Chapter 9

«^»

As the hours ticked by slowly while Bride was confined to her tiny room, she learned one thing.

This wasn't a dream.

She didn't know how it was real, but she had no choice except to come to terms with the fact that this wasn't the asylum episode of Buffy, or a delusion. All of these people were real and they had the worst-tasting food she'd ever tried to eat.

No wonder they were all so damned skinny.

Her tray of barely touched food was set on the nightstand with the books. Bride paced the room while Listening to the people in the hall debate what they should do to her.

This was getting scarier by the minute.

Suddenly she sensed a movement behind her. Bride spun around to find a man standing there who reminded her of Vane. He had the same multicolored dark hair and green eyes, and his face was eerily similar. Clean shaven, he wore his hair longer than Vane and was dressed in ancient leather and mail armor pieces. Like Bryani, he had a sword strapped to his back.

He watched her in a manner that was definitely reminiscent of a wild animal examining its prey.

" Who are you? " she asked him.

He didn't speak. Instead, he moved closer so that he could take her hand into his and look at her marked palm. Hatred blazed in his eyes.

Before she could blink, she found herself somehow taken from her room into the center of the hall where the angriest group of people on the planet were found. She felt like the only hot rock in a nest of vipers.

Their loud voices increased tenfold in volume when she appeared.

" Dare! " The shout rang out from the old man. " Why have you brought her here? "

The Vane lookalike cast a malevolent look at Bride. " I call for a timoria against her mate."

Agreement echoed from the crowd.

" Nay, " Bryani said as she pushed her way through the crowd to reach them.

" What's the matter, Mother? " Dare asked as he turned toward Bryani. " Have your feelings for the animals who prey upon us changed? "

" You know better."

" Then let us give back to them what they have given to us."

Bryani pulled her sword on her son. " I took a Sentinel's oath to protect—"

" A Katagari whore? " Dare asked, interrupting her. He pushed Bride toward Bryani. " She reeks of their scent. I say we settle this once and for all."

A cheer rang out.

Bride shook with terror.

" Father? " Bryani said to the old man. " Is this the way it's to be? "

The old man took his time scanning the crowd before he faced his daughter. " You should have consulted me before you brought her here, Bryani. You seek protection for our enemies when there is not a family among us who hasn't been torn apart by the Katagaria. Gods of Olympus, look what they have done to our own family. I have lost your mother's sanity and all my children save you to them. You barely returned from their clutches and then only because you managed to fight them off. Now you beg clemency for one of them? Have they driven you completely mad, too, daughter? "

He passed a less than sympathetic gaze to Bride. " We shall put the timoria to a vote. Who among you says aye? "

The roar was so loud that Bride had to cover her ears.

" Who says nay? "

" I do, " Bryani said, but she was a lone voice in the crowd.

The old man gripped his staff and took a deep breath. " It is decided, then. Prepare the human for the timoria. "

Bride had a really bad feeling the timoria wasn't a good thing, especially when three women came forward to drag her off.

" What's happening? " she asked the women who grabbed her. " What's a timoria? "

" I'm so sorry, Bride, " Bryani said before she was pulled away. " Please forgive me."

Forgive her for what?

" Excuse me? " Bride snapped hysterically as she tried to pry the women's hands off her. It was useless. " Would you please tell me what the hell is going on here? "

The tallest of the women turned on her with a snarl. " For mating with a Katagari, there is only one punishment. You will be given to the unmated men of our clan."

" Given to them how? "

The look on the woman's face said it all. They intended to rape her.

Bride screamed and fought them with everything she had.

Vane took a minute to get his bearings as he arrived in ancient Britain. Time-travel always disoriented him. It took a lot of power to time-jump.

He also had to be careful now. If he sent out probes to locate Bride, they could be intercepted by his mother or her people. Not that he feared them. But he didn't want to go to war without an army.

In this time period, his mother's people ruled. His grandfather was the regis of one of the most powerful wolf clans and it was said that good old Gramps had killed more Katagaria than any other Sentinel in their history.

Vane took a deep breath as he scoped out the village on the other side of the hedge where he was crouched. They would be expecting him.

Sort of.

Vane heard something rustling in the forest behind him. Spinning around, he expected it to be a wild animal or one of his mother's people.

It wasn't.

It was Fury.

Vane couldn't have been more stunned if he'd found his mother right in front of him. At least that would have made sense. Fury's presence made none whatsoever.

The wolf flashed instantly to human form and gaped in all his naked horror at Vane, who quickly averted his gaze.

" What the hell are you doing here? " they asked each other simultaneously.

" Put some clothes on me, " Fury said, snarling the words as he cupped himself with his hands.

Rather than go blind, Vane quickly obliged and dressed the wolf in black jeans and a T-shirt. " Why are you here, Fury? "

He spoke between clenched teeth. " I'm doing what I told you I was doing. I'm leading the tessera away from you and Bride, only here you are while they are over there." Fury pointed angrily at a hill not far away. " You're supposed to be in New Orleans, you moron, not Britain."

Suspicious of Fury, Vane frowned. " Why did you bring the tessera here? "

Fury gave him a sinister glare. " Because this was the easiest way I knew of to eliminate them all at once. I can't do it alone and I thought Bryani would get her rocks off hacking one of Markus's tesseras into pieces."

Vane was even more confused and suspicious than before. " You know about Bryani? "

Fury rolled his eyes. " Yeah, I do. She gleefully ran me through and left me for dead several centuries back. Wanna see the scars? "

Vane caught the scent of Stefan coming closer to them.

Fury grabbed him by the arm and hauled him toward a copse of trees. " Look, we're in serious danger here. The Arcadians hate us with a passion."

" I know."

" No you don't, " Fury said, his tone gravely earnest. " You really don't know how much they would pay to have both of us for breakfast. We have to get you out of here."

Vane wrested his arm free. " Bride is in that village and I'm not going anywhere unless she's with me."

Fury cursed. " How long has she been there? "

" I don't know, since I just arrived. Time doesn't flow the same way in both time periods, you know that."

" All right, we have to get her immediately and pray that she hasn't been there long."

" Why do you think I'm here? "

Fury didn't seem to hear him. " Okay, think, think, think." He looked up at Vane. " Do you have any ideas? "

" I'm going in there and get my mate."

" Bryani will have a dampening spell to curtail your powers."

Vane laughed. " Let her try."

" God, you have balls, " he said respectfully under his breath. " What the hell? You can't live forever. Just promise me that if something goes wrong, you'll kill me rather than leave me to them."

There was such growling sincerity in that request that it took Vane aback. What had they done to Fury?

" Swear to me, Vane."

" I swear."

Before Fury could say anything more, Stefan, Aloysius, and Petra broke through the woods in wolf form. Their heads down, the wolves circled them, snarling and snapping.

" Shit! " Fury growled as the wolves hunkered down, preparing to strike.

A scream rang out from the village.

Vane didn't hesitate. Grabbing Fury, he flashed them out just as Stefan was about to reach them.

Bride dug her heels into the ground and bit one of the women holding her. The woman growled and slapped her. Bride bit her again.

Be damned if she was going to let them tie her down! She might not be Tabitha, but she could bite and pull hair with the best of them.

One of the men came forward to wrap his hand around Bride's neck.

" Let… her… go." Vane's steely voice echoed as he enunciated each word slowly.

Bride's eyes filled with tears as she heard the most blessed sound on the planet. She looked to her right to see Vane in human form, standing there without a weapon, and with her white wolf by his side.

Why wasn't he armed?

The men closest to Vane attacked en masse. Stunned, she watched as he twirled around and kicked and punched them to the ground. He moved so fast that she could barely see him.

Then Vane vanished, only to reappear by her side. The women turned on him. Vane sent one flying backward, into the crowd, while he ducked and tripped the second one. The third one, he flipped head over heels onto the ground.

Forget Hollywood, they had nothing on Vane's speed and agility.

As Vane untied her hands, she could hear the wolf fighting and snarling.

Bride threw her arms around his shoulders the instant she was free and held him close while the women tried to reach them, only to recoil off what appeared to be an invisible wall of some sort.

" Fury, " Vane called.

The wolf came running to their side. The man chasing him also rebounded off the wall.

Fury materialized into a naked man and laughed evilly at their pursuers.

Bride was completely stunned by the appearance of Vane's naked brother who, she had to admit, had a great body.

Oh, good grief, was no one what they appeared?

Vane snapped his fingers, and clothes appeared on Fury.

Dare cursed at them. " I thought you said you killed Fury, Mother."

Fury raked Dare with a sneer of repugnance. " Oh, she tried her best, little brother. But animals are remarkable survivors." He looked at Bryani. " Aren't we, Mother? "

Dare started for Fury, only to find himself slung backward by nothing.

In fact, every man who tried to reach Bride, Fury, or Vane found himself thrown to the ground.

" What is this? " Dare snarled, striking the invisible wall with his sword.

Fury laughed again. " This is your worst nightmare, adelfos. Meet the eldest of our litter." He gestured toward Vane. " Vane's powers make a mockery of everyone's here, even Grandfather's." He glanced at Bryani. " You were right, Mom. The blending of Arcadian and Katagaria blood did produce a sorcerer of unparalleled power. It just wasn't me. Sorry."

Vane's heart pounded as he listened and understood. Fury really was his brother. But that wasn't important to him at the moment, only Bride's safety was.

One of the Arcadian men came at Vane's back. He spun about and blasted him away from them. " You're lucky I'm not the animal you think I am, " he growled at the Arcadians. " But if you ever come near my mate again, I will be."

Dare laughed cruelly. " Fine, take your woman. The full moon isn't for another three weeks and that gives us plenty of time to hunt you down and kill you. You have to sleep sometime. Then you'll be ours."

Fury shook his head. " You didn't hear a word I said about Vane, did you? It's such a pity I wasn't the one born with his power. I'd have killed all of you if I were. But I guess he's a better man than I am."

Vane smiled coldly at his " human" brother. Dare looked much like Fang when Fang was human. It was a pity that their parents' hatred of each other had come to this. That it had bred and poisoned a whole new generation.

But then, Vane had never thought to coexist with his Arcadian kin. They had thrown him out and written him off centuries ago.

Vane smiled evilly at Dare. " Unlike you, little brother, I don't need no stinking moon to time-jump."

And in one blink, Vane, Bride, and Fury were back in New Orleans, safely inside Kyrian's house.

" I think I need a Tylenol… jug, " Bride said as she staggered away from Vane and sat down on the nearest couch. " And a lot of vodka to wash it down."

Kyrian, Amanda, and Tabitha came running into the room.

" That was quick, " Tabitha said. " Damn, Vane, you don't mess around, do you? "

Vane ignored Tabitha's question as he knelt in front of Bride. " Are you okay? "

" I don't know, " she answered honestly as she stared at him in numbed hysteria. " My boyfriend is a dog, his mother's psychotic, and I just nearly missed being the main attraction in some low-budget porn flick, complete with bad costuming and food. I mean, what is this? 'Welcome to the family, you now get to sleep with all my brothers, and I do mean all my brothers, cousins, friends, hell, everyone'? You know, most in-laws just bring over a casserole, not a four-hundred-year-old vendetta."

It was so good to be able to rant, but a part of her was still terrified. Nothing felt secure to her now. Nothing.

" Am I safe, Vane? Or is someone else going to poof into the living room and grab me and take me who knows where? I don't want to see Barney the real dinosaur with the naked cavemen chasing him! I don't want to see anything except my normal life here in New Orleans."

Vane cupped her face in his hands. On some level, his touch comforted her. " You're safe, Bride. I'm not going to let anyone else grab you. I swear it."

" And I can believe that, why? "

" Because I give you my word."

" Well, that just settles it all, huh? " Bride shook her head. " After this, I can't wait to meet your father. I'll bet he's just a barrel full of laughs." She stared at Vane as the horror of the last few hours washed through her. " Any other freaky family traditions I need to know about? Bones hidden in the backyard? Crazy aunts? Fleas? "

She looked over at Fury. " I don't have to sleep with him now, do I? "

Tabitha arched both her brows at that. " What kind of place did she go to? Sounds like it could be fun."

" Wanna go? " Fury asked. " I can take you there."

" Fury, " Vane snapped. " You have enough to answer for already. Don't mess with the humans."

" Or Tabitha, either, " Kyrian said.

Amanda elbowed him in the stomach.

" What? " Kyrian asked innocently.

Vane sat back on his heels and looked at Kyrian and Amanda over his shoulder. " I've got a shield on the house that should keep them out. Notice I said should. I have no idea what else the demon is capable of, especially if Amanda invites him into the house again."

" Nothing."

Bride looked up at the sound of a new deeply masculine voice. Now this was without a doubt the last person she expected to see here.

Though why she was surprised, she couldn't imagine. At the rate things were happening, for all she knew the woman who rang up her groceries at the supermarket might very well be a were-snake or zombie.

Why not?

" Ash? " Bride asked, recognizing the extremely tall, and incredibly sexy, addition to the room.

At six feet eight, decked out in black leather and possessing an aura that could only be defined as pure sexual attraction, Ash Parthenopaeus was a hard man to miss.

" You know Acheron? " Vane asked her.

" Yeah, he comes into the shop every few months with a cute, albeit odd girlfriend who practically buys the whole place out." Bride looked back at Ash. " You're one of these weirdos, too, huh? "

" Guilty, " Ash said, offering her a charming smile.

" Great, " Bride breathed. " Anyone else I need to know about? "

The room's occupants looked around sheepishly.

Vane stood up and faced Ash. " What do you know about Alastor? "

" That he's leashed. Your mother bargained with him to kidnap the mates of you, Fury, and Fang. It's a oneway ticket. He took Bride to your mother and there's nothing she can do to negotiate with him anymore."

" Are you sure about that? "

Ash folded his arms over his chest. " I can put my personal guarantee on it."

" Then he'll be back whenever Fang mates? " Fury asked.

" Yes, " Ash said. " And to answer your next question, yes again. He'll come for your mate, too."

Fury cursed.

" Sorry, " Ash said. " But look on the bright side; your mother puts the 'fun' in dysfunctional."

" You're not amusing, Ash, " Vane said. " I thought you were going to protect Bride for me."

" I had intended to, but didn't have time. Even I can't be in two places at once."

" Pity, " Vane said. " If you knew about Alastor, couldn't you have told me about it before this? "

" You haven't exactly been talking to me these last few months, Vane. Besides, it's not wise to interfere with the order of fate."

" I hate it when you start that fate crap. This is me, Acheron, not one of your friggin' Dark-Hunters. I know what you are and I know what you can do. Damn you for playing with us."

Fire snapped in Acheron's eyes. " I'm not playing with you, wolf, and you better pray I never do."

By the look on Vane's face, Bride could tell he wanted to strike out at Ash, but knew better than to try.

" What else do you know that you're not telling me? " Vane asked him.

" Tons of stuff. The ultimate fate of the world. The next president. If the Saints will win this weekend. Hell, I even know the lottery numbers for tonight."

" Really? " Tabitha asked, perking up. " Want to share? Come on, Ash, I need the Powerball numbers. Please. Please, please share! I'll even let Simi eat all the popcorn if you tell me."

Ash snorted, then turned toward Kyrian, Amanda, and Tabitha. " I think Vane needs some time alone with his brother and mate to talk."

Tabitha whined. " Ash, give me those numbers! "

He looked at Tabitha drolly. " Six."

Tabitha held up her hands and motioned to him for more. " And? "

" There's definitely a six somewhere in the winning numbers."

" Oh, you suck, big time, " Tabitha said, pouting for a second before she shrugged it off good-naturedly. " Well, now that we know Ash really is cruel and Vane isn't a serial killer, I guess I better get back to my store." She paused by Ash's side. " We still on for the movie Friday night? "

Ash nodded. " I'll be there, same as always."

" Cool, see you then." Tabitha made a quick exit.

Kyrian stared at him with his mouth agape. " You're dating Tabitha? "

Ash gave him a crooked grin. " No, but I find her highly entertaining. She screams the most fascinating things at the movie screen and eats more popcorn than Simi. I have to say, Tabby is definitely one of my favorite people."

" You're a sick man, Ash, " Kyrian said as he headed for the back of the house.

" I think you're wonderful, " Amanda said before she reached up and pulled his head down toward hers. She kissed Ash on the cheek. Releasing him, she turned in the direction Kyrian had headed off and raised her voice. " And my husband will be sleeping in the guest room for the next couple of nights."

The baby started crying upstairs.

" I've got her, " Ash said, vanishing instantly.

Amanda paused by the couch. " I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs anything."

" Sure, " Bride said. " You going to just poof out of here, too, Amanda? "

" I don't have that ability." She touched Bride's hand comfortingly. " I know how you feel, Bride. I really do. Like you, I thought my sister was a screaming loon, and have found out over the last couple of years that she is strangely wise. Just take deep breaths and believe in the impossible." She offered an encouraging smile to them, then left them alone.

" Well, " Fury said as he rubbed the back of his neck. " I guess this is where you give me the heave-ho and I head out. You guys have a nice life."

" Wait, " Vane said, standing up. " You really didn't betray me, did you? "

" No. I only planned on betraying Stefan and his group to the Arcadians. It was a moral imperative that I screwed with their heads, not yours." He watched Vane warily. " I'll be honest though, Vane. I hate you and you piss me off to no end. You always have."

" Why? What did I ever do to you? "

" You have no idea, " Fury said, his expression cold and angry. " Mom wasn't always that nutcase you met. At least she wasn't to me."

Fury met Bride's gaze. " I'm really sorry for what she did to you, Bride. But you have to understand what the Katagaria took from them. After she was kidnapped by my father, they sent all their strati out to find her. While they were gone from the village, another Katagaria pack came in and slaughtered every child they could find. They raped and murdered most of the women. Those who survived only did so because they fought them off, and most of them, like our grandmother, were never right again. That's why you didn't see that many women in the town."

Fury sighed and turned back to Vane. " You don't know about our Arcadian half. Since the first birthing of our kind, there has been an Aristo in mother's family in every generation. Her older brother, who was killed when she was taken, was one of them. Our grandfather was another. When she returned with me, Dare, and Star, they thought I would be one, too. I had a strange scent to me that they assumed was the power."

" But you're not Arcadian."

Fury shook his head. " I was the yin to your yang. I was a human child, then when I hit puberty, my base form changed to that of the wolf."

Vane winced. He understood his brother a lot better than he cared to. " I'm sorry."

" Oh, you've no idea. You think you had it hard? At least Anya and Fang stayed by you. Protected you. I tried to hide, but the minute Dare found out what I'd become, he told Mom. She went, pardon the bad pun, medieval on my ass."

Vane didn't expect anything less. His father would have done the same to him had he ever learned the truth. " She's a Sentinel. It's her job to kill the Katagaria."

" Yeah, I know. I was too young to fight her off. She attacked me with a vengeance unimaginable and tore me to shreds." Fury paused and flinched, as if the memory were hard for him even now. " I lay bleeding for days as I tried to hide from her and the others. You want to know why I can't command magic worth a damn? No one ever taught me. Markus, for all his shortcomings, at least made sure the three of you were trained after you returned from your year of survival. For a hundred years, I was totally alone. I didn't dare enter a Katagaria den for fear of them smelling the Arcadian scent on me. The only thing I've ever learned to pull off well is camouflaging my scent. For all you know, I could be lying to you now."

Vane stared at him, hard. Dangerously. " You're not."

" How do you know? "

" Ash wouldn't have left you here with me if you were."

Fury scoffed at that. " You put too much faith in a Dark-Hunter who could care less about our kind."

" No I don't. I put a lot of faith in a man who has never been anything other than a friend to me." Vane crossed his arms over his chest. " So why did you come to our den? "

" Same reason you sought out Mom. I wanted to know what the rest of my family was like. I had every intention of telling you who I was, but as soon as I saw how much Markus disdained you and Fang, I figured it would be a mistake."

" You could have told us. We would have welcomed you."

" And again, I remind you that Dare, my litter mate who was my best friend, had already betrayed me. He delivered me up to our mother in chains. I was raised believing that animals are unreliable and unpredictable. But you know what? Animals only kill for two reasons: to protect and to eat. Humans kill for many, many more reasons. In spite of what they think, we're not nearly as dangerous as they are. But you know that, don't you? "

Vane nodded.

Fury sighed and stepped back. " Well, you guys have a nice life or whatever."

" Where are you going? " Vane asked.

Fury shrugged. " Wherever."

" So that's it? " Vane asked. " You're just going to introduce yourself to me as my brother and hit the road? "

" What else is there? You don't want me around. You damn sure don't need me."

Vane frowned at that. Didn't Fury have any idea…

No, he didn't. The only family he had ever known had betrayed him. Little wonder his brother hated him. At least he, Fang, and Anya had banded together through any and all threats and obstacles.

Fury had been alone for centuries. He'd always stood back in the pack and never talked to anyone. While other strati formed inner circles of friends and allies, Fury had always remained solitary. For that matter, he had seldom fought to claim a she-wolf.

It must have been awful for him to know they were kin and to never breathe a word of it. How often had Fury watched the three of them laughing together? Seen them huddled together as family against the rest of the pack, while knowing he should have been included in their group?

For that omission of friendship, Vane would feel eternally guilty. He should have sensed the bloodline that bound them together.

Fury really was good at hiding his scent.

" You're my brother, Fury, " Vane said sincerely. " Family means something to me. If you know nothing else about me, you should know that."

" Since when am I family? "

" Since the minute we were born and since the second you came to me to warn me about Stefan." Vane held his hand out to him. " I don't need an oath to be bound to you, little brother. We're family."

Fury hesitated, then placed his hand in Vane's. Vane pulled him forward and hugged him.

Bride's throat tightened at the look of pain on Fury's face. It was obvious he had never expected Vane's reaction or his acceptance.

" I won't betray you, Fury, " Vane said. " Ever. And if Fang ever comes out, he won't either."

Fury stepped back and nodded.

" And if you walk out that door, " Vane said between clenched teeth, " I might have to maim you for it."

Fury laughed. " Okay. I'm here for a while, I guess." He cleared his throat and took a step backward. " You two probably want to talk now. I'll go be in the kitchen with Amanda."

Vane waited until they were completely alone before he turned back to Bride. " Hell of a day, huh? "

Bride sat back on the couch and took a deep breath to help her cope with all the odd events of the last twenty-four hours. " Yeah, oh yeah. We got flying babies, wolf-brothers, psycho moms, serial-killer boyfriends, vampire-killing friends, and I'm not even sure what else."

This was so beyond her ability to cope. " Am I insane? " she asked him. " Really, be honest."

" I wish it were that easy. I wish I could say yes so that you could have Grace fix you, but no, you're not crazy."

She was afraid of that. The question now was, what should she do?

" So let me see if I got everything straight from your mother. This" —she turned her hand over to show the mark—" means that we are somehow meant to be husband and wife. But if I refuse you, you spend the rest of your life impotent and alone? But I, on the other hand, am free to live my life however I see fit? "

He nodded.

" It really sucks to be you, doesn't it? "

Vane looked away as a muscle worked in his jaw. " I don't expect you to accept me, Bride. I never did. I mean, I hoped for about an hour or two, but I'm not stupid and I don't live in the world of… well, okay, I do live in a world of fantasy, but I've never deluded myself."

He knelt on the floor before her, took her hand in his and kissed her palm. Oh, he was so tender with her. So kind. She curled her fingers against his warm, whiskered cheek.

How could she leave a man like this?

He's not human.

Not fully, anyway. And he lived in a terrifying world of magic and mystery and scary monsters capable of all manner of cruelty.

" What do you want, Vane? " she asked, desperate to know. " Be honest with me. Do you want me simply because of this? " She held her palm out to him. " Or do you want me? I mean, you don't really know me, do you? Nor do I know you. I know you're a great guy in a pinch and that you have a family that makes the Addamses look normal. But I don't know the real you."

He took her hand from his face and held it in his callused one, staring up at her with those piercing hazel-green eyes. " The truth is, I don't know. I've never wanted any female the way I want you, Bride. But I honestly don't know if it's the mark or not. I don't."

At least he had told her the truth. That was definitely one thing in his favor. He'd never once bed to her.

" How long do I have to make a decision on this? " she asked.

" Two weeks. Roughly. Barring any further demon or mother interference."

" Then how about we try and act normal? " She burst out laughing at the ludicrousness of that statement. Yeah, they were just Jack and Jill Average climbing the hill to hell. She only hoped Jack didn't break his crown or that she went tumbling after.

Bride sobered. " Okay, at least we can pretend to be normal. Let me see the real you in all your strangeness so that I know what I have to look forward to and then I'll decide if I can handle it all without going totally insane."

He looked stunned by her suggestion. " You're not just running away from me? "

" I probably should and I can't imagine why I'm even considering this. But I do like what I know about you, Vane, and I guess everyone has problems. Not as profound as yours, mind you, but at least with you, when I tell people that my boyfriend is a dog, it's not just a figure of speech."

He chuckled at that.

Bride squeezed his hand. " So give me your worst, wolf. I'll give you mine, and at the end of two weeks, we'll see where we are."

Vane couldn't believe her. She was too good to be true. In all honesty, he had expected her to scream at him and run out the door, calling all of them loons.

But she was giving him a chance.

And that was something he hadn't had in a very long time… Hope.

Joy burst through him at the thought that she might actually stay with him. " There's so much I have to tell you."

She cringed. " You're not going to suck my blood, are you? "

Damn. She would pick that one thing to fear. Well, it was pointless now to keep anything from her. Better he lay it all out for her than she get pissed because he withheld something from her. As his mate, she deserved to have her questions answered. " I don't have to, no."

She looked at him suspiciously. " What do you mean, you don't have to? "

" My people aren't vampires, but there are two parts to a mating ritual. First is you accept me as your mate."

" How do I do that? Is it like a wedding? "

" To my people it is. Only we do it naked."

Her jaw dropped. " With witnesses? Forget it! "

" No, " he said, laughing at her outrage. She was beautiful whenever her cheeks colored. It made her amber eyes glow. " It'll be just us. I lie on my back, we join our marks together, and you take me into your body, then we make our verbal pledges to each other."

She tilted her head as if she were less than sure about his honesty. " That works? "

He nodded. " It's magic."

" Okay, I guess, and then what's the next part? "

" The next is optional and can be done or not done whenever we choose. It's where I combine my life force to yours."

" Why would you do that? "

" Because you're human, and if we don't you'll die in less than a hundred years, while I still have another four to five hundred years left before my old age kicks in."

Bride was completely stupefied as she recalled Bryani's words. At the time she had attributed them to either her insanity or Bryani's. Apparently, it was true, just like the rest of this madness. " You really are four hundred years old? "

" Four hundred and sixty to be exact."

She breathed in slow and easy at that. Dear Lord, what would it be like to live so long? How much could a person see in all that time?

It was mind-boggling.

But more than that came a frightening realization. One that made her heart clench as a horrible panicked grief swept through her. " I would seriously outlive everyone I know, " she breathed. " Tabitha, my brother and sister, my cousins. Everyone would be long gone before I even grew old? "

He took a deep breath and nodded. " It's not easy, but you would have me and my family and friends." His expression lightened as if a thought had occurred to him. " Sunshine Runningwolf. You know her, she's immortal."

Bride was shocked by that. She'd known Sunshine for years. " Sunshine's immortal? "

" Yes."

" Get out! Since when? "

" Always. Both she and her husband are."

Wow! Who knew the woman who sold her the art Bride had hanging in her store and her little apartment was immortal?

She paused at that thought. Now wait a second… that wasn't fair!

" Why can't we be immortal? "

Vane shrugged nonchalantly. " Because my people aren't. We have long lives, but they are finite." His grip tightened on her hands. " There are some drawbacks, though. If you decide to bond with me, I will have to take your blood and you will have to take mine. A blood exchange is the only way to do it. Secondly, if one of us dies, we both do."

She went pale. That was a scary thought.

Well, then again, compared to other things in Vane's world, that was probably one of the more minor concerns.

" But you don't have to, Bride, " he hastened to assure her. " Both decisions are yours alone to make."

She took a deep breath as she considered all of it. This was one helluva commitment Vane was asking from her. It took " until death we do part" to a whole new level.

But as she looked at him still kneeling on the floor, she couldn't help but wonder how bad life with this man could be. He was considerate and giving. A rarity in her world.

It was worth a two-week shot, at any rate.

" Okay, " she said slowly. " Now for my part of this. If we do mate, I want a human wedding. My parents won't understand anything less than that and I'm not sure if I want to tell them about all this."

" That's fine."

" That means you're going to have to meet my parents, Vane."

" Okay. They can't be as scary as mine."

" Well, they're not homicidal as a rule, but they are protective of me."

" I love them already."

Bride gave a nervous laugh at his small, playful grin. " You know, I always thought I would meet some guy and date him for a year or two and then have him go down on his knee somewhere romantic to ask me to marry him. I never dreamed this would be my engagement." She toyed with a lock of his hair. " I guess life is never what we want it to be, is it? "

Vane cringed inwardly at her words. He'd never meant to alter her life so horrendously. He'd only wanted to touch her for a moment.

To have her touch him.

Maybe this was cruel, and yet his heart didn't want him to leave. It only wanted her.

Both the animal and the man in him craved nothing more than to be touched by this woman.

" I'll do anything to make you happy, Bride."

Bride tightened her grip in his hair. In that moment, she felt as though she might actually love this man. At least she knew that she could.

But she had been burned and she didn't know Vane very well. She only had two weeks to learn about him. What she knew so far was terrifying… and wonderful.

She only hoped he wouldn't lie or deceive her. If he showed her the real Vane and that man-wolf was honest, then she could accept him.

Her worst fear was that at the end of the two weeks, she would mate with him and he would become the psychotic, harsh animal his mother spoke of.

What would she do then?

Taylor had been wonderful in the beginning of their relationship. He'd even bought her chocolates for their first Valentine's Day.

Over time, he'd become a total ass. Would Vane do the same?

And four hundred years… that was a really long time to spend with someone.

Not if you love them.

Maybe that was true.

The least she could do was try. And hope.

" So where do we go from here? " she asked him.

" I have to find someplace to keep you so that if I have to leave you, you'll be safe."

" And my store? "

" I'll get someone to run it for you."

That sounded just a little too easy. " How? "

" I'll ask Acheron for another favor. They have humans who help the Dark-Hunters. They run a lot of the local businesses here in New Orleans and I'm sure they can send one of them over there to keep the shop open for you. The greatest benefit is if one of my people comes calling, they'll know how to handle them."

" All right, then. Let's begin our hand-fasting and see how this will all work."

Vane stood up and held his hand out to her.

Bride hesitated. She had never feared the future before, but she did now.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet.

She expected him to lead her to the kitchen. Instead, he flashed her into the nursery.

" You know, " she said, feeling light-headed from their " trip." " Feet work well."

Vane laughed. " You said you wanted me to be myself. I prefer the flash-mode of transportation. It's a lot quicker."

Ash sat in an old-fashioned white wooden chair, rocking the baby who was snoozing in his lap while he watched them curiously. He held a half-empty bottle of milk between his legs while the baby, dressed in a pink jumper, sucked on her tiny fist in the shelter of his arms. There was something so incongruous about that image that Bride couldn't help but stare.

A man decked out in black leather and chains with long red and black hair and a dagger earring in his left ear definitely didn't look like someone who should relish caring for an infant. And yet there he sat in the frilly pink room peacefully cradling the baby. Ash ought to look completely out of place and yet he seemed at home here.

" I've already called Jessica Adams to take over the boutique, " Ash whispered to them. " She just needs to know where the paperwork is, where the keys to the store are kept, and what bank to make the deposits in."

" Damn, you're good, " Vane said.

Ash gave a cocky grin. " The absolute best."

Vane shifted his weight. " Then you know—"

" Here's the address." Ash held his hand up and a business card magically appeared between his first two fingers. He handed the card over to Vane, who stepped forward to take it. " You'll be safe there. Trust me, he's more paranoid than an Apollite commune. Nothing is going to get into his place."

Vane looked down at the name on the card and froze. " Will he be all right with us there? "

Ash shrugged. " His house is big enough. Just try to stay out of his way." He looked past Vane and offered Bride a smile. " He's a bit hard on the nerves, Bride, but Valerius is a good man so long as you don't mention Kyrian's name to him. He'll make sure nothing happens to you."

" Valerius? " she asked.

Vane let out a slow breath, then turned to face her. " He's a vampire with serious attitude."