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  “You should have waited,” he admonished her gently. “I had good reason to fear I would hurt you. My blood was burning—I was more beast than male before I bonded you.”

  “You needed to be healed.” Sophia cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes seriously. “As much as I did. We healed each other—what’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing, I suppose.” Sylvan smiled.

  “It wasn’t just Nadiah that changed my mind about you…about us, you know,” she said softly. “I thought I was going to die on that Scourge ship. And my biggest regret was the fact that I’d kept you away—held you at arm’s length because of my fears.” She kissed him lightly on the mouth. “I swore to myself if I got out of there alive I wasn’t going to let fear stand in the way of having the male I loved anymore.”

  “Talana…” He returned her kiss gently and then pulled back to look at her. “I’m so glad some good came of your ordeal. Although when I thought I’d lost you I wanted to die.” He felt a growl rising in his chest. “And when I saw that bastard crouching over you with a bloody knife I wanted to rip his throat out with my fangs. I thought—”

  “But you thought wrong.” She put a hand on his arm as though to gentle him. “He didn’t hurt me or…or touch me inappropriately. That was what the AllFather wanted to do. Even though I wasn’t the one they were looking for, he still wanted to…to…” She shook her head, her face turning pale.

  “Sophia…” Sylvan put an arm around her and looked at her with concern, but she shook her head.

  “No, it’s all right. It’s over now and I’m not going to dwell on it. And like you said, some good did come of it. I finally got over my fear enough to let myself love you.” She looked at him shyly. “To return the love you gave me.”

  “But are you sure?” Sylvan couldn’t help asking. “Are you certain you won’t change your mind about my fangs? About being bitten?”

  Sophia smiled. “Positive. Here, I’ll prove it—show me your fangs.” When he hesitated she made a “come on” gesture with one hand. “Go ahead, let them come out. Or come down or whatever it is you do.”

  “Very well.” Baring his teeth, Sylvan did as she asked, allowing his double set of fangs to extend completely.

  “Good. Very good.” Sophia was staring at his fangs just as she’d used to before they were bonded. But now there was no fear in her face, only anticipation. She lifted her wrist to his mouth and looked into his eyes. “Now bite me,” she murmured throatily.

  “Why?” Sylvan demanded. “You’re already healed.”

  Sophia arched an eyebrow at him. “You told me back at the cabin that a Blood Kindred only bites for two reasons—to heal his mate when she’s ill or injured or to arouse her during sex. So bite me, Sylvan…” Her voice was suddenly husky, her lovely eyes half-lidded with need. “Bite me because it turns me on to feel you in me—any part of you.”

  “Sophia,” he murmured hoarsely. “Talana…” Taking her hand in his, he licked the underside of her wrist, tracing the delicate blue bracelet of veins with his tongue. She shivered under his touch and her breathing suddenly grew more rapid.

  “That’s right,” she whispered as he pierced her tender flesh. “Now isn’t that a much better use for your fangs than ripping out someone’s throat?”

  Sylvan stopped biting long enough to answer. “You probably should have let me do it, you know,” he said seriously. “The death I would have given him would have been gentle compared to whatever the AllFather will do to him for failing to bring you in.”

  She shivered. “I don’t want to think about that right now. I just want to spend more time with you.”

  Sylvan kissed her and smiled. “Biting or being bitten?”

  “Both.” Leaning forward, she offered him her throat in a gesture so sensual it made his cock ache and his fangs fill with essence once more. “Warrior,” she murmured, “I offer you the gift of my blood freely. Will you accept it?”

  “With all my heart,” Sylvan growled softly and then he was on her again, biting her, filling her, bonding her to him forever.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  “You have failed yet again. The girl I commanded you to bring is gone.”

  Xairn put a hand to his aching head as he bowed before the black iron throne. “What does it matter? She was not the one we sought.” When he’d woken up the Blood Kindred and his female were long gone. For some reason the warrior had sealed the hole he’d made in the hull of the asteroid ship, sparing Xairn’s life. Though he couldn’t fathom why.

  He should have killed me, he thought dully. It would have been better that way. Of course, if he’d died, there would have been no one to care for Sanja. The automatic feeder would have kept her alive but there would have been no one to stroke her glossy fur and love her. Xairn wished she’d been with him earlier, before he folded space to go home. He’d been fifty light years away from the Fathership and so close to freedom. If he’d had his pet he could have simply left, never to return. And maybe—

  “It mattersss because I wanted her.” The AllFather’s angry words broke his train of thought. “Her pain was unique—exquisite.”

  “Sorry to deny you your favorite dish, father,” Xairn said heavily. “But there was nothing I could do. The warrior was deep in rage—I don’t even know why he let me live.”

  “I don’t either.” The AllFather’s voice softened suddenly. “But I am glad you ssstill live my ssson.”

  The words caught Xairn off guard and for a moment his heart felt as though someone had squeezed it. Could it be that his father was showing some emotion for him after all these long, barren years? Could it be that the AllFather actually cared whether he lived or died?

  “And…and why is that, Father?” he asked, forcing his voice to stay even and calm.

  “Because I would have missed you, of course.” The AllFather’s hissing voice was as soft as Xairn had ever heard it. Almost gentle.

  “You would?” Xairn tried to smother the small flame of hope that grew in his starved heart. “Truly?”

  “Truly.” The blazing red eyes seemed almost to smile. “Ssso I will forgive you for losing the girl—just this once. And sssince we ssstill have the marker in place, all you need do isss locate her and use the beam to retrieve her. Ssshe will be bonded to her warrior by now, ssso her pain will be even more deliciousss when I take her.”

  Xairn swallowed, trying not to let his dismay show. “About the marker…”

  “Yesss?” The AllFather’s eyes glittered dangerously. “It isss ssstill in place, isn’t it? Or could it be…” He rose from the black metal throne and began pacing, his shadowy robes billowing around his skeletal frame. “Could it be that you very unwisely removed it before letting the girl go free?”

  “What…” Xairn swallowed again with a dry click. “What would make you think something like that?”

  “Because when I activated the detection sssystem, the sssignal led back to your ssship.” The AllFather continued to pace as he spoke. “I was puzzled at first. I thought that maybe you’d brought the girl after all and had hidden her away to keep her for yourssself. But none of my guardsss could find her anywhere.” He nodded at the huge, vat grown guards at his back and Xairn noticed for the first time that there were only three of them this time. Where was the fourth? Before he could say anything, the AllFather continued.

  “I did eventually find the missing marker—which sssomeone had detached from the girl.” He held up the small metal chip, its silver surface tarnished with dried blood.

  “Father—”

  “Of course I had a little help sssniffing it out,” the AllFather continued, ignoring his interruption. “Alpha,” he added, turning his head slightly. “Come forward and ssshow my ssson our little helper.”

  Xairn had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach—a feeling of dread he tried desperately to dismiss. No, it couldn’t be. He couldn’t have found out—Then the AllFather’s fourth guard came forward and all his worst fears were con