"Aye."

"Better to be the least among all in light, than live in the shadows."

He took slow, measured steps to her. Pulled her back to her feet, kissed her softly, eliciting a small

shiver. "Enough of this depressive chatter. I will let none take you from me. I will always protect you from darkness, and I will savor every moment of your surrender, every nuance that brings you closer to me, every...."

He stepped away and something flashed in his eyes she didn't like, but it was gone so quickly, she knew she had imagined it.

"I will woo you la.s.s, and will not consummate our marriage until you submit of your own will."

Her voice lowered to a very soft hush. "Thank you."

"Hungry?" he asked.

A true smile appeared and barriers toppled from her gaze. "Aye, ravenous."

* * * * After a meal of roasted duck, wild greens, stone grilled bread and sweetened berries washed down by honey-water for Violet and ale for Darth, Violet curled into the luxurious nuptial bed alone. She could grow used to Lord Darth's gentleness and patience. It was something she hadn't expected, but she knew it existed. Her father had been that way. The voices in her head had to be from the conjurer. The one she saw at the Seraglio hall fighting off the guards. He wanted her the way the dark lord had wanted her mother. Even now, he was after her. She had to cling to Lord Darth. She had to allow him to consummate the marriage. Even more, she had to learn how to love him.

Only, it could wait until the morrow. For the first time since she was a wee one, Violet had a comfortable mattress beneath her dainty body, a full stomach, and no worries about being wakened in the night by rough hands and beatings.

Violet was only partially right. Just before light spun through stained gla.s.s, a strong hand covered her mouth, yanked her from the bed and carried her toward the window.

Chapter Five.

"Has the One scrambled your brains? Untie her!" Lord Ash spat, his hands still streaming luminosity beams to vanquish shadows. Without darkness or shadows, Darth's powers would wane and without them, he wouldn't be able to detect either a mage or Violet's abductor.

Daniore leaned back in his typical, haughty stance, staring at the bound and gagged Violet. "And have herrun back to Darth?""Why would she do that? I'm rescuing her."With a shrug, Daniore released Violet's gag."Let me go, you son of a spider-wolf, you excuse for a lord, you ... you...."Daniore stuffed the gag back into Violet's mouth. "Heard enough?"

Dropping one hand, he stared at the girl struggling against her bindings. "I don't understand."Huffing a breath, Daniore yanked the girl off the ground and threw her over his saddle. "She thinks Darth's a mage, and you're the conjurer. I discovered that as we were sliding down the rope. Ever try to holdonto a screaming, thrashing feline? It's not easy. By the One, she would have allowed me to drop herrather than comply. If you didn't create a shield for us, Darth would have had me for spider-wolf feed."

Shaking his head, Ash tossed a sleep spell over Violet. Although her body stilled, he could still see the struggle within. The girl had an unquenchable spirit. No wonder Darth had been so determined to acquire her. Still holding up his hand, he mounted Daniore's steed.

Before Daniore could object, Ash said, "I want to keep her close."

Again, Daniore shrugged. "As you wish. Where to?"

"The caves. I can brighten the confined s.p.a.ce and shield us from Darth's shadow seekers."

"Shouldn't we go home and beg the King's protection? A regiment of warriors and mages would stand a better chance against Darth than you alone."

"Too far, Darth could catch up to us by then." With a whoosh of one finger, he untied Violet's feet and settled her before him, straddling the steed and leaning against him. Her warmth settled into him and he had to ignore the engorging of his loins. He had felt the attraction from the first moment he saw her, so vulnerable and battered. He felt pa.s.sion gushing through his veins when he had carried her to her chamber from the pub. He knew she was irresistible, but he had chosen selfishly, and that vice blinded him to her familiarity and the fact he nearly lost the one woman he could truly love.

A few hours later, Ash had Violet resting against a bed of furs, leaves, and plumage cast off by the wind birds that resembled eagles but were five times larger and fed on spider-wolves. It wasn't much of a nuptial bed, but it would have to do.

"It's noon. Darth's powers are at their weakest. Shouldn't we travel a little farther?" Daniore asked even as he piled logs onto the fire Ash had created to consume encroaching shadows.

"No more hiding places between us and home. Besides, you will go on ahead and bring a regiment here. I can keep her safe until then. It should only take half a day to get there, and if they travel through the night you'll be here by morning."

"What if your father won't send the army?"

"He knows what it takes for me to ask for anything. He'll send his finest." Ash c.o.c.ked his head, and his gaze narrowed just a bit. "You, of all people, should know that."

"Aye, I do. I just feel as if I'm abandoning you both."

"You aren't, friend." A small grin appeared. "Besides, I'd prefer to consummate this marriage in privacy."

Instead of the usual good-natured quip Ash expected from Daniore, the man simply blinked as if dazed then strode away.

Something didn't sit right with Ash at that moment, but a sudden kick directly between his legs, bowed him to his knees.

Darth's rage tore through the inn with such abrupt intensity, the st.u.r.dy stone structure shook as if being torn from its foundation. In the dining hall, dishes toppled from tables, crystal gla.s.ses, decanters and vases crashed into each other and joined the shattered plates. Food and drinks splattered patrons who fell off chairs or plummeted to their b.u.t.tocks or knees. Candle flames burned draperies and a few garments even as fountains sprayed rugs and hardwood with large sloshes of water. In rooms, sleepers fell out of bed. Dressers slammed into windows. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the fury ceased.

With a will that had seen him through the conversion from a light lord to a conjurer, he settled his fury. Violet's escape was nothing more than a brief setback. If she hadn't tried, she wouldn't be as much like her mother as he had hoped. It was this sort of defiant spirit that drew him, that invigorated him. The best was that she thought him a mage and actually wanted to be with him. Something held back her total compliance, but the coaxing was so sweet. She had been right to resist the spell, and he had been wrong to use it. He had to slow down his absorption of her. He had to savor every morsel so that when she finally capitulated it would be all the more intoxicating. And in that exact moment when she surrendered herself fully, he'd reveal his true nature. She'd be as trapped as a victim in spider-wolf webbing.

That was when he'd truly start to feed on her spirit. Unlike his younger self, he now knew how to bring one back from the brink of death. He'd do that to her again and again, offering the hope of escape or rescue to keep her going. He could draw this out for years and make certain she bred a child as well, a girl child not from his seed but from a young mage. Maybe the one who was so eager to buy her. He'd place the child in the Seraglio so that by the time Violet's spirit shattered and there was nothing left to absorb, he'd have another waiting for him. Oh, such fun, such adventure awaited him. Only he had to remain calm and take it slow. After all, how far could she have gotten on her own?

Unlike other conjurers, Darth never recruited a lackey, for he had the spider-wolves at his mental command. He summoned several to his chamber. They arrived within minutes, crashing through windows on the main floor just as servants started to help injured patrons and sweep up the shattered remains of valuable crystal and ceramics.

Screams echoed through the inn and Darth smiled, swallowing each morsel of fear that accompanied those screams. With a flip of his hand the double doors to his chamber sprang open and several wolves appeared. They were the ebony-coated ones, known for their venomous bite and vicious attacks. Sometimes, they didn't bother to coc.o.o.n a victim. Instead, they ripped them apart and lapped up their blood until sated.

Darth pointed to Violet's garments hanging from pegs in the closet. The wolves sniffed the clothes within moments.

"Find and trap," Darth ordered, "no feeding until you return."

With growls and bared teeth, the wolves rushed away.

About to close the doors with another wave of his hand, he noticed two young la.s.ses stumbling down the hall, fear etched on their pretty faces and fine, elegant garments in disarray. They probably belonged to a sun clan, traveling with their parents. For they were too young to be wed, yet old enough to be bargaining chips. Darth didn't wish to bargain. He simply needed a diversion until the wolves brought back his Violet.

He clasped his hand and uttered a spell, ending with, "Come."

Both girls froze for an instant, and then entered the chamber. A finger flick had the doors slam shut and the lock clicked.

"Strip, slowly," he ordered.

Layers of clothing fell before him. Vacant, dark eyes peered at nothing.

Once they were naked, he moved around them, inspecting the perfection of their skin, the gentle swell of small b.r.e.a.s.t.s and the lush, dark fuzz trapped between thighs. He'd use them one at a time, having the other watch so she'd know her fate.

However, he didn't awaken them until he had them securely tied and gagged, their bodies spread before him like a banquet, one on the dining table, the other on the dresser, one facing the ceiling, the other with her head draped over the floor. He took out a flogger, a poker and a sharp thin stiletto, lapping up the fear oozing from them like liquid ambrosia.

"Which one should I start with?" he uttered, his voice raspy.

Their terrified moans were like exquisite music to his ears.

He couldn't decide whether to rape them first or torture them. Perhaps a little of both, he thought with a grin, and began to disrobe. Hours later, splattered with blood, but still not satiated, Darth contemplated whether or not it was worth feeding off the other girl. She was so catatonic, he couldn't even rouse a whimper, and that was just from her watching what he did to her sister. Besides, the wolves should have been back by now with Violet. Something was wrong. He doubted she had enough talent to cover her trail, but what if- Before he finished the thought, the double doors banged open.Darth's deep raspy voice echoed as if in a vast cave. "How dare...."He didn't finish as the large, muscular man strode in and collapsed. A black, pulsating vapor rose from his body and moved forward, sculpting itself into the form of a naked, voluptuous woman, a very transparent woman. "My name is Amlet. I think it's time we met."

* * * *Long, silver tendrils poured from Ash's palm and wrapped around Violet, yanking her backwards beforeshe could flee. "Oh no you don't," he bit out between groans.

"Release me, lord of vipers, heart of ice, breath of toad!" She screamed, clawing at the streams of light

that she could see through but could not break.

The pain eased only enough to straighten from his waist, but not enough for him to stand. "You never complained about my breath when I kissed you."

"Your lips have never touched mine," she spat with indignation and wild struggles.

"Perhaps not in the natural, but in more dreams than can be counted."

Violet froze. The beautiful hues of her eyes flamed. "Nay!"

"Aye." He managed to climb to his feet, releasing the pain through harsh breaths. "Now, if you'll stop

fighting me, I'll release you and show you that I shared your dreams."Staring at him as if he'd turn into a spider-wolf at any moment, she nodded and stood.He remained in place, sensing any abrupt movement might have her scurrying to the cave entrance again.

In an even, velvety tone, Ash recalled the various moments they shared in their dream world. He started with simple things like the day they rode stallions, the day they swam in a stream the color of pale roses. Then he moved to erotic moments, to intimate kisses, to the first time she offered herself, to the last time they reveled in a mutual o.r.g.a.s.m and finally to the last dream when her lips folded around his manhood.

He didn't know what reaction he expected, but not for her to flee toward him and knock him flat to the ground, fists pummeling his chest, tears streaming down her beautiful face. All the while her crimson robe split open at the ties from her wild foray until it just hung from her shoulders and arms like a flaming cloak.

"Nay! Nay! It cannot be you!"

"I am not a conjurer, love. I am a mage."

"Nay," she spat. "I will not be fooled. I will not! It is just a trick, just as my mother was tricked."

He allowed her to unleash the worst of her rage, and only when he couldn't take it any more did he capture her thin wrists between his and hold them above her head. Simultaneously, he tossed her onto her back and pinned her beneath him. "Enough!"

To his amazement, she stilled except for her bottom lip. It quivered. Tears blurred the depths of her eyes until they turned a pale lilac.

"I refuse to love a dark lord," she said, the words muted under such sadness it unhinged Ash's emotions.

"Why do you think I am a conjurer?"

"Look at you. You wear black, have a gaze that mesmerizes, lips that torment, and a spirit that has invaded my dreams. Maybe that was how the dark lord fooled my mother. Maybe he stole her heart in her dreams. Just as you have stolen mine."

"You recognize me now?"

"Aye," she whispered, lowering her gaze. "It was you at the pub, too. You rescued me."

"Would a conjurer do that?"

"Aye, if it furthered his plan."

"I will somehow convince you that I have no plan other than to keep you safe and love you just as I always have."

"My mother married a mage, but then fled with a conjurer." Violet searched his gaze. "They say she loved him. I think he ensorcelled her."

"And you think that is what I am doing to you?"

"Aye, I seemed to have mirrored my mother's life thus far, why not further still?"

"Have you been intimate with Darth?"

"Nay, he is honorable. I was not ready and he yielded to my wishes."

Tension filled Ash like taut wire. He didn't know why Darth didn't violate her, but he knew it wasn't because he was a man of honor, and the quicker he dispelled that illusion the better.

"He was once a mage who had abandoned the light, bartering his soul for your mother's love. It is he who killed her. It is he who wants you to follow in her footsteps down to her death. I will not allow it, my Violet. You are mine. And, unlike the kingdom's philosophy dictates, I am also yours."

His words startled Violet to the core, but it was his sudden kiss that toppled her defenses. In some ways, it was as if they were in the dream. Only the fog had lifted. The feel of him was so familiar. His touch was as stimulating as ever. She searched for the spell he had surely woven to keep her so aroused, so compliant, and found none. Was this how her mother felt? Was this why she ran?

Violet knew she had to resist. Only, how could she when every fiber of her being responded? They were in perfect harmony, antic.i.p.ating moves, mirroring actions even with her wrists still bound above her head. Tongues mated in erotic play. His fingers sought crevices of arousal. Her heat automatically responded to his hardness, pressing against him, swaying, moaning, surrendering even as she urged herself not to. Her mother paid for her slide into darkness, but had the slide been this pleasurable? Had she wanted it with the depth and pa.s.sion that Violet wanted to join with this lord?

She rained kisses over his face, his throat, the nub of his ear, the stubble of a day's growth of beard. Bound wrists struggled against his hold, but she knew it wasn't to flee.