Jasmine turned toward the door just as the air pressure in the room snapped in violent displacement. She flinched as her sinuses were abused once again by the pressure change. By the time Ruth turned to face her, however, Jasmine was flashing a serious set of fangs and hissing sharply in threat, crouching at the ready.
“Hmm, scary,” Ruth remarked, giving Jasmine a theatrical shiver. “Down, girl,” she ordered as if speaking to a dog, pointing a commanding finger to punctuate the insult. “I am not here to hurt you.”
“Not that you could,” Jasmine spat, her fingers curling slightly until they were hooked into ready claws.
“If you insist.” Ruth waved the matter off, conceding as if it did not matter in the least. “I am only here to deliver the littlest bit of a message to your Prince, his bitch, and all the rest of the little dogs back where she comes from,
including
the warrior who murdered my child. You tell them that things are going to change from this moment on. If they thought I was trouble before, wait until they see what I can do now. My power will continue to grow, I promise you. Just as my rage and my thirst for vengeance grows. Truly, Jasmine, it is quite an extraordinary thing. But you would know all about that now, would you not?”
The Mind Demon appraised Jasmine for a moment and then suddenly exploded into the Vampire’s mind. Shocked, Jasmine staggered under the force of it. She was powerful in her own right, but all of her barriers and resistances were like dust compared to the presence that stormed through her thoughts.
“I know your mind, poor, troubled girl,” Ruth said softly. “Those shapechangers are quite the nuisance, are they not? But why struggle so? You know what you want to do in your heart. I can show you how to get him back, you know. No one would ever be the wiser. I could…”
Ruth suddenly looked down at the bed, her pale blue eyes widening.
“Where did you get that?” She spoke with awe as she reached for the volume with eager hands. Jasmine instantly went to stop her, but found she was rooted in place. Shocked that her body would fail to serve her, she became enraged. But it was Ruth who began to shout. “A Library? A Nightwalker Library?
That was supposed to be
my
treasure!
All those months of digging in that frozen wasteland!” Ruth’s head snapped up as she narrowed evil eyes on Jasmine. “You have seen the Black Tome. I knew we were close! I could feel it!”
Jasmine had a feeling she knew what Ruth was talking about. There was a book in the Library, a centerpiece set on its own pedestal, with black covers and page after page of magic spells in every language imaginable and, like the other books hidden within the Library, even some that were unimaginable.
Jasmine felt her stomach clutching with impotent anger; at Ruth, yes, but mostly at herself. Her mind had become a diamond mine for the Demon, and Ruth was excavating its priceless treasures with such ease, as if Jasmine were five, not five hundred. She should have been powerful enough to push away the intrusion of a Mind Demon.
“Ah, but I am no ordinary Demon. Or hadn’t you heard? In fact, I think it is safe to say that I am not really a Demon anymore. And why would I want to be, I ask you? All that hypocrisy and holier-than-thou preaching they do…it turns my stomach. You know”—she turned back to Jasmine, brightly smiling—“I believe I have the answers you are looking for, Jasmine. Since you have been such a delightful resource, I don’t see why I shouldn’t share in return.
“So many questions spinning in your head, Vampire. You could have peace and have the exciting life you have always craved. I tell you, every day I learn something new. I see things you would not believe. The world is my oyster, and you could not possibly begin to consider what little pearls like this,” she rubbed the leather of the volume as she hugged it to her chest, “can do. But the biggest pearl, the Black Tome, what we could do with that!
“I have grown wiser about magic, Jasmine. All along I kept looking for a human necromancer powerful enough to join with me and be an effective partner. Now I realize there is no such thing! That is why we always defeat the human necromancers. Magic was never meant to be theirs, it was meant for us! That is why they always turn evil. It is too much for them to manage. It was meant for Nightwalkers.”
Ruth moved closer to Jasmine, reaching to touch the paralyzed woman’s cheek as she looked deep into her stormy, dark eyes.
“I know how powerful you are. Even now, your struggles against me are wearing me out. But imagine your power tripled, or even raised to the tenth power. There are no limits. Not once you shed all these mortal limitations we all seem to have picked up. Come, Jasmine,” she coaxed eagerly, “I already have my first, my right hand man, so to speak.” She giggled like a girl with a crush. “But you can be my left hand. You can take my daughter’s place. You would never want for anything at my side. I would never abandon you for another. I am not like a fickle male. I will not make you weak with pain. I will fill you with the strength of power! I know you are thinking about it. I feel you thinking about it. Come, let me show you the truths that make lies of everything you have been told to believe.”
Jasmine could not speak. She was breathing hard with emotion, something she had not done in over a century. She closed her eyes, thinking of Damien and everything they had shared for the past five hundred years. Who would she be without him? Who
could
she be without him?
Jasmine was dismayed to realize she was trapped once more in another, never-ending circle.
Syreena awoke to pain and bliss.
The former was caused by her arm, the splinted limb hurting more as it healed than it had originally. The latter was because she was surrounded by the warmth and arms of her mate. She turned toward him, sliding her body over his with a long sigh. He stirred instantly from his sleep, seeking for the softness of her face with his lips and the touch of graceful fingers.
Without opening his eyes, he traced the shape of her features, his fingertips moving slowly over her chin, cheeks, brows, and then soft eyelashes. By the time he touched her lips again, he could feel her gentle smile.
“I could get very used to this,” she told him on a reverent whisper.
“I think you are going to have to,” he rejoined with a low chuckle. “You will not be waking beside anyone else for the rest of your life.”
“That is quite an extended promise, Prince Damien,” she observed, her eyes flicking open to look up into his. She was also growing used to the magnificent depth in his midnight blue eyes. Sometimes, she felt as though he looked into parts of her even she could not see. Then he would say something that only reinforced that idea all the more.
“One I intend to keep, Princess Syreena,” he said quietly, punctuating the solemn oath of his words with the lingering seal of his mouth.
Syreena tried to move more aggressively against him as the kiss changed and grew in intimacy and intensity, but he placed a restraining hand above her right breast and pushed her away gently.
“You need rest and healing, sweetling, not lovemaking,” he tenderly scolded her.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she argued, capturing his mouth before he could formulate a further protest.
He pushed her away once more, giving her a look full of reprimand. “You are a liar,” he accused her.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt much, then,” she edited impatiently. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of my own capabilities?”
“Because the idea of causing you pain is detestable, Syreena. I might add that pitting my good intentions against my overwhelming need for you is terribly unfair and inconsiderate of you.”
Syreena sighed and her bottom lip plumped out in a little pout of dejection. “I suppose so, if you look at it that way. Forgive me?”
“Always,” he assured her, giving her another kiss to make it official. “Especially when I must move on to more difficult topics than making love to you.”
“Such as?”
“I hardly know where to start.” He sighed with brutal honesty as he settled back again. He ran an absent hand over his whiskers, his entire expression morphing into the seriousness he had promised.
“Then may I?”
Damien arched an eyebrow in curious invitation.
“Let us begin with Jasmine,” she said.
“Yes. Jasmine.” Damien reached to flick a finger down her cheek. “What can I do that will satisfy you both? I am at a loss for a solution at present.”
“I can only tell you what I would prefer you not do with her,” Syreena answered. “Do not feed from her ever again. I could never bear her scent permeating you like that. I am not certain I could be held accountable for my actions if I were faced with such a thing. I never thought I would be jealous, but I suppose I am.”
“No more or less than I would be. I have no intention of feeding off another female again, unless it is some kind of dire emergency. It would be like you allowing another Vampire to drink from you. I am positive my reaction would be possessive and probably violent.”
“Well, we seem to be agreed on these things so far. What exactly do you wish me to tell you about Jasmine? I will not tell you to stop being friends with her. I understand that would be like asking my sister to renounce her friendship with Anya. They grew up together. They are like sisters. I understand that it is similar between you and Jasmine.”
“Except Anya is gracious in her acceptance of your arrival in Siena’s life and your elevation to a position above her in importance and perhaps even love as well as loyalty. Jasmine…I think Jasmine is incapable of that generosity.”
“Because she feels threatened. We will have to find a way to make her understand that it is not my intention to cast her to the wolves.”
“No,” Damien said, shaking his head. “It can have nothing to do with you. She would be insulted if she felt you were deigning to tolerate her presence. The friendship will remain, but it will have to be Jas’s decision whether she stays under my roof or not. I would hate to lose her. She is a skilled hunter. Second only to me, I believe.”
“You could use her skills to protect our territory,” Syreena agreed. “I have a feeling we will need a great deal of protection.”
“I will need to recall my entourage shortly. We will have encapsulated privacy in our suite, of course, but the household will be much different in dynamic than you have seen it to be once they all return.”
“How many?”
“Six, besides us. Two household servants, two guards, Jasmine, who is to me what you are to Siena, and Stephan, who loosely serves as my Commander in times of war. Mostly he is a friend. Of course, Horatio, who is Jasmine’s brother, by the way, and Kelsey are always welcome when their diplomatic duties release them from the foreign courts. These are my most trusted friends. My family, if you will. We have traveled centuries together.”
“Well, I suppose we will not be making love in the kitchen again anytime soon.” She chuckled.
“I am certain they couldn’t care less if we do.” Damien laughed in return. “Come to think of it, you may find things a tad too liberal for your tastes. You are rather conservative, for a Lycanthrope.”
“Then there will have to be adjustments on both our parts, I imagine. We will find a way to make this work. So long as I can be accepted, the rest is minor details.”
“Agreed.” Damien was silent for a long moment. “As for acceptance, I believe those who are loyal to me will find their way. Those who oppose me just for the sake of argument will kick up a fuss, but it will die down. It is those who resent my power or covet it who concern me. I am not comfortable with the idea of you mending from broken bones on a regular basis.”
“It will be less likely as I learn what to expect, who to trust, and how to sense the tricks your people use for deception. In my studies I have learned that any advantage can be circumvented with learning, time, and skill.”
“Am I to hope you do not get killed in the meantime?” Damien queried, a bit more harshly than he had intended.
“Now who is it who has not considered the results of his actions before making his choice?” she asked, sitting up and looking down at him. “Are you regretting me already?”
“I am regretting my position, Syreena, nothing more,” he assured her. “I have held this mantle for a very long time, and as a dominant male with no family or dependents to consider, it was a much easier choice to take the risks involved. And no,” he interrupted when he saw the cloud that crossed her features, “I do not consider you dependent, nor do I regret my choices. I am merely considering the changes in my path as it lies before me. I once walked it alone. It makes sense to move aside slightly to share it with you by my side from this point on. By doing so, my view changes or I walk a different edge, but I would much rather have the company. One can go mad with none but themselves for company on such a very long road, Syreena.”
That was a concept Syreena understood. However, she also realized he was trying to tell her something else with the metaphor.
“You are considering abdication, aren’t you?” she asked bluntly.
Damien was silent as he toyed absently with her hair and his inner thoughts.
“Damien, your people have thrived under your rule. You are used to being a leader. Can you honestly live in a society where you will have little to no say in how it evolves? You have known nothing else for over six hundred years. You were the youngest Vampire ever to attain a throne. You are the longest surviving monarch in all Vampiric history. You have also managed to keep peace not only within your people, but with most of the Nightwalkers as well.”
“With a few arrogant exceptions,” he corrected with a chuckle.
“It seems Noah has forgiven your war with his people, and I think everyone gets into scuffles with Shadowdwellers. They are impossible to understand.”
“So were we all, once upon a time,” he reminded her. He looked deeply into her bicolored eyes for a very long time. “So you wish me to maintain my throne? I think you just enjoy being a Princess.”
“I think I am used to being one. I think I know what it means to rule and,” she gave him a wink, “co-rule a species.”
“And if you come to rule with me, my love, what becomes of your sister’s heiress?”
“She is the one who abdicates. Damien, Lycanthropes will never accept this. Siena thinks I have not realized that, but I do. They will not accept two foreign males married onto their soil and into the monarchy. One is the limit of their tolerance. This has been my home for fifteen years, but it will never mean to me what it does to Siena. I will not risk her throne with the potential for rebellion. If I marry into foreign soil, it can be used as…as a sort of propaganda. Marry off royal blood of one clan to the royal blood of another for the sake of never-ending peace. Something like that. So long as you do not have one foot on their throne, they will find it easy to celebrate our…to celebrate us.”
“You can say it, you know,” he told her softly, those ceaseless fingers roaming the length of her cheek slowly. “Our marriage. You may speak of it as a foregone conclusion, Syreena, because we both know that it is.”
“Vampires do not marry,” she reminded him.
“Vampires do not marry now,” he corrected. “We did once. Our ceremonies are much like other Nightwalker ceremonies, actually. We have only grown too spoiled and whimsical in our selfishness to find it of much use or meaning. For me, I have found both use
and
meaning. In you, beloved.”
“Beloved,” she repeated softly. “You are my beloved, Damien. I have not told you that, but I feel it with all of my heart.”
“I already know. I have felt your heart in our every kiss and touch. I would be foolish to mistake it.”
“Mmm, I wish I had your confidence.” She sighed, snuggling up to him tightly. “I do not mean about us. I have come to see the source you see when you see the inevitability in us. However, I have not been easy or forthcoming in my expression of my feelings. Yet you believe in them so absolutely. You seem to know them even before I do.”
“It is only because in my lifetime I have learned how to divine truth from confusion. You will, too, one day, when you have lived so long.” He hesitated a moment, then turned to kiss her forehead. “You did not say if you wished to wed me, Syreena.”
To his discomfort, she laughed at him. Her humor was hard and rollicking, even to the point of kicking out her heels, and grasping her injured arm as the vibration of her giggles caused her pain.
“So much for Mr. Confidence.” She snickered with delight. “What happened to ‘you may speak of it as a foregone conclusion’?” As she quoted him, she mocked the depth of his voice and the common gestures in his airs. She was laughing so hard that she made him chuckle as she reached to dash tears from her brimming eyes.
“You are an ungrateful little brat,” he admonished her.
“Because I dare to laugh at you, my Prince? Such are the things you will suffer if you think to marry a Princess who knows not to be so very impressed by title alone.” She eased off her humor at his expense. “You make impressions and impacts in other ways, my love. I would not worry overmuch.”
His reaction to her words was an instantaneous smile. He snuggled down with her again in immediate satisfaction.
“Say that again,” he demanded in a whisper against her ear. “If you only knew the delight it gives me…”
“My love,” she repeated softly, allowing herself the warmth of a blush. “My love. My lord, if you wish it. I would have no future if it did not include you, Damien. I knew that when I came to you. Probably long before I acknowledged it. I will always remember your surety, though. It will never leave me.”
“Just as I have learned to appreciate your care of thought. You waited for certainty so you would not cause anyone more injury than you had to. I understand that now.”
She raised her chin to his deeply affectionate kiss, smiling against his lips just before he parted from her.
“Is there anything further you wished to discuss?” she asked him. “Is there anything that troubles you still?”
“Actually, there are two further issues. We will need to mark these as our first joint decisions as rulers.”
“It sounds serious.”
“Only partly. First, I wish to find a way to repay Windsong and Lyric for all they have done for us both. Normally I would suggest a fashionable gathering, but it would not be something they would enjoy.”
“So make it a friendly gathering. In a very large place, but only with those Nightwalkers they would feel safe and familiar around. Make it a very specific honor, and yet give them the opportunity to accept or decline without any fear of insult.”
“Perhaps a wedding?” he suggested, seeing where she was headed immediately.
“Yes. Take the focus off them. They would be self-conscious if it was a gathering centered around them. So we shall center it around us. To be invited to the Vampire Prince’s marriage will be an astounding honor to them.”
“Perhaps with Noah as host, in his home. It is certainly large and familiar surroundings. It is an organized and safe environment which the Demon King has complete control of. It is an advantage which, I am afraid to say, my home will lack once news of this marriage gets about.”
“With only our immediate family attending. And I do include Jasmine in that, of course.”
“I know you do.”
“And the second matter?” she prompted. “The more serious one, I take it. The first was rather benign.”
“It is. The second matter is Ruth. She escaped from her infractions against you as she has escaped repeatedly over these many instances of pain and even death. She must be found and punished, if not stopped entirely. She only grows more powerful the longer she remains out there. I think it is time she was hunted in earnest, a joint effort, like the Nightwalker Library. It concerns us all and we all have a responsibility to it.”