Chapter Thirteen
Standing at the picture window overlooking the gardens and the rolling hills beyond, his hands clasped at his back, Nikolai watched the snow, anxious that it would be too cold for Sienna to travel. The world was a gray pall, reflecting his mood. After last night, his resolve to get her on a ship as soon as possible had settled like a rock in his stomach. They hadn’t resolved the matter of whether they were fleeing directly to Cutters Cove or finishing the mission they’d started. But Nikolai’s instincts told him to quit now and take her as far away as he could.
Who was he kidding? His entire being—body and soul—urged him to abscond with his beauty and hide her away from the rest of the world so there was only him and her. An irrational impulse, he knew. But since last night when he’d finally admitted to himself that she had burrowed herself deep inside of him and that he was no longer open to the idea of letting her go, he’d been devising plans for their future. Laughable now that he thought of it. The loner who never took a woman longer than a week, lest she fall unfortunately in love with him, was now contemplating the idea of forever.
Of course, forever would be until the end of her natural life. She was mortal, he was not. He could have Marius make her vampire…but only if she chose. Hell, he could have Friedrich do it right here before they left Winter Hill. He had the power as well as Marius. But deep down, he knew her answer would be no. Arabelle had told him of her grandmother’s love for a vampire as well as her opinion that they were the cursed race. Sienna obviously loved her grandmother and trusted her. Making her a vampire wasn’t an option.
There was that other matter to contend with as well. He would never hurt her. He knew that now. Not physically anyway. But if she ever found out what kind of a monster he once was, the sin that still blackened his soul, she might look on him with shame and horror. That was something he couldn’t bear. He pushed the thought aside, unable to face the devastation that would cause. He was too far gone to turn back now.
His mind drifted back to the night before. Her easy surrender and yearning need for him had nearly broken his control, pushing him to stake his claim with quick force. That was the old demon rising its ugly head, gripping the reins hard and lashing at Nikolai to take what was his with violent speed. Feeling the beast riding him hard was what kept Nikolai from sliding between her legs and pounding home.
The anxious beat of her heart was what had summoned him from his own bed. His need to comfort her was the driving force calling him to her bedroom. When he saw her lying there, soft and pliant and lush in the transparent muslin he’d bought her, his first instinct was to tear the damned thing from her body and take her. That was the moment he froze, realizing it wasn’t simply her beauty or the heady scent of wild lavender in the woods she carried under her skin that he wanted.
It was her. All of her.
Her fear of what had happened that day and her need for comfort had beaten his own beast back into its cave. He was determined to give her what she needed and ignore his own desires. For now. Of course, that had left him with the most painfully stiff cock he’d ever had. Still there this morning, he rolled out of the warm cocoon of her bed, groaning at leaving her lush body alone. But a man had only so much willpower. Even a vampire such as him.
He wanted her. Desperately. Painfully. But he needed her to understand what it meant before he made her his. He needed her to get used to the idea before it happened. For when he drove deep inside her body, he’d never let another man touch her. Never. He parried and fenced with the devil living inside him for far too long to believe otherwise. Once he’d crossed that threshold with her, there would be no turning back. She wasn’t simply any woman. She was Sienna.
For a maid who had lived alone for many years, Sienna was a confident woman. She was open to his attentions. Quite open. He wasn’t sure if that came from years of loneliness and womanly curiosity or if it was because of him. If her sensuality had nothing to do with him specifically, then he would be forced to leave her before they’d crossed a bridge too far. If she was simply coming into her own womanhood and exploring her sexuality, then he must let her go. Even if it shattered him into a million pieces.
He’d like nothing more than to be her casual lover. But there would never be anything casual between them. She’d buried her claws deep, and his need for her was a terrifying reality that had shaken him to his core. He knew himself well enough to know once he’d crossed that bridge with her, he was done for.
“Good morning.” Friedrich stepped into the parlor behind him.
“Morning.” Nikolai pulled himself from the window.
“Sleep well?” Friedrich wore a wicked smile like the fiend that he was.
“Not especially.” He had rested easily next to her, but sleep eluded him. Wonder why.
“That’s too bad.” Friedrich chuckled and ambled toward his desk, surrounded by bookshelves on every wall. “I’ve been told those bedrooms are very comfortable.”
“Yes. Well, there were other reasons for my discomfort,” he said on a sigh.
“I imagine that there were.”
Nikolai aimed a death glare at the duke, for there was innuendo in every word he said.
With another fiendish smile, he waved him over. “Oh, come, lieutenant. Wipe off the scowl. I have something of importance to show you.”
Nikolai joined Friedrich at his desk, where he pulled out a map from a locked drawer and sprawled it across the cherrywood top. It was a map of the northern provinces, Winter Hill at its center. Along the southern border of the map, there were a few villages circled in red ink.
“What are these?” Nikolai pointed.
“I have my own scouts out there seeking information.”
“Legionnaires?”
“No.” Friedrich’s charming countenance had slipped, his brow pinched into a frown. “I don’t keep Legionnaires. I have a personal guard.”
Surprised, knowing Friedrich had always arrived at the Glass Tower with his own escort of Legionnaires, he asked, “Since when did this happen?”
The duke stared at him pointedly. “Since Marius fled the Glass Tower and reported to me that his mother, our queen, had fallen into the dark of sanguine furorem. Besides, my uncle had set his own spies amongst my soldiers.”
Nikolai scoffed. “Not surprising. I’ve been thinking on the queen.”
“And?”
“I don’t believe she had ever fallen. She was the first of us, the one who slayed her twin brother for the crown. I believe she’s always been a host for the blood madness.”
“If that’s true, then she’s been hiding her secret for thousands of years. Why is it only a few months ago that she’s gotten sloppy enough to get caught?”
Nikolai clenched his jaw, swallowing his pride before he answered. “Unfortunately, there have been signs for some time. When I first joined the Legionnaires, I witnessed an attack of the blood madness at a ball. That was long ago. I’ve also heard reports over the years that one of our soldiers had lost control and drained his bleeder dry. But each time I looked into the account, there either was no body to support the rumor or my interrogation came up empty.”
“Didn’t you suspect so many rumors as being suspicious?”
“That’s just it.” Nikolai settled into a black leather chair opposite the desk behind which Friedrich stood. “It was never close together. It happened perhaps two or three times per decade. So it always appeared as a singular incident.”
“Oh,” said Friedrich, a dawning expression raising his brow. “I always forget you’re over a century old.” Friedrich was only half his age. “So what caused you all to finally catch on?”
Nikolai heaved out a sigh. “That’s the hard part of it all. It was Arabelle who brought it to our attention.”
Friedrich grinned. “That’s right. Marius told me as much after he’d absconded with his new bride. Marius has his hands full with that one.”
“You have no idea.”
“I think I have a little. I met her at his Blood Ball, the very night she attempted to assassinate him.”
“Yes.” Nikolai stiffened at the reminder of his lapse in judgment that night, allowing her to get so close with a blade tipped in gold. “I was there as well.” If she’d hit her mark, his heart, she would’ve succeeded in killing the prince. Fortunately, fate intervened.
“She reminds me of someone else I know.”
“Oh?” Nikolai was curious. “Who’s that?”
“The damn schoolteacher in Terrington.” His brows pinched together.
“Damn schoolteacher? Seems she’s gotten under your skin, Your Grace.”
His mouth ticked up on one side. “Perhaps. I caught her snooping around my castle, seeking information about me and the Black Lily from her friend Sylvia, who is one of my servants.”
Somewhat alarmed, Nikolai asked, “Who is she working for? Your uncle?”
“Of that, I don’t know. But I plan to find out.”
Nikolai settled back again, relieved that the duke was apparently as adept at deception as any spy in the ranks of the Royal Legionnaires. He was a good ally to have in the Black Lily.
“Interesting.” Friedrich rubbed his chin, staring at the map.
“What’s that?”
“What if the reason the bodies have escalated is nothing more than timing?”
“How so?”
Friedrich rested a hand loosely on one hip. “You say the queen had gotten sloppy, and that’s why she finally got caught. What if it isn’t that at all? What if she’s just gotten more comfortable?”
Nikolai leaned forward, hands clasped together. “What do you mean?”
“The timing all coincided with Marius’s one hundredth birthday, the day he was to marry his princess and seal the final alliance of the Varis line.”
“Yes. But he didn’t marry her as you recall. And what of it? What would his marrying Princess Vilhelmina have to do with the queen and the blood madness?”
“It’s not the marriage, exactly, but what a pure lineage marriage would produce.” He sat in his chair and met Nikolai’s gaze across the desk with excitement shining bright in his dark blue eyes. “An heir. A strong Varis heir would give her the confidence to let her guard down. If she knew her legacy was sealed with a strong heir to continue the line for future generations, an heir she might even be able to manipulate if raised under her wing, then she could try again to bring back the old darkness, ruling with an iron fist. Disregarding the well-being of her subjects.”
“I think I know why,” came Sienna’s soft voice at the open door.
They both turned. Sienna stood, fully dressed, her hair pulled back. She would’ve looked refreshed if it weren’t for the sickening pallor whitening her cheeks and lips.
“Sienna.” Nikolai went to her and guided her into the room. “Come and sit.” He brought her to one of the chairs before the desk, then took a seat beside her. Friedrich sat as well, leaning to the side, his arm casually draped, though there was nothing casual about his grave expression.
“Now, what is it?” Nikolai kept her hand in his, gently stroking her knuckles with his thumb. “What is it you know?”
She almost smiled, though sorrow was etched on her brow. “You may not believe me, but I think I’ve had a premonition.”
Nikolai exchanged a troubled glance with Friedrich, then encouraged her. “Tell us. What do you mean?”
Swallowing hard and sitting up straighter, she said, “My grandmother used to tell me an old fairytale. A dark fairytale.” She licked her lips as if her mouth had gone dry. “Very dark. She said that the tale came to her in dreams. And when she died, the tale came to mine. Well, it was a nightmare, really. I’d forgotten about it. Until last night…” Her gaze swiveled from Friedrich to Nikolai, who squeezed her hand gently. “I dreamed it again. But this time, I recognized the faces of those who had been faceless all the times before. And now I know, it’s not just a story. It’s the future.”
“Tell us, my lady,” said Friedrich.
She nodded, but instead of speaking, she stood and walked to the window beside Friedrich’s desk, overlooking the vast snow-covered hills behind the castle. She appeared to be remembering or perhaps drawing up courage, then finally she cleared her throat softly.
“Once, there was a dark queen who ruled on high. Beautiful and immortal, she reigned with absolute power.”
Sienna paused. Nikolai noted her tangling her fingers together in agitation. He wanted to comfort her but sensed she wanted to get through this on her own. They all knew who the dark queen was. She went on.
“The queen had everything. Healthy heirs. Loyal Legionnaires. Beauty. Wealth. And an endless supply of bleeders at her beck and call. For this queen was vampire—powerful beyond compare. And yet, her spirit was restless. She wanted more. She longed for a world where laws could not impede her wicked desires, for a dominion of darkness, black like her heart and soul.
“So she went into the enchanted forest, towering with black trees and silver leaves, seeking counsel from the hartstone—the place of magic that had transformed her body into an ageless immortal. She wandered in and out of the woods for a century, begging the hartstone to show itself. Until finally, one day, the hartstone did. Though the stone of making only revealed itself to those it chose, it was drawn to beings infused with magic of their own. And the dark queen was filled with potent sorcery.
“The queen confessed her evil desire for eternal dominion over a dark world and asked if her deepest wish was possible. In response, the hartstone revealed a vision on its mirrored surface. It blurred, depicting a faceless queen on her throne and four sons at her side. The scene blurred into another, the view from behind of a dark-haired son and fair-haired bride at their candle-lit wedding. The scene faded into another of the fair-haired bride, drenched in sweat and blood as she gave birth to a healthy son. The scene faded one last time, where the father handed his child to the queen.”
Sienna turned from the window, her green eyes glittering unnaturally bright, her voice shaking as she finished the tale. “There, with her newborn grandson in hand, by the light of the full moon, she sank her fangs into his small throat and drank his lifeblood until the child’s screams echoed off the stone walls no more.” A tear slipped down Sienna’s cheek.
“As the hartstone went cold and black, the queen knew her course and the path she must walk. For she felt the message clear to the marrow of her bones. That in the hour when she would steal her royal grandson’s innocent soul on the night of his birth, she would relinquish the last shred of her humanity to the beast within, and darkness would fall over the land, holding dominion over all mankind and immortals. For eternity.”
Nikolai rose and rounded the desk, gripping her by the shoulders and pulling her close. For a moment, none of them said a word for there was an energy in the air, sparking the room with the scent of magic. None of them could deny the fact that this was no tale.
“This is a prophecy,” said Friedrich, voicing what was on their minds.
Nikolai urged her to take a seat again, handing her a handkerchief. “A possible prophecy. Nothing is ever set in stone.”
“True,” said Freidrich, leaning forward. “My uncle only has one daughter, Lucille. Queen Lana has had two stillborn sons prior to her. But she is pregnant again and nearing her day of delivery.”
“I’ve never met Queen Lana,” said Nikolai. “Is she blonde?”
Friedrich nodded. But Sienna sat forward, tightening the handkerchief in her fist.
“No. I don’t believe it’s her. Last night, in the dream, I think I recognized the mother giving birth.” She closed her eyes as if remembering, then opened them with a look of pain. “I believe it was Mina.”
Nikolai blanched. His voice was a cold whip. “Did the queen honestly believe Marius would’ve handed over his newborn son for her to murder?”
“But Marius didn’t marry Mina,” offered Sienna. “She’s safe from the queen now.”
“Unless it was Queen Lana in the premonition and she gives birth to a healthy son.”
Friedrich opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened. Grant stepped in carrying a silver tray with a bone-white teapot and a plate of biscuits, fruit, and cheese.
“Ah. Thank you, Grant.”
Grant set the tray on the table next to the blue chaise where Nikolai laid Sienna last night. He didn’t wear the livery of a servant, but the casual clothes of a field hand. He eyed the group with an intelligent gaze, nodded to Friedrich, then sauntered out.
When he’d left the room, the duke sauntered to the tray, poured a cup of tea, and delivered it to Sienna. The delivery of tea somehow broke through the ominous veil spun by her tale. She had wiped her eyes and breathed easier now, seeming to have come out of the oppressive cloud of her dream. And yet, they couldn’t ignore the fact that the queen’s ultimate goal was to reign in a world much darker than it was now.
“He doesn’t behave like normal servants,” Nikolai remarked offhandedly.
“No,” he admitted. “He’s not. But don’t worry, friend. Grant keeps my secrets. No one will know that you are here.”
Nikolai thought to ask more, but it was obvious Friedrich had secrets of his own he wasn’t willing to share. And if the duke trusted the man, then so would he.
Sienna turned her attention to him as he poured another cup of tea and handed it to Nikolai. “But won’t your cook wonder where he’s taking tea and breakfast?”
“Not at all,” he said, handing her a plate of food, his charming smile in place. “Cook will only think I’ve kept a lady friend overnight. Common enough occurrence.”
Sienna smiled, then moved her gaze toward the map spread atop the duke’s desk. “What is this?”
Friedrich resumed his place behind the desk. “I was showing Nikolai my map here earlier.”
She took a sip and set her teacup on the outer edge of the desk, seeming to have recovered from the dark foretelling a few moments before. “And why are these circled in red?” she asked, homing in on the unusual markings right away.
Nikolai edged forward at her side, brushing his fingers against the back of her hand at her side, seeking to comfort her. She flinched in surprise, then let her fingers brush his before she tangled them together, barely casting him a sidelong glance, then focused on the map again. Tension, sharp and bright, charged the air.
Friedrich cleared his throat, eyeing both of them with an arched brow. “All of these villages along the southern border of the northern kingdom have vanished.”
That brought Nikolai back to the earlier conversation. “Vanished? How do you mean?”
“I mean, gone. The entire village is completely gone. Not a single soul left, dead or alive. Well, except for livestock.”
“But how?” asked Sienna.
“The how I’m not sure of, but I’m investigating. Or at least, I was.”
Nikolai shifted partly behind Sienna in a protective stance. The mere mention of danger rose his hackles and an instinctive nature to keep her close. “How do you mean?”
Friedrich combed a hand through his hair, tousling his brown locks, disheveling his controlled demeanor. “My uncle.”
Something burned in Nikolai’s gut. “King Dominik.”
“Yes.”
The Varis Empire was divided into four kingdoms ruled by three kings and one steward—King Stephanus in the eastern kingdom of Korinth, King Agnar in the western kingdom of Pyros, Steward Thorwald in the southern kingdom of Arkadia, merely keeping the place of Marius who was supposed to have married the Arkadian Princess Vilhelmina and take his rightful place but did not, and finally, King Dominik, the ruthless ruler of the northern kingdom, Izeling.
Friedrich continued. “My uncle has visited Winter Hill more often than he ever has before. Always some excuse like resting his horses on his journey here or there. But truly, I believe he’s spying on me.”
“Why would you say that?” asked Sienna.
“I’d say firstly because I relinquished my Legionnaires, who were most probably all under his employ.”
“Getting rid of them may have solidified your guilt in his eyes,” Nikolai noted.
“Not necessarily. He knows Marius and I were close growing up. But he also knows I am my own man and wouldn’t appreciate nursemaids watching my every move, then reporting back to him. Which is precisely what they were doing.”
“Did they have anything to report?”
“Besides the fact that I like to feed twice a week and my lovely hosts tend to sleep over, no, there was nothing to report.” Friedrich turned a sheepish grin to Sienna. “Pardon my frankness. Purely consensual, of course.”
Sienna nodded with a tentative smile. “Of course.”
“And what of your courier bringing correspondence to and from Cutters Cove?” asked Nikolai. “Also, I forgot to personally thank you for your gift of the ship and the goods in Hiddleston.”
“The least I could do,” he said with a nod. “And my courier comes and goes only by night and through a secret passage in and out of Winter Hill. The Legionnaires never knew of it. That is how we’ll get you two out of here as well.”
Sienna glanced at the map, then back up at Friedrich. “If the Legionnaires are gone, and you say you trust your personal guard, then why all the secrecy?”
“Because anyone can be bought. A servant in the kitchen, a scullery maid, a night guard. I pay them all well, but my uncle has unlimited resources. He could offer a lifetime’s coin and jewels in exchange for information of my betrayal.”
Nikolai tensed, knowing what that betrayal, if discovered, would cost him. “I am sorry that we came here. I didn’t realize you were already under such scrutiny. I wouldn’t wish any trouble on you because of us.”
Friedrich waved a hand. “Please. I am glad you came. It is safer in here than it is out there.” He folded up the map carefully and locked it back in his drawer. “And I do not wish the queen discovering your betrayal, Nikolai. Not for anything.”
Sienna sat up straighter, her back stiff. “Why do you say that? What would she do?”
The soft edge to Friedrich’s expression hardened as he leaned over the desk on the knuckles of both fists. When he answered, he leveled his gaze on Nikolai. “She is cruel to those who betray her.”
“What has she done?” asked Nikolai.
“That is what I wanted to tell you before Grant came in.” He heaved a sigh. “When Marius fled with his peasant bride, Princess Vilhelmina was still within the grounds of the Glass Tower.”
“Yes, I know.” Nikolai leaned forward. “When I abandoned my post to follow Marius, she was preparing to return to her home Briar Rose in Arkadia. Did she not return?”
“Oh, she most certainly returned. But words were exchanged between the princess and the queen before she departed. The queen discovered that it was the princess who had encouraged Marius to follow his heart rather than go through with their arranged marriage.”
“Bloody hell,” murmured Nikolai.
“And with the foretelling,” added Sienna, “the queen would be furious at losing her chance of Mina marrying Marius and having his son.”
“Precisely.”
Sienna sat on the edge of her cushion. “But what happened to Mina?” she asked in desperation. “When the princess was in our care in my cottage, she and I became friends. Please tell me,” she pleaded urgently. “The queen didn’t hurt her, did she?”
Friedrich’s relaxed demeanor hardened, his dark blue eyes taking on a glacial hue. “She was condemned to a bloodless sleep.”
“What?” asked Nikolai in shock, his expression hardening.
“What is that?” asked Sienna. “What is a bloodless sleep?”
Friedrich exchanged a look with Nikolai, then the latter turned to Sienna to explain. “The bloodless sleep is an old practice. A cruel one. It is used on vampire criminals. Of the worst kind.”
“But what crime has the princess committed?” asked Sienna in disbelief.
“Treason,” replied Friedrich. “The queen determined her actions were an outright break with her betrothal and a betrayal of the crown. Queen Morgrid had her own royal Legionnaires escort the princess back to Briar Rose. There, under orders, they murdered her lady-in-waiting right before her eyes.”
Sienna gasped and whispered the woman’s name. “Kathleen. She was her host. And her friend,” added Sienna. “Mina drank only from her.”
“I know,” said Friedrich.
“What did they do to Mina? This bloodless sleep?”
Friedrich tapped his index finger on the desk, his signet ring winking in the morning light, before telling the rest in one long breath. “The Royal Legionnaires locked Mina in her tower and starved her until she collapsed. Under the queen’s orders, they now feed her one drop of blood per week. Enough to keep her alive, but also trapped in the darkness of a hungry sleep.”
“Torture,” bit out Nikolai. “Brutal torture.”
“Yes,” agreed Friedrich. “So keep ahead of the queen, my friend. She is certainly bringing back the old ways, trying to reinstate the tyranny she once ruled. Whether she truly is chasing this dream Sienna told us, she is definitely taking steps to control with dark forces.”
“Indeed.” His sharp gaze landed on her. “Do you see now why we must flee to Cutters Cove?”
“No, I don’t.”
“It’s too risky to take you to Dale’s Peak, Sienna.” He said her name with bite and steel. And finality.
She gave him a sad sort of smile, tilting her head submissively. Yet her words were not the admission of surrender he longed to hear. “Nikolai, we need to finish what we started. At the very least, we need to meet our contact at Dale’s Peak where recruits are likely to be large in number.” She placed a hand atop his on his lap. “We must try for the sake of the Black Lily.”
He jolted to a stand, biting back a reply, then returned to the window, hands at his back.
“Don’t you understand?” she implored. “Revolutions aren’t won without danger. And death. We are all risking our lives. Why shouldn’t I?”
He spun. “Because I—” Snapping his mouth shut and clenching his jaw, he whirled back to face the window. Tension rippled off his stone-like frame.
Friedrich rounded his desk and ambled toward the door. “I’ll leave you two to decide.” He stopped with his hand on the knob. “I don’t want to interfere in your mission, but she is right, Nikolai. War is coming. And we need good men on our side.”
…
Sienna could feel Nikolai’s anger like a biting chill in the air. He made no move from the window when the duke shut the door behind him. His stance and posture blocked her out, as cold as the snowy landscape beyond. She couldn’t stand to see him suffer, especially when it was because of her.
Approaching lightly, she grazed a hand from his taut shoulder down his arm. “Nikolai?”
He flinched but didn’t move, continuing to stare at the vast snowy hills rolling away.
Inhaling a deep breath, she positioned herself in front of him. He’d left little room between himself and the casement, so she was forced to squeeze in close and grip his shoulders. With her body so near his, their chests touching, he finally broke his distant glare out the window and lowered his gaze to hers.
“I don’t want you to be angry, but you must understand the importance of our mission.”
“It will matter little if we die in the fulfilling of it,” he snapped, his hands still clasped at his back.
She brushed a hand down his chest. “I am surprised you are afraid of such a thing as death.” Lifting her wandering hand, she brushed her fingertips along his granite jaw, trying to soothe him.
He caught her hand and leaned into her palm, closing his eyes briefly before giving her the full force of his supernatural gaze—intense, lethal, and razor-sharp. “I am not afraid of death.” He pressed a kiss into her palm, the slow, sensual act weakening her knees. “I am afraid of losing you.”
The stark admission of his feelings knocked the breath out of her. But then he made it worse by crowding her farther back against the window ledge, her bottom resting on top. He braced his legs on either side of hers and cupped her face with both hands.
“I’d rather take you away to some safe place and hide from the world so there is no one but you and me. I’d rather let the world bleed than put you in danger’s path one more day.”
Somehow she managed a small smile, even as he hovered his tempting mouth so close. “When this is all over, we can return to my cottage in Silvane Forest. I’ve done a fine job of hiding from the world there. And I never knew loneliness until—” She faltered, gathering strength to say what she longed to say.
He grazed his lips across hers, like the brush of silk. “Until what? Tell me, my sweet.”
She clenched her fists in his shirt and finally admitted aloud, “Until you.” Refusing to take the cowardly way out, she raised her gaze and met his fierceness, head on. “Ever since we first met and you went away with Marius and Arabelle, I have longed for you. Daily. Nightly. Desperately. I want nothing more than to have you near me.”
His brow bunched into a frown. “You never said a word of this before.”
“How could I? You have always been flirtatious. But so are many men I encounter at the market. I thought you might be indifferent.”
He scoffed. “Indifferent?”
In a punishing kiss, he swept in, brutal and hard, his tongue tasting and devouring, evoking a soft moan from her throat. After a long, bruising kiss that set her body on fire, he pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I can’t take chances with your life, Sienna. It would cut me too deep if anything should happen to you.”
“It is my decision. We return to Dale’s Peak tonight.”
“Damn you, woman,” he ground out, breath coming fast. “Why won’t you listen? You could be killed. So could I.”
“Then we die for a good cause. Look at Mina. She already suffers for her part in helping us.”
“Yes. Precisely. Look what the queen did to her.”
“Even more reason to do all we can to arm ourselves so we can fight.” She slid a hand over his nape, the muscles in his neck still tense. “And here I thought you were fearless?” she teased.
“I was fearless when it was only my life at stake. Now I have so much more to lose.” He slanted his mouth over hers more gently, lining her lips with his tongue, then supping at her mouth with wet, warm kisses as if she were the most delicious of delicacies. “I wish I could kiss some sense into your pretty head.” He nipped again. “But I will surrender to your wishes. I’ll take you to Dale’s Peak.”
She darted her tongue along her lip where he’d nipped her. He hadn’t broken the skin and, heaven help her, she wished he had.
His eyes dilated, following the flick of her tongue.
She let her hands wander down his chest and abdomen, wishing to feel the hard body beneath with no barriers. “We have many hours before nightfall.” She lifted a hand and traced a fingertip along his parted lips, catching sight of his sharpened fangs. “Take me to bed, Nikolai. Make me yours.”