She had shown him what his life was missing. Then, with her smile and her touch, she'd patched him up and made him whole.

"Remember when you painted us gold and had us pretend we were Rakans?" De-Ella traced a finger along his collarbone. "We had the McKell on the lookout, and when he found her, he bought her for us. Just in case you returned. Manus told us you would."

Manus, the king. So. He'd known all along that Devyn would return. But had he known why?

"Ladies." Bride rubbed at her chest as if pained. "I tried to be nice, but you ruined it. Now I don't like you. You are going to back away from my husband."

Her husband. It was the first time since their unexpected mating that she'd said it, and his heart swelled. Mine. She's mine. Husband-was a title he'd once endured, detested, suffered through, and when he'd finally shed it, vowed never to take it up again. Now, for the second time in his life, he was a husband. This time he preferred the title to that of king.

Before, she'd displayed no hint of jealousy. Not even toward the princesses. Not until they'd insulted her had she even displayed anger. But knowing him as she did, she thought variety was his weakness. This entire situation had to be abhorrent to her.

The girls regarded Bride as queens would a peasant. As if she were beneath them. Had they always been so snotty? Devyn found he couldn't remember. He'd slept with them, many times, but hadn't noticed anything else about them. Hadn't cared to.

Jalyn's chin rose. "Who do you think you are?"

McKell stepped forward. "She is Bride, a vampire, found on the surface at an auction. She is mine.”

“Actually," Devyn said, "she's mine."

"Well, I've never seen her before." The pronouncement came from De-Ella, as if her lack of knowledge lowered Bride's value.

Had they always been this oblivious, as well? "That's because she was raised on Earth.”

“Then send her back," Jalyn snapped. "She bores me."

"Well, then. Let me entertain you with a story." Smiling evilly, teeth completely bared, Bride ambled toward her. "Stop me if you've heard this one. There once was a girl who wiped the floor with two vampire princesses. They screamed and begged for mercy, but no one helped them. The end."

"Don't come any closer." Jalyn drummed her nails against her arms. "If I must, I'll call for the guards."

McKell bent in a formal bow. "I'm right here, Princess."

"Take her away, then." Clearly assuming her orders would be obeyed, Jalyn cast a sultry gaze at Devyn. "As that's settled, it's time to see to you ..."

De-Ella reached out and fisted his shirt. "Just give us five minutes, and we'll remind you what you liked most about us."

"I. Will. Not. Be. Ignored. Time to show you the story," Bride said, and it was the only warning she gave of her intentions. One moment she was beside Devyn, seemingly calm as could be, and the next she had her arms locked around De-Ella's waist, both women soaring through the air.

They crashed into the wall, De-Ella's head and back taking most of the force. When she realized what was happening, Jalyn shrieked and launched into the fray. The three rolled on the floor, punching and biting at each other, clawing and cursing.

"Bitch," he thought he heard Bride growl. She raked her nails across De-Ella's cheek, and blood welled. Pride lanced through him.

De-Ella grabbed a clump of her hair and jerked. Rage joined the pride, and he growled.

"You'll pay for that," Bride snarled before latching onto the vampire's wrist and crushing the bone. More pride.

There was a howl of pain. "I'll kill you! Do you hear me? I'll kill you!" Jalyn elbowed her in the stomach.

More rage. Scowling, he clasped onto their energy molecules, freezing all three in place. They were tangled together, Bride's eyes bright red and filled with the same intense agony he'd seen the first time she'd climaxed for him.

He was moving forward, determined to break them up and ease whatever was troubling Bride. The few punches she'd taken wouldn't cause that amount of suffering.

"No. You mustn't. She must prove her strength." McKell's clamped onto his shoulder, stopping him. "If she doesn't, if you step in, they will be considered the victors, and to the victor goes the spoils. All that is hers will then belong to them. Including you."

As if. "I'd think that would make you happy," he said, shaking off the warrior's hold. "I won't deny it. But Bride's life here would be miserable."

"She won't be living here," Devyn said. "If you'd like me to communicate that through interpretive dance so that you better understand, I'm happy to perform."

One second Devyn's left eye felt fine, normal, and the next it felt tender and swollen again, as it had when he'd first entered the cave. As many times as he'd been hit in his long life, he knew the sensation. And he'd definitely been hit. He'd never seen McKell move, which meant the bastard had stopped time.

Damn if he didn't admire the vampire for it.

"You don't know she'll return to the surface," McKell said as if nothing had happened. "You've seen me, right? Trust me, where I go, she'll go."

"How does she stand your ego?" McKell waved a hand through the air. "Never mind. Don't answer. Just think of it this way. If the king gives her to you, and she ever wishes to return here, which she might, she will be teased and insulted and tormented. They will never leave her alone. Nor will their friends. She will be fair game to the males, considered weak and in need of a master."

For any other lover, he would have laughed, even enjoyed the show. Catfights were fun, after all. "It's two against one." More than that, Bride was hurting.

"Yes, and next time it will be five against one. Unless she proves herself."

Devyn drew in a breath, then slowly released it—and the women. The fight resumed as if it had never paused.

Bride swung her leg around and kicked De-Ella in the stomach. He wanted to cheer. She spun and elbowed Jalyn in the jaw. He did cheer. The older De-Ella possessed a speed Bride hadn't yet achieved and raced behind her, grabbing her around the middle and sinking her teeth into Bride's exposed neck.

When Bride reached behind to grab the vampire by the head and perhaps snap her neck, Jalyn seized her wrist and twisted, perhaps breaking the bone.

"That will teach you to challenge your betters, little Bride."

Devyn stepped forward again, then managed to catch himself. His hands were clenched into fists. His teeth were digging into his bottom lip. She's a fast healer, he reminded himself. She'll be fine.

Bride wrenched free of Jalyn's hold, and even though her hand was damaged, she grabbed De-Ella's head as she'd first intended and jerked. The vampiress soared over her shoulder and slapped into the ground. Bride stomped on the woman's trachea exactly as he'd once wanted to do to Nolan even while dragging a shocked Jalyn to her and viciously sinking her fangs into the woman's neck.

She sucked so savagely, the vampire could not even struggle because struggling only anchored Bride deeper. Soon Jalyn went limp, and her eyes closed. Bride dropped her, spit out the blood, and lowered that gleaming red gaze to De-Ella.

Pride, much greater than before, swam through him. She'd done it. Two against one, and she'd kicked major ass. Oh, yes. That's my girl.

"Do we understand each other?" Bride said, rubbing her chest. Y-yes.

She stomped to Devyn, and halted only when she was a whisper away. The hand at her chest never ceased moving. "Thorns," she said. She sounded more animal than human—or rather, vampire— just then. Looked it, too. Blood was smeared over her lips and chin, and her fangs were longer and sharper than ever.

"Thorns?" He didn't wait for her response, but cupped her jaw, fingers spanning up and tracing over her cheeks, thumbs wiping the blood from her mouth. "Explain, and I'll kiss it better."

"Actually, you won't touch her again without my permission," a hard voice rang out from behind him.

A hush fell over the room. Devyn and Bride turned. Paling, McKell bowed submissively. De-Ella lumbered to her knees. Jalyn was still out cold.

The king had arrived.

CHAPTER 25

Bride struggled to regain control of herself. There was a haze of red behind her eyes, a throb in her neck and knuckles, and a burn in her lungs. The thorns surrounding the source of her buried abilities were savagely scraping against her, harder than ever before.

Despite the newcomer's demand for Devyn to keep his hands to himself, he reached out and twined their fingers, his thumb caressing her wrist in comfort. That helped enough that she was able to subdue most of her pain.

"Majesty," he said respectfully, inclining his head in greeting.

The vampire king, she realized. There was something she needed to do ... something important... She drew a deep breath in through her nose, held it... held it... released it slowly. Her muscles eased their vise grip on her bones, and her gaze cleared. What did she need to— blank her mind! Yes, that was it. Blank her mind because the king, Manus, was a thought reader.

"Majesty," she said, curtsying as she'd seen women do in movies. Her legs shook.

When she straightened, the ruler of her people came into view. He was tall, taller even than Devyn, with pale, shaggy hair and eyes of black velvet. They would have been devil eyes, if not for the thick frame of lashes around them.

His lips were stained red, as if he'd just eaten. His features were perfect, carved from marble and as pale as his hair. He possessed muscle stacked upon muscle, but that was not what gave him such an air of strength. It was the magic humming from him, so vibrant she could actually hear it singing in her ears. And her ears liked it. Wanted more.

"Your defiance is showing, Targon," the king said to Devyn. There was a slight lifting of his lips. That was it, the only hint of his amusement. His features were too hard to reveal anything else.

"And it's as lovely as the rest of me, I'm sure." Devyn, at least, sounded fully amused. "You haven't changed, I see."

Blank mind, blank mind.

"Rise." Manus waved his fingers to punctuate his command. "All of you. Then someone must explain why I was not greeted properly."

McKell straightened. He, too, seemed carved from marble just then. "We had every intention of seeking you out, Highness. We were simply waiting until the line thinned."

Manus wore a cape of black-and-gold velvet, the material thick and plush. It billowed at his feet, though he didn't move. "There's been much thought about the Targon's arrival, but only a few have wondered at the girl with him, a stranger to our land. I didn't believe it, of course, because everyone in this room knows visitors are forbidden." There at the end, his voice had hardened menacingly. "Who and what is she?"

"She is vampire," McKell said. "Meant to remain here."

You little shit, Bride thought, wanting to slam her fist into his teeth so that he'd have trouble talking

for a while.

"Is she?" Those obsidian eyes slid to the puncture wounds on the female Bride had bitten. "Raised on Earth, found by the Targon. You both want her, and you both expect me to declare who she will stay with. You both expect to be chosen."

Silence.

Thick, heavy.

Bride gulped, no longer quite so confident of her ability to tell this man where he could roast. Mind blank.

"Step forward, Bride of the surface."

Though she despised him for what he'd done to her mother—mind blank, damn it—she only hesitated for a second. Devyn released her reluctantly, giving her a final squeeze. In this underground, the king's word was law. He decided who lived and who died. Who stayed and who was allowed to leave.

When she was a few inches away, she stopped. He was just so big. His body consumed her personal space. Mind blank. But even as she commanded it, thoughts swam through her head. If he tried to hurt Devyn, she would tear this place apart.

He frowned down at her.

Oh, God. He heard. Beads of sweat broke out over her brow, and she stepped backward before she could stop herself. I wish he couldn't hear my thoughts. And she didn't care what the consequences were of that.

"Be still," he commanded. He reached out and placed his fingertips at her temples. His skin was dry and cool. His frown intensified. "Have you no opinions?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your mind is blocked to me."

It was? Her wish had worked? Don't smile. "Huh. Interesting," was all she said, as deadpan as possible, but she thought, How's this for an opinion? Your people and their eating habits suck. And I don't mean that literally.

No reaction.

She couldn't help herself. She smiled.

Sparks of white suddenly dotted the darkness of his eyes. "Your smile is lovely. However, I do not like your ability to keep me out." His head tilted to the side. "But generous as I am, I will allow it."

Wow. Finally she'd met someone more assured of his own goodness and superiority than Devyn. "Thanks."

"Guards," he called, and Bride stiffened. He didn't look away from her as a flood of armed vampires

marched into the room. They lined the wall, awaiting their king's command. "Before we get to know one another, your companions must be dealt with."

"Whatever you're planning, I won't allow it," she said, violently shaking her head, backing away.

"Silence." The king's mouth, hard already with disapproval, hardened further. "Targon, you purchased two vampires from an auction and gave them to your friends at AIR. That is a crime against my people. A crime you knew better than to commit."