They huddled closer to me. “Claire,” Tansy said in a soft voice, “we love His Grace as much as anyone in this castle. He has paid us well and treated us even better. But there is going to be a war that even his army can’t stop. I can feel it.”

  “We found a ship that sails south,” Devlinn added. “It’s not far from here. We can board it and never look back. We can live in peace. Away from magick. Away from all this pain.”

  I stared back at her in disbelief. I hadn’t come anticipating this.

  “Doesn’t that sound nice?” Tansy asked. “Seashells and sand?”

  I closed my eyes and saw the little pile of seashells that had appeared to me earlier. The ones I’d conjured with the horn. The ones that Imogen had greedily taken. I thumbed over the bloodstone Bastien had given me, thinking of him. Feeling into the bond between us. It was endless. My love for him was endless.

  My future, my everything, was tied to him. And not just because he was my mate, but because he was the person I wanted.

  “I have love for you both,” I admitted. “And if you want to find this island and drink rum from coconuts, then I wish you well. But I have to stay here.” I couldn’t stand the sad looks on their faces, so I continued, trying to explain something that I couldn’t. “I have obligations.”

  Tansy frowned. “What obligation could be more important than to yourself? To find a quiet place to settle in peace?”

  An uncomfortable tightness formed in my throat. There was so much I wanted to say, but our marriage was kept secret because the situation with the High Prince was so precarious. And I certainly couldn’t tell her about Mama. So I just shook my head.

  “Then why stay?” she asked. “Claire, the Duke is kind. After what happened to you, I know he would let you leave. He would understand. He would want you to be happy.”

  He would. He would want me to be happy. But what she couldn’t know was that no world existed where I was happy and not with him. And even though Bastien said and did things I didn’t agree with, we did have one thing in common. We were both concerned about the safety of those we loved more than our own happiness. He had the people of Roselyn, and I had Sera.

  “Happiness is hard to hold on to,” I said quietly. “It’s not a rabbit you can trap, or a place you can visit. It slips through your fingers. I’ve learned there are things more important than being happy all the time.”

  “Like what?” Devlinn asked.

  “Duty. Honor.” I paused, thinking of the little baby that I wanted to hold more than anything. “Love.”

  Tansy drew in a surprised breath. “Is that it? Do you love the Duke?”

  Chapter 10

  Interlude

  Did you miss me? I bet you did. You’ve been thinking about me ever since the story started, wondering if I would return. Hoping I’d interrupt for a little one-on-one chat.

  You see, I understand your desire better than most. Probably because I’m a demon, and demons are pure want. But not in the mortal sense. We don’t sit around wondering if we’ll get what we want. For us, it’s only a question of when.

  And oh, I’ve been patient. So, so patient.

  What’s that? You want to know exactly what I’ve been waiting for? If you say please, maybe you’ll get your wish. Go on. Say it. Right into the pages. I can wait.

  Mm. What a bad little girl you are, conspiring with a demon. When you bite your lip, it’s hard to say no, but I think I’ll let you squirm a little longer. You look good like that.

  What I will divulge is my realm of specialty: sex and disease. You’re giggling at that, are you? Pretending those things don’t cross your mind? Or maybe you’re intrigued. Either way, it won’t surprise you to learn that mortals are always begging for my help.

  Want your good-for-nothing boss to itch and ooze for weeks? Bring me an offering. I love a good goat. Need revenge on a cheating husband? I’ll turn his manhood into a rotting stump and make sure he lives long enough to understand exactly why I did it.

  Look at you, giggling again. You’re even thinking of a request. Someone you want to geld. Aren’t you? Fuck, I love that. I bet if you’re honest with yourself, you’re already kinda into me and the work I do. Easy now. I’m not here to get you wet, so don’t get your knickers in a twist.

  I’m here for my own reasons. Reasons that I’ll be keeping to myself.

  I hate to run off and leave you unfinished with such a juicy story dangling, but don’t worry, we’ll meet again. And when we do, blow me a kiss to let me know you remembered our little chat.

  Oh, there’s one last thing before I go. It’s a request. Just a little thing. Don’t tell Bastien you heard from me. Okay? Let’s keep that our little secret.

  Chapter 11

  Espionner

  BASTIEN

  When I discovered that Claire was alone with her consorts inside this tea room, I decided to follow one of the rules we established. I’d give her three minutes before I interrupted.

  However, my vampiric hearing meant I was an invisible guest at the table. Forced to listen while two people in my service plotted to rob me of my wife.

  My hands shook with barely contained rage, and I shoved them inside my pockets for fear I was going to break through the door and rip their throats out. I could almost taste their blood as it splattered across my face.

  The only reason I remained where I stood was that they were right. She’d be better off settling on some quaint island where the weather was warm, and she would never be cold again.

  Where I couldn’t hurt her. And I had hurt her. Not just earlier today. But when I led her into that graveyard.

  Tansy had asked, “Do you love the Duke?”

  I waited for her reply, wishing, not for the first time, that I could be the kind of man Claire deserved. A man with a beating heart. A man who didn’t need blood to survive.

  “Claire, do you love the Duke?” Tansy asked again.

  Breathing was more a habit than a necessity for me, yet I found myself holding it all the same.

  “I do. Love him. Very much.” Pride and happiness swelled inside me, almost like my heart was beating again. “As many in his service do,” she added.

  I rested my forehead against the door. I didn’t think I could take much more of this.

  “And because of that love,” Claire continued, “I cannot abandon him to handle this burden on his own.” There was a tense pause. “I’m not supposed to repeat this, but apparently the Witches of the Light have discovered a way to become werewolves.”

  Werewolves who had learned how to sneak past the boundary between lands.

  “No,” Tansy was saying. “That can’t be true. They wouldn’t.”

  “They have,” Claire asserted. “I saw proof myself.”

  Hector’s head in that box. A memory I would never forget. A good man. A good witch. Someone who had welcomed me into his home. And it was that very friendship, and his desire for peace, that had gotten him killed.

  “Do you think that’s what Alec wanted to warn you about?” Devlinn asked. “That werewolves were coming? He said he’d been scratched by one.”

  I froze. A new thought worming into my mind. I’d assumed the magick to make werewolves had come from the Lawless Lands, but what if that wasn’t true? When Alec was first brought to my tent for questioning, he claimed to have seen a werewolf and bore a scratch to prove it. And now, he was missing.

  One of her wolves whined, and Claire hushed it with a few reassuring words. I put my hand on the doorknob, ready to break up this conversation, needing to see my wife, when the sound of Claire’s voice stopped me.

  “They are coming to cut off the source of dark magick because they don’t want balance. They want power. And they want to destroy everyone and anything that threatens their twisted worldview.”

  Claire had come so far after being raised at the Nightfall Convent. That she could embrace another viewpoint after two decades of indoctrination spoke volumes about her. Many witches with the same upbringing refused to accept the truth she saw so plainly.

  “If there are werewolves, we need to run,” Tansy said. “They’ll come for everyone with red hair. It won’t matter if you charge your magick or not. Trust me, I grew up with witches who were waiting for something big like this to change the game.”

  Of course. It wasn’t just the Prideaux. There were other witches who harbored old grudges. They didn’t have the desire to strike out without a way to defeat us. But if there were creatures who matched vampires in strength, perhaps more would defect.

  I wanted to believe the Blood Treaty still meant something. That the peace I died to protect was still possible. Otherwise, everything was for naught. And I wasn’t ready to give up yet. The more people we convinced to join us, the stronger the treaty became. It was one of the reasons I wanted to see the covens of the Lawless Lands brought together.

  But Claire didn’t need to be caught in the middle of my vows. I shouldn’t be allowing it.

  A chair pushed back. Then came Claire’s voice. “There might be an island where logic reigns, but how long will that last? When will they come for it, too?”

  No one said anything.

  “The Duke stands for tolerance and acceptance. He fights for it with every fiber in his being. And that’s the kind of future I want. A place where people aren’t turned into weapons or forced to run from their homes. And if that means I need to walk through shadows, then I’ll trudge through the dark. If that means I need to spill blood, I will face my fear of it. If it means I need to learn the ways of demons, then I will walk all the way to the Underworld if I have to. Whatever needs to be done to end this. Because I’m done letting other people decide my future.”

  It was quiet for a long time. I battled with myself, fighting against my desire to open the door and take her into my arms. I wanted to protect her from her own bravery.

  And where it would lead her.

  “I hate that you’re right,” Tansy said courageously. “There’s a reason why we all met. And I think it’s because you’re supposed to help her, Devlinn.”

  Help her with what?

  “Just so we’re all on the same page,” Devlinn replied, “we’re saying no to the drinks and the rum and the sun to hunt werewolves?”

  Tansy let out a humorless chuckle. “Yes. That’s what we’re saying.”

  “Well, I’d follow you anywhere,” he responded.

  I might’ve called Devlinn’s vow pathetic before I knew what it was to love Claire, but now I understood. When you loved someone, truly loved them, there was nothing you wouldn’t do for them. Nothing.

  I pressed my lips together and closed my eyes, fighting the guilt churning in my stomach.

  “If we do this, it can’t be tonight,” Devlinn explained. I straightened. Clearly, I’d missed something important before arriving. “It must be under the new moon, when Diana’s influence is the weakest, and the veil between the Underworld and ours is the thinnest. The next one is in two days.”

  “We’ll already be in the Lawless Lands. The Duke intends to ride tomorrow,” Claire said.

  I wrenched open the door, startling the two consorts. “Your Grace!” Devlinn rushed to say. The two struggled to their feet, Devlinn tripping over a chair as he did, then fumbling into a bow. Claire pushed out of her chair slowly.

  Without breaking eye contact with my wife, I said, “You are dismissed.”

  Each of them kissed Claire’s cheek, said goodbye, and exited the tea room. When the door was closed and we were alone, Claire set her hands on her hips. “Why am I not surprised that you were listening?”

  “I told you I’d give you three minutes with your consorts if I required your company. I was generous and gave you four.”

  Claire raised a brow. “And what do you require?”

  It was hard to stand across from her and not go to her. Not touch her. Hold her. But she was still angry with me, and I had to stop being so selfish when it came to her.

  My gaze settled on the cut across her brow. I loved her with every ounce of my heart, but I was bad for her. In every way. She should run. As far and as fast as she could.

  “Your consorts wanted you to leave with them.”

  “So what of it?”

  The image of that little baby flashed in my mind. Everything about me, even my child, threatened her.

  I opened our connection. I needed her to feel my words, not just hear them. “The war wouldn’t spread that far south, not in your lifetime,” I admitted. “And if you wished to leave with Tansy and Devlinn⁠—”

  “No,” Claire interrupted.

  “I’d offer you money and an escort to take you all the way to the Isles of Markal. I’d sign a contract stating you’re still under my service so as not to trigger the conditions of your necklace. You could get far away from me and all of this.”

  By the time I was done, I was breathing heavily. I wanted to tear the fangs from my mouth. Wishing I could be a different man. A better one. One who could board a boat and go with her. One that hadn’t sacrificed my life and afterlife to preserving an ancient treaty that no one seemed to care about anymore, save for those of us who were there.

  Claire approached me with tears blazing in her eyes. Her emotions poured through me as if they were my own. The hurt. The pain. The soul-deep ache to be desired and loved. And... the love she felt for me. I could feel it like it was alive and real. Solid and immovable.

  “Why would you say such things?” Claire demanded. “Is that what you want? To send me away?”

  I didn’t want to hurt her, but this hurt paled in comparison to that which could befall her. This was her last chance to have a quiet life. Away from me. Away from that horn. Because I loved her so much, I owed her a choice.

  “Of course it’s not what I want,” I admitted. “But I won’t lie to you, Claire. Staying with me is not the easy path. Or the safe one. Not when it takes us to the Lawless Lands.”

  “It’s not easy for you either,” Claire said. Fresh tears were leaking down her pale cheeks. “There are consequences⁠—”

  I couldn’t bear to see her cry. Not again. Not at my hand. So I hugged her to my chest, holding her against me as tightly as I dared. I drank in the sweet smell of her hair and ran my hand down her back in soothing strokes. “You could have a good life.”

  She gripped my shirt, holding me closer. “I already have what I want. You stubborn mule. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”

  Did this woman know what she was saying? I was trying to protect her. “I’m dangerous. I’m going to take you to a dangerous place. For Diana’s sake, I drink your blood.”

  I knew saying that word would trigger her, yet I said it anyway to make a point. We could use other phrases for what I did. I could dress it up. Make her more comfortable. Drink from her inner thigh instead. It would not change the truth—I was a monster who only took from her. Claire released her hold on me, and I did the same. Regret and relief coursed through my veins. Maybe she finally understood.

  She backed up a pace and wiped the tears from her eyes. When she did, I noticed a shift in her. The deep well of emotion had closed, and what replaced it was something else. Something darker. Something I could smell in the air. Something… that made me stand a little straighter. She blinked, and her honey-brown eyes flashed crimson.

  She was using dark magick. I didn’t think she realized what she was doing, but she was casting a spell, working her influence. On me.

  My attention drifted to the horn on the table. I studied the curve of it. The color of it. I imagined how it might fit in my hand. I tried to remember the night everything in my life changed, embracing the memory instead of avoiding it like I usually did, but my human memories were distant.

  Claire dragged a finger across the curve of the horn, and all of my desires narrowed into a singular focus. My wife.

  “You’re bad for me, is that it?” she asked. Voice thick.

  A terrible war waged inside me. Between the beast who wanted to protect her from me and him and everything, and the pull of her. Of our bond. Of my deep love for her.

  “Yes.”

  She hummed in the back of her throat. A wicked smile stretched across her face. The scent of her arousal filled the air. It was… distracting.

  “I see,” she said. Plucking one of the white flowers from the vase and tucking it behind her ear. “You’re bad, and I’m just your precious moonflower. A helpless damsel in need of protection.”

  Helpless? No. Never helpless. Just mine to protect. Just… mine. Blood rushed to parts of my body, coaxing them awake.

  “That’s not it.” I shook my head, watching as she began to unbutton the tiny buttons on the front of her gown. I grabbed her hand, stilling her progress. “You’re too good for me. Too good a girl. You deserve a beach and warmth and…”

  Our eyes met, and Diana forgive me, instead of buttoning her back up, I ripped the damn thing half open. My breath stuttered at the soft swell of her breasts. I wanted to touch her. Taste her. Give her everything. Anything.

  “You deserve someone to fuck you rotten.” I dropped my hand, curling my fingers into a fist. I couldn’t do this. I was stronger than this. “I should be hanged for the things I’ve said to you. That I’ve done to you,” I said. “I’m–”

  “What, Bastien?” she asked, setting her hand on my chest. “Bad?”

  “Yes,” I choked out. I was bad. Very bad. She should know this. The way my cock strained against my trousers was a clear indication. She didn’t look convinced, though. If anything, it was turning her on. The scent of her arousal was growing stronger. “I made you my wife when it was against the law.”

  Claire grabbed a chair, set it in front of me, and then climbed onto it so we were eye to eye. Nose to nose. Chin to chin. Chest to chest.

  “Do you wanna know a secret?” she asked. My throat bobbed up and down as I swallowed hard. “You don’t scare me, Bastien Allard.”

  Everything inside me stilled. I’d heard that once before. When I’d held a knife to his throat and told him I had come to banish him to the Underworld. He’d said the very same thing. Except… he’d called me Sebastien.