He traced to the edge of the bed, sitting beside her, just preventing himself from dragging her over his lap. "Bettina, I am sorry. I thought the demon had influenced you."

She pulled her knees to her chest and turned away. "Cas wanted to defeat you on his own. He believed he could, until you went crazy."

She will never forgive this. "I . . . didn't know."

"That night, I had just realized that I was feeling something deeper for you than I'd ever felt before," she said softly, sadly-as if she was speaking about something long lost, never to be found again. "I saw that you had been poisoned, and I thought I was saving your life." She gave a humorless laugh. "I believed I was finally going to be able to help."

She'd wanted only to save me? He tried to speak past the lump in his throat. Couldn't.

"I'd recognized that Cas was nothing more than my best friend-one I will always treasure. I'd accepted that what I felt for you was completely different. But then you turned around and humiliated both Cas and me."

So we'd gotten past the demon at last, and I fucked my chances?

She continued, "I'd pointed out that you were about to get everything and asked you not to hurt him. But I guess consideration for us went out the window when you suspected me of poisoning you."

He flinched.

"My coronation was a misery. Everyone had accepted you as their king, so when you forsook me, they thought there must've been a good reason!"

She'd already felt like an imposter in Abaddon, and he'd made it that much worse for her. "Bettina . . ." How to explain what had been going on in his mind? When even now he could hardly think? Instinct was riding him hard.

"I've been able to 'rehabilitate' my image, but Cas wasn't so fortunate. He was shunned, forced to leave. He's gone to the Plane of Lost Years."

Then he'd gone to hell. I have definitely fucked my chances with her. How to make amends? How to-

Gaze narrowing, Trehan reached for the crystal around his neck, yanking it free. "This will be his."

She faced him. "Pardon?"

"Caspion is a tracker? Consider this amends."

"You'd do that?" She tilted her head. "When it's been passed down through your house?" Trehan took her hand and placed the crystal in her palm, closing her delicate fingers over it.

Bettina stared down at the crystal, then up at Daciano. She had never seen a male look so anguished, as if he'd been gutted and was slowly expiring. "Vampire, I appreciate the gesture, but I can't accept this," she said, returning it to him. "Please put it back on."

Brows drawn, he reluctantly did, his bemusement seeming to deepen-as if she'd rejected him anew.

"I'm only saying that you should think about a decision like this."

"Think? Bettina, I can't think. Since my blooding, logic and reason have vanished. As I said, all I can do is feel. And I've very little experience . . . feeling."

"What happened between the morning after we made love and that twilight in the tent?"

"I don't know how to explain myself, or even if it's possible."

"Try."

"During the tournament, there'd been much . . . pressure," he began haltingly. "It continued to build."

"What kind of pressure?"

"Over that week, I experienced your attack firsthand, and it filled me with unimaginable wrath. And yet I could only murder and torture your foes once. I was expected to slay Gourlav-but not to injure him. I'd believed that I would fight Caspion to the death-and that I would lose you if I survived. Then, when we made love, I denied . . . instincts."

His instinct to bite. Just as Sabine had said.

"I'd lost blood against the primordial and continued to deteriorate over the day. Then you appeared, and you showed such concern for Caspion. I thought I'd been doing everything right to win you from him-denying myself, toiling for the future, trying to earn your affection."

She was aware of how hard he had worked and all the miraculous feats he'd accomplished in such a short time. He'd been under enough pressure to make twenty Dacians snap. Even now he wasn't physically well, obviously hadn't been drinking enough to sustain himself.

"The jealousy maddened me. You were right-I wasn't hearing you. I can see that now. Even the mere mention of his name enraged me."

"Why? I thought I made it clear that he was my friend. And I . . . I made love to you, Trehan. Surely you understood how I felt about you. I believed we were getting married in hours."

"I see it now, but gods, I couldn't then! The jealousy . . . Always I remembered our first night together. Always I could see how you would be with Caspion, could see exactly what he would enjoy if you ever went to him. It made me crazed. . . ." He trailed off, clenching his jaw.

She tried to imagine what he'd gone through. How would she feel if Trehan had welcomed her into his bed, yet then she discovered that his every touch and kiss had been intended for another?

Jealousy scalded her at the mere thought.

"Then, in the fight, when I realized I'd been poisoned, I remembered that you'd handed me that goblet. I concluded that you were in league with Caspion." He clasped his forehead. "I believed that you would wed him and that I'd lost you forever. I wanted to punish him for winning you. I couldn't handle the idea of not having you," he said, adding in a mutter, "any better than I can now."

"If I'd let you drink from me, would you have reacted differently?"

"This is in no way your fault. It was mine."

"But would you have suffered that confusion and aggression?"

"No matter my condition, how could I have suspected you?"

How? She sighed. Probably because I had a poison ring, a poison arsenal, a smoking-gun goblet in my hand, and my best friend in the ring with you.

Suddenly his hand shot out, palm gripping the back of her neck. "Bettina, I thought . . . I truly thought that I was doing everything right. I want only to do right by you."

And with those laden words, Bettina recognized that this wasn't over between them. Her grief from losing him started to evaporate.

She began to view their circumstances in a completely new light. Cas was alive, Bettina was a free queen in her own right, empowered in more ways than one-and this gorgeous, sexy Dacian looked as if he was barely restraining himself from pulling her beneath him and kissing her until she decided to keep him.

And she would keep him.

I want him above all things. These days, Bettina of Abaddon got what she wanted.

Grabbing her, Trehan? Snatching her nape?

With an inward curse, he released her, turning away to try to reason this out. To calm his frenetic thoughts.

Merely looking at her face made instinct scream inside him. Much less the siren's call of her sexy, little pulse-point.

"I can't stay mad at you for suspecting me." She touched his back, the contact jolting him with anticipation. "Just as you doubted me, I doubted both Cas and Raum." He heard her exhale.

He didn't breathe.

"I'm not blameless, Trehan. I'd do things differently if I could." Over his shoulder, she dangled a chain, threaded through with . . .

A male's gold ring.

His eyes slid shut as he clasped it in his fist. "You made this?" Voice gone hoarse, he said, "For me?" He yanked it off the chain, couldn't shove it on his finger fast enough.

"Yes. The morning after we made love."

He twisted around to face her. "Then you can forgive me." Everything he desired-family, friend, mistress, grand love of his life-was so godsdamned close. My love awaits with widened eyes. . . .

"Vampire, you were a certain way with me in the beginning, and then you changed. It hurt so badly, like I lost you twice. I could never go through something like that again."

He clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her once more. "I vow to you-and I vow to the Lore-that I will never treat you that way again. I'll spend the rest of my life showing the Abaddonae how much I adore you, if you give me another chance."

"Then it's given, Trehan. Because you did try to do everything right. You did work hard and you gave so much. If not for the squire's actions, we'd be in our bed right now."

He frowned. "No, Bettina, even without the poison, I still . . ." He shoved his fingers through his hair. "My mind, it isn't well." How exactly was he supposed to present his dilemma to her? I need to sink my fangs in your neck while I'm inside you. "Vampire males . . . we need . . ." He eased closer to her, his fangs sharpening.

She had to notice them, but didn't pull away.

"We need to drink. I can't deny what I am."

She nodded? "I'd decided to give you my blood on our wedding night. I'd regretted not trusting you to make a bite wonderful. I shouldn't have denied you before."

Again, she'd shocked him. Again, he moved nearer. Had she sidled closer as well?

If she could accept him, then nothing would stand in their way. Which meant his heart would be whole, his mind eased. He would use both to cherish her, and all would be well.

"You can accept my nature?"

She blinked at him. "I already have."

"Wed me, Bett! As soon as possible. I want you to be my queen. I want us to rule together."

"You'd truly come back to Abaddon? Give up Dacia again?"

"To have you? Anything. But Dacia will likely open its gates, so visiting is not out of the question."

By now, their lips were inches apart. "We could come back and play with all your weapons?" She looked bold and breathless-and happy. Heated air whorled around her body, her sorcery mirroring her emotions.

"Our weapons." He removed her mask. "As you wish to, my merry sorceress."

"Then take me home, Trehan, to our bed."

How those words affected him! He traced her directly there, easing her back across the silk.

Cradling her face, he bent to her lips, taking them beneath his own. With all the fervor he felt inside, he kissed her.

Only this time, no gallows awaited.

As their tongues twined, he and Bettina began ridding each other of clothes in a mad rush, hands colliding in their haste to touch bared skin.

Once he had his Bride naked, he drew back to simply gaze down at her. Swirls of light emanated from her supple skin, her eyes so lustrous. Magic heated her very palms as she reached for him, her fingertips sizzling when she swept them over his chest.

A sorceress desirous of her male.

Dipping his head, he nuzzled his lips all around one nipple, then the other, as his hand grazed up her thighs, higher . . .

She swiftly spread them, as if impatient for his touch.

Chapter 53

With a reverent groan, he cupped her dewy sex, caressing it, demonstrating how much he adored her with every lingering stroke-

"Trehan," she began in a breathless voice, "can you . . . can you really wait for this much longer?"

Against her breast, he grated, "Gods, I love your questions, female!" Like a shot, he rose above her. When he was poised at her wet entrance, she laid her soft palms on his face.

Holding his gaze, she murmured, "You know you can do anything to me, Trehan. I'm yours, only yours. I always will be."

At last! Words from a dream-

She pulled her shining hair over her shoulder, baring the lovely column of her neck. "Anything, vampire."

His fangs throbbed for that skin. "If you knew how badly I've craved this . . . I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't."

"It's more than thirst, dragă. I hunger for your lifeblood. I need it mingling with my own forever."

"Then take it."

I'm truly to pierce her? She wanted him, had accepted him in all ways. And he would spend eternity proving to her why she was right to.

Must make it pleasurable.

Though he quaked with eagerness, he painstakingly fed his length inside her tight sex-with a slow, hot, wet glide to the hilt. He yelled out from the shock of pleasure, savoring her throaty moan.

Seated so deep inside her, he lowered his head, bringing his mouth to the tender skin where her neck and shoulder met. He licked her there, preparing her.

To take her blood while claiming her body. After centuries of waiting, fantasy would be made flesh. "Bett?" he rasped against her, still disbelieving.

"Now, Trehan. Now!"

As he opened his jaw wider, his fangs lengthened even more. He pressed the tips against her pulse. . . .

His bite breached the surface of her skin-again, with a slow, hot, wet glide. Her sweet flesh enveloped his aching fangs-a tight seal that made him shudder above her. So tight that no blood welled.

He had to suck her, and the feel of it was . . .

So fucking perfect.

He gave a wretched groan as her blood touched his tongue. With that first contact, Trehan lost his mind.

Or found it.

Under his fangs, she writhed, her pale throat working as she screamed, "Trehan! Ah, gods, yes!"

His hips began to rock between her thighs as he drew her essence into him-a swift, scorching infusion that coursed through his every vein.

With each drop, his weeks-long grief ebbed, his ages of loneliness faded.

His female tasted of magic and heat and mystery. Sorcery steeped her blood, now dancing in his, enlivening him body and mind. Bettina este viaţă.

His lids slid shut with bliss as he thrust wildly, drank deeply. Better than fantasy!

But his eyes flashed open as he felt her body readying to come, those beginning tremors like strokes around his shaft. . . .

When the vampire had eased his fangs into her flesh, Bettina had trembled with shock.

Like brands, they'd scalded her with white-hot pleasure. Like brands, they'd changed her irrevocably.

His bite was ruinous, pleasuring her so thoroughly she knew she would crave it forever.

As he sucked her blood with rumbling growls, ecstasy welled up inside her. Each of his draws magnified it. A cry escaped her lips, making him snarl into his bite.

Her body tightened beneath his-twisting, rocking, spiraling-rapture about to overtake her. "Vampire! More!"