“By the power of the Crimson Queen, you have no right to feed!” Lannan’s voice echoed with an authority that shook the walls.

Crawl let out a shriek. “You dare to command your sire? I am Master. I am the Blood Oracle! And you, who are you to order me off my feed? You are not your sister, impudent whelp. I should never have sired you. I should have killed you where you stood. You are weak; you like the magic-born and human too much. They are cattle.”

But even as he spoke, Crawl began to loosen his grip on me and I opened my eyes, feeling weak. I glanced at Lannan for a clue, and he shook his head, motioning for me to stay still. I obeyed.

“Old Father, I beg of you, remember the treaty. Remember the rules of the Crimson Queen. Remember what you are and how you became that way.” Lannan held out his hands in supplication.

Crawl stopped, breathing heavily, then squatted back on his heels. He stared into my eyes, as I lay there, panting, bleeding. No compassion, no mercy would ever cross that face again—if indeed, it ever had—but I suddenly realized that I was staring back at him: So not a good thing. In that moment, I felt my father’s blood rise up and I latched onto my owl and imagined myself flying, free and beautiful and aloft. And in that moment, Crawl retreated to his cushioned throne and Lannan cautiously lifted me off the platform and retreated a safe distance.

He looked at me, forced me to meet his eyes, and then without another word, turned and began to walk down the path leading to the archway.

Crawl’s voice echoed behind us. “Son of the Blood Oracle, listen well to these words. You set yourself up for a downfall if you care too much about these mortal beings. Let your desire be for blood, not for the body, or you will find yourself an outcast.”

Lannan said nothing, not even as Crawl began to laugh.

“Then, young fiend, if you will not take advice from your elders, listen to this. The Blood Oracle knows your questions before you even speak, even though you were not one of his favorites.”

Lannan stopped, holding me, listening but not turning.

“I read her memories as I sucked her veins. Myst has one thorn, one vulnerability: her anger at the girl. Betrayal has become her enemy and offset her vision. Use the girl as bait, set mother against daughter. Geoffrey will know what to do. Or bring her to this temple and the Blood Oracle will feed and turn her. Either way, the war has begun. There are too many variables yet to predict the outcome. But blood shall run, like a river to the ocean.”

And then, after a pause, Lannan started walking again, and we exited the room. I passed out the minute we began to shift back into the crystal chamber and woke up to find myself on a sofa in Geoffrey’s office with Lannan kneeling beside me. Everything was spinning and I felt like I was half out of my body.

“What . . . I’m so . . .”

“You’re weak. I know. Don’t try to talk.” Lannan seemed almost tender, but I didn’t trust that look. “Here, you’ve lost a lot of blood. We have to treat you or you risk passing into the shadow, and becoming one of Crawl’s shadows is not something you should ever wish.”

I blinked. “What? I don’t understand . . .”

Lannan held his wrist up and with one long nail slit it expertly. A drizzle of blood formed on it. “You must drink,” he whispered. “My blood will strengthen you, keep you from passing into the veil. And you do not want to go into the veil, my Cicely. No matter what you think of me, it’s a thousand times worse there.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about and tried to push his wrist away from my lips, but I couldn’t move my arms and then I realized I was paralyzed.

“I can’t move—!”

“I know, but the paralysis will stop if you drink. You are under Crawl’s thrall now; he has a hold on you and only by drinking my blood can you break the charm. If you were to die now, you’d come back as a shadow tied to the Blood Oracle.”

“I don’t want to be a vampire . . .” I began to whimper. “Just let me die . . .”

“No—if you die you will be far worse than a vampire. And you will not become one of the Vampiric Fae . . . not at this point. I am not trying to turn you. My blood will strengthen you. So for fuck’s sake, just drink it, woman.” He slammed his wrist against my mouth and I had no choice; the scent of the blood was suddenly tantalizing and I sucked eagerly, feeling the warmth slide through me, race through my body in a sensuous trail of droplets.

The heat started in my feet first, my toes suddenly awake and aware, and trailed up my legs, leaving a luxurious feeling like I’d just woken up after a long, long nap. I ached, but it was a hungry ache, and as the heat reached my pelvis, all I could think about was fucking. I was so horny that I thought I was going to scream, and I shifted slightly as the heat traveled still farther, to my breasts and arms, and finally through my head. Letting out a low moan, I pushed myself up on my elbows.

Lannan was kneeling there, looking radiant and gorgeous, and his hair was the color of spun gold. I reached out and played with the strands, suddenly no longer afraid of him.

“You have the most glorious hair,” I whispered, wondering why I’d resisted him for so long.

He tensed, like a coiled cobra waiting to strike. “Cicely . . . don’t tempt me. I won’t hold back.”

I could hear the rush of blood through my body. Everything around me seemed enhanced to the point of ultraclarity, and every breath of air on my body was like a sensual caress. I sucked in a deep breath, reveling in the feeling of breath in my lungs. My thoughts were a blur, but I knew that I was hungry and that I wanted the touch of a man on my body.

My wolf began to growl, but I ignored it. Grieve couldn’t find me. Grieve couldn’t save me. Grieve was lost in the woodland and I couldn’t do anything to help him. Not now. Not until I found a way to defeat Myst.

Lannan’s smile grew dark and triumphant and he slid one hand up my thigh. I shifted as the cold touch of his skin made me shiver. He laughed, low and sultry, as he walked his fingers under my dress and toward my inner thighs. I gasped and parted my legs as he tipped me back on the sofa and moved against me, his weight making me catch my breath.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll forget anyone you’ve ever slept with before. There will only be me, Cicely. I am your master, I am your lover, I am your everything.” His lips nestled in the crook of my neck and I felt his fangs trail along my skin. “I won’t drink from you tonight—you’ve lost too much blood. But oh, the next tithe, I can barely stand the thought of waiting.”

I let him slide between my legs, thinking only with my body. The white heat burned so strongly within it clouded every other thought except that of being touched, being stroked, being nibbled on and teased and held down by the weight of this glorious golden vampire as he fucked my brains out.

He shifted and I heard him working his zipper. “I’ve waited for this. Tell me you want me. Tell me, Cicely. Say it.”

“I want you,” I whispered, my hands running through that glorious hair, which was as soft as it was golden. “I want you to put that gorgeous cock of yours inside me and take me away from all the blood and death and darkness, Lannan of the golden hair. My angel of darkness, make it light for me.”

Lannan moaned, and ripped at my dress, and I was suddenly naked. He began to circle one nipple with his tongue and I let out a shriek, coming quickly and sharply, but as soon as the orgasm hit me, another wave built and I felt the heat curling up inside, a serpent forcing me ever higher.

“Is this the way you always feel? This desire?” I whispered to him.

He gazed down at me and nodded. “Always, forever eternally. Some learn to corral their feelings, but I choose to give them free rein. I do not deny my nature.”

Gasping, I sought for him, letting out a low cry as his icy-cold shaft plunged deep into me, sliding up to the hilt. But even as he entered me, the door slammed open and he quickly pulled away, hissing over his shoulder.

“What are you doing to her?” Rhiannon’s voice echoed through the room and, in a haze of lust, I tore my gaze away from Lannan and stared over at her. Her mouth was hanging open and I wanted to scream at her to get out, to leave me alone, but then I saw Leo, and behind them Geoffrey and Regina, and a thin trickle of common sense began to race through me and I realized what the fuck I was doing.

“No . . . no . . . what . . . Lannan, let me up.”

He slowly moved back, smoldering, but I could sense unspoken communication between the three vampires. I sat up and caught sight of myself in a mirror. I was naked; my mouth was streaked with blood, as was my arm where Lannan had cut me and Crawl had fed. My hair was wildly askew and I was bruised and battered from where Crawl had slammed me to the floor.

“No . . . oh no . . .” I tried to stand up but fell, still weak and caught in the haze of lust that Lannan’s blood had fed into me. “I need to go home . . .”

Geoffrey motioned to Leo. “Let me carry her. You cannot take her out there, reeking of pheromones like she is. Every vampire in the house would descend on her and ravage her. She’d be drained before you made it to the door.” He motioned to Regina. “Go get the limo. I’ll bring them out through the French doors. Lannan, you attend me to make sure no one protests. We’ll discuss this later.”

Lannan nodded, giving me a long look. He leaned close. “We’ll finish this later, Cicely. Trust me, there’s no going back from here. I’ve had one taste of you, and I will have the rest. I will forever be your angel of darkness.”

I bit my lip as Geoffrey wrapped me in a blanket, then silently carried me out through the doors, with the others following. We swung around to an empty part of the driveway and within seconds, a limousine had pulled up. After he deposited me on the seat, Regina climbed in beside me and motioned for Rhia and Leo to take the front seat.

At my questioning glance, she turned to me and said, “To make sure the driver minds his manners.” And then, before another word could be said, the door slammed shut and we were on the way home, and all I could think about was how desperately I needed to release the fire burning within.

Chapter 12

Regina said nothing, but I could feel the tension as she made me lie down with my head on her lap. My stomach churned; it felt like I was cramping from the fire within. I didn’t want to talk about Lannan. Even though my mind rebelled, all I could think about was the feel of him inside me, the ache that raged through my body, and how much I regretted the interruption.

A sudden wave of fear rushed over me. “Crawl can’t get out of the temple, can he? He can’t come after me?”

She glanced down at me, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“He drank from me, he yanked me up on the dais and he held me down—”

Regina let out a mumbled curse. “I should never have allowed my brother to escort you there. I adore Lannan, but he isn’t equipped for delicate procedures. Tell me what happened to you.”

So I did—I told her about Crawl and about Lannan ordering him off me and forcing me to drink from him. “I didn’t want to, but he said I was too weak and would pass into shadow if I didn’t.”

“He was right,” Regina said. I could hear Rhiannon from the front seat—she let out a little mew. “So you drank from my brother . . . no wonder you burn with the fever. We should have left you alone with him to finish your tryst. One of the few ways to release excess fever brought on by drinking vampire blood is to fuck your brains out, Cicely. I’m afraid that if you don’t have sex tonight, you’ll get sick. I can send Lannan over if you like.”

“No . . . I can’t . . . I thought . . . I don’t know—everything is so mixed up.”

“We’ll take care of her.” Leo’s voice came ringing from the front seat. “Don’t bother your brother, Emissary.”

“I doubt he would see it as a bother.” Regina shook her head. “You invest too many emotions in the act, you know. Sex is a bodily function.”

But I just shook my head. “No, please, no.”

“Very well, but either Leo or one of your friends had better soothe your passion or you’re going to be a very sick little girl tomorrow.” Regina let out a short laugh. “At least Lannan remembered the way to harness the Blood Oracle’s thirst.”

“Tell me—if you would . . . why is it against the rules for him to drink from the living?” I looked up at her face, which was unreadable. She was stroking my hair, gently playing with it in an almost endearing way.

Regina pressed her lips together, then abruptly said, “That should never have come up in your presence. You’d do best to forget it. But you have nothing to worry about. The Blood Oracle never emerges from his temple. He will not come stalking you.” She paused, then added, “See, here we are—your home. Leo, you and your lady friend should get Cicely inside quickly and call us tomorrow night should she fall deeper into the blood fever.”

The limo waited as I scrambled out of the car and, with Leo and Rhia’s help, I made it through the snow, up into the house. Then it pulled off into the night and we shut the door behind us.

I dropped on the sofa, still burning from Lannan’s blood, from his touch. “I need water. I need . . . a cool cloth.” The blanket Geoffrey had wrapped me in was driving me nuts and I wanted nothing more than to tear it off.

Kaylin took one look at me and motioned to Rhiannon. “Get a towel and an ice pack.” He knelt beside me. “Cicely, I can feel your blood, it’s racing through your body. Did you drink from a vampire tonight?”

I nodded, stammering out what happened as best I could.