chest below his heart.
The pain drove him to his knees. The wound began to heal over as he forced his weakened body up from the ground. “Let her go, damn you.”
“I no longer trust you,” she said smoothly, her voice cold. “You have been stalling and I have waited long enough. I have taken your sister as a hostage. You must take Lady Ophelia’s power now, if you wish to free your sister.”
“I cannot, damn it,” he roared. “There is a chance it would kill Ophelia. I need more time to know for certain.”
He knew what he had done to hurt her—he had killed her brother. If she forgave him for that, she could survive . . . hell, how could she forgive him? It was impossible.
“You have until midnight tomorrow night to make your choice,” Jade commanded. “Either take her power and kill her, or watch your sister die.”
With that, Jade threw bolts of sizzling light and energy at him from both hands, knocking him onto his arse.
When Raven struggled back onto his feet, his chest smouldered where his clothes had burned away, and the vampire queen was gone.
15
Lost
Raven leapt to the side. A crossbow bolt narrowly missed his chest.
Damned Royal Society.
He stood in the shadowy, mucky mews that ran behind the yard of his town house. Fixated on returning to Ophelia, he had not noticed the two men positioned in the mews, until they’d jumped out and starting firing at him with crossbows.
“I don’t have time for this,” he roared. He shifted shape and flew at them, darting from side to side to avoid the hurtling arrows. Panic made the men clumsy. They messed up their loading, and he had his chance.
But instead of killing them, he transformed back into human form and threw one down the mews. The slayer landed on his arse, scrambled to his feet, and ran away. Raven knocked the other unconscious.
With that, he jumped up onto the tall fence that separated his small yard from the mews and dropped over the side.
Landing softly on the grass, he called in his thoughts to Guidon.
Ophelia met him in the foyer, wearing the thick robe he’d acquired for her. It hung open, giving a glimpse of her sweetly rounded breasts, her slim waist, the enticingly soft and beautiful golden curls between her legs.
“Where did you go?” she asked. “We only had four orgasms and it wasn’t enough. I am ready to try for the fifth.”
He grinned. The sweetness of her serious expression touched his heart. He could lie about where he had gone, but he had to prove he loved her by giving the truth. “I went to see my sister. I never let her see me, but I like to know she is safe.”
“Is she?”
Now he had to lie—lie by omission. “Yes, she is safe.” For now, she was. For now, Frederica would not be harmed, as long as Jade thought he would take Ophelia’s power.
Ophelia suddenly gave a soft cry and flung herself against his chest, hugging him tight.
She needed touch. He had to remember that. He had to give her all the touching he could before he was destroyed.
“Guidon spoke to me.” She tipped her face up and met his gaze.
“He did?” Why in Hades had Guidon done that?
“He told me that it was still too dangerous to take my power—that I would be safe, but you would be killed. I will not do it. I will not let that happen.”
He cupped her chin and lowered to her mouth. It had been years since he’d had love like this—
No, he had never had love like this. Not from his fiancee. Now, he knew what love was.
Ophelia was willing to sacrifice for him. That was love.
But he intended to sacrifice himself for her. Now that he knew she would be safe. He brushed his lips against hers. “I’ve changed,” he said softly. “You’ve changed me. I can never take another mortal life. But I’m a vampire, and I am one who is cursed to kill. I’m not one of the gentle ones who can drink his blood from crystal glasses and who can behave like a human. I’m a monster. Before, I didn’t care. Now I do. Let me take your power and be destroyed, Ophelia.”
“I can’t do it. I love you too much.”
He gripped her arms. “You are in danger if you do not. Let me have this. One chance to make amends for the things I have done as a vampire. Let me make love to you, and save you, then die having done one noble thing in my life. There is a secret in my past, and it is a terrible one. It would make you hate me, so your love cannot save me.”
He told her about the passage in Guidon’s book. That it meant their love had to be proven that it could withstand the harshest tests. He did not believe it would. But from what Guidon had told her, Raven alone would pay the price for that.
“I—I would be killing you, and I can’t bear to live with that.” Tears leapt into her eyes.
He hated himself for doing this to her . . .then he saw the answer. “You aren’t killing me, angel. This is something I’m going to do to myself.”
He pushed her back, forcing her to stumble backward until the foyer wall stopped them. Using the bulk of his body, he pressed against her, pinning her in place. Slanting his mouth over hers, he teased and suckled and played with her mouth, certain he could arouse her, even while he held her captive.
His tongue tangled with hers, and she breathed hard into his mouth.
Then her foot, in a slipper, slammed into his shin.
She was fighting him.
Instead of stopping, he kissed a line of teasing sensation down her neck. She gave a soft gasp of surrender. Down he kissed, pushing aside her robe with his jaw. He licked her nipples, making her sob.
He pushed open her robe completely, pressed his groin heavily against her.
