then checked over the team once more. “Let's go.”

The team moved into place, the plans and orders of the operation already predetermined and memorized. Telal took Lyonis and Tyrian; Draven took Jackie and Thane, and Rayn and Henry transported Kearnyn and the three Atal Warriors.

The night sky glowed brightly in the rift. The normal pink and orange hues of the daytimes were now hazy with a gray light. Night in the rift was much darker than on earth where the moon cast a bright silver light over the planes. Here, unless you were in the vicinity of a torch, everything was shadowed and dark. Telal and his team would use the darkness to their benefit on this night.

“Let's move,” Telal said.

The team had ported in near one of the closest villages closest to the castle. The small houses were really just shacks made out of dried wood and hay across the roofs. No one could even dare to build a fireplace in such a home so when the sky went dark, they lived in darkness.

They quietly ran towards the hulking castle in the distance, taking out the random guard when necessary. The castle stuck out in the dark landscape like a flashing beacon. Torches hung on the outside of the castle in metal rungs; the firelight dancing against the dark stone. Kneeling down behind a hill of trees Telal counted the guards on the west wall. There were eight of them. When he'd come before there hadn't been one. Telal's muscles flexed with the urge to fight.

“He's expecting us.”

The team didn't have to nod to acknowledge they heard him. Telal wanted to embrace them all for their bravery, for helping him when not too long ago he couldn't say he'd return the favor unless he could get something out of it.

“Let's move.”

Tyrian and Kearnyn kept with him as they clung to the shadows and vegetation, swiftly but silently making their way to the castle. The rest of the teams circled wide so the team surrounded the guards. Telal squeezed his sword tight then lifted it out of the holster. They didn't announce their presence, didn't give the guards time to react. They launched and attacked.

Groans, the loud clanking of metal to metal, and the hiss of steel sliding into flesh sounded in the quiet night. Eight guards down, countless more to go. From here, they'd split. Tyrian and Kearnyn would go with him to find Alrik, the rest would try to secure the castle.

Telal ducked into the castle and made his way through the same tunnel he had before. No servants passed. In fact, the castle was still as the night outside, everyone in bed, or at least he hoped. Torches and burning candelabras lit their way. Telal entered the great hall first to find it empty. The dais with the throne up above devoid of his darker half.

A sound caught his ears. A whirring of air like a person twirling or a cowboy swinging a lasso in a fast circle above his head. They all heard it, their eyes searched the area. Then the sound stopped. Tyrian suddenly dropped to a knee and they all turned to see an arrow embedded in the wall behind him.

“They’re here!” Telal said.

At once, they broke apart. They made easier targets staying close together. Telal sprinted across the hall to the whizzing of arrows flying past him. He didn't have time to stop, didn’t' have time to see where the arrows came from. Telal careened into the hall and made a sharp right. A spiral staircase built behind a door led to the balustrade up top. Palming his sword and a dagger, he took the steps three at a time. At the top, a guard waited for him, weapon draw. Telal blocked the demon's swipe and sunk his knife into the demon's forearm.

The demon screamed and the blade dropped to the ground, clattering loudly, hilt to tip, down the stairs. He impaled his sword through the demon's gut then moved on to the next. He moved like a machine, blocking, dodging, banging his opponents’ arrows and swords away with a swift slice of his, with a hard kick to the chest. His body was in tune, muscles and joints working in perfect unison to bring the maximum power to his blows, the fastest speeds to his thrusts.

Telal stood over the balustrade, the blood of four demons covering his sword and his hands and saw demon guards pour into the room from either side. They looked like a stream of ants hurrying along. Telal let out a battle roar and his powers flared around him like a puff of smoke.

He jumped onto the balustrade then jumped down to the floor, letting his knees bend to take the brunt of the force. Demons charged, throwing poisoned daggers but his eyes were sharp this time, passion, anger, and even love, backing his movements. Tyrian and Kearnyn engaged in a sword fight with the demons and Telal joined them, slicing and hacking his way through, making his way to them.

The room filled with demons, easily outnumbering them, but they stayed faster, sharper and soon the floor was littered with dead demons.

With half a dozen demons left, Telal engaged with two at once, deflected a demon's sword with his own then burying the hilt of his dagger into the other demon's neck. The demon fell to the ground but at the last second reached forward and latched onto his wrist pulling him with him. Telal fell forward and the other demon took the opportunity and slashed at him. The blade made contact, piercing his thigh and nearly sliding through. The hot burst of pain was instant. Telal gripped his sword in a two-handed fist and thrust up, spearing the demon's stomach.

Telal stood and pulled his sword out of the demon’s belly, pressing his foot on the demon's chest for leverage.

A cold energy settled over the air, freezing it until Telal’s breaths came in white clouds. He knew what had caused it even before he turned and met his brother's glare.

Kearnyn tightened his grip on his axe and let a throwing dagger fly. Alrik raised a hand and the dagger veered off to the side, impaling the wall.

Alrik let out a harsh whisper of magic and Kearnyn and Tyrian were slammed up into the ceiling then the floor again and again. Telal sprinted toward Alrik, panic and anger clouding his mind. Only when Alrik caught sight of him did he release the men from his grasp.

He stopped before his brother seeing the changes in him already. His eyes swirled like black twining snakes, his skin was black as night, and from his fingertips radiated wisps of black smoke like the kind he'd conjured at his headquarters. Black magic ate at a demon that used it especially if used often. His brother reeked of it.

“You've come to claim your throne, I see.”

“I have.” Telal gripped his sword and dagger tighter, his hands kneading the leather handles.

“First mother betrays me and now you.”

Telal paused. It couldn't be because he didn't want to fight his brother, but he knew it was. “What are you talking about?”

“I suppose you wouldn't have heard. I found mother with an idol of my hair. She's been casting me into the pit I've fallen in for some time now.”

The tight fist of Telal's heart eased. “Then you can grow out of it. You can go back to...normal.”

His brother moved and Telal tensed, but he only walked slowly to the side. “I think not, brother Telal. Since I've had her banished my black heart has grown darker. Even the sight of Arianna no longer makes me happy.”

Telal understood at once. “You need to kill her.”

His brother roared and the black flames around him grew in a big cloud with the burst. “I love her! I will never kill her.”

Telal pulled his weapons up in a sign of defense. “Not her, Alrik. Listen to me. The magic is changing you.”

“You think I do not know that? Do you think I can't see what I've become?” Alrik held out his hands and gazed them with a look of terror and disgust. “This...this is what I am. And I embrace it now. It's a part of me, Telal.” Black snaking wisps came out from his arms, wrapping around his arms and spinning around his chest.

“It doesn't have to be. Where's mother? She is a part of the spell. She must have set a trap on it. If we kill her then the spell will be broken.”

His brother's demonic eyes focused on him and his body instantly felt twenty degrees colder, the sweat on his body dried up. “She's gone, banished from these lands. Who knows where she is now.”

Telal felt a little hope. “Then we will find her and we will destroy her and you will be the same again.”

“I can never be like that again!” Alrik roared and Telal saw that even his tongue and teeth and fully turned black. This man no longer looked a hint like the brother he knew.

“It's not too late, Alrik. We can fix this.”

Alrik walked side-to-side a deep rumbling chuckle leaving him. “You lost the choice to help me when you left all those years ago. You have no say over me or this kingdom when you chose them over us.”

Telal bit his tongue. He'd never convince him. The argument was useless. Still, something made him say it, maybe the heart breaking in his chest. “Please, Alrik.”

Alrik’s hand shot out and Telal was blasted away. His spine cracked against the corner of the royals’ dining room table and he winced as pain lanced through his back. The cut in his leg made it harder to stand again, and as he did, he heard Alrik chanting, saw the swirling smoke gathering around him like a tornado moving faster and faster.

And then undead beasts came out of the walls.

CHAPTER 43

Lily and Rosa arrived inside the rift within seconds. She knew she wasn't the only one who hated the vile taste because Rosa wiped her tongue with her sleeve making gagging sounds.

That gave Lily just the laugh she needed to relax. “Okay, let's do this.”

“Are you sure? We can still turn back.”

They ported in near what looked like a small town; where the non-royals must live. The obviously poor conditions were so at odds with the brightly lit castle in the distance.

“No, let's go.”

They made their way to the castle unnoticed. It helped that dead guards lined the castle wall. Inside, they turned right. Lily remembered exactly how to get to the prison and how to get to the big hall where the guards had dragged her before. The halls were shockingly devoid of servants or guards, which only heightened Lily's unease until her arms shook.

“Something's wrong,” she whispered.

“I know,” Rosa said.

She tried to tread softly but soon her steps fell faster and faster until they were running down the halls their feet slapping against the stone. She slowed as they neared the end of the hall that formed an “L” at the end of which was the stairs that led to the prisoner's dungeon.

Lily peered around the hall and cursed silently. Looking back at Rosa, she extended her index finger to show the number of men down there. Rosa nodded and pulled out one of the potions she'd made the other night. It'd turn the demon to stone. Lily let out a deep breath then grabbed the bottle out of Rosa's hand and ran down the hall.

The guard's eyes flicked to hers and, in a second, he pulled the sword from his sheath and charged at her. Over two hundred pounds of trained muscles barreling at her; for a second it felt like the football game at her birthday party all over again, but the price of losing here wasn't a sore victor.

She stopped partway down the hall, pulled back her arm and threw the bottle like a baseball pitcher going for a strike. It hit the demon dead center of his chest. He had only a second to make a gargled cry before his body froze, hardened, his right arm frozen in mid jog, his back left foot still off the ground from momentum.

“Come on!”

Lily and Rosa skirted around his frozen body and checked to make sure the stairway was clear before they made their way down the stairs. Another door sat at the foot of the stairs, the same one where she'd last seen her mother being dragged out the opposite door.

Lily slowly cracked the door open to glance inside when the door was ripped open from her fingers. Lily screamed at the brown-skinned demon right before he pulled back his hand and slapped her so hard her brain rattled in her skull and she crashed into the door from the force. Running on adrenaline, Lily slashed forward with her enspelled dagger; she got lucky when she felt the steel break past skin and muscle because she saw two of him.

Rosa pressed up behind her and buried her dagger in the demon's gut.

“Hurry, there's another ahead!”

Another demon guard charged at them from the other side of the corridor. Rosa pulled another potion out of her satchel and threw it at him. The demon dropped to the ground in a roll and the potion flew behind him to splatter to the ground. Lily's mind finally stopped spinning from the brutal slap, though her cheek burned with heat. She bent her knees holding the knife in front of her in what she hoped was a defensive pose.

The demon pulled two scimitar-like blades from his hips and thrust forward out of his roll in a graceful move. Lily froze as the blade met her stomach but didn't sink in. Shaking, she looked down, breathing hard to see the blade bent at a clear ninety-degree angle.

The demon spoke in harsh garbled Demonic then swiped at her with his second blade. The blade stopped from an unknown barrier right at her neck.

“How?” she said feeling numb.

“It's the protection spell and your bracelet,” Rosa said.

Lily gathered her wits, shaken from her near death, and buried her blade in the demon's heart. Guilt swept over her, making her chest tight as the demon's blood spilled on her hands. She watched him fall to the ground his eyes glossing over with death and she didn't feel good. She felt like crying, like taking this all back.

“He was just doing his job.” Her eyes watered.

Rosa took her by the shoulders. “Look at me. Look at me, Lily.” Lily looked at her friend's pretty brown eyes, her face wobbling in her vision. “Don't cry. Your mother's here and we have to help her. She needs you and your strength right now, okay?”

Lily sucked in a deep breath and let it out, wiped her tears on her sleeve. “Yeah, of course. Sorry. I've never...”

“I know. Neither have I.”

Some of the prisoners clung to the bars, eyes wide yet wary. Lily patted down the guard and found the keys then started at the nearest cell and opened the doors.

“Everyone get out! Leave!”

The cell doors opened but the prisoners stayed inside their cells, huddled in their dirty clothes. Whatever, she didn't speak demonic and she didn't have time to try to convince them to leave.

She unlocked her mother's cell then tossed the keys to Rosa. “Unlock the rest.”

Her mother sat curled up in the corner of her cell with her knees bent and arms locked tightly around them. Her hair covered her face in dirty streaks that hid her eyes.

“Mary? It's time to go now. I promised you I'd come back.” She held out a hand to her and slowly made her way in the cage. She started muttering the words incoherent to Lily but recognizable—she spoke in Demonic. “I can't understand you. Can you speak in English please? Remember me? I'm the succubus.”

Lily stopped several feet away from her. She wanted to rush forward and grab her but she had a feeling her mother would fight back. Something wasn't right in her mind.

Her mother looked up at her through strands of matted dirty hair with eyes so blue it was like looking at Willow. Lily's chest squeezed tight and she almost succumbed to tears again. Aside from pictures from Papa, she'd never seen her mother, had been too young before to remember how she looked.

“I-I remember you. You were in the cage next-next to me.” She started rocking, her dirty hands clinging to her bony knees.

“Good, that's good. I told you I'd get you out and I'm here to do that now. Can you stand up?”

The woman was slow to move but when she did Lily let out a breath she'd been holding. She braced her hands on the dirty wall behind her and the bars of the cage and pulled herself up. Lily saw deep purple and blue bruises covering her legs and wanted to rip the motherfucker apart who'd hurt her.

“Come on now. No one’s going to hurt you anymore. I'm going to take you out of the rift, going to take you home.”

Her mother choked on a sob and then lumbered towards her. Lily stretched out her hand to help hold her up but she jerked away from the touch. It hurt but she understood it. The important thing was getting her out of here. “Okay, good, now let's go.”

Lily saw that Rosa had finished opening the last of the cages and some of the prisoners were slowly ambling out looking cautious. “Telal Demuzi is taking over the kingdom. You're safe to leave now.”

She didn't know if they understood her or not but she left it alone. Lily, Rosa, and her mother made their way back down the corridor and up the stairs. Her mother moved much slower than they did so they slowed their pace to match hers.

At the top of the stairs Lily heard what sounded like a battle going on in the area of the dining hall. Something compelled her to go, the urge irresistible in her gut. Lily pulled a porting pot out of her bag and turned to her mother. “I need you to drink this. It will transport you out of the rift and to a castle—a safe castle. You have friends there.”

Her mother shook her head, eyes wide and backed up a step. “N-no, no, no.”

Lily heard male voices shout and recognized one of them. God, she didn't have time for this. “Please, just drink it; it'll send you out of here. Don't you want to get out of here?”

Her mother made a break for the door that led to the dungeon. “Shit, get her!” Lily caught her mother, wrapping her arm around her chest.

Even bony and weak she was strong as an ox. “Rosa help me!” Rosa came over and quickly chanted some words then laid her fingers on her mother's struggling forehead. Her mother instantly calmed, her body going lax.

Lily popped open the corked porting potion and held it to her mother's lips. The drink went down with some struggling and gargling noises. She broke halfway through the potion to make sure she didn't drown in the awful drink before giving her the last of it.

“How is she going to say the last of the spell?”

Rosa looked grim. “I can do it for her.” Rosa laid her hand over her mother's forehead and then her mother started speaking the spell from her own lips. Lily and Rosa let go of her and she disappeared before their eyes.

“You should go back too and help her. She won't know anyone there.”

Rosa shook her head. “I'm needed here. I can feel it.”

“Let's go then.”

Lily and Rosa walked swiftly, silently, down a long corridor, the sounds of male voices growing louder. “It's Alrik and Telal. I recognize their voices.”

Lily peered into the room, staying to the wall, and saw Alrik's black magic slithering out of his hand and wrapping around Telal. Telal dropped to the ground, screaming as the black bands squeezed around his struggling body, forcing him to the ground. Hard bounding footsteps tore her gaze away from the sight. Lily tensed as the footsteps came towards them but relaxed as she saw familiar faces.

Lyonis stopped on the other side of the doorway. Alongside him were Rayn and Henry. “What are you doing here?”

Before Lily could respond, a taller, bigger man stepped out from behind them. Kearnyn. His eyes locked so hard onto Rosa the look felt like a slap.

“What are you doing here?”

“We came to free her mother and help.”

“Get out of here now,” Lyonis said. “Most of the guards are dead but a swarm of demon assassins are headed this way. They’ve already killed the Atal Warriors and nearly took out Jackie and Thane. They are incredibly fighters.”

A blood-curling scream brought Lily's gaze back inside the dining hall. Alrik stood like a trembling evil force, his palms facing the ground summoning something from the earth. Insects. Swarms and swarms of them, making a hideous cracking sound as they crawled up from beneath the stone floor in groves and scuttled across the floor to Telal. Lily didn’t know what they were but she knew they couldn't touch him.

Running into the room, Lily chanted a quick spell and thrust her arm out. The beetle-like insects screamed as they were kicked back with a tidal force of air.

She had only a moment to hear Rosa's scream when Alrik's blackened eyes settled on her and black magic shot at her. She ran and rolled on the ground. The blast hit the wall where she'd been, the stone crumbling to the ground, sizzling and smoking like acid ate away at it.

“Get up, Telal!” she screamed.

His wide, angry eyes met her and then he spoke in demonic and white light pierced him, killing the black tendrils covering him. He stood and she saw the blood drenching his leg, pooling around him.

“Get out of here!” he roared.

So much seemed to happen at once that Lily felt struck, frozen in place. Demon assassins like she'd seen at Telal's headquarters rushed into the room followed by Telal's own team. Lyonis roared a sound so piercing she had to cover her ears as he shifted into a great hulking beast like a wolverine full of thick fur, vicious talons, and a muzzle of razor-sharp teeth. He jumped into a crowd of demons, throwing his arms around, knocking them away, snapping at heads and biting them off.

Henry, Rayn, Draven, and Kearnyn followed bearing an assortment of weapons from double-bladed axes to two sharp swords. They whipped their weapons in a fast circle, so fast the motion blurred together and ran against the demons, slicing off arms and legs in great bloody sweeps.

Lily found herself backing up. Rosa ran up to her and she knew she spoke but all she could do was watching the chaos happen around her. She should be moving, she should be helping, acting but fear, shock, and her own inadequacies overwhelmed her. She couldn't do any of the great things she was seeing.

Animalistic growls sounded in the room bouncing off the walls and then Thane and Jackie were there. Jackie shapeshifted into a ginger-haired cat so much larger than any she'd ever seen. And in a startling move, she sprinted across the hall, bounding up against the walls then pounced on a group of three demons at once, all snarls, growls, and claws cutting out throats and faces.

Thane shapeshifted into a beast like Lyonis' only smaller, without so much hair to where she could see the grisly muscles of the beast. He ran, diving into the fray and knocking demons off their feet, biting off limbs while sustaining his own blows.

Blood sprayed, people screamed, shouted.

Lily turned at last and saw Telal and Alrik in the midst of their own personal battle as if separated from everyone else. Maybe he'd arranged it so that only he would fight his brother or maybe that was just how it'd played out. They shot bolts of black power at each other and with each one Lily saw Telal's face turn paler.

“I need to help him.”

“No!” said Rosa. “Just stay here.”

Lily jerked her arm out of Rosa's grasp and veered right to stay clear of the battle going down. Still, she flinched and stumbled at the sound of breaking silverware, crashing tables, and walls being torn down. Lily palmed her dagger as Telal staggered backwards under the force of Alrik's spell. Whatever Alrik was casting at him he was trying hard to keep it off him.

Lily took the dagger by the blade, steadied herself, then let it fly. The blade speared through the air turning end over end before landing in Alrik's stomach. The demon king stopped casting as electrical surges jolted through his body. He jerked the blade from his gut and threw it away.

Lily had only a moment before the force of his lethal gaze landed on her, making her the soul focus of his attention. Then he yelled something in demonic and several things happened all at once.

Something black and ugly struck her in the gut, lifting her off her feet, then slamming her to the ground. The pain was instant and engulfing, pushing its way inside of her and eating at her. Her lungs struggled to breathe air and blood burst from her nose and mouth. She tried to move but pain only intensified. From the corner of her eyes she watched Telal's shocked expression as he turned on Alrik with the most vicious face she'd ever seen him make.

The pain was too much and Lily let it pull her into unconsciousness.

CHAPTER 44

Telal watched Lily fall to the ground and knew she'd die. He knew the spell that Alrik had just cast upon her would bring so much pain she'd wish she were dead until finally the spell worked its magic and strangled the life from her, cutting off her airways and clotting her arteries.

Telal shook with rage. He advanced on Alrik and casted his own magic, using the bit of darkness that resided deep inside him to tear him down to the ground and choke the life from him. Alrik fell to his knees, clutching his neck, the veins on his forehead sticking out thick and hard from the blood pumping in his body.

“It didn't have to be like this.” He stood over his brother's body sword in one hand and picked up the dagger Alrik had tossed away. He came back to his brother and stabbed him in the chest, yanking the blade from him before the electrical currents could ravage his body. He wanted this to be slow, as painful as his bleeding heart.

Telal surveyed the room and found his team winning. Bleeding and hurt, but winning. Rosa was kneeling over Lily and he forced himself away from the sight. It hurt so much to look at her that it staggered him. It took every ounce of strength inside him not to fall to his knees and crawl to her, hold her one last time. Vengeance first. He needed blood.

“It was always going to be like this,” his brother choked out on bloodied lips.

Telal fingered the blades in his hand then dropped one. “You're going to suffer as you've made her suffer.” Moisture gathered in his eyes and he blinked until it went away. His chest felt so tight it hurt to breathe. He only managed to breathe by sucking in air through his nose.

Telal held his palm to the ground and called forth the dark energy of the earth, of the darkness that lay deep in the rift. His powers were weak, still sapped, but still he coaxed the dark powers to heed him and answer his call. A vibrating energy flowed over him—a sickly feeling like a cold sweat over his skin. Black, twisted, gnarled hands, then arms cracked through the stone floors. Skeletal bodies with dead skin hanging from their bodies, some with eyeballs hanging from their sockets, pulled themselves out of the floor. Clothes still clung in tatters to their bodies, reminiscent of the demonic robes of royalty.

“Do you recognize them?” Telal said, gritting his teeth between words. Sweat poured from his body with the effort it took to call the dead from the grave. His thighs and arms shook, burned, his heart pounded too fast to be healthy, and he was sure that at any moment he'd collapse.

Alrik's head lolled before he finally saw the beings coming towards him. His eyes widened with terror. “It... it can't be. I had them killed.”

“Exactly.” Telal controlled the summoned dead, previous victims from Alrik's treatment and sent them toward their new victim. “You'll pay for touching Lily.”

Telal didn't know how they died but knew Alrik had been the culprit. The undead fell on Alrik with scratchy snarls, bony fingers and jagged teeth. Then a white beam of light shone down upon them, so bright he turned away from the sight lest his pupils sear. When he turned back around Arianna stood in front of Alrik, the skeletal bodies crushed ashes beneath her sleeping robe.

“Telal Demuzi, I will not let you kill him.”

“Renege the throne and I won't kill you, Alrik.” He was glad his voice sounded steady because the room kept shifting around him. He hoped like hell he was standing still and not teetering around like a baby because that's what it felt like.

“Never,” his brother hissed.

“Step away, Arianna.”

Her soft eyes looked at him beseeching. “Please do not kill him. It's not under his control; it's never been.”

Alrik cursed then stood so fast, Telal saw two of him, and he shoved Arianna to the ground. Even her cry didn't stop him. As he squared off against him, shoulders back, legs spread, hands open and ready to cast.

“I'm stronger than you now. You can't best me.”

Telal felt himself stumble and knew that wasn't part of his imagination. Whether it was from the damage to his leg or the attacks on his body, he didn't know, but he fell to the side, catching himself on a table and pushing himself back up.

“I've always bested you and I always will.” He referred to the times when they were young and playing with wooden swords in the fields, learning how to fight under a trainer. He always won then and he had no intention of losing now.

“Your problem, brother, is that you've always been far too arrogant.”

And then both hands shot out to him and Telal's whole body seized up tight, shaking and clenching, muscles twitched with violent pulses. His breaths came in quick bursts as he fought against the magic. It didn’t work. Alrik’s powers were too strong. His throat started to squeeze shut, he could feel his neck being pinched off as if a hand was there or a thick length of rope. His body was lifted into the air until his feet dangling off the ground.

Time slowed. His eyes fell across the floor below him. He saw Arianna struggling to get up, saw her nose and hands bleeding from her fall. If he cared for her, how could he hurt her so? His eyes moved across to see the woman he wanted to see, because if he was going to die then he wanted her beautiful face in his mind before he went.

Lily lay lifeless on the floor, her eyes open and unblinking, her legs and arms kicked out from her like she'd been making an angel in the snow. What really caught his attention though—what stole his last wish of focusing on his woman, his mate, his love—was Rosa shining so brightly above Lily that it was like looking upon a heavenly angel.

Glowing luminescent light poured out from Rosa from her head to her toes. The colors swam in a mixture of bright gold and pearly white wavering and mixing in a tremulous effect. Her hands were held over Lily's heart, and in a sudden action, Lily's chest thrust off the ground as if she'd been zapped. Telal felt moisture cross his eyes.

She was going to save her. She was trying to bring her back. Telal had his own powers to do so but he still wasn't back to capacity. Telal's vision blinked out then back in, fading. It seemed like every time he sucked in a breath for air he was missing oxygen. Rosa pushed away from Lily and he had the joy of seeing her eyes blink, of her chest bursting with breath.

She was alive. Joy and love sprung from inside him and he wanted to laugh. Her life gave him hope. Some untapped strength grew inside him, gave him the power to push away the power eating at him. He felt Alrik's grip on him falter and when his feet touched the ground again he knew he'd won. He wasn't going to lose now. He had Lily and he was going to spend a long time showing her how much he loved her.

Using the last of his power, bringing it forth from the depth of his soul, he thrust all the dark magic at Alrik. Alrik fumbled over words to block the spell, but it didn't matter, because Arianna leaped into his arms. The blast of magic tore into her back, ravaging her skin, blackening her white dress in swirls of black smoke. Telal staggered towards her, stunned. Time stopped. Everyone froze.

Alrik's eyes widened as she slowly slid out of his arms and onto the floor. He dropped to his knees before her, his hands cupping her face. “No, no. Why did you do that? Why did you do that?” Black tears fell from his face, dripping onto her pale skin like wet ash.

Telal dropped to his knees his own heart burning with grief.

Arianna smiled up at Alrik but a trickle of blood spilled from her lips, marring the beauty of it. “I love you, Alrik. Please, be good. I know you can.”

Alrik’s panicked breaths sounded loud in the room. He cradled Arianna to his chest, tucking her head against him, laying his chin atop her hair. Sobs shook his big shoulders, the harsh sound of crying tearing down Telal's own defenses. Then Alrik threw back his head and screamed...and screamed until his voice turned hoarse and the sound died out. Telal breathed heavily at the sight of his brother's pain. His own heart seemed to be broken, the pain so awful.

“Alrik...” He didn't know what to say. That they should stop this already and be as brothers should? That enough blood had been lost? Alrik gently put Arianna back on the ground and leaned down to kiss her lips. At the last second, he twisted his head away and pressed a kiss upon her forehead. As if he was unworthy, wondered Telal. God, he wanted to embrace his brother, not fight him. He wanted to hold him and tell him he'd make everything better. One look at Arianna’s dead body and he knew that wasn't possible.

Alrik looked impossibly darker, more dangerous. His breaths came out in black smoke like a dragon's breath without fire. He stalked to Telal, his finger pointing hard at Arianna.

“Fix her. You can fix her.”

“I can't, brother. My powers were sapped by your dargens. I came here only with enough to fight and even then you've seen how weak I am.”

His brother screamed, his face contorting with anger and pain. “You can do it! I know you can do it!”

A thought struck Telal. “I cannot, Alrik. But you can.”

Alrik stopped as if slapped. He looked back at Arianna confused, deranged. “I-I used to. I don't know if I can anymore.”

Telal didn't know either, but where each of his family had the power to kill they had the power to save life. Telal just didn't know if there was any more goodness in Alrik's heart to save her.

Alrik kneeled beside her, laying his hands upon her chest. Tears splashed on her dress, darkening it in wet spots. He started to speak the words. Ones Telal had used a year ago on Alpha Lyonis Keelan. The amount of power it took to do such a spell had left him immobilized for a week, barely able to stand or feed himself. Without the help of his trusted guard Kearnyn, he might not have made it.

Alrik chanted and chanted and Telal tensed, waiting to see if the white energy would flow for him. Minutes past which felt like hours. Telal realized the room was silent save for Alrik's chanting and he looked around and found the demon assassins dead and his team behind him, waiting for him, watching Alrik with a mixture of sorrow and pain. After some time, nothing happened and Alrik sobbed, his tears falling faster.

Suddenly he whirled around, seething with rage. “You did this! You killed her!”

“I could have saved her if you hadn't sent the dargens after me. Relinquish now before more get hurt, Alrik. You are not right, but if you stop this now we’ll fix it.”

Alrik stood, panting like a beast. His eyes slowly trailed away from him and locked on Lily who was struggling to sit up.

“Fix it? Fix it!” he roared. “You don't deserve to have a woman!” Then he took off on a hard sprint. Telal went after him, pumping his legs hard and fast, panic guiding him. He stayed several steps behind him no matter how hard he ran. Lily screamed then crab-walked backwards in a rapid motion. Telal used a burst of energy, tapping his already nearly empty reserves and launched into the air, catching Alrik in a tackle and taking them both to the ground. He slammed his fist into Alrik's face hard—once, twice. It had to hurt him more to do it then it did Alrik to take the blows.

His head rolled to the side, his eyes slow to blink. “Do it. Kill me now. I don't want to live anymore.”

His brother's miserable voice felt like a knife in his gut. Someone nudged his shoulder and he jerked, barely pulling his fist back in time to see Kearnyn there, an enspelled dagger held hilt-first to him. Telal slowly curled his fingers around it.

Alrik sat up, his back resting against the wall, his head bowed.

“Het'emu daraganu, brut'em. Het gronna hesh.”

Telal's eyes filled with tears at his brother's heartfelt words. End me, my brother. End this pain.

“Irran tresulu.” I can't, he replied.

His brother looked up at him with those black, black eyes, tears swimming in their endless fathoms.

“For me,” his brother said in Demonic.

Telal fell to his knees, the knife gripped so hard in his hand his arm shook. Wet streaks fell down his cheeks. He kneed his way closer, then clasped his brother’s head in his hand and pressed their foreheads together. Their sweat-slicked skin kissed and years of longing and pain flowed through them both easing and tightening the hurt in his heart.

“Alrik,” he whispered. I love you.

He pressed the point of the dagger against his brother’s chest then let out a harsh, unsteady breath, choked with grief. He started to push but a soft hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him.

Blinking until tears dropped and his blurred vision cleared, he looked up into Lily’s beautiful face. Her face was wet with tears, her lashes dark from the moisture.

“Don’t do it,” she said in a soft, unsteady voice.

Her hand tightened over his wrist and he opened his fingers, the dagger falling to the ground with a metal clink. Staring into her deep eyes he said, “Alrik Demzui, I banish you from this kingdom from this day forth. You are never to return or else meet your death.”

“Please kill me,” his brother pleaded in a ragged voice.

Telal jerked himself away, unable to look at his brother, afraid he might give in to his wishes. “Get him…take him out of here.”

A flurry of movement appeared. Faces he recognized on some level but that he didn’t quite comprehend. A soft, small hand curled around his, and when Lily stepped into his arms, he held her as close as possible.

CHAPTER 45

Three Weeks Later

Telal set his feet onto the floor by the bed and slowly stood up. He felt so much older now. A raw pain now lived in his heart that he wasn't sure would ever go away. Yet, he knew it could be worse. Could he ever thank her enough for what she’d done? She’d saved his brother’s life, and in turn, his own in a way. Alrik was gone. Tossed out into the night and hadn’t been seen since. The questions of where was he and how was he doing tormented him. But it was for the best. His people needed him now.

And he needed her, needed her more than he could express. And he'd tried to. He'd tried to tell her how much he loved her, how much her constant patience at his side had helped him through the experience. Yet, he hadn't been able to say more than I love you.

It wasn't enough. Not by a long shot. Actions spoke louder than words,

Standing, he went to the dresser and flipped through the different style of clothes in there. Most were elegant robes embroidered with gold thread and gems on the collar. The kind of shit his father used to wear. Eschewing the ridiculous garbs, he pulled on a pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt. Did he look like a king? No, and the royalty could barely disguise their disgust at his appearance but he didn’t care. He had their support in making their people an equal and just one, which started at the bottom up. Already demons ported to the earthen-realm to rediscover the “old world” as they called it. Everything should have been right in the world. But it wasn’t quite.

Telal went back to the bed and studied the succubus who slept next to him every night. Her dark hair spilled around the pillow in wisps; her arm had flung out across the bed after he'd gotten out. His heart pulled tight with love. How could someone love so much it hurt? It seemed impossible—and completely foolish—yet all he had to do was look at her and the world seemed to stop turning. Well, at least while she was sleeping and had her mouth shut. She still had the uncanny ability to make him roll his eyes and give him a headache. But that was just a part of her, a part he accepted. It wasn't like he was perfect.

He leaned down and kissed her bow-shaped mouth.

“I love you.”

She mumbled, her lips moving against his. “Looove you,” she said, then her breathing deepened again. Yeah, his chest felt like it could burst right now.

Telal made his way outside. The fresh air breezed across him, stirring his hair. The sound of a giggle brought him to the side of the castle. He turned the corner and smiled.

“Ah, sir, sorry about that.” Kearnyn had Rosa pushed up against the wall, his face in her neck. She blushed and hid behind his big body—not a tough feat.

“Carry on.”

Even with Alrik's banishment, the death of the Atal Warriors, and all of the demon guards some good had come out of it. Kearnyn had proposed to Rosa and he had Lily. He couldn’t help but wonder if this had all been necessary. Could he have done things any other way that would have resulted in a better outcome? Every day he saw Lily's death flash in his eyes, remembered holding his brother, hearing his agonizing pleas. Tears formed in his eyes and Telal shook his head to get rid of them. He was a king now; he'd better start acting like it.

Fredrick, his new lead councilman, hurried towards him from the bailey, his yellow-blonde braid trailing behind him. “Sir, we are making great progress on rebuilding the homes. Some of the royalty though have concerns about this 'work' endeavor. They say they have no work skill, and to be perfectly frank, most don't.”

“Then they will learn as anyone else has had to. They will contribute in one way or another to the kingdom.”

“Very good, sir. And as for the ceremony, everything is on schedule. Celine Beaucrest has offered to do the work for Lily-err, your mate, sir.”

“Thanks, Fredrick.” Telal left the councilman and headed off to the village.

He found himself coming here every day. It served as a reminder of why he'd done what he did; that there had been a bigger purpose in his coming here. He stood on a small hill overlooking the village. Old homes were being replaced by stronger, stone-built ones that would keep them warmer and safer from fires and the cold. The people talked in the square which was only a square of grass the size of his office, but he had plans to improve that too. The people smiled and laughed, pointing at the houses and talking loudly, full of energy.

A soft sound brought his head around. Lily smiled at him in a way that he learned meant she was thinking mischievous thoughts. She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey, handsome. What are you up to? Brooding like a golden knight in front of all the ladies?”

He laughed and slipped his fingers in her hair. It was always so soft, so sweet smelling; he didn't know how she did it, but he couldn't seem to keep his hands out of it whenever she was near. “You caught me. I was just picking women out for my harem.”

“Haha, you wish.”

His smile died. “No, I don't. I just want you.”

Her smile faltered, became genuine. “Me too.”

Telal cleared his throat and took a step back, his stomach grinding with nerves. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She eyed him with cautious eyes. “Oh? And what's that?”

His cheeks started to burn and he looked out over the village to hide it. The sounds of hammers banging in nails and men giving orders wasn’t exactly the most romantic atmosphere but he had to get it out before he lost the nerve.

“I want you to mate with me.” He kept his back to her, couldn't bear to see her face and what she thought, even if a part of him was dying to.

So much time passed that he didn't even know if she still stood behind him. He turned around. “Just give me an answer, Lily.”

She wasn’t even looking at him. She stared up at the sky, a small smile on her face. Her eyes drifted down to meet his and her eyes glowed with love. “I had a vision of this once, remember? I wrote to you about it. The sky was bright with pink and orange like it is right now and you looked down at me with this angry frown on your face, and then you kissed me and stole my breath away.”

Telal’s patience steadily drained away. “I need an answer now.”

Her chin lowered and she looked up at him. “Kiss me and you'll find your answer.”

His chest tightened, his heart pounding as he strode towards her. He wasn't gentle as he pulled her into his arms and pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips parted on a sigh and he delved inside, conquering her mouth, making it every bit his as it was hers. Her arms came around his neck and a victory chant start to grow in his head. Her sweet mouth moved against his, her tongue sliding against his, lips pecking and kissing. Through action, he showed her what he felt.

She pulled away but he didn't want to stop so he followed her down and kissed her some more until she was breathless and panting, her body straining against his in way that made him want to growl.

“Yes! Yes!” she said, laughing. “I will.” His arms crushed her to him, and he picked her up, spinning her around in a circle, her giddy laughter floating over him.

He set her down and couldn't stop grinning. Now who was the fool, he thought. “I suppose I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“For doubting your visions. They do come true after all.”

“Only about half the time, but let's keep that in the family, okay?”

“Done.”

Hand-in-hand, they looked out over the village. “You haven't been sleeping well.”

Telal's shoulders tensed but he forced them to relax. “It'll go away.” Her thumb rubbed up and down on his hand, the touch loosening his tight muscles. Could his worry for his brother ever go away? He hoped with time.

The crowd in the square lifted their faces and spotted him. Their faces lit up and people pointed and went scurrying into their homes. Telal was still adjusting to this, to being their king. Some still held a grudge over his ‘betrayal’. He’d explained the situation to the kingdom at length but not everyone was quick to trust him. He understood. They had a thousand years to believe things of him one way; it would take time for people to accept him in a good way.

“Hey, look!”

Telal followed Lily’s finger to see a crowd had gathered with baskets in their arms and they were coming up the hill to them. “What do they want?” he said stiffly.

Lily shrugged and he glared at her as if this was somehow her fault.

The crowd came forward and dropped to both knees in a bow. “You don't need to do that.”

Their broad smiles unsettled him. As did the baskets in their arms. One man, older with silver hair and deep brown skin came forward. “Your highness, we bring you gifts.”

The villagers placed their gifts at his feet and backed away their heads down, making no eye contact.

“Why?”

The old man smiled showing a line of white teeth. “To thank you for your good deeds. We look forward to being a peaceful, whole kingdom once again. We thank you for your kindness.”

“Here! Here!” the crowd chanted.

Telal stared down at the baskets; they were filled with foods, bottled drinks, and clothing. All made by hand, he knew. These people didn't work any other way. A strange, almost awkward feeling came over him. He felt the urge to kneel down and avert his eyes from these people.

“Thank you. Thank you all. This means so much to me.” His voice sounded thick with emotion and he cleared his throat to hide it. But it was too late and the people looked at him with pride and awe in their eyes. A blush flared across his face in an instant. It took everything in him not to turn away. Lilly's hand squeezed his and kept him strong. The tension in him released bit by bit.

The crowd started to part. “Wait!” The crowd turned back around with wide eyes. Shit. He took a deep breath for courage. “I have asked Lily Bellum to be my mate and she has agreed. It would be my honor if you all joined us for the ceremony.”

The people clapped and smiled, nodding enthusiastically before heading back for the village.

“I guess it's too late to back out now,” Lily said.

Telal glared at her. “You wouldn't dare.” She let go of his hand and ambled back towards the castle.

“I mean, I don't know. This is somewhat sudden and you do have blue hair. What will our children look like?”

He nearly tripped. “Children?”

She rolled her eyes and picked up her pace. “Well sure, it's bound to happen you know. Sex makes babies after all. Or do demons hatch eggs?”

He growled and took a hard step towards her. She squealed, her eyes bright with excitement and took off for the castle on a sprint. Pleasure, desire, and excitement flooded his blood as he chased her. He could have caught her, but seeing her dart nervous/excited glances back at him was too much fun. So he let her stay ahead and race upstairs to their bedroom. He broke inside the bedroom, slamming the door behind him and found her already tearing off her clothes.

He cocked a brow. “Eager?”

She nodded fast. “Very.”

Hell, so was he. Telal pulled his shirt off then stopped as her breasts popped free of her bra. He started for her before he thought twice about it. Her breasts filled his hands in the next second, soft and yielding. She moaned and pulled down her skirt and underwear.

“Take off your clothes.” He understood what her words meant but couldn't seem to make his hands stop touching her breasts, from feeling the puckered tips of her nipples. She slapped at his hands, breathing hard. “I said take them off.”

That light slap helped to get his mind moving and he pulled off his clothes like he was trying to win a race. Naked, Lily leapt into his arms, mouth slanting across his, limbs wrapping around his body.

Telal couldn't wait to have her; his cock felt like he'd been building up for her his whole life. It didn't matter that he kept her “fed” every day because she always managed to make him eager and hard.

He flattened her against the mattress and took the tip of her breast into his mouth, rolling the hard bead around and flicking it with his tongue. Her hands dove into his hair and he got the pleasure of watching her body transform. This part he loved. The writhing of her hips, the scissoring of her legs, and the sound of her hard breathing teasing his ears. She was so lovely it hurt. Her hands pulled him to her other breast and he went, pulling that hard bud into his mouth and sucking on it.

He touched her leg, running his hand up and down her smooth skin before passing his thumb over her sex. He touched hot, creamy wetness and groaned, delving his finger in deeper, spreading her open so he could find her bud.

He rubbed it, gently. She went wild in his arms, panting and bucking against him. He wanted to jerk her legs open and fill her up with his cock, spend himself inside of her but he at least had to give her one orgasm first.

He licked his way down her undulating stomach, his hands flattening against her ribs and pressing her down. Her eyes met his, wild and aroused. “Telal,” she breathed.

He nipped at her hip then pushed her legs open, not bothering to be gentle. His mouth found her clitoris and licked around the pleasure center. He thrust a finger inside her and both of their groans filled the air. He thrust inside of her, loving how her walls enclosed around his finger, hot, wet, and squeezing. God, he wanted his cock in there so badly. It took everything in him not to ghost hump the bed as he teased her clitoris.

He could have made it fast, could make her explode in a matter of seconds, but that wasn't fair just because of his impatience. So he built her up. Switching between slow, fluttery licks, and fast, harder ones that bowed her back off the bed. His fingers worked inside of her, pumping, then he added another one and felt her muscles twitching around him. She was going to come. God, his cock felt like it was about to blow right along with her.

Her cries teased his ears, her fingernails scratched his shoulder, mussed up his hair as her body rocked and bucked under him. He danced his tongue on her faster, circling, pumped his fingers in faster and she screamed. Her tight pussy clamped around him, throbbing and pulsating with rhythmic waves that he'd die to feel around his cock right now. She screamed his name, yanked on his hair, then went limp.

He dragged himself up her body, bringing one of her legs over his elbow, then he thrust inside. A harsh groan left him. Her muscles still twitched and squeezed around him. Her channel felt even hotter, even wetter now from her orgasm. He pumped inside of her, filling her with his cock until she wrapped her arms around him and panted in his ear. Nothing had ever been so perfect in his whole life.

He closed his eyes and gave her everything he had, and she took all of it. Meeting him thrust for thrust. She trembled harder, faster as she came onto another climax. He was right there with her, his balls pulled heavy and tight, his cock swelling, and his rhythm faltering.

Her scream sent him over. Her pussy started its delicious, erotic ministrations. Gripping and squeezing, coaxing and pumping around his cock until he couldn't hold it in anymore. He shoved himself inside on her quieting scream and shouted as his cock jerked, spurting hot and long inside her. She wrung everything from him, pulling pleasure from deep within his body.

He felt like he was coming down from a high. Drifting somewhere in space. His lips found hers and whispered words of love were shared.

He started to pull out but her sweet sex stroked his cock, so he thrust back in. His cock started to harden again, her soft breaths turned to soft moans. Then he was taking her again, riding them both up and up until their sweaty bodies clung together in a release that blinded him.

Their lips clung together, neither having enough energy to actually purse their lips to kiss. “Tomorrow, we mate,” he said.

“Okay,” she said, breathless. Her eyes never opened.

He found the energy somehow to pull out of her and spoon against her. He heard her breathing deepen and spoke up before the thought left him.

“Maybe purple.”

“Huh?” she whispered.

“Maybe our children will have violet hair. A mixture of both of us.”

She sighed, a smile curling her lips up. “I like that.”

He thought of the color his brother's eyes used to be. “Yeah, I'd like that too.”

CHAPTER 46

The next morning Lily didn't get to see Telal at all. He was whisked away by peers early in the morning and all he told her was that they would prepare for the mating ceremony and see each other later.

Her stomach danced with butterflies but excitement too. Someone knocked at the door and she answered it, relieved to find her sisters.

“I'm so happy you're here! Come in!” Her sisters tugged her into a hard hug.

“God, we're so happy you're all right,” Chloe said, tears in her eyes. They'd talked over the phone since the big fight in the rift but she hadn't seen them yet.

“Yeah, me too.”

“We're proud of you,” Willow said.

Lily blushed and waved her off. “Don't get all gushy on me or you'll make me cry. So how's mom doing?”

Chloe looked grim. “Better, I guess. She won't leave her room but she talks every now and then. We've brought her some of dad's things. Old pictures, his journal and such. She just started crying when she saw them. I don't know if it'll help or make it worse to be honest.”

“She just needs time. This is a huge change for her. Is she...coming?”

Chloe looked away. “I asked her to come but she wouldn't say anything. I'm sorry, Lily.”

Lily nodded, her lips pulling into a tight smile. “It's okay. I understand.” She did even though it still hurt her. She was content with just having her mother back one way or the other. Maybe in time, who knew, she'd be able to have a normal conversation with her.

A soft knock came at the door. “Aren't I famous today?” Lily opened it to a dark-skinned stunner of a woman. The woman smiled politely and held a white box in her hands. It shined like it was made of opals.

“Hello, I'm Celine. I'm here to begin the ritual.”

Lily let her in and took a seat by the fireplace. “Ritual? This doesn't involve bloodletting or tattooing?” She laughed a bit nervously. Her sisters sat around her on the floor. Their nearness comforted her, eased the butterflies in her stomach.

“No bloodletting, but a form of tattoo, yes.”

Lily's eyebrows shot to her hairline. “Hey, I'm all for skin art, but it's not for me. What is this?”

Celine smiled in understanding then knelt before her, lifting the opal box with a small golden latch up. “This contains the ritual instruments.”

“She said instruments, this doesn't sound good,” muttered Willow.

“Shh!” Chloe said.

Celine opened the latch and pulled the top up. Lily squinted at the objects inside. Inside was a glass container the size of an ink well with a paint-like substance inside the color of chocolate and a cone-shaped object that looked like it was made out of parchment paper.

“What is all this?”

Celine picked up the ink well object. “This is the sacred bowl or durku. Inside it contains a special ink that I will use to paint onto your body. This cone, the lathu, will hold the ink so I may draw precisely onto your skin. It will look very beautiful on your paler skin.”

“Why do you do this though?”

“It is our way. When a mating occurs each demon, err,” she blushed, the look stunning on her dark skin, “person has sacred symbols and words painted onto their hands, feet, and stomach. It is the final binding.”

“Is it permanent?”

She shook her head. “No, it will come off naturally in a few days. Washing it helps, though most newly mated couples prefer to let it wear away on its own.”

“I see, let's begin then, shall we?”

Lily had to undress completely and lay down on the bed. Celine lit white and red candles around the bed on the floor. For “purifying and love” she said.

She wasn't exactly comfortable having her sisters see her naked but they were more focused on watching Celine work. Celine poured some of the liquid into the cone. The substance did pour like paint, too, Lily noted. The cone came to a very fine point to where Celine kept a finger pressed across it so none of it would spill.

She settled on her knees at the end of the bed, one of her feet pulled up on her lap. “I shall begin now if you're ready.”

Lily nodded and Celine set to work. What unraveled was a piece of art on her foot that covered her toes up to her ankle. The lines were intricate, the design incredible. Lily looked at her sisters’ faces and saw that they, too, had their jaws on the ground.

“How can you make such fine detail with that little cone?”

Celine smiled. “A lot of practice, my lady.”

What looked like small flowers colored the edge of each toe with leaves coming off to cover the toes. Extending off of that, leaf-like patterns swept up her feet intermixed with demonic letters. Around her ankles thin lines were drawn then branched upward in triangles with wavy lines off them.

Similar yet different patterns were pained onto her stomach from hip to hip and then each of her hands. The design covered the top and bottom of her hand extending from fingernail to wrist. Her fingers had the lines traveling down them with little ticks coming off each side. But that was only a small part of the major design that was a flower in full bloom drawn in the middle of her palm.

“It's so beautiful,” Lily said in awe.

Celine finished and packed up her tools. “Thank you very much.” Celine went into the hall then came back a few seconds later. “This is your gown.”

Lily whistled. The black dress looked sexy, flowing, and half see-through. “Telal will like this.” Chloe slapped her in the arm. “I probably deserve that one.”

With the help of her sisters, Lily dressed. A black slip went first and felt like real silk—soft and luscious against her skin. It didn't completely cover her shoulder, and it slid down, barely, to mid-thigh. Lily kept looking down at her painted feet, which, in a way, resembled sandals and her hands, gloves.

“It's beautiful, Lily.” Chloe sighed with a look of longing. “I'll have to get a henna artist to color me up some time. I think Tyrian will like it.”

“Count Lyonis in too,” added Willow.

Over the slip went the lace, gauzy-like material that she could see her skin through. It was a wrap that she had to hold the fringed ends to keep on. It also fell to mid-thigh.

“Is this all I wear?”

Celine nodded, her eyes bright. “You look very lovely. No shoes, no gloves, wear only this! The ceremony will begin when you come out front. Someone will be waiting for you downstairs to ensure you do everything properly.” She left and Lily turned to her sisters.

“I almost feel insulted by that but, hell, I have no idea what I'm doing.”

“You'll be fine,” Chloe said. She hugged her and kissed her. “I'm going downstairs. I can't wait to see this. I'd tell you that if you are still undecided I have a car parked at the curb, but let's just say I have Draven downstairs and he's prepared to port you out, if necessary.”

Lily laughed. “That won't be necessary. I love him.”

Chloe's eyes softened. “I know.” She left then it was Willow's turn.

“I love you so much, little sis. We wouldn’t be able to survive without you. You've always been special, different. Lucky for both of us, I got over my envious stage when I was eighteen.” Willow wrapped her in a hug. “I love you. Take care of yourself and your demon. And if he ever pisses you off, let me know. I have a man that can shapeshift.”

Lily laughed, tears wobbling and falling from her eyes. She started to wipe them away but Willow caught her hand with an unsteady sigh. She used her own hand to wipe them away.

“Don't use your hands on those tears now. This shit might wash off.”

“Right, good point.” Willow gave her a smile and wink then left.

Lily waited a few minutes then peered out the window. She faced the wrong side of the castle but she could hear what sounded like a crowd of people. Her stomach tightened again, rolling around like she'd eaten something bad. Unable to wait anymore, Lily stepped out of the room and made her way downstairs.

Two women waited for her. From their expensive clothing, she placed them to be royalty. They smiled at her.

“My lady,” the first with bright red hair said, bowing, “I am honored to present you. This is Prucilla and I am Jordana. We are but old friends of Telal's.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You are so beautiful,” Prucilla said, her face breaking into tears.

Jordana slapped Prucilla's arm. “Don't cry now. The ceremony hasn't even begun yet. Now, my lady, once you step outside you will walk to Telal. Trust me, he'll be straight ahead. Then he will guide you in front of the people. There he will recite sacred vows to you and you will return them. And that is all, okay?”

Lilly nodded fast. “Yes, okay.” Her heart pounded and she tried to slow it but that only made her start to perspire.

“Please relax; once you see him you'll know everything's is fine.”

Lily took a deep breath and decided it best not to wait. Better to just get this over with. So she opened the door by the metal rung and stepped outside and into a massive crowd of royalty and non-royalty, of friends and family. She had only a moment to be overwhelmed when her eyes caught on Telal. He waited for her at the bottom of the stairs in a pair of fitted black trousers that stopped above the knee and nothing else. His stomach, hands and feet held the same painted drawings as hers did. On his golden skin, it looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Lily smiled and went to him. His own smile melted her heart and made it beat fast like a galloping horse. He locked their hands together, the paintings meshing perfectly as if they'd been meant to do so and then he walked down a path that had been carved out of the crowd. Everyone hushed and only the sound of the wind stirring the grass and trees graced her ears.

A man wearing a ceremonial gown of red, gold, and blue stood at the end of the row, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Nervous?” Telal said so only she could hear.

“Yes.”

“Don't be, I love you.”

She sighed and some of the weight on her shoulders eased. “I love you too.”

The ceremony began announcing her as the new queen of the shahoulin demons and mate to King Telal Demuzi. Everything passed in a rush as the leader in the robe, a holy man, she learned, shared words of love, trust, honor, and commitment. Then he ordered them to stand across from each other and hold out their hands.

Lily's gaze was captivated on the design as their fingertips just met. The design perfectly mirrored by his and she smiled at it, her eyes meeting his in wonder. He looked so young and happy, as if the worries of everything that had happened were erased, if only for this moment.

The holy man turned to Telal and said, “It is your turn.”

Telal's smile faded into a solemn expression. “Lily Bellum, I vow to love and honor you in the ways a man should from now until forever. Let these designs be a symbol of the ties that bind us together, that were created out of love, anger, trust, and friendship. May these ties never break even after the paint is washed away. May our love never sway but grow stronger, tying us closer for the rest of our days.”

His speech ended and tears fell from Lily's eyes. He smiled gently at her and looked so humbled that she wanted to squeeze him in her arms and kiss him for a very long time. The crowd looked onto her now, waiting for her.

With help from him repeating certain lines, she performed her part of the vows feeling her heart pouring into every single word. The last word fell from her trembling lips and the crowd stood full of cheers and cries.

Telal smiled down at her, then pulled her into his arms in a smooth move, bent her over his arm, leaned down in a dancer's move, then kissed her in front of all.

“I love you,” she said against his lips.

“I love you, my lilit.”

They turned to the crowd and he held up their painted hands. The holy man behind them yelled in a great booming voice, “King Telal Demuzi and his mate Queen Lily Demuzi!”

Through the sea of crowded faces, one person stood out. She didn’t cheer but wore a small smile that caught her attention. Her breath stalled in her lungs. Telal noticed the change and looked at her in question.

“My mother,” she said, her voice strained. “She came.”

In the back of the crowd, dressed in a pretty dress stood her mother, not clapping or shouting but looking at her with lucid eyes and a smile. Lily cried hard, smiling at her mother the whole way though.

“You look so much like her.”

Lily blinked back the tears and waved to the crowd once more. “Let's feast!”

They stood there, watching the crowd disperse into the castle to celebrate. “I do, don’t I?”

Telal pulled her against him, flattening their painted hands together. “I love you, Lily.” He said it in such a serious voice she laughed.

“And I love you.”

His eyes flicked to the castle, his eyes darkening in a way that tightened things inside her, made her breath catch. “Why don't we sneak upstairs for a minute and...?”

She snatched him by the head, bringing his lips to hers. “I thought you'd never ask.” Then she kissed him and let him take her away.

EPILOGUE

Twigs and leaves crunched under his boots. Crunch, crunch, thump. He managed two more steps before he collapsed against a tree, panting.

His chest felt like it’d been shredded, ravaged from the inside out. His fingers prodded his chest expecting to find black blood, but alas, his skin was whole. It was his heart that hurt. That seemed to make every inch of his body heavy and ache with pain.

With heavy steps, he kept moving. Going further and further into unknown lands, out of the shahoulin territory. He kept seeing her. Alive one moment, gone the next. Blood-pumping rage pulsated inside him, demanding someone’s blood. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Telal’s he wanted.

He shook his head. That couldn’t be right. His mind was messed up, not acting correctly. He’d seen Telal’s spell tear into his Arianna, saw the life die from her eyes. He choked, tears wetting his eyelashes. He stumbled, tripped, and fell hard to the ground. He grunted, and pulled out a rock from beneath him that had jabbed against his hip.

Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the sky. Night had come. How long had he been walking?

“Arianna…” He choked on her name, saying it seemed to squeeze the pain around his heart even tighter until it reached an unbearable level. He wanted to curl on his side and cry until every ounce of his strength was sapped. Leave himself there to die. Let the animals get him. He didn’t need to live. He was a monster.

No. He had to move. Bracing one hand, then the other, he slowly sat up, put one knee on the ground then the other and pushed himself up. He wobbled but he kept walking. His mind was the only thing he had in the silent woods. And his mind was working overtime.

Telal hadn’t killed him. God, he wished he’d done it. Ended his unnatural, dark existence once and for all. Was that why he no longer felt anger at him? No…no. His thoughts spun, twirled, and came together slowly as he walked further and further, the sky growing hazier with night.

No, only one person deserved his wrath. Only one person was the cause of all this. The master manipulator using him, turning him from who he used to be. If not, then he’d still had enough goodness in him to heal Arianna.

I could have saved her.

His arms flexed, bunching hard until pain flared up. He gave a harsh shout and slammed his fist into a tree. The whipping crack and broken branches that rained down over him relieved his anger—if only slightly.

His eyes cleared from the tears. He stared off into the night with a clarity he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. The realization was so sudden, he quickly glanced down at his hands, wondering if they’d be golden again.

His hands curled into hard fists at the sight of the dark black color. No, it wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing was. His mother. She was the answer to everything. He had to find her, and he had to kill her.

A garbling sound, crackling like teeth clicking together stole his attention. Alrik’s head whipped to the side his ears twitching to hear. A high-pitched cry tore through the air, then running steps came straight towards him.

Fuck. Alrik tore off to the side running as fast as his weak body would take him. The sounds, the cries came closer. Idummi. He focused as his chest pumped hard and his lungs burned. Four of them, eight feet stomping into the ground after him. He had no goddamned weapons on him or he’d relish the fight. Alrik slowed at the thought. A fight…the thought brought him to a stop, turning around.

With Arianna’s death fresh in his mind, he stood, waiting and let them come to their death.

Content

Ties That Bind
The Bellum Sisters 3
by T. A. GREY

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

GLOSSARY

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 46

EPILOGUE