Lothaire

offense; I play defense. I set this plan into motion half a decade ago.”

Lothaire traced her back to the apartment. “What are you talking about?”

Chin raised, Elizabeth tried to fling herself away from him. After a moment, he let her.

“I reckoned you’d dole out that punishment you’d promised if I succeeded in killin’ your queen. So I made my mother swear to make herself and the entire family scarce for a spell.”

To clear off an entire mountain of Peirces?

Like scraping an anthill completely clean. Yet it’d happened.

“You want your reputation as the Enemy of Old to precede you, to make your enemies fear you?” When she jabbed at his chest again, his gut clenched with want. “My greatest asset is that I’m forever underestimated—by people like you.” She pinned his gaze with her own. “I’m the sucker punch that you never saw coming.”

Unexpected Elizabeth, with her fierce gray eyes. Saroya might be vicious and lethal, but Elizabeth was cunning, beguiling.

Quietly running circles around him at every opportunity.

Because wasn’t unexpected just another way of saying underestimated?

Sucker punch? She’d left him reeling.

“So no, Lothaire, there will not be any harm done to my family by you tonight. Or ever. Are—we—clear?”

Crystal, he thought as his lips parted. I know exactly what you are now. I know what you will be.

It was apparent what he had to do. Even he could recognize that he was experiencing some unknown-before need for this mortal girl, something even more than desire. And it was despite the goddess inside her.

“Lothaire, I asked you a question!”

He narrowed his eyes as a dim thought occurred. “If you suspected your family was safe, why did you go along with my plans? Why did you act afraid for them?”

She shrugged, casting him a queenly look that dared him to do something; a growl of lust burst from his chest.

Her peccadillo forgotten—for now—he leaned in to kiss her.

41

“Get off me, freak!” Ellie futilely shoved at him. “I’m not kissin’ you! You were just about to harm my family!” And you took me away from my mountain yet again. . . .

“I wasn’t going to harm anyone,” the vampire said. “I’d planned to get you outside the trailer and scare you. Then you’d see reason.”

He can’t lie.

“But it seems I am holding a shit hand of cards.” He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “You refuse to do as I predict.”

“You’re one to talk about that.” He wasn’t homicidal that she’d gotten one over on him—he was impressed.

And seeing that look in his eyes affected her. Coupled with the rush she’d just experienced from smelling the crisp air of her home—the woods, the very earth—she could almost feel . . . hope.

He took me away from my home, but maybe one day the male before me will bring me back there.

In a weary tone, he said, “Tell me why you kissed the boy.”

“To find out if I desired just about any male after my prison stay, or if it was only you—”

“And?”

He’s holding his breath. Dear God, she might truly have a shot at Lothaire. “I didn’t feel any desire for him, because I was wantin’ . . . you.”

“Me.” Pride fired in the red depths of his eyes. “Good. I don’t . . . I didn’t want to have to behead Thaddeus. Or to string you up at the demon crossroads.”

“Really? Oh, Lothaire, this is huge! This is what I’d call a breakthrough moment.”

“Shut up.”

She grinned.

His gaze dipped to her mouth. “You want a real kiss now? From your own male?”

My own male. She nearly swayed. Lothaire had never treated her like his Bride; now his gaze upon her was heated and possessive. “I do, Leo, but I’m gonna want it for a lot longer than a week.” I want to live!

He cupped her face with pale hands. “I’m keeping you, Lizvetta.”

* * *

“Do you mean”—Elizabeth’s eyes started glinting—“I don’t have to die?”

What monster could kill such a one as she?

I’d been planning to. No, worse than death. “You’ll never die! Keeping you forever.”

Because she would be . . . his queen.

At Helvita, he’d recognized Elizabeth as the Bride fate had chosen for him. Now he gazed upon the cunning queen he’d chosen for himself.

Somehow he would figure out a way around his vows to the goddess. He was Lothaire, after all. He could figure out anything.

“But what about Saroya?”

“I’ll take care of her.”

“How?”

“The ring’s still in play, is it not?” he said. “You will live, and I will take care of Saroya, but in return, you must . . .” He grabbed her shoulders. “I’m ordering you to forget what went on between us before.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hag told me you wouldn’t be able to get past my treatment of you.”

“Ohhh. Like the threats against me and my loved ones? Like the mental anguish and never-ending mockery? Like putting me on death row?”

He scowled. “If you want to live, then all that must be forgotten, just as you’ve done with your miseries in the past. You told me you’ve done this before!”

“I have, and I will now. All I ask is that you vow never to hurt my family, by your hand or order. Do we have a bargain?”

“Always with the vows,” he muttered. “I add my own condition. In the next few weeks, you do not question me about my plans and actions. You trust me to decide what is best for both of us.”

She hesitated. “Agreed.”

“Then I vow to the Lore never to harm your family by action or order.”

“And I vow to let you decide what is best for us. For three weeks.”

He narrowed his eyes at her qualifier, but let it slide. “You also told me you could make me happy.” He curled his finger under her chin. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

“I’ve heard—probably just a wacky rumor—that sex makes males happy. You wanna seal this deal, Leo?”

He drew her tightly into his arms. “You think I don’t want to claim you?”

She tilted her head up at him. “But you believe you’ll hurt me.”

“When a human male hurts a female during sex, what happens?”