"It'll do more than leave us vulnerable," Grace said. "If he manages to kill her while we're all linked, you and I will die as well."
"Now, wait just one bloody minute," Lance began. "If you seriously think I'm going to let you…"
His wife shot him a look. "If we don't do it, he could eventually get his hands on a Magekind couple, and we all die anyway. I'd rather go down fighting."
"But it doesn't have to be you!"
"Yes, it does," Morgana told him bluntly. "Remember the vision I had that convinced me you had to Gift Grace? I saw a man's face, laughing, and I felt a sense of… evil. It was all very vague, but I had the sense she was going to be absolutely vital in destroying a threat against Magekind."
"All right, dammit," Lance growled, frustrated. Reece knew exactly how he felt. "I just wish to hell somebody'd had a vision that she'd come through this thing all right."
Llyr gave him a small, regal bow of the head. "Thank you, Lord Lancelot," he said. "I will not forget this. Without your wife's help, Janieda has no chance at all." He aimed a cool, direct look at Erin and Reece. "What about you?"
"If she does," Reece said in a deep, low rumble, "Erin won't be your queen."
"I'm aware of that." His attention shifted to Erin with a trace of male regret. "And it is a pity. But I won't turn my back on Janieda."
Erin straightened her shoulders. Her mouth felt like cotton, and she felt that particular blend of excitement and terror she always felt before a mission. "Yeah. I'll get her back for you, Your Highness."
Llyr's face softened. "I do not doubt it." He lifted his hands. A glowing doorway appeared. "In the meantime, I must make preparations and tell my people our plans."
"Well," Morgana said, lifting a brow. "It seems we're going through with this after all." She turned to the Grimoire and leaned against the table. "So. The spell. I believe I know the rough outlines, but help with some of the finer points would be welcome."
The book's pages began to flip by themselves. "It's a complicated ritual with a large number of steps. It's going to take several hours to prepare. First we must—"
"In the meantime," Grace said, moving to Erin's side, "let's talk, shall we?" With a gesture, she opened a doorway in the middle of the cell.
Erin eyed it dubiously. "But don't we need to start work on the Truebond?" she asked as the other woman urged her toward it.
"That'll only take a few seconds—if you're ready for it," Grace said. "Right now I don't think you are. Maybe I can help with that." Correctly reading her glance back at Morgana and the Grimoire, she added, "Believe me, when she wants you, she can find you."
They stepped through the doorway. Again, Erin shuddered as she felt the race of magic over her skin.
Looking around, she found they stood in a wide central square surrounded by beautiful buildings in a jumble of architectural styles. It should have looked like a mishmash as gothic cathedrals stood next to Greek temples and French chateaus, but somehow the air of magic about it all seemed to unify everything.
As Erin gaped around at the soaring buildings, she was vaguely aware of Arthur and Lance urging Reece through Grace's gate after them. Reece threw her a quick look over his shoulder as the three walked away across the square.
"All this was a little easier for me," Grace said, guiding her toward a garden planted in the center of the square. "Becoming a Maja, I mean."
Erin had been straining to hear what the retreating vampires were saying. At the other woman's words, she looked at her. Grace appeared no older than her late twenties, but knowing the Magekind, she could be a thousand years told. "So how long have you—?"
Grace smiled slightly. "About six months."
Erin blinked as they walked down a paved path surrounded by huge white roses that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, as though imbued with a magic of their own. "You're kidding. And you've got that much power?"
The Maja shrugged. "Genetics. Morgana is my grandmother."
"Yeah, that would do it."
"Which is one reason it was easier for me to accept all this. I grew up in Avalon. I knew court politics, I understood the complex relationship between the Magi and Majae." She shot Erin an understanding glance. "And I knew what a Truebond was, which made it much easier to enter into one with Lance. I get the distinct impression you're a little less comfortable with the idea."
Erin grimaced. "You're not wrong there."
"You want to talk?"
Oddly, she did, though she didn't even know this woman. "This Truebond. It will be permanent?"
Grace shrugged. "If it really is a Truebond. There are lesser bonds, which is why we call it a Truebond. It's very… profound."
Erin studied the other woman as they walked. She could hear a fountain tinkling nearby, the sound musical and soothing. "What's it like?"
"Most of the time you're just aware of your partner. A presence, even when he's not physically with you. You can reach out to him and feel his thoughts, though he can block you if he chooses. Lance usually doesn't shield from me." She seemed to gaze into the distance. "Right now Reece is telling them—" She stopped.
"What?" Erin finally asked, when she didn't speak for several minutes.
Grace shook her head. "Normally I wouldn't say this, but if you Truebond with him, you're going to find it out anyway. You hurt him, Erin. Badly." The look she turned on Erin was cool. "Making love to him, and then going off to accept Llyr's proposal. That was cold."
Erin felt a stab of shamed guilt. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have done it, but I thought it was the best way to save us both." She shook her head. "Besides, he shook me. I'm not used to being vulnerable to a man. Plus he was doing this whole dominant male thing, and that just ticked me off."
Grace's expression wanned into wicked understanding. "Ohhhh, yeah. That's a universal personality trait among Magi. Seems to go with the whole vampire/predator thing."
"Yeah, well, I'm an FBI agent. Or was. I don't do submissive."
"Really? Cool. I was a Tayanita County sheriff's deputy. I'm not submissive, either, but it can be a really fun game to play in the bedroom." Her eyes glinted. "When I'm not being Mistress Grace."
Erin eyed her lusty smile. "Oh?"
"Oh, yeah. Sometimes we play speeder and bad, bad deputy. I just love pulling Lance over and frisking him."
Erin dissolved into giggles, picturing slim Grace handcuffing her big, brawny vampire. "Not to mention reading him his rights."
"Mmm. You haven't lived until you've seen that ass bent over a patrol car." Grace gave a mock shiver.
Erin snickered. "Too much information."
"Oh, come on! Tell me you wouldn't love busting Reece. God, those shoulders—" Grace stopped and laughed. "Yes, Lance, I know you heard that!" She wrinkled her nose. "He gets so jealous."
Erin laughed even as she felt a twinge of envy. To have that kind of relationship…
With Reece.
"I'm scared, Grace," she said suddenly. "I'll be so damn vulnerable to him."
The laughter drained from the Maja's eyes, leaving warm understanding behind. "And that's a good sign."
"Why?"
Grace studied her a long moment before she spoke. "I strongly suspect you're the kind of person that focuses on the mission," she said at last. "If you didn't care about him, the Truebond wouldn't worry you. You'd be more focused on killing Geirolf and saving the rest of us. If you love him, it'll make the Truebond that much stronger."
Erin hesitated. "Okay, yeah, I love him. But… my track record's not that damn good."
"Oh?"
"I've been in love before." Remembered pain made her look away from the Maja's perceptive gaze. "Another agent. Geirolf killed him. Or rather, he killed himself rather than obey Geirolf's compulsion to kill me."
Grace winced. "That's rough. On a whole bunch of levels." The Maja studied her thoughtfully. Erin tried not to shift under her penetrating stare. "You scared history's going to repeat itself?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I am. And
I'm not sure I'd survive it a second time." She grimaced. "Assuming I even get that option."
They rounded a bend in the path to find Reece waiting for them. His gaze locked on hers, hot and intent. "Let's go."
She hesitated only a moment, aware of Grace's sympathetic eyes.
Then she reached out and took his hand.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
« ^ »
As they walked away from Grace, Reece looked down into Erin's lovely face and felt his heart ache. There was a good chance that he'd lose her to death tonight A good chance he'd end up dead himself. "I want to make love to you," he said in a low voice. "I want to touch you."
He was prepared to argue and desperate enough to lie if she'd refused him: It's necessary for the Truebond. But instead Erin said softly, "I'd like that." She hesitated. "Where should we go?"
Reece smiled slightly. "My place." He felt the brush of her thoughts as she picked up the picture from his thoughts, then the flash of light and cool air as she transported them.
They stood in his bedroom of his Avalon home. It was a simple place next to those of most Magi and Majae—hell, even next to the homes he owned back on Earth. Instead of hiring some Maja to create it, he'd built it himself with the techniques he'd learned as a boy. The walls were rough plaster, the floor polished heart of pine. A magical fire burned in the fireplace, and candles stood around the room, casting a golden glow over the simple wooden furniture: the oak armoire, the sturdy chest and chair, the canopied bed with its velvet hangings. He watched Erin look around in surprise.
"It's beautiful," she murmured. "Like being transported back in time."
"It's a replica of a house I owned when I first became a vampire. I come here to think, to get back to myself." He hesitated a moment. "I've never brought a woman here before."
Erin turned to look at him, her eyes mysterious in the candlelight. "I'm honored." She reached out to lay a palm on his chest. "Especially after the way I hurt you. You were right, Reece. My willingness to marry Llyr had more to do with cowardice than anything else."
"Cowardice?" He took her hand in his own, caressed the long, cool fingers. "You're the least cowardly woman I've ever known."
Candlelight slid over the shimmering silk of her hair as she shook her head. "No. Oh, I don't mind risking my life. I wouldn't be in my line of work if I did. But when it comes to the emotional stuff, that's different."
"The emotional stuff can be a lot more frightening."
"Especially when you haven't had much luck with it. I knew David, my partner, for two years before I admitted I was falling in love with him. And I might have put it off even longer if he hadn't been so damn safe." Sadness shadowed those lovely cobalt eyes. "He was even more skittish than I was, all tied up in rules and regulations. We could have danced around each other for years before we actually did anything about it." As if unable to hold his gaze, she looked toward the fire. "But we didn't have years. What does it say about him that he found it easier to sacrifice his life for me than take me to bed?"
That he was an idiot, Reece thought. He managed to keep his mouth shut.
"We both were." She turned to give him a small, sad little smile. "But then you came along. You had no interest in taking it slow and sweet. You just roared over me like a tidal wave, all fearlessness and sex. And so damn much more. Falling in love doesn't seem to worry you."
Reece hesitated, brushing his thumb over the silken skin on the back of her wrist. "The thing about being immortal is, you have the experience to realize how rare something special is when it comes along," he said at last. "You know if you don't grab it now, you may never have the chance to taste anything quite that sweet and strong again."
"On the other hand, imminent death also does a pretty good job of focusing the attention," Erin said dryly. "It was only when I thought everything was going to be all right that I got stupid again. I knew Llyr and I would have a nice, comfortable, bloodless relationship." She grimaced. "Almost professional. I know how to do that. I don't know how to do love."
Reece could feel his heart pounding, but he kept his smile easy. He didn't want to scare her off again. "It's not that hard to pick up."
Her blue eyes looked endlessly deep. "Certainly not where you're concerned." She rose on her toes and kissed him, her mouth moving over his hungrily, hot and wet and wickedly skilled. Reece's body instantly leaped in response. With a deep-throated groan, he pulled her against him and thrust his tongue deep, greedy for every bit of her she was willing to let him have.
By the time he pulled free, his heart was pounding. Breathing hard, Reece rested his forehead against hers, looking deep into her eyes. For an endless moment they stood like that, body to body, feeling the warmth and strength of each other, feeling the contrasts between them, male and female, hard and soft. Just listening to each other breathe.
In an hour, perhaps two, they'd plunge back into the war again. It was possible one or both of them would die. But for now they existed in a precious bubble of peace. And only a fool would fail to make the best of it.
Without a word, Reece bent and slid a hand behind her knees, scooping her easily into his arms. She looped hers around his neck, gazing into his eyes as he carried her to bed. As he laid her down on the thick quilt, she made their clothing fade away.
Naked, he eased down over her. Erin took his weight with a soft murmur of pleasure, spreading herself into a cradle for him. His cock lay hard along the length of her velvet belly as she rested her hands on his chest.
The green of his eyes, normally so catlike and fierce, looked soft in the candlelight. His lids came down as he lowered his head to kiss her again. His lips felt like sun-warmed silk as they moved across hers, his tongue easing into her mouth. She opened wider for him and slid her arms around the tight flesh of his waist.
He brushed his fingertips along the line of her jaw, stroking gently as he kissed her. She found the hollow of his spine and traced it with her nails until he laughed against her mouth in a deep purr of male pleasure, twisting his broad shoulders in mock protest. "Wench," he whispered.
"God, I love a ticklish vampire," she murmured back.
"Oh, now, you don't want to go there." He raked his fingertips across her ribs until she writhed and giggled. He nuzzled under her chin, nibbling gently at the line of her jaw as his hand found one full breast, cupped, squeezed. A thumb stroked over her peaked nipple. She caught her breath and sighed.
"Have I ever mentioned," Erin murmured, slipping her hand down to his muscular backside and tracing a teasing pattern, "how much I love your ass? It's just so… biteable."
"You're pretty biteable yourself." He gave the curve of her throat a promising lick.
She laughed softly. "I should have known better than to make a crack like that to a vampire."
"Never hesitate to flatter me, love." He kneaded the peak of her breast between thumb and forefinger until sweet streamers of pleasure curled through her and settled between her thighs. "Though you do make my… head swell."
She rolled her hips against the thick erection pressing into her belly. "Your head isn't the only thing that's swelling."
He laughed softly, still teasing her nipple with slow, gentle pinches. "Darlin', where you're concerned, that's a perpetual state of being."
"My pleasure." She caught her breath.
"Like that?"
"Oh, yes."
"More?"
"More."
He moved down her body, stopping briefly to explore the curve of her collarbone with his tongue, then pressing tiny bites along the upper curves of her breast. She threaded her fingers through his hair and let her head fall back on the pillow.
Reece reached the aching peak and gave it a long, slow lick. Erin made a purring sound of approval. He looked up at her, his smile lusty and male. "Like I said. Biteable."
"No …ah!… teeth, Double Oh Fang."
"Oh, come on—just a little tooth." He caught her nipple in a gentle not-quite-bite.
&nbs
p; She caught her breath. "Well, maybe a little."
Reece rumbled something approving and began to suck, his mouth moving in long pulls that did wonderful things to every nerve ending she had. Especially the ones between her legs.
Meanwhile, one of those clever hands went exploring down her body. Delving between her thighs, he slid inside. Erin bit her lip at the feeling of that big finger working its way deep. "God, you're"—she had to stop to swallow the saliva pooling in her mouth—"good at that."
His green eyes lifted to her face, and he lifted his head, giving her nipple a last contemplative lick. "Oh, darlin', I'm just getting started."
He pushed onto all fours and looked down her body. She grabbed a handful of his hair. "Why don't you let me return the favor this time?"
Reece grinned, his teeth flashing white and wicked. "Well, that's an offer I'm not going to turn down."
"Good to hear it. Let me get on top." She scooted out of the way. He flung himself down on the mattress, watching hungrily as she started to straddle him. Their eyes met, and they both stopped to look at each other for a long, suspended moment.
Erin had never seen such love in a man's eyes. His gaze seemed to physically warm her, even as it created a wild, swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach. Impulsively she bent and kissed him, sinking back into the wet hot silk of his mouth. His fingers threaded through her hair and held her there as they licked and suckled one another.
She was panting when she pulled away. "I love you."
"I've lived almost three centuries, but I've never known a woman like you." Reece smoothed her hair back from her face, his hand shaking just slightly. "And I've never loved a woman like I love you."
Erin blinked at the sweet sting in her eyes. "Keep that up, and you'll make me say something stupid." She tried out a watery grin. "Maybe I'd better just suck your cock now."
His chest shook with silent laughter. "Well, nothing says 'I love you' quite like a blow job."
She shot him a look of mock disgust. "Sometimes you're such a man."
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