Mating, she was swiftly discovering, was all about compromise.
They braided each other’s hair. Then as his hands began to roam in a manner that warned his thoughts weren’t on their impending meeting with Styx and Salvatore, she firmly took his arm and steered him out of their private bedroom.
“We can play later, Sylvermyst,” she promised, leading him down the carved oak staircase that glowed in the light from the small crystal chandelier hanging from the open beamed ceiling. “Styx and Salvatore are already here.”
He grimaced, his hand flexing as if he was considering the comfort of calling for his bow and arrow.
The truce between the three powerful leaders was uneasy, at best.
“What if I tell them to go?”
“They’ll just come back later,” she warned, a smile curving her lips at the large bouquet of wildflowers that was arranged on a table in the small foyer.
Ariyal’s love for nature could be seen in crystal vases all over the house, perfuming the air and adding splashes of color that Jaelyn was rapidly becoming addicted to.
She’d had no idea how bleak her life had been until it was filled with Ariyal’s vibrant warmth.
He tugged on her braid, his expression rueful. “Didn’t you make me promise that if we survived we were done saving the world?”
“All we’re doing is meeting with Styx and Salvatore.”
He grimaced. “I’d rather meet with the Dark Lord.”
“Ssh.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “That’s still a possibility, you know.”
He heaved a sigh. Although he was convinced that the Dark Lord couldn’t use his new body to travel into the world, there was no doubt that the bastard was on the other side plotting a means to return.
So long as he existed, there would be danger.
“Fine,” he said, “but spending time with the Royal High-nesses gives me a rash.”
She chuckled, studying the elegant beauty of her mate’s face. “I thought you blue bloods like to hang together, Prince Ariyal?”
He swooped his head down, pressing a possessive kiss to her mouth.
“I prefer to hang with my princess,” he murmured against her lips.
She pulled back with a snort.
Princess.
It might be true that she was becoming fond of Ariyal’s people. Excessively fond. And that she would kill anyone or anything that tried to harm them.
But she’d be damned if she’d be called princess.
It was just so ... pansy-ass.
“Watch it,” she muttered. “I already told Elwin that if he ever called me that again I would slice off his tongue.”
He arched a teasing brow. “But whether you like the title or not, you are their princess.”
She shook her head as they moved to the large room at the front of the house that had once been the formal parlor.
When they’d first arrived it had been stuffed full of the former housewife’s finest possessions. Sofas, chairs, china cabinets, and a grandfather clock that Ariyal had taken out back and burned within minutes of their arrival.
There was nothing quite so annoying to creatures with super hearing than the constant tick tock of a clock. Add in a cuckoo bird and it was nothing short of hell.
Now it had been thinned to a few sturdy pieces of furniture and shelves that Ariyal had built to display their collection of ... well, they hadn’t exactly agreed what they would collect.
But whatever they chose, it would be theirs.
A display of their life together.
“Princess. That’s going to take some getting used to,” she admitted.
His eyes filled with a smoldering warmth as he deliberately ignored the large vampire and pureblooded Were who stood with unreadable expressions near the bay window.
A warmth that she felt down to the tips of her toes.
“We have an eternity,” he promised.
“Do not be so certain, Sylvermyst.”
The voice of Kostas echoed through the room a heartbeat before the Ruah dropped his shadows to reveal his large, muscular body that was attired in a black T-shirt, camouflage pants, and shit-kicker boots.
Decades of training sent Jaelyn to her knees, her head lowered as her leader approached.
In the back of her mind she’d known this confrontation was coming. You couldn’t defy the Addonexus and expect to get away unscathed.
But she’d hoped that she would have time to discover some escape clause that would allow her to keep Ariyal without forfeiting her life.
Obviously, time had run out.
“On your feet, Hunter,” the ultimate leader of the Hunters commanded.
Slowly she lifted herself upright, her gaze skimming over Kostas’s finely hewed features and the slicked-back black hair before settling on his soulless eyes.
“Jaelyn.” At her side, Ariyal shifted to wrap a protective arm around her shoulder.
“You will stay out of this, Sylvermyst,” Kostas commanded, his gaze never wavering from Jaelyn. “I will deal with you later.”
“Please, Ariyal,” she pleaded softly, deliberately untangling herself and stepping away from her mate. If she was going to be sacrificed to sate Kostas’s bloated pride, she didn’t want Ariyal caught in the cross fire. “Hello, Kostas.”
His lips thinned, as if he was annoyed by her response to his surprise visit.
What did he expect?
Wailing and pleading and serious ass-kissing?
It simply wasn’t her style.
“Do you know, I had great expectations for you, Jaelyn?” he chided, speaking to her as if she were a disobedient child rather the vulnerable young woman he’d tortured and tormented for decades. “You had the potential to become the greatest Hunter in the past millennium. It was only your heart I questioned.”
“And so you tried to destroy it.” Her chin tilted. “I will never forgive you for that.”
He shrugged. Emotionless.
“A Hunter cannot have a weakness.”
She could feel Ariyal’s growing fury, laced with fear, as it pulsed in the air. She sent him a warning glance not to interfere before turning her attention back to the man who had the right to destroy her.
“I happen to believe it’s my greatest strength,” she countered.
His lips curled into a sneer. “If that were true then it wouldn’t have led you to betray your loyalty to the Addonexus.”
“I never asked to become a Hunter.”
“It was your destiny.”
“Chosen by you.”
“Chosen by fate,” he insisted. “Do you have any notion how many vampires would quite literally kill to be in your position?”
She did.
Being a Hunter brought her the sort of awed respect her fellow vampires coveted.
It was bound to go to any female’s head.
But the few benefits didn’t come close to making up for the nearly soul-destroying price she’d paid.
“Then you shouldn’t have any trouble filling it,” she said.
Kostas’s fury spilled through the room like icy needles. “Now is not the time for flippant remarks.”
She shrugged. “Do you want me to beg?”
His eyes narrowed, assuring Jaelyn that even if she could manage to kiss this man’s ass he wouldn’t be satisfied.
“You could, but it would do no good,” he drawled, proving her right. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy seeing her on her knees begging. He might be missing a heart, but his ego was fully functioning. “You have committed the worst crimes known to the Addonexus.”
“I thought attempting to kill the Ruah was the worst crime?”
He imperiously ignored her accusation. “Not only did you allow yourself to form a relationship with your prey, you actually mated with him.” He cast a condemning glance toward the rigid Ariyal. “And if that were not bad enough, you have reneged on a contract with the Commission.”
“Actually, I didn’t renege,” she swiftly denied. “The
terms were altered by one of the Oracles.”
Kostas stiffened, clearly caught off balance by her revelation. Siljar had told her to keep it secret, so that’s what she’d tried to do.
In fact, she’d only confessed the truth to Ariyal a few nights before.
“It does not matter.” The Ruah at last dismissed what he didn’t want to hear. “Any one of those atrocities carries with it a death sentence.”
“Why you ...”
Ariyal charged forward, but as fast as he was, Styx was faster, moving to intercept the maddened Sylvermyst and wrapping him in his massive arms.
“Stop, Ariyal,” the Anasso commanded, clamping his hand over Ariyal’s mouth. “You’re only making matters worse.”
Jaelyn was relieved that the king had moved to keep Ariyal out of danger, but she couldn’t deny the small pang of disappointment.
She hadn’t assumed that she and Styx were suddenly buddy-buddy, but she hadn’t expected him to actually help Kostas send her to the gallows.
“Either you get rid of him or I will.” Ariyal’s words were muffled, his anger a warm flood that battled against the chill in the air.
A humorless smile pulled at the Ruah’s thin lips. “The Anasso is the King of Vampires, but the Hunters belong to me,” he informed Ariyal, pride thick in his voice, although Jaelyn suspected he resented the fact that he wasn’t the ultimate leader of vampires. Hideous thought. “It is my right to punish my people how I see fit.”
She couldn’t argue the truth of his words.
All she hoped was to convince him that it would somehow serve his purpose to keep her alive.
Yeah ... fat chance.
“And what purpose will my death serve?” she demanded.
“It will remind other Hunters that our laws are meant to be obeyed.”
“So you’ll kill me just to make an example of me?”
The empty gaze moved slowly down her rigid body before returning to her face.
“You’re like a cancer that must be destroyed for the good of the Addonexus.”
He truly believed what he was saying. She could feel it to the very depths of her soul.
So this was the end.
No chance of escape, no last-minute pardon.
Squaring her shoulders, she held her chin high.
“You can do whatever you want to me, but I will never regret loving Ariyal,” she announced loud enough that her voice bounced off the walls. “Never.”
Kostas reached to grasp her chin in a brutal grip. “Such a pity,” he murmured, studying her with a faux expression of regret.
She yanked away from his touch. “Don’t pretend you’re not getting off on this. You love when you get the opportunity to flex your muscles.”
His jaw tightened, clearly annoyed. Not that she gave a shit.
He was going to kill her.
Who cared if she offended him?
“Come along, Jaelyn,” he ordered in frigid tones. “The sooner we’re done with this unpleasant business the sooner I can return to my duties.”
She thought she heard Styx mutter a low curse, but before she could glance in his direction there was the sensation of the air pressure abruptly changing. Spinning around she watched as Siljar popped into view, along with her daughter, Yannah.
As always, the two tiny demons looked nearly identical, dressed in long white robes that were pristine despite the faint whiff of brimstone, with their black, oblong eyes and razor-sharp teeth.
Only a closer inspection revealed that Yannah’s hair was fair rather than silver and her eyes lacking the ancient wisdom of her mother.
Seemingly unaware of the shock her abrupt entrance had created, Siljar held up a tiny hand, her attention focused on Kostas.
“Wait.”
Chapter 25
Ariyal was going to kill the King of Vampires.
And then he was going to kill Kostas. Slowly and as painfully as possible.
And then he just might kill Salvatore for standing there like a damned mannequin while Jaelyn was being hauled off to her certain death.
Not that he blamed them any more than he blamed himself.
Jaelyn had deftly sidestepped him when he’d tried to question her about the Addonexus and what was going to happen when they discovered she’d taken a mate.
She’d claimed she would find some means to get out of her duty as a Hunter. She’d even assured him that she was certain there was some obscure law that would allow her to escape punishment, but he’d known deep in his heart that she wasn’t being entirely honest.
If Jaelyn died, he would have no one to blame but himself.
Fighting against the arms that held him prisoner, Ariyal nearly missed the sudden appearance of two small female demons. In fact, it wasn’t until he felt the deluge of power that could only belong to an Oracle that he turned his head to catch sight of the intruders.
He stopped his struggles. Gods, was that Yannah? Warily he watched as the elder of the demons stepped toward Jaelyn, her dark gaze keeping track of Kostas as he performed a stiff bow.
“Siljar,” the vampire murmured, obviously familiar with the Oracle.
Ariyal didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign.
“What is going on here?” Siljar demanded, her voice soft but powerful enough to make the conceited jackass pale to a pasty white.
Still, he was nothing if not arrogant, and with a smile he managed to flash his massive fangs.
“Nothing that need concern the Commission, I assure you.”
“I beg to disagree.” Siljar pointed a finger in Jaelyn’s direction. “This Hunter is under contract to me.”
Ah. So this was the Oracle who had put a contract out on him. Not that she seemed particularly interested in him now. Actually, she appeared far more concerned with Kostas than anyone else.
Thank the gods.
“She was,” the Ruah agreed, pressing a hand to his chest in a gesture of regret. “But, I fear that she has betrayed us both.”
Siljar didn’t blink. “Betrayed?”
“She has mated with the Sylvermyst.” The vampire’s voice dripped with disgust. Nasty worm. “Most unfortunate. However, I fully intend to see her punished and your contract completed.”
“By you?”
“Of course.”
The female tilted her head to the side, looking like an inquisitive bird.
If a bird could topple a city with a thought.
“But I don’t want you,” she at last announced. “I want Jaelyn.”
A stunned silence filled the room, and Ariyal’s heart remembered how to beat for the first time since Kostas made his over-the-top appearance.
Was it possible that the Oracle was actually here to help Jaelyn?
Dammit. They were due some luck.
“I ...” Kostas halted to consider his words. “I do not understand.”
Siljar moved forward, her robes brushing the wood floor that he had sanded and polished on Jaelyn’s orders.
“I was the one who insisted that she remain close to the Sylvermyst,” she informed the Ruah, not at all intimated by the vampire’s brutish size or the hint of cruelty etched into his features. “There was a vision that revealed that it would take both of them to prevent the Dark Lord from entering this world.”
Ariyal barely noticed when Styx released his bone-crushing hold and stepped back.
So that was why she’d ordered Jaelyn to remain at his side after she’d escaped from Avalon.
Not that he cared why. Her command had made sure that Jaelyn had stayed with him long enough for his charm to work its magic. In fact, if they survived this latest disaster he intended to send a bouquet of roses and a thank-you card to the magnificent Siljar.
Of course, he was less enthused about the vision of them being responsible for preventing the Dark Lord’s return.
It had been sheer chance that Jaelyn had drained the blood of the Dark Lord’s host body. And that her efforts had prevented him from following.
&
nbsp; If the world had truly been depending on them ...
It made him shudder just to think what could have happened.
Across the room Kostas frowned, not at all happy with the direction of the conversation. He had obviously come there to get his ya-yas by condemning Jaelyn to death.
He wasn’t going to be pleased if he was forced to leave without her.
“Even so.”
“Are you having difficulty hearing me, Kostas?”
He shifted beneath that relentless black gaze. “No, of course not.”
“Then perhaps I am simply not making myself clear.” She took another step forward, her head tilted back to reveal her grim expression. “The Hunter is still under contract to me.”
Kostos was nothing if not determined.
“But she is mated.” He shot the silent Jaelyn an accusing gaze.
Siljar shrugged. “So much the better.”
“It is forbidden.”
“By whom?”
“By tradition.”
“Then perhaps you should reconsider your traditions,” the female suggested.
The vampire jerked as if he’d taken a blow. “With all respect ...”
A smile that sent a chill of alarm down Ariyal’s spine curled Siljar’s lips.
There was something unnerving about that sweet smile when it was combined with those razor-sharp teeth.
“Shall I have you brought before the Commission to discuss the issue?”
The air of superior confidence was at last shaken as Kostas took a hasty step back.
“No,” he barked out before he was battling to conceal his rampant fear. “That will not be necessary.”
“Good.” Siljar waved a hand in dismissal. “Now I believe your work here is done.”
“As you wish.”
Walking like he had a stick shoved up his ass, Kostas managed to make it to the door before Siljar halted him.
“Kostas.”
He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes cold with thwarted fury.
“Yes?”
“I will not be pleased if I learn Jaelyn has been harmed,” she warned softly. “Indeed, I shall take it quite personally.”
For a crazed minute, Ariyal thought that the vampire might do something incredibly stupid. Then, gripping his hands into tight fists, he gave a nod of his head.
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