Fly? "No, I can't." No, not true, she thought next, but didn't rescind her claim. She could fly, but only as mist. Misting wasn't something she would do here. She would have to strip, then piece herself back together. She would be too exhausted to defend Devyn from attack.

McKell twisted to face her again, searching her features. "You do not tease? You cannot fly?"

"No." Could all other vampires? Fabulous. Already she was lacking.

Confusion flittered over the warrior's face. "Very well. I will catch you." With that, he stepped into a gaping hole and disappeared from view.

"We'll be fine," Devyn said. He kissed her temple. "I've never failed at anything and won't start now."

"But how will you-"

"I'm probably the most powerful, gifted man in the universe. Of course I can do this."

"Sorry if I'm not convinced. I need your game plan."

"Energy, love. Energy. Just as I can command other bodies to obey me, I can command the air to slow us."

She nodded, drew in a breath, and stepped to the hole. She looked down. So much darkness, so thick ... even with her superior eyesight, she couldn't see a bottom. Couldn't hear a sound.

"I'll meet you down there, and I'll be the one to catch you," Devyn said, and then he disappeared.

I can do this. I can. Closing her eyes, she stepped forward. Gasped. The ground vanished, and she was falling fast, falling down. Her arms floundered for an anchor as her heart raced in her chest, beating against her ribs. Up sprang the thorns and the fire, and her stomach twisted into a thousand tiny knots. She fought past her rising panic. Fly, damn you, fly.

A sense of numbness suddenly blanketed her feet and spread up, into her legs, her hips, her arms. With the numbness came a sensation of heaviness, and she thought to drop faster, harder, like a stone in water, but instead she slowed. Her eyelids popped open, and she gazed around her in confusion. It wasn't her body that was heavier, she realized, it was that the air around her had thickened.

She wanted to laugh. I'm flying. I'm truly flying. And Devyn was responsible, the sweetie. A light appeared at her feet, and she saw that he was already on the ground, waiting for her. He could see her without the glow stick, so his hands were empty as he opened his arms; she floated herself straight into them.

"Thank you," she said with a grin. "I didn't know something like that was possible."

"Actually, you did. You've been bedded by me, so you've flown to the heavens on several occasions."

The other vampires landed behind her, in the air one moment and standing the next.

"This way." While McKell's tone was stiff, he didn't protest Devyn's hold on her. Maybe he was learning. He stalked away, forcing them to follow or be left behind.

Devyn had to push her forward to spur her into motion. This new section of the cave was spacious, with walls so high she didn't have to duck and didn't feel cramped. There were shops built into the sides, with doorways and windows and signs, everything human shops possessed. No one was about, however; the makeshift streets were empty.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Sleeping," McKell answered.

How very human of them. "How do they know day versus night?"

He rounded a corner, fingers brushing the pole of a muted streetlamp. "We have a lighting system of our own, one that mirrors the surface."

They trekked down a long walkway, took several more turns, bypassed what was obviously the palace, with its intimidating size, consuming three entire walls, squished through thin slices of rock, and finally came to an iron fence decorated with interwoven circles and squares.

McKell unlocked it with a single wave of his hand and trudged forward. Again, she and Devyn followed. The guards, however, did not. They posted themselves in front of the gate. Bride soon found herself walking straight into another cave, this one separated by thin strings of beads. Or rather, bone? she wondered. The pieces were small and the same creamy white as bone, a marrow like substance in the centers.

Inside were animal-skin rugs, a lounge and couch made from stone and draped in thick, dark fur, and a long, thin table that stretched in the center of the room. The table was the size of a twin bed and sat low to the ground. Is that where McKell slept?

"Sit, sit. Let's fortify ourselves before we begin. Are you thirsty?" he asked. Before she could answer, the warrior clapped his hands. A human girl raced through a far entryway, the beads blocking it clanging together behind her. The scent of food-fruits and nuts, no meats or spices, thank God-came with her. "Feed my guest," he instructed.

The girl was dressed in ... peach-colored leather? No, Bride realized upon closer inspection. Flesh. She gagged, barely managed to cover the motion with a hand to her mouth. The girl wore human flesh that had been cured into leather, and the material wrapped around her breasts and hips.

Dear God. They must recycle their food when they finished with it.

This one had been tattooed around her neck, wrists, and ankles. Like shackles. The design was intricate, distinctive, with the same swirls and points that Bride had seen on the iron fence.

The human kept her head bowed, her eyes lowered, as she lay upon the table and stretched out her arm in offering to Bride.

"No, thank you," Bride said gently. Revulsion swam through her as she eased onto the floor beside the table, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her.

A tremble moved through the girl, as though she feared the rejection would earn her a punishment.

"Is she not to your liking?" McKell asked.

"I can't drink from anyone but Devyn," she reminded him.

He was silent for a moment. "Who knows? This girl might be the exception. You should try her. She's very sweet." His motions were clipped, a direct contrast to his gentle tone, as he latched onto the girl's other arm and lifted it to his lips. He bit down, hard, but the girl didn't seem to notice.

On and on he drank. First, the girl paled. Then her eyelids drifted closed. Her head lulled to the side as she sank into unconsciousness. Eyes at half-mast, McKell disengaged and leaned back, his back propping against the lounge. His lips were stained crimson. "Sure you don't want to give her a try?"

Bride swallowed back intensified revulsion. It helped that Devyn was beside her, tracing little circles along her back, reminding her of his presence, his strength. Did everyone have slaves like this?

"I'm sure," she said. "At this rate, the girl will be dead by the end of the day." There was no way to hide her disgust.

The warrior frowned. "By the time my hunger returns, she'll be completely replenished."

"How often do you eat?"

"Once a week. Every vampire here drinks once a week. Don't you?"

Once a week? Lucky. "No, I eat every day. Sometimes I was forced to go longer, but my hunger always returns with the descent of the sun."

His frown deepened, his brow puckering. "Interesting, but no cause for concern. Probably has to do with being raised on the surface." He sighed. "You have other questions, I'm sure."

"Many questions, actually." And she was more than ready to get started on the asking of them. "Where are my parents? Do I even have parents?"

The warrior nodded. He cast Devyn a smug glance, as if to say, See, I can give her what you cannot. "Vampires give birth just as humans do, though it is much harder for us to do so, as our aging process is so gradual. And you do have parents, yes. Or did. They're dead, I'm afraid. Your mother died of sickness. You father died soon after her in a hunting raid."

Dead. Her shoulders dipped. She didn't know them, and so didn't mourn them, but she did mourn the loss of the dream of them. "Is that why I was sent from this place? Because there was no one to take care of me?"

"No. Had they died and left you alone, there would have been a fight for you. Babies are rare and considered precious here. They were killed after sending you to the surface, So she'd been sent away. Ouch. Wouldn't have stung so much if she'd accidentally wandered off.

So many nights she'd imagined a candy-flowers-and-balloons family reunion. Her parents would have laughed with joy upon seeing her, swept her into their arms, and proclaimed their undying love for her. Instead, they had willingly parted with her.

McKell noticed her upset and sighed. "Do not judge them too harshly. You exhibited signs of the"-he leaned forward, and when he next spoke, he whispered as if what he said was a curse -"nefreti."

A grim shudder swept through her. "What's that?" she found herself whispering back. An Egyptian queen?

His lips thinned, as if even thinking of it were painful to him. "They are vampires who are far more powerful than anyone should be. Rather than have a single extraordinary ability, as is customary, they have all extraordinary abilities. They are uncontrollable, unstoppable, and because of that they are deemed a threat to the royal family, to everyone really, and killed the moment they are recognized."

Devyn palmed one of those wooden daggers he'd taken to the auction before the last word left the warrior's mouth. He tossed it in the air, as if he hadn't a care. "I don't think it needs to be said that if you touch her, I'll slice you from end to end."

"So suspicious." McKell shook his head. Thankfully he didn't erupt at the sight of that weapon. "I didn't bring her here to kill her. I'm the one who helped send her to the surface, after all, ensuring she lived. Because she had been deemed my bride, I visited her often and already loved her as my own." There at the end, he eyed her expectantly.

"I don't remember you," she admitted. "I don't remember anything about this place."

Another sigh. "No, I don't guess you would. Your mother took the memory of your time here from you, so that you would never return."

So. That's why Bride had had no idea who or what she was. "She could have just told me to stay away. I might have listened."

"We were unwilling to take that chance."

Even knowing it had been done for her own good failed to lessen the sting. She wanted to grab the dagger now resting on Devyn's thigh and stab something.

"Everyone assumes you are dead," McKell said. "As commander of the king's army, I was the one ordered to kill you. Because of my reputation, everyone assumed I would do it. And I meant to. But I couldn't. Even then, you ... affected me. So we branded you, your mother and I, and we sent you to the surface. As I said, she died soon after."

"Of sickness. What kind of sickness? I've never been sick, so I assumed other vampires would never sicken, either."

He shrugged. "Perhaps sickness wasn't the right word. She ... are you sure you wish to know?"

"Yes. And just so you know, I'm about two seconds away from assaulting you for the information." Though it was clear he didn't take her threats seriously, he said, "She died of starvation."

Bride heard the underlying meaning of his words. Her mother had refused to eat. As she clutched her stomach to settle the sudden churning, Devyn pulled her tight against his body. I was loved, after all, she thought. The revelation soothed the hurt she'd been harboring, but also brought a wealth of despair. Her mother had loved her, but had killed herself after sending Bride away.

"I want to remember her," she said softly.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you with that. She didn't just bury your memories; she erased them. That was her ability. And I know what you're thinking. Why didn't she just erase the memory of you from the people here? There are too many people, and each day your powers would have grown. She would have had to remove their memories every day for the rest of your life. One day, she would have missed someone, and word of your presence would have leaked."

She splayed her arms. "If I have all abilities, shouldn't i be able to erase memories? Shouldn't I be able to stop time?"

"One would think so." He arched a brow. "You can't?" She shook her head, wondering if she'd been sent away for nothing. Then she thought of the thorns and the fire.

The place that hurt her to even brush with mental fingers. The place that sprung up with strong emotion. The place that held many other powers.

No, she hadn't been sent away for nothing.

McKell rubbed two fingers over his stubbled jaw. "Your father was able to suppress the powers of others. Perhaps he suppressed some of your more destructive abilities to help you cope with life above."

Her father. A man she couldn't even picture, but a man who had wanted only the best for her. A pang of longing had her swallowing back a whimper.

"What other abilities are there?" Devyn asked.

"Mind reading, for one, which just happens to be the king's ability."

"Mind reading isn't destructive," she said. It was cool. Would have been cooler if she could actually do it. Maybe one day ...

"But then again," McKell said with a shrug, "perhaps not all nefreti can do all things. We've never had the chance to study them because they are destroyed so early. Besides the first few, of course, who showed us their powers when they slayed the last king and disappeared. Well, and Fiona, but she lived on her own for many years before revealing herself. And now that we know of her, we cannot catch her."

Fiona. Bride wanted to meet her, talk to her. "What gives them away? The nefreti, I mean."

"The atomizing. Only a nefreti can do it. You and your mother were shopping one morning as I and my army passed. You were so excited to see me that you ran to me, and as you ran you broke apart, particles forming in your place. You swept the rest of the way to me before putting yourself back together in my arms. Too many people saw, or we would have simply hidden you down here and claimed you had died."

Oh, the horror her mother must have experienced that day. "Do you have a photograph of her?"

"Somewhere. Maybe. Because of your taint, everything she owned was burned." A sudden blast of hate bombarded her as she imagined her mother, her poor, sweet mother, who had just given up her only child to save her, watching all of her belongings being destroyed. "Your king -"

"Thought he was protecting his family," McKell interjected before she could threaten the bastard's life. "He is not a bad man, Bride. Neither am I."

No, he wasn't. Except for his treatment of food, that is. Well, and his bitch-slap to Devyn.

"Darling," Devyn said, his tone pure sugar, "he's trying to court you. Isn't that sweet. I, of course, know you're too smart to soften."

Something clear, yet thicker than saliva, dripped from one of McKell's fangs. Bride would have laid good money on poison.

"Keep pushing me, Targon. See what happens."

"I will, thank you."

"Should I step out?" Bride said, throwing up her arms in exasperation. "Maybe let you two have some privacy for your pissing contest?"

McKell lost the worst of his anger-she knew, because his fangs dried-and looked to Devyn. "Is she always like this?"

"Yes."

The two nodded at each other in sympathy, the tension broken. What next? Bonding over beers and future conquests? Perfect. Just perfect. You brought this on yourself. She only hoped the king appreciated her finer qualities. Otherwise ... No, she wouldn't think about otherwise. Everything was going to work out.

CHAPTER 22.

Is this love? Devyn wondered. He must love her, or he wouldn't willingly be in the dark underground he'd vowed never to return to. A seemingly spacious world, but one he perceived as very cramped. Before and now. But Bride had wanted to come, and he'd been struck with a consuming need to give her what she desired. Even this.

He'd also hoped that if he brought her here, letting her see the vampire way of life, she would realize she could have-and would want-a life with him on the surface. A life with no regrets. Not just days, weeks, or months, as he himself had always assumed. But... forever?

Maybe. He knew he didn't want to let her go. He knew he wouldn't let her be with someone else. He knew no one else appealed to him. And he knew the biggest obstacle to getting what he wanted was McKell.

Obstacles must be eliminated. Always. No matter the method used.

The warrior's solicitousness was throwing him for a loop-not that Devyn trusted the man. Even a little. But damn if he didn't believe the male truly adored Bride. Still. That adoration was irritating. Bride belonged to Devyn. She filled a void inside him that he'd always denied; she made him see that there was a better way to be.

And just when he'd realized it, someone had decided to try and take her away. Figures.