She was not in his chambers in two hours. She was in hers. And when he opened the door and strode in, she was not surprised. She knew he would come looking for her.
‘Drago, we can never be together,’ she said without preamble.
His mouth tensed as an intense heat lit his dark gaze. ‘If you are worried about Gretchen, don’t. I ended things with her and what you saw earlier was Gretchen kissing me, not the other way around.’ His face darkened with desire. ‘I cannot fight what I feel. I want you to be with me. Stay with me.’
‘Until you meet your one? No, I cannot.’
‘So that is what is keeping you from me. That damned legend.’
‘Yes,’ she whispered.
‘Eve, I cannot explain this bind I have with you, nor can I predict the future, but what I can do is tell you I have never felt like this for a woman in my life, not even for the late queen.’ He ran a shaky rough hand through his hair. ‘The legend is true. There is one mate for every Lycan, but the legend does not apply to me.’
Eve frowned.
‘I’ve always felt…alone. My people, my land and my kingdom are my priority. They depend on me for food, shelter, protection. When my own father died and I inherited his crown, I swore I would take care of this land and make him proud. I married the queen to bear an heir and I love my son deeply, but I’ve always feared the legend would tear me away from my royal duties.’
‘I don’t understand.’
His face turned grim. ‘I am like you. I don’t believe in fairy tales. Not for me, in any case. I am happy for my son, but what happened to him will not happen to me. There is no Lycan Legend for me. I believe in the now and how I can keep my kingdom safe. I can’t believe in ones and happily ever afters. Too many lives depend on me.’ He inhaled slowly and released a heavy breath. ‘You are ideal for me. You are brave, courageous, kind. You are strong and honourable.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘Be my wife. Rule by my side. You are a warrior at heart with a strong, courageous spirit. Together, we can protect this kingdom and make it prosper. You have power, beauty, bravery, all befitting qualities for a queen.’
Eve didn’t know what to say. She was stunned. She could never marry him and once he knew the truth about her, she doubted he’d want her.
‘I’m sorry, Drago. I cannot be your queen.’
His jaw tightened. ‘You don’t have to answer me now. Let me show you how right it could be between us.’ He took her by the shoulders and drew her in his arms, his dark gaze dipping to her mouth. ‘Eve, I want you,’ he said. ‘Let us be together now, in this moment, as man and woman.’
Slowly, he lowered his head and Eve fought the urge to run from him. The look he gave her as his head came down made her stomach somersault. She wasn’t going to deny herself anymore. She wanted this and would treasure this moment forever.
She closed her eyes and felt his arms go around her as his mouth met hers. His lips moved sensually over hers, her knees growing weak, and she slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders. She moaned softly against his mouth and ran her hands to the back of his head. She didn’t want this kiss to end.
His hands came between them and he slowly unbuttoned her vest. Dragging his mouth from hers, he slipped the vest from her shoulders and cupped her breasts, giving her a bone-melting gaze.
‘You drive me mad with desire,’ he said, his tone hoarse with need.
His hands slipped to her pants and he felt around for lace or ties. He gave her a quizzical look. ‘How do these come off?’
Slowly, she slipped her hands inside the waist band of her pants and slid them off her hips.
His face tightened with desire as her bare skin revealed itself.
She bent and lifted her feet from the pants, tossing them behind her. She stood before him, unashamed of her nakedness.
‘Now, it’s your turn,’ she said, her tone husky with unconcealed desire. She went for his tunic, but he grabbed her hand and shook his head.
‘Let me. It will be faster.’ With deft and quick moves, he removed his royal garb and stood naked before her.
Eve ran her gaze over his body and shivered. He was perfection. She glanced down at his arousal and nearly gasped. It appeared his immense size wasn’t only limited to his shoulders and biceps.
He bent and lifted her in his arms, his warm flesh sending thrills down her spine and carried her to the bed. He lay down beside her and ran his hands along her body, down to her womanhood, where she arched her neck and gasped as he slipped his finger inside her.
She writhed and bucked as he explored her core, darts of pleasure shooting up her spine. She reached out her hand and ran it along his strong chest, marveling at the beauty of his magnificent body. She went lower until she found his rigid staff draped in velvet and steel and clasped her fingers around him.
He sucked in a harsh breath and growled. Their gazes locked and she parted her lips in wonder at the look of possessiveness on his face.
His eyes turned amber just for a second and she frowned for a moment. She wanted the man, not the wolf.
‘What is it?’
‘Nothing. Your eyes just changed for a moment.’
She wasn’t even sure if he heard her because in the next instant, he was lying on top of her, bracing his weight above her with his elbows on the bed. She arched her lower body to meet his.
He stared at her, his face tight with desire and he positioned himself before he impaled her with a sharp, hard thrust, filling her. Her body immediately expanded to accommodate his size and she moaned at the exquisite rush of pleasure and pain throbbing at her center.
He looked deeply into her eyes, his gaze sultry and dark and a delicious shiver ran down her spine.
Slowly, he began to move and she matched his tempo and pace. He kissed her, his tongue warm and sweet and she surrendered to her mounting passion. Drago groaned softly against her lips and picked up speed. The energy between them was thick and hot and she felt truly human for the first time in centuries.
He made her feel like a woman, not the undead creature she’d become. And he made her forget everything. The only thing that mattered was her and him, embracing with a passion borne of need.
Her body felt like it was ready to snap and she turned her face and squeezed her eyes against the sheer ecstasy building in her limbs and bit into his arm. He groaned from deep within his throat.
A warm pool of pleasure gathered in her core and she raised her face and kissed him with a hunger she didn’t know existed in her.
He made a deep, strangled sound in his throat and slipped his hands beneath her, cupping her bottom and ground her against his mounting thrusts and pulls. She threw her head back and bit back screams. She was soaring to a pinnacle where she would find bliss. She cried out as he ground his body to hers and she was hurled to her summit, spiraling out of control, over a precipice, her body quaking with the spasms of her release.
He made a deep, guttural sound and arched his head, his expression dark with arousal. With one final thrust, he spilled his seed into her womb and she dug her nails into his shoulders as her spasms subsided.
They lay in silence for a few moments, their skin sleek with sweat, the breathing ragged. Drago rolled to his side, taking her with him as he wrapped his arms around her.
Eve closed her eyes, sighed and basked in the glorious aftermath of her climax.
A strange, guttural noise alerted her and her eyes flew open. She looked over to Drago and saw his face etched in shock, his eyes turning amber. He pulled from her and staggered out of the bed, his hands clenched to his sides. He gave her a look she could only describe as astonishment. Eve grew frightened.
And then he shifted. He released his Lycan as his body grew, his face changed, his limbs stretched. He raised his head and howled long and loud.
Eve sat up sharply and slid back in one fluid move against the headboard, hissing and baring her fangs. She wasn’t going to let him take her in his monstrous Lycan form.
Luckily that wasn’t what he had in mind because he shifted back to his human naked form and stared at her with shock. ‘You were in front of me all along,’ he murmured. ‘I always suspected, our bond, my connection to you, but I never believed it to be true until now.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You belong to me now.’
‘I belong to no one.’
‘I will not let you go. We are bound now for all eternity.’
She had had enough. ‘I’ve been alone for four hundred years, Drago.’ She rose from the bed. Unashamed of her nakedness, she walked over to her clothes and started putting them on. With jabs, pulls and tugs, she dressed, angry at him for ruining their moment. She’d wanted to remember this moment with tenderness. She didn’t want to recall his arrogance. ‘I’ve come to terms with my destiny. It’s an eternity of nothing.’ She tossed him a glare as she buttoned her vest over her breasts. ‘I suggest you come to terms with your destiny. You said so yourself, your kingdom is your destiny.’ Dressed, she bent to grab her weapons and gasped. He moved fast and before she knew it, he was holding her in a vice grip around her waist, dragging her body up against his.
‘Lycans control their turning except when they make love to their destined mate, their one and just now I couldn’t control my turning. After we made love, I shifted involuntarily.’ His expression was tight with suppressed emotions. ‘You, my beautiful Eve, are my one!’
She stiffened, staring up at him like he’d lost his mind. ‘I…I thought you shifted because your wolf wanted to be released.’ She was dazed. ‘This is absurd. You told me earlier the legend didn’t apply to you.’ She was still too shocked to contemplate the full moon rising tomorrow. ‘No Lycan has ever mated with a vampire.’
‘It appears we just did,’ he replied, his face grim.
‘In…in the legend, the Lycan’s one turns into a werewolf on the next full moon. What will become of me tomorrow when the full moon rises? I am already a vampire. What kind of beast will I turn into?’
‘We will face it together.’
She knew he would not be able to accept the biggest obstacle holding them apart. She watched him dress.
‘I’m…I’m going to see Katya,’ she said and left him before he could say a word.
It was after midnight when Eve went to Katya’s room and her daughter was getting ready for bed.
‘I can’t wait for the assignment I am to take for the king. I’ve been inside for so long, I’m looking forward to the outdoors.’
Eve frowned. ‘What assignment are you talking about?’
‘I thought you already knew. I will travel with a few of his guards in a few days to show them where Balkathan’s lair is.’
Anger bubbled in her breast. ‘No! It’s too dangerous.’
‘Mama, we won’t be riding up to Balkathan’s front gate. We’ll be a distance away. The king wants to attack in two weeks, but he wants to scout the territory first.’
‘I won’t allow it! Katya, what if Balkathan has soldiers hiding in the woods, prepared for such invasions?’
‘We won’t make it as far as the woods, Mama.’
‘I don’t care! You will refuse the king at once.’
‘Refuse me of what?’ came the dry comment from the door.
Eve stiffened as she glanced up and saw Drago stride into the room. ‘How dare you ask my daughter to return to the place that nearly destroyed her?’
‘Actually, I didn’t ask her. She offered her assistance.’
‘Your Highness, I’m so sorry. I tried to tell my mother I offered to help.’
He raised an imperious hand. ‘Don’t worry yourself. I can understand why your mother is against it.’
‘I still want to do this!’ Katya said firmly. ‘Mama, I want to help the king in any way I can. The lair’s entrance is hidden, camouflaged and only I know where it is.’ She paused, taking a deep breath as Eve watched her silently. ‘I have to do this. You taught me all my life how to be strong and fight for what’s right. You taught me never to give up, to be strong and…and to face my fears head on and fight them.’ Her eyes brimmed with tears. ‘Well, I fought hard when I was in Balkathan’s lair. Some battles I won and the others I lost,’ she added, her voice trembling, ‘and now all I can think of is all those women and men imprisoned there who can’t escape. All those people who didn’t have someone like you in their lives to teach them how to survive. I escaped because of all the things you taught me.’ Her face hardened. ‘If showing the king’s guards where the lair is will help those prisoners, I will do it.’
Eve felt the back of her eyes burn. Drago was standing silently to her side and she could feel his gaze on her, watching her intently. She drew in a shaky breath. ‘Katya, my darling girl, I am so proud of you. You’ve already faced your fears with bravery and courage. Now, I must do the same.’ Slowly, she rose, casting a sad look upon her daughter and Drago. ‘You both forget, I know where his lair is, too. And it’s time for me to do what I’ve been too afraid to face these past four centuries.’ She tensed, knowing how they would both soon react. ‘I will leave at once and attack Balkathan myself.’
‘I forbid it,’ Drago roared. ‘He’ll have you killed before you enter his gate.’
‘No, he won’t,’ she told him quietly as she met his furious gaze. She braced herself, knowing he was going to hate her in a minute. ‘Balkathan is my father.’
‘What!‘ Katya screamed.
Eve’s heart fell as she watched Drago’s expression change. He looked stunned. ‘Your father? Why did you never tell us?’
‘When is a good time to tell people the demon who’s been destroying villages and creating bloodshed is your father?’ She paused, taking a deep breath. ‘He turned me into a vampire four hundred years ago, thinking I would rule with him and stay by his side forever. He’d already killed my mother because she knew he was insane and would never follow him.’ She winced at the expression on Drago’s face. He was looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. ‘I ran away from him and travelled as far away as I could. I stopped in China and lived in a temple with monks who took me in and taught me that my curse could be used for good. They taught me hand-to-hand combat and how to use every weapon with a skill, unmatched. Each generation of monks who lived, passed all their knowledge to me. I stayed with them for two hundred years. When I returned, I knew my father was still looking for me, but instead of facing him and fighting him, I hid and lived in the shadows, never staying in one place for more than a few weeks.’
Calmly, she walked to the window. ‘The reason my father is so powerful and no one has been able to kill him all these centuries is he’s the only known, surviving hybrid, both Lycan and vampire. I was there when a Lycan bit him one month after he turned into a vampire. Soon after, he turned insane and killed my mother. I have to kill him. Once he’s dead, his army will be nothing without him to lead them.’ She sprung on the windowsill.
Drago roared, ‘No!’
Katya screamed.
‘I’ve always known how to kill him. Both silver and stake at the same time through the heart and that is what I must do now, before I turn into the same beast he is tomorrow night when the full moon rises. No one has ever survived the curse of both vampire and Lycan.’ Her gaze wavered under Drago’s impenetrable stare. She drew in an unsteady breath. ‘Tomorrow night, when the full moon rises, I fear I will turn into my father,’ she told him quietly.
‘Eve, get off that ledge now,’ he said in a dangerously soft tone.
She ignored his veiled warning. ‘I will make Balkathan think I’ve finally returned to him and when he least suspects it, I will kill him.’ She looked at Katya and her heart twisted in pain at the expression on her daughter’s face. ‘I love you.’
‘I said get off that damn ledge, now,’ Drago growled, his face darkening to a dark red
She smiled sadly at him. ‘You can’t stop me. I’m faster than you and I fly. I love you, Drago.’ She then flew into the night, blocking the sound of her daughter screaming and Drago hollering bloody murder.
