'You would?' he rasped, his eyes so dark.
'Of course, Bastian.' She glanced over her shoulder and said to her sisters, 'Thank you. I-I don't know what to say.'
'Begone,' Dasha said with a scowl. 'This does not mean we wish to see you two in the agonies of love, or biting, or whatever it shall be. Rika and I have video battles to master and a driving lesson with Regin and Nïx when they return with Sad Wiener gum from the pack-a-sack.'
When Rika grinned and nodded, Kaderin stood on tiptoes to whisper at his ear, 'Will you take me somewhere so I can kiss you?'
He shuddered as he traced.
'Where are we?' she asked, not wanting to take her eyes from him even to glance around.
'Our new estate,' he said, studying her reaction, so clearly wanting her to like it. 'Close to Val Hall,' he added, leaning down to brush his lips over her ear, his breaths warm and already quickened with need.
She didn't have to see it to know she would like it. Sebastian was here, and that was all she needed to know. 'Oh, Bastian,' she sighed, eyelids fluttering closed as she ran her fingers through his thick hair, 'I think it's the best house I've ever been in. I'm sure.'
After making love in the living room, in the dining room, on the stairs, and over a bench on the stair landing, they'd finally made it to the bedroom. Just as they'd settled under the rich damask covers, a telephone rang from across the room. Sebastian tensed at the sound, and Kaderin peeked out, frowning. Who could have gotten the number already?
His low growl when she strode naked to the phone made getting out of the bed worth it.
When she answered, Emma said, 'Kaderin, is that you?' Her voice was panicked. 'Myst told me I could get you here. Have you guys seen Bowen?'
'Since when, sweet?'
'Since he went to some fire snake thingy in the Hie.'
Oh, crap. Kaderin sidled back to the bed. 'Bastian, after you and Bowen had your... disagreement, what exactly happened?' That whole time was a haze for Kaderin. Everything paled next to Sebastian's sacrifice for her and her family. And she didn't relish thinking about the fact that she'd... died, boiling in lava. Kaderin had contemplated cheerier scenarios.
'The Lykae vowed, convincingly, that he'd kill me and you after he hunted us to the ends of the earth,' Sebastian answered. 'And also that he would 'eat my goddamned heart.' ' He shrugged. 'I left him there in that cave—on the other side of the lava pit. I figured there would be a way out of the back.'
Kaderin hesitated, then told Emma, 'He could possibly still be trapped behind a pit of boiling lava, guarded by a fire serpent.'
Emma cried, 'For two weeks? Can you please go get him? He's my husband's cousin and best friend!'
'Are we using your tranq gun or ours?' Kaderin asked. 'Emma, he'll be in a killing rage after losing his mate —again.'
'I know, but I'm just worried he might... he might take the opportunity to... you know.'
'Okay, okay,' Kaderin said, then turned to Sebastian. 'Can we go get Bowen sometime tonight? She's worried he'll dive in after the loss.'
'Which would be tragic.' When Emma heard him and screeched, he grudgingly said, 'No, he won't do that. He'll need to kill me first. Trust me, I know this.' He exhaled. 'We'll get him.' He seized Kaderin around her waist and dragged her back under the covers with him. 'After.'
'After,' Kaderin agreed eagerly. She told Emma, 'We'll retrieve him at sunset. If he's still there. I'll let you know.' She hung up and absently laid the phone on the bedside table, but turned when she brushed paper.
'What is it?' he asked.
'A note.' It was folded in three and had a crimson wax seal stamped with a flourishing R. 'From Riora?'
He peered over Kaderin's shoulder as she opened the letter. 'Do we really want to read this?'
She shrugged helplessly. They both read:
It is perfectly impossible for you two to be excessively ecstatic together.
Nor is it possible for both of you to have families made whole.
See you at the next Hie,
Riora, goddess of all and sundry soccer anthems
A key clanged out of the letter's bottom fold. Kaderin could hear his heart speed up when he recognized it.
Another chance at the past. For Sebastian.
'Will it'—his voice dropped lower—'could it work?'
She faced him and nodded. 'Yes, I believe so. You fascinated Riora. She would want to reward you.'
He swallowed. 'I won't do this lightly. I must talk with Nikolai and Murdoch and, I hope, Conrad. We will decide together how and when this will occur and prepare for it.'
As Kaderin gingerly set the key and note aside, he asked, 'Would you be comfortable with this? With my family coming forward?'
'Like you were with mine? Of course! I'll support you in anything you want to do. And I daresay your sisters will be easier than Dash and Rika. They probably won't slay every toaster they encounter.'
The corners of his lips curled. 'This is too incredible. I can scarcely believe it.'
'Just wait until you see them for the first time. It's a pretty big shock.'
He raised his hand to cradle her face. 'My sisters would like you.'
She smiled back. 'They will like me. And I them. Though I think you should marry me first. So we're respectable.'
'I didn't believe this day could get better.'
When he drew her under him, resting his hips between her thighs, she gazed into his gray eyes, the color of enduring summer storms. 'I love you, Bastian.'
'I'll never tire of hearing that.' He nuzzled her ear and rasped against it, 'Maybe one day you'll come to love me as much as I do you.'
She frowned and pushed up on his shoulders so they were facing each other. 'I happen to adore you, vampire.' Her hands laced around his neck, and she twined her fingers in his hair. 'No, I'm absolutely certain I love you more.'
He grinned down at her, that half-grin that made her heart twist, then slowly rocked forward to fill her. 'Tell yourself that, Valkyrie.' He leaned down to catch her gasp with his lips. 'As much as you like.'
From the Book of Lore
The Lore
'... and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man's.'
The Valkyrie
'When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed her call. The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall, and preserving her courage forever in the form of the maiden's immortal Valkyrie daughter.'
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Possess preternatural strength and speed.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Without training, they can be mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Also called Swan Maidens, Shield Maidens.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Enemies of the Horde.
The Vampires
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Two warring factions, the Vampire Horde and the Forbearer Army.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath
