"I want to watch your a.s.s while we you know..."

Valdemar burst out laughing. "While we 'you know'?"

Aureliann wriggled to lie beside him. "I can't wait all night." She spread her legs in open invitation. She was dying for the feel of that first hard thrust. Each time it was so different. So exquisite that she often forgot to breathe. It took no time for Valdemar to place his body on hers. Aureliann lifted her legs and accepted his first thrust with a loud sigh. There was no need for further play. She would want him any time, anywhere, anyhow.

She smiled as she looked up in the mirror. His a.s.s was so s.e.xy as his b.u.t.t muscles clenched and released as he pushed in and out of her hot core.

"Excellent tatt." Aureliann's hands caressed the patterned flesh of his b.u.t.t.

"Does my a.s.s look big in the mirror?" Valdemar joked.

"You are perfect."

"No, we are perfect." He sighed and began thrusting harder. "I'm not going to be able to hold on long and it's all your fault for seducing me so."

"I'm happy to take the blame and whatever else you've got, darling." Her eyes locked with his and she knew what he needed. It was what she craved as well. It made their coming together even hotter.

"May I?" His mouth grazed her neck.

That Valdemar asked made her feel so loved and so powerful. He needs me. It made Aureliann happy. "I am yours." She stiffened as his fangs sliced into her vein. That combined with the pure, pounding heat of his body made her come screaming. Aureliann held him close, kissing his shoulders and allowing him to take whatever else he needed from her to make him strong.

Chapter Eleven.

"You look chipper, my boy." Thomas had a gleam in his eyes as he surveyed the two lovers. The same three elves followed behind.

"I am." Valdemar pulled Aureliann against him and kissed her lightly.

She had gone from nothing to everything in a heartbeat and she never wanted it to end. Aureliann nodded to the elves who favored her with a teasing eye roll. She went cross-eyed back at them and stamped her feet.

They stamped back. "How's it going, lads?"

"We would rather be drinking at the tavern but we have to look after you because everyone knows mortals have no sense," Bill the elf told her. The other two nodded sagely.

"b.u.mmer," Aureliann murmured. "Maybe we can go to the tavern as part of your duties." Their eyes lit up.

Valdemar shook his head in amus.e.m.e.nt. "G.o.d knows what trouble you four would get in to."

"I'm pleased to hear everyone is so happy." The older man shook his head in mock despair at the elves.

They looked back at him in feigned innocence and shuffled their feet. "I am also happy to report we know where Victor is hiding out."

Valdemar stiffened. "How?"

"One of the mercenaries he brought to Serawych turned on him," Binky the elf responded.

"Fancy, one unscrupulous b.a.s.t.a.r.d turning on another. What were the odds on that?" Serawych was no different from her own world. People were selfish and out for what they could get.

Thomas nodded in head. "True, everyone has their price."

"Where is Victor?" Valdemar's hands were clenched into fists.

As much as Aureliann wanted this whole thing with his cousin done and dusted, she was worried about Valdemar. If anything should happen to him...

"He is in the old quarter of town where your standard lowlifes hang out," Bob answered.

Valdemar looked thoughtful. "Why did this vampire turn on him? They never do anything without a very good selfish reason."

"Yes, it was simple greed," Thomas confirmed. "We offered him something he was unaware he needed, the freedom to go back to Brisbane."

Aureliann jumped at his words. "Wait a second, I thought you said there were no guarantees any of us could go back." What was that about? Loopholes for some but not for others? And why do I care when I have already decided I don't want to go back?

"Do you want to leave?" Valdemar's eyes were hot with need on hers.

I could never leave him. So this was love? I like it. "No but I want to know why him and not me?"

Thomas answered that question. "The dimension we are in is like a human being. It will expel evil if it wants it to leave. It's harder if they don't, of course and good people it tends to hang on to."

Aureliann surveyed the men in confusion. "You people are weird. Your dimension is weird."

"And yet we adore you." Valdemar lifted her hand and kissed the palm.

"Speak for yourself. We only barely tolerate her." The elves nodded in agreement.

Elves-gotta love 'em. "So what now?" Where did this leave them? Victor was a threat and they had to go face him. Aureliann squeezed Valdemar's hand. The look he gave her was one of understanding because he knew what she feared.

"We have to go, lovely."

"I'm ready." There was no way Aureliann could send the love of her life into who knew what peril without her by his side.

Valdemar turned to face her. "No, you're staying here." His tone was definite.

"I don't get to see Victor get his comeuppance?" Instead she had to sit and wait and Aureliann knew she wasn't very good at being patient. "Besides, the ending of The Vampire's Kiss was very vague as to what happened to any of you." She wanted to make sure it ended the right way.

"Because there is no ending," Thomas told her.

"I was waiting for you, lovely."

"Yes that's very sweet and all but I want to see Victor get his a.s.s kicked." Aureliann pushed back from him. Didn't any of them understand that she did not want what started out as a fantasy to end as a tragedy?

She did not want the bad guys to win. She did not want to wake up in her bed in Brisbane tomorrow sick with what could have been. What if all that she had vanished because the ending took away the man she loved?

"I will not have you in danger. And no it's not up for discussion, Aureliann."

She tried another tack. "But darling-"

Valdemar's laughter interrupted her words. He hugged her body to his. "And no, you cannot 'darling' me into it. I want you to stay here, be safe with the elves. I will come back to you." Valdemar kissed her and left with Thomas.

"Where is this tavern?" Aureliann needed something to take her mind off what was happening and sitting helplessly in the castle was not going to do it. For the first time in her life she felt weak. As an independent woman who was normally in charge of her life, this was not a feeling she wanted to wallow in. It made her feel useless. And d.a.m.n it, I'm not.

One of the elves quirked an eyebrow at her. "The big guy told you to stay put."

That just made Aureliann more determined to leave. She adored Valdemar but she was not one to be "told" things. If she could not go with him, she could not sit and agonize. "Do you lads always do what you are told?" Aureliann could tell by the guilty looks on their faces the answer to that.

"No."

"Well, neither do I and besides I have you three strong lads to protect me." Appeal to male vanity and you're three quarters to where you want to be.

"Well..."

"Come on," Aureliann could see they were weakening. It would be fun to experience the elves in action at the tavern. I bet they are fascinating drunk. "I want to see everything Serawych has to offer."

Bob sighed. "It's your idea if we get caught."

"You big wusses."

"Are not," they chorused in unison, stamping their feet.

Aureliann stamped back. "Are too."

"Fine, but make yourself look-"

"What?"

"Less attractive. We don't want to be the focus of unwanted attention." Binky said the words almost as if he knew he would regret them.

That was the last thing she had expected them to say. "You think I look attractive?" She was ridiculously pleased she had broken through their tough sh.e.l.ls. "I'm flattered, lads."

They all blushed in response. "Yeah, well, just do it." "I think you like me," Aureliann teased.

"Do you want to go to the tavern or not? Because we have better things to do than drag your skinny a.s.s there."

Skinny a.s.s? Me? Wonders will never cease. "Let's. .h.i.t the town, lads."

Victor knew that by now Arrow would have delivered the message of his fake whereabouts to his cousin and they would troop off to find him and bring him to justice. The only justice Victor knew was his own and he wasn't about to let anyone dictate to him, hence the reason he sent Arrow to Thomas with the news. He knew they would fall for it and rush to where they thought he was. Victor had his own plan. While they were out doing the righteous thing he would find his cousin's woman and use her as a p.a.w.n to get what he wanted.

Realistically Victor knew that he could not win this battle. He did not have superior forces and the people did not back him. In fact they hated him. So he planned to get what he wanted through the woman. She was the key to hurting Valdemar. Once he had her in his grasp he knew the n.o.ble Valdemar would do anything to save her.

"What a sap he is." Mortal women had never appealed to Victor but Valdemar's woman was different.

"Maybe I'll try her out myself and see why cousin dear is so loopy over her." He swore when he saw one of the outsider vampires approach him. What a waste of time they had been. One attack he had to drag them to, and then nothing other than constant debauchery. The sooner they were gone the better. "What do you want?"

All vampires could be killed. You just had to find their weakness. What would it take him to be rid of this useless crew?

"Arrow has gone." The vampire looked at him in lazy contempt.

Even the sc.u.m of the earth had no respect for him. It would not matter once he was in charge. Those who thwarted or angered him would die. "I know that. Now leave me."

"Do you want to know where?"

"What part of 'leave me' did you not understand, fool?"

"Yes but-"

"What?"

The vampire looked at him with intense dislike. "I could not care less what happens to you for you are nothing to me. I plan to save my own hide."

"So?" Victor was no fool. He collected these mercenaries because they believed in greed and would do what they had to in order to get what they wanted.

"Arrow went to deal with the heir to the throne."

Victor clamped down on his anger. He knew this vampire was trying to anger him. Victor was not about to take the bait. "I know. He did it for me." He looked at the other man smugly. Your amateur taunts mean nothing to me, fool.

"No, he did it for himself. Arrow, like us, is tired of waiting for what you promised."

"I prom..." Victor hesitated when he heard the noise outside. He stood up and looked out the church window. The priest and nuns cowered as he pa.s.sed. "Shut up. I should have killed you all when I had the chance." The idea of hiding in the church had seemed like a good idea at the time-but for the whining of the religious do-gooders who he had whimpering in the corner. Victor looked out the window. "d.a.m.n!" How the h.e.l.l did Valdemar track him down here? And all those cars. How many were there tracking him? "And f.u.c.king elves as well. I hate elves." Victor knew then that Arrow had betrayed him and instead of leading his cousin away from him, he did the opposite. This ruined his plans. If he was captured now, Valdemar would never let him run free. "Or maybe not." There was no way Victor would be taken without one h.e.l.l of a fight. He whirled around and looked at the vampire. "Get out."

"What do we do?"

Victor looked at him as if he was mad. "I couldn't care less what happens to you." He stalked from the window and headed for the priest-hole. When Victor had first arrived at the church he had scoped it out for possible escape routes. That the ancient priest-hole and escape tunnel, which had once been used to escape religious persecution, was not sealed had been an excellent find.

"But we came here for you." The vampire hissed and his fangs extended. "We are foreigners here."

"You came for yourself." Victor knew he had to leave now or suffer the consequences of capture.

"He's gone." Valdemar was angry, yet not surprised. His cousin had always been the slimy sort who managed to escape difficulty. Those he had terrorized by his stay in the church had confirmed it was Prince Victor and that he had bolted down the priest-hole. Of course he was long gone out of the tunnel by the time they found and searched it. After scouring the area, they had only managed to round up some debauched vampire accomplices and local wh.o.r.es.

"Where to, your highness?" The captain of the elves waited further instruction.

If I were Victor where would I go? A sudden, horrible thought shot into Valdemar's mind. I would go after the one thing my enemy loved most. "Aureliann." He ran past the captain. "Back to the castle."

The elf commander sensed the reason for his urgency. "Do you think he would go after your woman?"

"He wants to hurt me and the best way to do that is hurt Aureliann." Valdemar raced outside and to a car.