“Jacquelyn, it is time for you to recite the vows you have written to your mate,” Vasile told her gently, mindful of her emotions.

  She had to let go of Fane’s hands while she unfolded the piece of paper she held in her hand. When she looked up and saw Fane watching her, she grinned. Fane winked at her, which made her heartbeat pick up. “Easy, love. It’s just me, just us. Talk to me,” Fane whispered in her mind, helping to calm her so she could unfold the paper and read it to him.

  “Fane, there is so much I don’t know about you, so many secrets I have yet to discover, but there are a few things that I do know. I know that your face is the first thing I want to see in the morning and the last thing I want to see before I close my eyes at night. I know your smile is the one I want to see when life fills you with joy. I know I want to be the one to hold you when you are hurt or discouraged. And when life knocks you down, I want to be the one to help you get back up. I know that if we are so blessed, I want you to be the father of my children, and I hope they have your beautiful blue eyes. I know without a doubt, out of the millions of people on this earth, you were created for me and me for you. All these things, I know. What you need to know is that I am yours and yours alone. You hold my heart. You have the power to fill it with love and you have the power to destroy it. You need to know that not a day will go by that I don’t thank God that you are mine. You need to know that I will get mad at you, I will give you hell when you need it, but I will also love you unconditionally and without reservation. I will give you everything I am, and I expect nothing less from you.” Fane looked at his mate, speechless at her precious words. He didn’t even realize his father was asking him a question until Jacquelyn turned to look at Vasile.

  “Fane, what offering do you bring your mate to show her you will provide for her and care for her needs, both physical and emotional?” Vasile asked him.

  Fane stood up and brought Jacquelyn with him. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a little black box. He heard Jacquelyn’s breath catch.

  Fane opened the black box and knelt back down on one knee. He took Jacquelyn’s left hand into his and felt her shaking. He brought her hand to his lips, kissed it, and held it to his lips until the shaking stopped. “I have brought a ring. There is no other like it in all the world, just as there is no other like my Luna. Engraved all the way around the band in Romanian are the words: finalizarea (complete), for without you my soul is incomplete, absolut (absolute), that is how my love is for you, inamovibil (unmovable), there is nothing on this earth that will separate me from you, and intreg (whole), you have filled the void in me, making the man and the wolf whole. In the center is a very rare red diamond. I chose red for two reasons. One, you are my micul incendiu (little fire). And two, it is a reminder of this day when we both shed blood to bind our souls to each other.” Fane looked at Jacquelyn, pleading with his eyes for her to understand how much he needed her. “Jacquelyn, I love you. You are my mate, and from this day forth, every wolf will know that you are mine. But because I am selfish and a barbarian just as my mother called me, I don’t want just the wolves to know you are mine. I want every man to know you are taken. I realize you are not ready to marry me right now. That is okay. I will wait. But I am asking you to tell me that you will be my wife in the human sense of the word one day. Wear this ring as a symbol that your heart is spoken for. Jacquelyn, will you marry me?”

  Jacquelyn’s eyes were closed. When she opened them, he saw them glisten with unshed tears. Fane stood and pulled her close to him. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, “Please tell me those are tears of joy.”

  Jacquelyn nodded her head, but that wasn’t good enough for Fane. He needed to hear it from her lips. “I’m going to make you say it out loud, my love. I need to hear it from you.” Fane sent her his thought and then waited for her response.

  She pulled back so she could look into his eyes, “I will marry you, Fane.”

  Fane could see a little sparkle of mischief in her eyes. She had something up her sleeve. “When Luna? When will you marry me?” he whispered.

  “I would marry you now, here, in this place,” she told him, her eyes filled with determination.

  A gasp that rippled through the room, reaching far into the darkness where the faceless watchers stood. Fane’s breath caught. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He turned to look at his father. “Alpha, marry us,” he said firmly. Jacque laughed at the urgency in his tone. He turned back to look at her. “I don’t want you to have the chance to change your mind.” His voice was playful, but Jacque could see in his eyes that he was serious. He wasn’t ever letting her go.

  Vasile’s voice brought them both from their private world back to where and what they were doing. “Before we get to the marriage vows, Fane has another offering. Where is your second?”

  “I have another offering, but I wish to give it to my mate in private when we complete the Blood Rites.”

  Vasile turned to Jacquelyn.” You accept this request?”

  “Yes.” Jacquelyn raised her eyebrows at Fane.

  “All right, I suppose now we will do the marriage vows.” Vasile grinned at Jacque.

  “Hey, it seemed as good a time as any.” Her cheeks flamed with heat. “Oh, and you can do the quick version. I’m pretty sure what we’ve already said covers all the rest.” The crowd laughed at her words and then quieted when Vasile looked out into the darkness. Bringing his attention back to Fane and Jacque, he spoke the marriage vows and everyone listened once again as Fane and Jacque bound themselves in the human way as well.

  * * *

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Vasile finished and then added, “Fane, it is time for you and your mate to perform the Blood Rites. Once done, your bond will be complete.”

  Fane turned to Jacque and took her face in his hands then kissed her soundly on the mouth. The kiss seemed to last forever, and Jacquelyn was sure that even Jen would be blushing. When he finally pulled away, he placed one more soft kiss on her lips and said, “Mate, come. I have waited long enough.” Jacquelyn’s eyes popped open, and she looked into the face of her mate, the face of her wolf.

  Jacque couldn’t say she wasn’t nervous as Fane led her to his suite in the mansion. When Fane had ended that kiss and spoke to her, she realized that Fane had been out of commission, and the wolf was in control. When they reached the door, Fane turned and looked at her. “Don’t be afraid. I am here. I am in control, but the wolf has pushed forward because the Blood Rites is a bonding between the wolf and his mate--you. We will not hurt you, Jacquelyn.”

  Jacque smiled up at him and leaned forward to gently kiss his lips. She whispered, “Mate, I trust you.”

  A low growl rumbled from Fane. He gently pulled her into the room. Jacque could smell flowers. When she looked down at the floor, she knew why. There was a path of rose petals that led into the suite. She had been in his room several times over the past two weeks. Yet its luxuriousness still impressed her.

  The majority of the suite consisted of a sitting room with a fireplace. Jacque noticed Fane had spread a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace and on it sat a basket full of food. The suite also had a small kitchen and dining area. As they followed the path of flower petals on the floor, she found herself cast in the soft glow of what looked like dozens of lit candles. When they came to the bedroom, her stomach dropped to her feet, and her breathing increased.

  Fane pushed the door to the room open. The sight stole Jacque’s breath and momentarily took her mind off her fears. There were candles of all different shapes and sizes placed around the room. There had to be fifty or more. The bed had been covered in a bedspread Jacque had never seen. It was a quilt with two wolves in the center, one larger than the other. The smaller wolf was tucked into the front of the chest of the larger wolf while he sheltered her. It was a beautiful quilt and it spoke volumes. She looked around the room, and Fane stepped away from her. She watched him take a basin of water from a warming plate and place it on the bedside table. Next to it, he placed several towels. He must have felt her confusion because he turned and grinned at her. “It’s to clean the bite marks, love, that’s all.” Jacque felt heat rush up her neck and face. He’d clearly picked up on her thoughts.

  She sat down on the bed and looked up at Fane, surprised by her own confidence. She stared into his beautiful eyes. “So how does this work?”

  “You will need to remove the dress, love.” Fane’s eyes twinkled wickedly. Then he added, “If you want, you can go into the bathroom. There is a robe for you.”

  She grinned at him. “You’re bad, you know that? Trying to scare an innocent girl, you ought to be ashamed.”

  Fane grabbed her hand and kissed it before she could walk away. “I should be, but I’m not.” Jacque felt Fane’s eyes on her as she retreated into the bathroom to change.

  * * *

  A few minutes later, she stepped out, wearing a plush white robe that came to her knees. With her head bowed, eyes hooded by her eyelids, she couldn’t help but feel vulnerable knowing there was nothing under the robe. But she reminded herself again, as she had a hundred times while in the bathroom, that Fane was her husband and her mate. She heard the intake of Fane’s breath, and she finally looked up. His jaw had dropped, his eyes wide as he took her in from head to toe and back again. Jacque had never felt more beautiful.

  “You have never been more beautiful, love.” She heard Fane’s words, and even in her mind, they sounded breathless.

  He took a deep breath and ran both his hands through his hair. Jacque could feel how restless he was and how desperate he was to complete the Blood Rites, but he was trying to be gentle with her.

  She walked over to him and took his arms, pulling them around her waist to encircle her. She didn’t know what to do so she just let instinct take over. She looked up into his eyes with all the trust in the world. She tilted her head and exposed her neck to him. She saw his eyes glow brighter and heard a low growl. “You are sure you are ready?” His voice was rough with emotion.

  “Fane, I trust you.”

  She felt him pull her closer, and then his hand came up and pulled the robe gently until her neck and shoulder were exposed. His fingers traced the mating marks on her back, no longer marred from the claw marks, completely healed and whole. Small chill bumps erupted all over Jacque’s skin, and she shuddered under his touch. He cradled the nape of her neck, and Jacque felt him place his nose against her skin. She heard him breathe in deeply. A rumble came from his chest. She tensed briefly and then relaxed as she felt his lips on her skin. He gave her gentle kisses from her chin to her shoulder then back up to her neck just below her ear. Jacque felt his lips part and a stroke of his tongue. Then she heard a deep growl just as a sharp pain pierced her neck. Just as quickly, it was gone. She could still feel Fane’s mouth on her, but where she first felt pain, she now felt pleasure. It was making her stomach do weird things. She felt herself pushing against Fane’s body and heard soft moaning. A moment later, she realized the moaning was coming from her. She should’ve been embarrassed, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel that when this was her mate, the other half of her soul, who held her.

  Fane pulled away. She wrapped her arms around his neck. desperate to pull him back, but Fane was stronger. He continued to pull back until he could see her face. Jacque saw the tears that ran down his cheeks and felt the intensity of his stare all the way to her heart. The look changed abruptly to concern as he looked at her neck. He reached for one of the towels he had laid out and dipped it in the warm water, squeezed out the excess, and brought it to her neck to clean away the blood. She couldn’t help the wince that crossed her face when the water touched the wound. Fane gently turned her face to his. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. I mean, it hurt for a moment but then ...” Jacque didn’t know if she could even put into words how it had felt once the pain had subsided.

  “Then what, my love?” he asked.

  Did he not know? Could he not hear her moans and feel the emotions rolling off of her? Fane stepped closer, his body brushing up against hers. “I felt your desire,” he whispered. “I heard you, my love. I just want to hear you say it. You so often avoid this topic altogether that I was beginning to think maybe you weren’t attracted to me.”

  Jacque let out a breathless laugh. “Liar,” she teased him.

  “After the initial pain, it felt good. No, it felt freaking awesome.” Fane chuckled at his mate, but Jacque continued undaunted. “I have always desired you, Fane. I’ve just never been comfortable talking about it. But rest assured, after feeling your mouth do that on my skin ...,” Jacque shuddered at the memory, “... I without a doubt desire you, wolf-man.”

  Fane decided not to torture her any more with questions about her physical affections for him. Instead, he reminded her that the blood rite still wasn’t complete. “Are you ready, Luna?”

  Jacque took his hand and led him over to the bed. She pushed him down to sit on the edge. With him sitting and her standing, her face was level with his neck. Fane undid the buttons on his white dress shirt until they were all open and then shrugged the shirt off. She looked at him, and although she had already done this twice, this time it felt different, more intimate. Fane turned and exposed his neck as she had done for him. Something deep inside Jacque stirred at the sight of the bared neck. She felt a desire to mark it, claim it, to claim him. She leaned toward Fane and placed her arm around his strong shoulders. She kissed his cheek and down his jaw to his neck just as he had done. She kissed him down to where his neck met his shoulder. At that point, instinct took over. The wolf blood in Jacque came forward to claim their mate. Once again, as she had felt the first two times she took Fane’s blood, Jacque felt her teeth lengthen just a little. And when she ran her tongue across them, she realized they were much sharper. Before she could stop to think about it, she opened her mouth and sunk her teeth deep into Fane’s flesh. She heard a groan coming from Fane’s chest and then the low growl she had become accustomed to. Fane wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Jacque closed her eyes and tasted Fane’s blood. She felt something, like her very soul was being knitted into Fane’s. The bond, she thought, the bond was complete.

  After a couple of minutes, Fane pulled her away. Reluctantly, she relented. Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Jacque kept her eyes closed as her breathing slowed. When she opened her eyes to look at Fane, she saw blood running down his neck. Just as he had done, she wet one of the towels and gently wiped it away. Fane sat there quietly, watching every move she made. Finally, Jacque couldn’t handle the silence anymore. “What are you thinking?” she asked him.

  “You don’t have to ask, Luna, you could just look.”

  “I know, but I want you to tell me. I want you to share your thoughts with me without me invading your privacy,” Jacque explained.

  “I am your mate, Jacquelyn. We are bonded. You have every right to invade my mind, but if you want me to talk, then that’s what you shall get.” He grinned at her and grabbed her hand to pull her onto the bed next to him. Fane scooted until his back was against the headboard.

  When he reached to pull Jacque up against him, she started to resist. “I want to be able to look at you while we talk.”

  “In a moment, Luna. First, let me hold you. I can feel our bond growing stronger now that we have shared our blood. My blood is in you, and you will always carry my scent. Let me and my wolf hold you and enjoy our scent being all over you.”

  Jacque rolled her eyes but acquiesced to his wishes. “Your mom was right when she said you were possessive, overbearing barbarians.”

  “I never claimed otherwise, my love,” Fane teased her.

  He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his chest, her legs tucked up against his side. Jacque felt a rumble in his chest. A smile quirked her lips as she thought about when she told him he purred.

  “I do not purr, mate. I rumble.”

  Jacque glanced up at Fane. “Your wolf is doing that more and more, you know?”

  “The bond is strong now. You will feel him and hear him more easily now. He is very smitten with you.” Jacque laid her head back on his chest and enjoyed Fane’s hand rubbing up and down her arm.

  “You were supposed to tell me what you are thinking, remember?” Jacque asked.

  “I’m thinking about how in awe I am of you, of your ability to take all that has happened since we met and still smile, tease, take me as your husband and mate. You could have turned away from me, running for your life.” Fane paused. Jacque waited patiently to see if he would say more. “I’m thinking that I am the luckiest wolf in the world to have found such an amazing mate.”

  “Funny that,” Jacque said. “I was thinking the same thing about you.” She felt Fane kiss the top of her head, and she snuggled closer.

  Jacque held out her left hand and studied the writing on the band. She remembered the words that Fane had said were engraved on it, and she felt warmth fill her. “It’s the most precious thing I have ever received, Fane.” Jacque’s voice was filled with awe at the beautiful gift he had given her. She remembered then that he had told his father that the second offering was something he wanted to give her in private. “So, where is my second offering, oh wolf of mine?” Jacque asked him in the haughtiest voice she could muster. She sat up and turned to look at him.