RORAN THREW THE LINE TO THE BOAT so I could tie us in.
I barely had the rope around the cleat before he launched off the dock and landed on the deck next to me.
His arms went around me, and his grin could have outshined the sun. “Kimber.”
I put a hand on his cheek. “Teabag.”
His mouth claimed mine, and I wanted to melt into him forever.
We had an audience, though, and that was not on the agenda.
Roran didn’t let go of me when he finally let the kiss go, but his eyes roved over my features. “Kimber, what’s happened?”
“Not the place and time, Roran. I will tell you everything. I swear.”
He pulled me close again, and I realized just how much I missed his massive bear hugs.
I gasped. “Vitas? How is Vitas doing?”
A slow shake of his head preceded his answer. “He’s mad with grief. He keeps doing stupid and suicidal things. Maybe you can talk sense into him again now that you’re here.”
Stepping out of his arms, but grabbing his hand, I pulled him to the stern. “Roran, this is Lord Knight Aiko.”
“A vampire.” I could hear the disgust in his voice.
“Master Roran, a pleasure to finally meet you. Mistress Breaker has spoken highly of you.”
“I should kill you where you stand.” His words were angry, unforgiving.
I put a hand on Roran’s chest. “No! Roran, no. He’s not one of Savion’s loyalists.”
“You haven’t seen what S’Kir looks like, Kimber.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I know I haven’t. I’ve been trying to get away from Savion for the past two weeks. I had my own problems.”
Finally, his eyes settled back on me, and he softened. “I’m sorry, ilati. I have seen such horrible things... We cannot heal the wounds—”
I rushed over his words. “They’re caused by lead. Galena. You cannot heal it. You must find new, non-magical ways to treat the wounds. Doctor Symi would have ideas. I know he would.”
“We cannot spare him in the laboratory. We need him in the field,” Roran said. “There are so many wounded.”
“We have medicines. Not hard to make,” Aiko said. “If I can be of service in saving your people, maybe you would consider sparing mine.”
Roran’s eyebrows rose, and he glanced at me again.
“Can we go somewhere private? Not here on the boat where everyone can hear us?” I looked around, pointedly glancing at the warship that was docking behind our little boat.
He nodded. “Yes. I’m at the temple here.”
“Where is Rilen?”
“Defending what’s left of the city.”
“Dorian?” He didn’t answer me. My stomach dropped. “Roran. Where is Dorian?”
“He went after you,” he finally admitted. “Instead of staying here and helping us defend things, he left to find you.”
The venom in his voice was undisguised.
“Let’s get off this boat,” I said.
“Mistress Breaker?” Aiko tapped his food on the deck.
“Oh! Roran. We brought guns and ammunition. There are dozens of them under the deck. Pistols and rifles. We knew that your raid succeeded, but it felt right to bring more.”
Aiko pulled the hatch up, and Roran’s smile spread across his face again. “Excellent. This will help us immensely. Come on. Let’s get to the temple. We have a lot to talk about.”
* * *
I was almost sure that Roran was going to pull my clothes off and have his way with me just inside the door.
Had Aiko not been there, I wouldn’t have stopped him.
“Roran, we have a guest.”
He growled but pulled back from me. “I’ve been terrified for you, Kimber. I wanted to kick your perfect little ass when you gave yourself up.”
“I had to, you know that. He would have killed you, and then made his way through the group.”
“She was safe with us, Master Roran. We did all we could to keep her safe.”
Roran wanted to snap at Aiko, but I stopped him. “No. People died for me there. Died to keep me safe. He’s right. There’s a chasm between the loyalists and the commoners. Everyone is exhausted from trying to stay alive around Savion.”
It took him a long moment to move again, but Roran finally nodded and motioned us to a room off the main hall in the temple.
“What’s happened here, Roran?” I asked.
“This is now the main Temple of the Lost God,” he said. “The City’s temple is gone. It was blown up—thankfully while no one was there, and we were able to get everyone out of the dorms and scatter them around the countryside. The South End is destroyed. They marched in from there.”
“That makes sense,” Aiko said. “Nillaston and Vasily are in charge of the south lands, and they are loyalists down to their hair.”
Roran whirled on him. “What makes you think I can trust a single word that you utter, vampire? Your king killed two of our masters without a thought. He’s razed our cities, destroyed our temple, and ruined our way of life! Giving me names—”
“Roran, stop,” I snapped. “Stop it right now. Aiko has done everything he can to protect me. He would not give us false information.”
“How do you know? How do you—”
“He’s lost people to Savion as well. This is not a contest. Aiko came with me because we need him. He knows how to use guns well. He, General Odom, and General Kane helped me get away from the king. They arranged the boat and the provisions and hundreds of guns. He knows how Savion operates. We need what’s in his head.”
Roran stared at me. “What’s going on?”
“No,” I shook my head. “Tell me what’s happened here. We need to have West S’Kir safe before anything else.”
His eyes were darting everywhere. To me, to Aiko, to the walls and decorations. He finally nodded.
“After you offered to stay, the guards dragged us out and marched us through the Arch of Life. That was fun. We were almost literally pulled behind horses through the hinterlands of East S’Kir for a good few hours.” Roran’s shoulders slumped as he continued. “Once they were sure that the stronghold couldn’t keep sight of us, the entire demeanor of the guard changed. They became apologetic. Contrite, helpful. They offered our swords back, gave us a wagon full of guns and ammunition. At the Chasm, they begged us to hurry and help them. They couldn’t deal with Savion much longer.”
Roran took a few steps away from me. “I apologize, Lord Aiko. I did not mean to accuse you of being anything but a good man. If Kimber says you are, then I believe her. The help your fellow soldiers gave us to escape back to our own people supports the report that Savion isn’t only attacking us, but his own people as well.”
Aiko nodded. “For three thousand years, Master Roran. We are tired.”
He watched Aiko as he continued his story. “They let us pass through the Chasm to the city, and we brought with us all they had for us.
“Rilen was another two days back from North Landing, and Dorian and I were learning how to use the guns. Staviz is… a blessing. He’s far more intelligent about fighting and war than we’d hoped, and everyone’s taken to calling him general. I wish people had listened to him sooner. He predicted the attack from the south. He knew the vampires would come that way. No one wanted to listen to him, including me. And it cost us hundreds of druids in the South End. It cost us the Temple.”
My heart pounded against my breastbone. “What happened to Dorian?”
“After we were able to get everyone out of the dorms, we reestablished the capital up here, and Dorian and Rilen refused to move because they swore you were going to come through the Chasm.
“About four days ago, a vampire stumbled through and told us what had happened in the Stronghold. That Savion had ripped your throat out. She couldn’t tell us if you were dead or alive and something… something broke inside Dorian. He grabbed his sword and a pistol and marched away. I tried to stop him, but Rilen didn’t. Rilen watched him go without a word.”
Roran was having trouble swallowing through the thickness that crowded his throat.
“I understood. The rage I felt could have consumed me completely. We didn’t know if you were alive or dead. But neither of them had been there when you stepped forward and saved the rest of the company. You knew what you were doing, and I trusted”—he tapped his chest right above his heart—“that you knew what you were doing. That Savion wouldn’t kill you. He needed you.”
He choked a bit on the words.
“Rilen is angry with me. And with Dorian. I’m also angry with Dorian. But we couldn’t do anything about it, not with the gap in the magic there. So Rilen dismissed me, to here to set up a capital for West S’Kir. He’s still down in the city trying to save what he can.”
I wrapped my arms around Roran’s thick chest and pressed my cheek to his shoulder.
My twins, the inseparable males I loved, were fighting. Over me, over Dorian. Over their mates.
“Who else is here?”
Roran glanced at the door to the hallway. “Ophelia, Bebbenel, Neves, Tymon, Sona. Maurielle and Vitas are still in the city.”
I pursed my lips. “Vitas?”
“He was catatonic for most of our return. Once Carolee was on the pyre, he went… nuts, I guess. He has his faculties, but he doesn’t give a crap that he’s still alive. Maurielle and Rilen are trying to keep him safe while he does stupid things.”
I lifted my head to stare into Roran’s eyes. “We have to go back to the city.”
“Not right now, we don’t,” he said. “You need rest. You both need rest.”
I started to protest. “I slept for eighteen hours yesterday.”
“No. We can’t go back right now. There’s a battle going on, and we can’t just walk into it.” He took my chin in his hand. “And we need to talk.”
Aiko cleared his throat. “I could use a nap. Is there somewhere…?”
Roran nodded and motioned him to the hall. “Do you need blood? I’m sure we can find some way to help with that.”
He coughed, and I grimaced. “No. Not right now. Just sleep.”
Closing the door behind Aiko after showing him which room he could have, Roran asked me quietly, “Do we need a guard?”
“No. You never will. He’s utterly incorruptible.”
Roran cocked his head and took my hand. We walked in silence to another hall, and then down that to a double door at the end.
The room was Roran and Rilen. It felt like them from the door to the little kitchen area it was warm, comfortable and familiar. The fireplace held a low, warm flame, and I walked to it to warm my hands. The days, this far north, were growing cold. We’d been lucky on the boat. It had only been cool.
“Are you hungry?” Roran asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
Another moment of silence stretched between us. He moved to stand next to me.
How was I going to explain… everything.
“Kimber—”
“Savion is my father.”
Roran grabbed my shoulders and spun me to him. “What?”
“Savion, the mad king of the vampires, is my father.”
“How is that possible?”
A nonchalant shrug rolled off me. “I have no idea. The prophecy we thought belonged to my mother? Willow? It was Savion’s—my mother stole it.”
“Your mother was seven hundred, not…” He stopped and stared into my eyes. “Willow wasn’t the one who stole it.”
I shook my head. “Celine Stormbreaker.”
“Your nanny…”
“Savion raped her. Before the Spine rose. General Odom got her away from Savion before he found out she was pregnant.”
It was crazy to hear it all put together.
I was the vampire king’s daughter.
Roran didn’t seem to be reacting to what I had said. He stared at me, blank and unaffected. He blinked once, twice, three times.
“Kimber…”
My heart seized. This was where he left me.
This was where I lost the men I loved.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes. I am. He had an episode of pure madness and tore my throat out. He forced his blood on me and stole mine. We—Aiko, Odom and I—think that triggered an… awakening.”
The horror on Roran’s face almost did me in. I came within seconds of crumbling to the ground, defeated.
But, instead, his hand came up and curled around the back of my neck as his other hand raised my chin. “He attacked you? Attacked your throat.” He ran his fingers carefully over the skin.”
Words left me, so I just nodded.
“It’s healed well…”
Choking, I forced the words out. “Aiko…”
His gaze speared mine. “Healed you?”
“Gave me his blood, and that healed me.”
Big, fat, terrified tears ran down my cheeks.
Roran’s fingers felt amazing on my throat, tracing lines only he could imagine. “Savion tore your throat out, and awakened… the vampire part of you? Then left you for dead?”
My nod was terse.
“And Aiko saved you with his blood.”
Another nod.
“Now, you need blood, because you’re half vampire.”
I collapsed in a heap at his feet.
“Kimber!” Roran swept down and lifted me off the ground, and carefully put both of us on the bed that was on the other side of the room.
Words I couldn’t hold back managed to force their way out. “I’m an abomination. I shouldn’t exist.”
Roran pulled me close and settled me on his lap as he leaned against the headboard. “You’re an impossibility, not an abomination, ilati. Aiko has taken care of your need for blood?”
I leaned against his chest and nodded. “Yes. And I his. We tried to bring blood for him, but the ocean had other ideas.”
“Is his the only blood you can have?”
“We don’t know. It seemed safer to assume that.”
Roran nodded. “I agree. For now.”
It was quiet, the silence filled only with the snapping of the logs in the fireplace. I had a few sobs wrack me, but he just held me to him and let my hysterics pass.
I hiccupped and smeared the tears away.
“Better?” He smiled at me.
“A little. Are you…” I didn’t know what I was going to ask him. I let the words trail away.
“Surprised? Yes. Upset? Absolutely. Disgusted?” He shook his head slowly. “No. You remember that I had a vampire lover for a while, don’t you?”
I blinked. He had told me that. It seemed like years ago, but it was only just three weeks before.
The smile stretched my skin after the tears. “You did. Yes.”
I froze again, though. With that confession was the knowledge that he knew the pleasure a vampire’s bite could bring. “Roran…”
“There is nothing to be done about the sexual aspect of the bite, Kimber. Did you fuck him?”
“No! I would never! I have you three and…”
“What did I tell you about keeping your power up?”
I leveled a gaze at him. “Really? We shared blood. Explosive orgasm doesn’t even start to cover it. There was no need for us to have sex.”
Roran leaned in close. “A work fuck is a work fuck, Kimber.”
I gaped at him. “I could never. Ever.”
He smirked. “You’re too good for us, ilati. Though now that you’re here, I don’t think I could leave our little group, either. Not even for desperately needed power.”
“Have you…?”
“We haven’t needed our magic the way we have in the past few months. It was never an issue.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “But I told you that because I wanted you to know that if it came to it, and you had to, we would forgive you.”
I sighed. “The blood… Roran, I can’t lie. It was amazing. I was so scared. I am still so scared. I’m an impossibility, and we don’t know if I can take just any blood or if I have to have his forever.”
Roran traced his hand up and down my side, slowly. It was a hypnotic rhythm, and for the first time since the night on the Scar, before I was imprisoned, I relaxed. Really and truly relaxed.
I was finally home.
Safe for just a little while.
A breathy, soft question dusted over my ear. “Would you like to try my blood?”
I stiffened. The tension rushed back, and I tried to climb away from him.
In those few weeks, I forgot how strong these men were.
“Please, Kimber, stop,” Roran said. “It’s an honest question. If you don’t want to be tied to Aiko forever or him to you, then you have to start somewhere.”
“But…”
Smirking, he resettled me on his lap. “I know what it feels like already, remember? Vampire lover?”
I nodded. “Yes. I remember. As I also remember you let her bite your cock.”
He cleared his throat, and I felt him harden against my thigh. “Yes. Well.”
This time I laughed. “Did you really just get hard thinking about me nibbling on your cock?”
“To be fair, I always get hard when I think about you and my cock.”
“You kinky old bastard!”
“Look, just because I’m three thousand years older than you…”
I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Roran, I love you. What I want right now is to sleep. In your arms. That’s all. I hope you’ll forgive me for blue balls?”
“Oh, ilati… I’ve had those for weeks. Two goddamn overripe plums just hanging out, waiting. Gods, if I took care of myself right now, I might put a hole in the wall.”