Lucian leaned into the spray. He liked it hot. Burning-the-skin kind of hot. Made him wonder if morpho would dissuade him from going in the sun or encourage him.

Grinning, he shut off the water and grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist.

He was one step inside his bedroom, one foot on the hardwood floor, when his skin twitched violently. In a flash, he reached behind the Hockney on the wall, grabbed his gun, and aimed it at the veana standing beside the massive Chinese Evergreen in the corner of the room.

"You almost got your head blown off, princess."

"That would've been most unfortunate," Bronwyn said, walking toward him, looking imperious and completely unruffled by the weapon in his hand.

Why the hell wasn't she afraid of him? Lucian mused with irritation. Maybe she knew about his agreement with Alexander, the vow he'd made to keep an eye on her during this handfasting period.

"Coming into a paven's room without his consent, and without a tegga." Lucian clucked. "The credenti would not approve."

"Edel is sleeping, and"--she shrugged--"I did knock."

"Yet when you got no answer, you decided to break in?"

"It was vital I see you."

His pale brow lifted. "Was it? How much of me did you wish to see, princess?"

She looked down her nose at him. "Don't be crude, paven. I've come to tell you that your brother's gone."

Lucian stared at her.

"Alexander," she said. "He's not at home."

"And?"

She walked over to the window. Lucian followed her with his eyes. Those high-heeled boots and jeans she had on were really working for her. "He was outside my door with the human woman, Sara," she said, her back to the window now, to the heavy snowfall outside. "They were arguing about his need to come to me, drink from me."

A thread of covetousness moved through Lucian, but he discarded it instantly.

"I heard her say she was leaving for good," Bronwyn continued. "Alexander seemed very upset about it."

"And did he?" Lucian asked brusquely. "Did he come to you?"

Bronwyn's lips pressed together and her gaze dropped to the floor. "No."

Lucian narrowed his eyes. There was shame in her scent. Had she told Alexander he could drink from her and he declined, rejecting her? Or was there something else?

"When was this?"

"Twenty minutes ago."

He glanced at the clock. An hour until dawn. What the hell was Alexander playing at? "You checked the house?"

"Evans conducted a search."

Maybe he was still in the tunnels, hiding, Lucian thought. Maybe the cage. "I'll take care of it." But even as he said the words, he knew in his gut that his brother had gone after Sara.

He headed into his closet.

"I'd like to help if I can," Bronwyn called after him.

"Why are you so concerned?" he called back.

"What?"

He grabbed some jeans and a heavy sweater and headed back into the room.

"Why do you care about Alexander? He doesn't care for you. He wants nothing to do with his true mate--none of us do."

"How lucky for you," she muttered.

He tossed his clothes onto the bed. "What?"

"You're all very lucky you can choose to reject your true mate like that." She crossed her arms over her splendid chest and regarded him with a vicious stare. "So easy.

No care for the veana and what becomes of her life, her future. What nightmare awaits her if you choose not to search for her, claim her, mate with her for life. For some of us, it's about survival."

Lucian said nothing, but his gaze held hers. She was something, this veana. A controlled beauty and a real pain in the ass. But if she thought he was going to feel sorry for her, she could think again. "Everyone has a sad story to tell, sweetheart. But yes," he added, dropping his towel, "I am lucky."

He waited for her to gasp, cover her eyes, curse at him for standing before her with his cock hanging out. But she didn't. "Not going to run screaming from the room, princess?"

She held his gaze. "I've seen my fair share of paven."

His brows lifted.

She shrugged. "Just because I remain intact doesn't mean I don't have the need for it. When the time is right, I will go after what I want, what I need."

Lucian's cock stirred, and Bronwyn's gaze dropped.

He made the mistake of watching her watch him.

She licked her lips.

Shit. He turned away and yanked on his pants. "On your search through the house, did you happen to see Nicholas?"

"No."

"Course not," he muttered. His brother was disappearing too damn much lately--time for an intervention.

Dressed and a little cock heavy, Lucian strolled past Bronwyn and walked out the door.

"You're welcome," she called after him.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, princess." He didn't turn around. "You're a real ass-saver."

Ethan scored the skin of Pearl's belly, lapped at the droplets of blood, then lowered his head to listen. She had only a gentle swell, but Ethan could hear the slow thudding of his newest recruit beneath her pale skin.

"The balas is doing well," he said, lifting his head. "You are a solid host, my sweet Pearl."

Pearl smiled and moved closer to him on her bed. "I would do anything for you, you know that."

"I do." Ethan had used the powers of the Supreme One to get into the hospital undetected and to keep Pearl's roommate asleep and unaware. Pearl had begged to see him and though he had not the time or interest to look in on her, he didn't want her to start yapping to the doctors and nurses about what grew inside her womb.

Noticing the annoying look on her face, Ethan asked, "What is wrong, Pearl?"

"I hate it here," she said with fake tears in her tone. "The doctor won't leave me alone. I can't do anything. Ethan, when can I leave? I want to be with you."

"Soon, my love," he said. "But for now, the balas must be protected above all things." He heard her woeful sigh and chuckled. "What do you need from me, sweet one?"

"A taste of you. To feed your balas."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, moderately impressed. Pearl McClean was no innocent.

She knew well how to play him, as he played her. They would do well together in future, his seed implanted in her every year until she could give him nothing more. Then he'd toss her back where she came from.

"It can be for only a moment," he said. "Then I must go."

She nodded, and when he ran his fangs across his wrist and presented it to her, she eagerly licked her lips, then lowered her head.