Koss and Nina stepped inside, seemingly not at all bothered by their hostile reception. They didn't speak, and neither Nicholas nor Brannon seemed anxious to break the eerie silence that accompanied them.

Emily stuffed her hand against her mouth, discovering the cuts had healed, but traces of blood remained on her hands. She touched her nose, relieved to find it was no longer bleeding. Unconsciously, she wiped her hands against the front of the robe as she fell back into the shadows. She didn't want to appear timid, but knew Nicholas and Brannon would do better if they didn't have to worry about her being in the way.

She slipped her hand into the pocket of her robe and clutched the handle of the silver dagger Brannon had given her, glazed with the venom of the beaked sea snake. She would have just one chance, and only if Koss got near enough for her to seize it.

Nina made the first move, lunging toward Brannon after she removed a sword from the sheath in her coat's lining. Brannon blocked her swing, and their swords sang to each other at first contact. He moved warily, seeming to wait for her to attack.

Emily held her breath as Nina's sword came within a hairsbreadth of Brannon's neck before he sidestepped her. She bit her lip when he swung his sword at the woman, slicing through the thick leather of her coat and into her stomach.

"I don't want to hurt you, Nina." He spoke calmly, but his hand seemed slightly unsteady on the hilt of his sword. "That doesn't mean I won't."

"Oh, good." She touched her arm and then brought her hand to her lips, licking it clean. "Because I want to hurt you, husband. I want you to die. You've been an albatross around my neck for far too long."

Brannon stepped back and parried as she thrust her sword at him, not bothering to speak again as he continued to defend himself, without taking the offensive. He seemed to do just enough to keep her atbay, without trying to hurt her.

Emily had gotten so caught up in watching Brannon and Nina spar that she jumped with surprise when she heard Nicholas's blade clang against Koss's. Her eyes instantly settled on them, and she watched as they took turns swinging at each other. Their movements were graceful and precise. If she hadn't known better, she might have a.s.sumed they were fencers in an exhibition match.

She couldn't hold back a cry when Koss made the first cut on Nicholas, slicing halfway through his bare stomach before withdrawing his sword. She wanted to rush to him, but held herself back, knowing she couldn't help him. She balled her hands into fists and pressed her back against the wall, watching as Nicholas struggled to stay on his feet and hold his sword.

The stifled cry escaped her when Koss lifted his sword and swung down on Nicholas's with all his strength. In his weakened condition, Nicholas couldn't hold the sword, and it fell from his hand. Pressing his advantage, Koss cut the side of Nicholas's leg, shredding his jeans, and causing him to fall to his knees.

She heard Brannon grunt and turned to glance at him, finding Nina had disarmed him. Brannon was pushing against her wrist, but wasn't making much headway in inching away the knife she held at his throat. Her strange eyes gleamed when she pressed the blade deeper, causing a ribbon of blood to stream down his neck. She held the sword in the parry position at her side.

"Nina, love," Koss said in a warning tone.

With a glare in his direction, she pulled back slightly. "On your knees."

"No way." Brannon reached for the knife, but in doing so, he exposed his torso. A hiss of air escaped him as she plunged her sword through his upper body, narrowly missing his heart, and lodging the sword between his ribs. His complexion paled, and he collapsed onto the floor, hugging his stomach as he curled into a ball.

"Brannon," Emily shouted, rushing forward.

"Stop, dearest."

Koss's voice drew her up short, and she turned to gaze at him with frightened eyes, unable to hold in a whimper when she saw Nina pull her sword from Brannon's chest and approach Nicholas.

She brought the tip against the back of his neck with more force than was necessary, causing Nicholas to grunt, but he didn't cry out. Nina licked her lips, and her eyes shone with antic.i.p.ation.

Koss withdrew the sword he had held against Nicholas's chest and crooked his finger at Emily. "Come to me, Emily."

"Don't do it," Nicholas said. Nina gouged the sword deeper into his flesh when he spoke.

Emily couldn't make her feet move. She glanced at Brannon, surprised to see he was sitting up slowly.

Her gaze swung back to Nicholas, taking in the lines of pain on his face as he maintained his strong facade in the face of Nina's knife and sword. Her heart wrenched as she moved her eyes to Koss. He caught her gaze, and her feet were suddenly moving. She tried to resist, and a blinding light flashed behind her eyes again. "If you come willingly, I'll let him live."

"Don't," Brannon managed to say as he bent forward, clutching his middle. "He'll kill you."

She swallowed down her fear and let her feet take over. Too quickly, they carried her to Koss, pausing only once as Nicholas reached for her ankle before Nina's sword caused him to stop.

When she stood before Koss, she tilted up her chin, determined to meet him on her terms, not cowering at his feet.

He chuckled as he brought his sword to his side and used his other arm to draw her against him.

"You're very brave and very foolish to come so willingly. You must be imagining all the terrible things I'll do to you." His mouth twisted into a patronizing smile. "You think I'm going to kill you."

"You're going to try." She was proud of the way her voice remained steady. Inside, she was a ma.s.s of quivering nerves, but knew she appeared fearless-as long as he couldn't smell her fear.

Koss shook his head. "No, not this time. I've thought of something better. I'm going to keep you, dear Emily. You see, each time I do away with you, Nicholas always manages to find you once more." He dropped his sword on the floor so he could still hold her against him while caressing her cheek. "This time, he won't be able to find you again-not if I keep you alive."

"I'll never let you take her," Nicholas bit out through clenched teeth, with obvious difficulty, as Nina used her knife to draw designs on his back. "You'll have to kill us all first."

He made a clicking sound with his tongue. "You were always so stubborn, Nicholas. That's unbecoming in a companion. You could have been my partner, my lover, but you threw away that chance when you crept out of my apartments like a rat in the shadows. You had me convinced of your love and loyalty before you betrayed me."

Nicholas glared up at him. "I never loved you. Everything I did was with the goal in mind of getting back to Emma."

Emily frowned as she saw a hint of pain darken Koss's eyes. Could it be he truly loved Nicholas, or had at one point in the past? Had more than a desire to punish Nicholas for daring to leave him prompted his campaign of vengeance?

"Very perceptive." He pulled her into his arms, bringing his mouth close to her ear. "I've searched through nearly five millennia to find my soul mate. I thought Nicholas was the one for a time, but now I know he isn't. I was confused, you see. He's just a piece of the puzzle..." He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought. "It's up to me to bring it all together."

She shook her head, confused by his statement. "Why can't you just let him go?" She despised the note of pleading in her voice and forced her spine to stiffen. "Can't you let us be happy?"

A strange expression flashed across his face. "Why should you be happy when I'm alone?"

She closed her eyes, seeing the futility of trying to reason with him. Emily slipped her hand into the pocket of the robe to grasp the dagger and steeled herself to plunge it through his chest. She tightened her hold on the handle as she pulled it from the robe and aimed for his heart. He captured her arm halfway through her thrust. He didn't seem upset. Only mildly amused. "You must learn to hide your thoughts, dear one." He kept his tone light as he applied bone-breaking pressure to her hand, forcing her to drop the dagger. He didn't stop until she was on her knees before him.

When he released her hand, Emily cradled it against her chest, fighting back the tears swimming in her eyes. She forced herself to meet his eyes. "I'd rather die than be your captive. Just kill me."

He patted her head. "I think you'll learn to love me. I know I look forward to loving you." He flashed a look at Nicholas. "Share and share alike, right, Nicholas?"

Nicholas tried to get to his feet, but Nina pressed the sword deeper. "Go ahead," she invited. "I would love to plunge this through your neck and be rid of you forever, Vallsade."

"Don't," Emily cried. "Please don't hurt him. I'll do anything you want," she said as she turned back to Koss.

Koss's arrogant expression had changed to one of confusion. He stared at her intently, making an ambiguous sound low in his throat as he looked down at her. Finally, he knelt beside her, but didn't reach out for her, other than to take her hand. "Close your eyes."

"I want to watch death coming," she said with false bravado, fearing the tremor in her voice betrayed her true emotions.

"Close your eyes, or I'll cut them out." His tone was cool, but his eyes reflected his determination.

"Brannon can tell you the process is painful, especially if you don't heal as quickly as a vampire. Since you're one of us, your eyes will grow back, but it will hurt more than anything you've ever endured." He brushed a finger against her lid.

Emily closed her eyes, preparing herself to feel a sword at the back of her neck. She whimpered when Koss's hands dropped on her shoulders, then slid down her body, pausing to lightly caress her b.r.e.a.s.t.s before moving lower. His hand lingered on her stomach, pressing gently, and she fought to leave her pleas for mercy unvoiced. If he planned to defile her in front of Nicholas, she wouldn't show her torment.

She would be strong for his sake.

To her surprise, he withdrew his hands and stood up. She cautiously opened her eyes to stare up at him, finding him facing away from her with his eyes closed.

"After all this time, it all becomes clear," he murmured under his breath, still not turning toward her.

Emily's gaze swept across the floor of the chamber, alighting on Koss's sword, lying just a few feet from her reach. She closed her eyes, concentrating on it with all her might. She didn't know if she had any telekinetic abilities, but needed that blade. She pictured it gliding through the air to the hand she extended.

A rattling sound had her opening her eyes just in time to see the weapon knock against the stones on the floor before it propelled itself through the air, straight at her. She cried out as she caught the blade, rather than the hilt, absorbing the pain of the cut as she leapt to her feet and turned the sword to grasp the hilt.

As Koss whirled around to face her, Emily plunged the sword through his heart and twisted with all her strength. He screamed as he fell to his knees, with blood streaming from the wound and trickling down his mouth. She continued twisting, until she heard Nicholas cry out. She turned at the sound and saw Nina shoving the knife through his neck. "Let him go, or I'll kill Koss."

Nina's scream echoed through the room. It wasn't one of fear, but rather one of rage. She let go of the knife and kicked against Nicholas's back with her thick boot, causing him to slump to his side. She stormed at Emily, but froze when the sword twisted another inch.

"I'm close to cutting out his heart. If you want him to live, you'll both leave now."

Nina's eyes darted between her and Koss as she made her way to her lover. She knelt beside him.

"What do I do?"

"Leave," Koss said in a raspy voice.

Emily pushed the sword in another inch. "I want your word you won't return. Swear to me you'll leave us alone."

With what seemed like a huge effort, Koss, managed to get to his feet, though the sword remained in his chest with Emily grasping it in her trembling hands. "I release you, Nicholas. It was never you. I see that now," he added with marked ambiguousness.

Nicholas had gotten to his feet, and was now kneeling beside Brannon. He didn't acknowledge Koss's words with so much of a flicker of his eyelashes, concentrating instead on Emily. She met his eyes and smiled before turning back to Koss. Still feeling Nicholas's gaze on her, she drew strength from it. "I'll release you now. You're bound by your pledge."

"Can you trust me, sweet Emily? I may have no honor." He still sounded weak, but not as drained as he had a moment ago.

She nodded. "I know that, but I remember you forcing Nicholas to bind himself to you with his declaration. I a.s.sume your word is your bond." Hesitantly, she withdrew the sword, but didn't drop it.

Instead, she kept it pointed at them as Koss lost his strength and leaned against Nina. "Get out."

"We will meet again," Koss said, seeming to muster his strength. "Different circ.u.mstances..." He trailed off, eyeing her with a strange glint in his eye. "Take care of your daughter. She will be precious to me."

"What?" Emily took a step forward, but Nicholas's hands on her shoulders restrained her as he drew her against his chest. "You swore-"

Koss walked with Nina to the window, pausing once to look back. Already, he appeared to have regained most of his strength. "I will honor my promise. Nicholas has been released from his vow." Then he turned away, and they stepped through the window, hovering in midair for a moment before beginning to float down with the speed of a feather.

Brannon was on his feet and stumbled to the window to watch them leave. He seemed to have trouble moving, but had survived the slash of Nina's sword.

Emily turned and buried her face against Nicholas's chest, sobbing. Now that she didn't have to be strong, she wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms and have him hold her for a hundred years.

When Brannon limped over to them, Emily turned from Nicholas to embrace him too. After she weptinto his b.l.o.o.d.y pajama shirt for a moment, she lifted her head. "How can you live through that?"

"I'm a dhampir, Emily. Part of my strength comes from the foul blood in my veins." His eyes softened.

"You were amazing. So strong and confident."

"Foolish," Nicholas said in a growl. "He could have killed you. I told you-"

"Hush, darling," Emily interrupted, turning back to him to put her arm around his waist. She touched the cuts on his back, finding most already scabbed over or healed completely. She glanced up at him. "Did he mean it? Are you free?"

Nicholas hesitated before nodding. "I think so. I've never known Koss to break his word. He places a high value on honor, which was part of the reason he's nurtured his anger with me for eight hundred years. I seduced him and left him when he didn't expect it. I broke my word, and he's felt the need to punish me ever since." He frowned. "I don't know what's changed."

"He said something about it all coming together..." Fear surged through. "And what was that about our daughter? What did he mean?"

Nicholas appeared equally puzzled. "I don't know."

Brannon sighed. "I keep forgetting how inexperienced you are, Emily. How attuned you still need to become to your powers. I'm surprised you haven't realized it yourself yet."

She turned to frown at him. "Realized what?"

"Can't you feel the new life forming in you?" He gave her a smile. "You're expecting a little girl."

Emily eyed Brannon with sad eyes several weeks later. "Are you sure you feel strong enough?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm healing well. It's hardly more than a scratch now, and I have business to take care of." He gave her a crooked smile. "After all, you'll want to visit your folks soon. After they yell at you for eloping, they'll be thrilled by the news of the baby."

She couldn't hide the sadness from her expression. "They'll have the sad duty of telling me about Sara, thinking I didn't hear about it before running away."

He nodded. "It's the best I can do to fix things for you."

She nodded. "I know." Emily turned to Nicholas, clutching a handful of his shirt. "Can't you make him stay awhile longer? We can visit my parents later in the summer."

He shook his head. "Brannon needs to go, love. After he deals with the situation in Huxley, he has to find the answers he seeks."

She bit her lip. "But if Koss hurts him-"

"Right here, remember?" Brannon teased. His tone grew more serious when she turned back to him. "I'll stay in touch, and I'll be home in time for her birth." He patted her still-flat stomach. "She has to meet theonly normal family she has on the Vallsade side."

She wasn't able to muster even a wan smile for his comment, but tried to keep the concern from her eyes as she hugged him. "Come back safely to us. Our daughter needs a protector."

"She has two," he said against her hair before drawing away. "You and Nicholas are a formidable pair."

Sadness shadowed his expression. "You'll keep her safe, with or without me. I'll help keep her out of harm's way when the time comes, if you need me, but there's something I need to settle first."

She nodded, knowing how she would feel if her daughter disappeared. She wouldn't stop until she found out what had happened. "I hope you find what you're looking for this time."

"So do I." He pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning to embrace Nicholas. Then, with a jaunty wave, he slid into the backseat of the taxi waiting in the courtyard. As it drove away, he didn't turn back in their direction.

They watched him go until his hire car disappeared from sight. Emily turned to Nicholas. "Do you think he'll find what he's looking for?"

"I don't know." He pulled her against him. "I only hope he's as lucky as me."

She lifted a brow. "What?"

He kissed her forehead. "After all these years, I finally found you again. This time, I'm keeping you forever."

She walked with him into Vallsade Manor, where they had decided to settle for the next few years. She tried to block out her worried thoughts, but her mind kept circling back to Koss's words and the memory of Erin's concerns. She hadn't told Nicholas about Erin fearing their daughter's future lay with Koss, but knew she would have to soon. They would have to always be vigilant if Koss wanted their daughter. Emily couldn't even begin to imagine what he would do with her if she fell under his power.

She shook her head, struggling to cast off her bleak thoughts. Now wasn't the time for worry, but for joy. Regardless of what the future held, they had this happy moment to themselves, and she intended to enjoy it. She only hoped their eternity was filled with more happiness than sadness. They'd had enough sorrow to last a hundred lifetimes, but this time would be different.