My dreams were . . . painful. Images of Gabriel, Noel, Xavier and Adrian with their lips on every part of my body filled them. I awoke with my center throbbing with need, hardened nipples, and a racing heart.

“Good morning,” Berenzi said cheerfully, entering my room with a tray of breakfast.

I took a breath to calm my fluttering heart as I climbed out of bed.

“This is wonderful, Berenzi,” I said. “But you really don’t have to bring me breakfast.”

“Never you mind,” she said, setting down the tray on a side table. “Besides, I thought I’d help you get dressed for today’s ride.”

"Ride?"

“You have some alone time with Xavier. He wants to take you riding,” she said, with a wink. “I figured you could get breakfast out of the way."

"Oh," I said, pleasantly surprised. They weren’t taking their time, were they? They were giving me exactly what I asked for—the opportunity to get to know them as individuals. I certainly got to know Gabriel a little more last night. My hand drifted to my mouth at the memory of last night's kiss, and I flushed.

"They're good men," Berenzi said, approaching me. She had taken a pair of beige riding pants out of the closet along with a cream peasant top. "I know I'm biased, but you'll see for yourself."

She left me alone to change and eat. After I ate the generous serving of muffins, fruit and juice, I entered the bathroom. The tub was massive, and to my relief there was running water. It wasn’t clear like the water back home, but the green color of jade. I took it in, wondering why it was so large. I swallowed, warmth spiraling through my center as I realized it was big enough to fit me and my four vampires.

After my bath, I stepped back into my room wrapped in a towel. I froze when I saw Xavier standing there. His mouth went slack as he took me in, after a flash of raw desire shone in his eyes, he politely turned away.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Berenzi said you were eating.”

"It's OK," I said. My body had an instinctive reaction to him as well; my nipples had hardened against my towel, my mouth was dry, and my center was slick with wetness. I shook my head as if to clear it, moving behind the screen to change.

When I came back out, the look of desire had not left Xavier’s eyes.

“You look lovely, as always,” he murmured. “I thought you’d like to go riding and explore our little portion of Velar. We’ll have to have guards follow us, unfortunately, just in case Edelnar or any of his allies are lurking.”

“That’s OK,” I said, though unease filled my gut. I’d almost forgotten about Edelnar.

In the courtyard, two horses were waiting for us. I was relieved I had experience riding horses. I’d been a camp counselor during the summers between my freshman and sophomore years; riding had always come easy to me.

As we raced out of the courtyard and past the front gates of the estate, a dozen guards trailed us. They wore dark cloaks; their expressions stone-faced and serious.

“Are they vampires?” I asked.

“Mostly. There are a couple of fae. All fiercely loyal to Gabriel,” Xavier said. “We trust them with our lives. I told them to give us space for our outing today. They’ll be out of sight soon.”

We rode parallel to the river until reaching a bridge, which we crossed at a slow clatter. Xavier then picked up his pace, and I realized he was leading us into the forests that lined the fields. A ripple of excitement filled me; what would the forests in Velar look like?

As we took a dusty path into the forest, I looked around. It was akin to the forests on earth—only everything was more . . . lush. The leaves that grew on the trees seemed greener, the stream we followed was that same emerald green of the river, the wildflowers which sprang out of the earth sported vibrant—almost fluorescent—colors. It seemed like an enchanted forest out of some fairy tale.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Xavier said, studying me.

“That’s a major understatement,” I said, and he laughed.

“Wait until you see what’s up ahead,” he said, his green eyes twinkling with mischief.

He led us to a massive clearing that encircled a waterfall. I stared at it, agape. The water that fell over the cliff’s edge didn't seem like water at all. It looked like a shimmering sheen of diamonds sparkling in the sunlight.

“Is that water?” I gasped.

“It is,” he said. “It’s just the way the sunlight hits it that makes it look like diamonds.”

“Is all of Velar this beautiful?” I asked, as Xavier tied his horse to a tree. He helped me down from mine.

“We’re in the countryside. The cities and towns run the gamut from beautiful to rundown, much like in your world,” he said, tying my horse to the tree next to his.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

“The Barlad Isles,” he said, and a look of longing flickered across his handsome face. "My parents reside there. My father was excited about me traveling to your world. He loved human history as well."

"He's the reason you love history, right?" I asked, recalling what he had told me in New Orleans about his father.

"Yes. I'd spend hours with him in one of our libraries reading historical narratives from various scribes. When I learned my mate grew up in the human world, I spent as much time as I could learning about human history."

"What do you think?" I asked, giving him an inquiring look. "About human history?"

"That humans aren't too different from vampires and fae," he replied. "They're good at killing each other over minute differences."

I nodded; he was right. Maybe Velar wasn't so different from my world after all.

He took my hand and led me down a small path encircling the waterfall, telling me about growing up in the Barlad Isles; the beaches of white and black sand, the green waters surrounding the isles, the home he grew up in that looked out over the waters. He had been training to be a scribe when he learned he was mated to me; a scribe in Velar was the equivalent of a historian back in my world.

"I can't tell you how excited I was when I learned my mate shared my interest," he said, grinning. "I think the others were a little jealous."

I laughed. "They have no reason to be. So far I find you all fascinating. And your looks don't hurt," I added teasingly. I was surprised how much at ease I felt with Xavier; I thought it would take more time for me to be comfortable teasing and joking with him. But it felt like I'd known him for so much longer.

"Neither do yours," Xavier said, his voice becoming husky. He stopped walking and turned me to face him. He reached out to touch my cheek.

The same hunger I'd felt with Gabriel coiled through me, and I stood on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his. Xavier moaned; our kiss was hot and fervent, our bodies melded close together, I could feel his hardness against my thigh. When I was breathless with desire, he pulled back, peppering kisses along my jaw and throat. I whimpered, pressing my body close to his.

"Not yet, Liana," he whispered, reluctantly releasing me. His green eyes had darkened; his breathing rapid.

For a split second I considered pulling him to me again, but I shook my head. I needed to keep my wits about me; desire would just cloud my mind.

Xavier reached for my hand, and we continued our walk around the waterfall before returning to our horses.

"If you choose to stay with us," he said, longing stirring in his eyes, "I would love to take you to the isles and introduce you to my parents, show you where I grew up."

"I'd like that," I whispered, feeling an intense longing of my own, and joy leapt into Xavier's expression.

On the way back, I realized I hadn't yet explored or practiced my magic; it was another reason I'd come to Velar, after all. As we rode back, I told Xavier this.

"Of course," he said. "We just wanted to give you time to settle in. I can introduce you to Nya, a servant of ours who's fae. She can train you with your magic."

My heart beat in anticipation; my supposed ability to perform magic was another aspect to all this which was still unbelievable.

When we arrived back at the estate, I hoped to have a glimpse of the others, but Xavier told me they had all gone to the capital and wouldn't be back until later. A surge of disappointment filled me at his words. But it was silly; I'd see them later, and I'd seen them just last night.

"Was my company disappointing?"

"No," I said quickly, but when I looked up at Xavier, I saw he wore a teasing smile on his handsome face.

"We miss you when you're not around us, too," he said, reaching out to touch my cheek. His voice dropped, grew husky once more, "It's the strength of our bond."

"Xavier?"

Xavier dropped his hand, and we turned. A beautiful woman with flame-red hair and wide-set hazel eyes approached.

"Hello, Nya," Xavier said, giving her a pleasant smile, and a small shard of jealousy pierced me. He turned to face me. "Nya will help you with your magic. I'll leave you to it."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Nya said, when we were alone, "we've all heard so much about you."

I gave her a polite nod; it was still disconcerting everyone here seemed to know about me. I trailed Nya through the estate to the back gardens.

"The others mentioned you were able to ward off Edelnar with your magic?" she asked, once we reached a clearing in the central part of the garden.

"Yes," I said, recalling the burst of light that exploded from my hands, "but I have no idea how I did it."

"In fae, our magic is often connected to our emotions," Nya said. "You were probably experiencing great fear."

I nodded, though that was an understatement. I'd been terrified.

"To get started, it's best to think of magic like a basic thing you already do. Like breathing, running or swimming," she said.

She lifted her hand, and I watched in amazement as a thread of light unspooled from her palm. She gave it a little tug, and she was lifted several feet into the air. I stared at her, eyes wide, my heart thundering in my chest.

"I just thought of flying; I gave the elements around me a command," she said calmly. "Why don't you do the same? Give it a try."

I obeyed. I held out my hand, concentrating on the surrounding air. But nothing happened. We attempted several more 'spells'; making the door behind me slam shut, lifting one of the flowers from the garden into the air—but nothing happened.

I grew increasingly frustrated. Maybe they were wrong about me.

"It's alright," Nya said gently, sensing my frustration. "This will all take time. You just arrived and you're still adjusting. At least we know you're capable of using magic to protect yourself. Let's try again tomorrow."

"How did you come to be here?" I asked, as she led me back inside.

"Gabriel rescued me from dark fae who wanted to torture and kill me. I was a healer in my town; I healed a wounded vampire," Nya said. The way her eyes softened when she spoke of Gabriel sent another spiral of jealousy careening through me, and she reached out to give my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I don't care for them like that, and neither do they. They only have eyes for one woman," she added, her eyes twinkling. I flushed, giving her a tentative smile. There was no reason for my jealousy of Nya; she was nothing but kind.

Berenzi came to fetch me for dinner with the vampires; I practically flew to the dining room, anticipation coursing through me. Xavier was right; it had only been a few hours, and I did really miss them.

When I entered the dining room, my heart swelled at the sight of them. They had been discussing something before I entered, but abruptly fell silent. By the looks on their faces, I could tell they were troubled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," Adrian said quickly, too quickly. "Tell us, how was your day?"

I studied them. They were definitely hiding something from me, but I decided not to press. I was just happy to be around them again.

I told them about riding with Xavier, a blush staining my cheeks as I recalled our kiss, and my failed attempt at practicing magic. Noel assured me I would get the hang of it.

But as we ate, the sense of them hiding something continued to nag at me. My feelings for them were growing; but if they weren't open with me, how could we ever truly be mates?