Raven got to his feet. He had subdued his strength, had feigned obedience to protect Felie and his sister. Standing at his full height, ignoring the weight of the chains hanging off him, he declared, “I want to touch her to tell her. It will be the last time she will want me to hold her.”
“You may do it,” Guidon added. “The power will not hurt you.”
Felie ran to him. In trousers, she moved swiftly, slamming against his chest before he expected it. She rocked him on his heels. Ignoring the chains hanging off him, she hugged him.
But then, Ophelia had always done that. Since the very first moment, when he had taken her captive, and she had faced him with awe-inspiring courage.
He cupped her delicate oval face. This would be their last kiss. He wanted to feel her lush mouth rock him to his heart. Not to his soul, of course, since he didn’t have one. Raven needed to make this a kiss she would never forget.
Gently, he tipped up her chin, lowered his mouth to hers. Just before his mouth touched hers, he waited, looking at the sultry way her lids lowered and her lashes dipped. It was a breathless moment, his chest so tight he couldn’t even draw a slow vampire’s breath.
He had always thought what he’d felt for his fiancée, Margaret, was the deepest love. Now he saw it was nothing compared to what he felt for Felie. Loving Felie hurt, it made his heart clench, his gut ache, his throat dry and tight, his head pound, his cock throb with so much need it was as if he’d spent a lifetime without ever quenching desire. He was an immortal being who could heal wounds, and this love was so strong, so intense, it robbed him of all his strength. It robbed him of the anger and bitterness that had driven him to be an assassin. He didn’t want that world anymore. Losing Felie’s love would mean losing her. It would be a wound he could never heal, not with any amount of strength or power.
If he lost her, he wanted to be destroyed.
Don’t think about destruction. Think of this moment. This kiss.
But loving Felie was not just about hurting and pain, he suddenly understood. Her love was about strength, about giving happiness, about having someone to share that happiness with. Margaret had made love about pain, Felie made it about joy.
His mouth touched heavenly softness. Warmth rushed through his lips into his blood and flooded his heart. His lips sizzled. . . .
He pushed her away. “Damnation, I have the power now. I must be able to hurt you.” Desperately, he looked to Guidon. “Are you certain I can touch her? The power can take lives later.”
“Because the power came from her, Lady Ophelia has immunity to it.” Guidon bowed to Felie, in the respectful way he did to ladies. “You will not be injured—or killed—by Lord Ravenhunt’s touch.”
“I’m not Lord anything.” He could kiss her again, but the moment was gone. His lips had sizzled not because of the power, but because of love. It was time to do this. He had run away from the loss of his fiancée to battle. He had run away from the grueling horrors he had seen from each battle by throwing himself into another.
There was nowhere to run anymore. Felie deserved the truth and his courage.
He tenderly stroked his thumb along her lower lip. Her lips parted and she looked so luscious and sweet, his heart broke. “You will not be able to love me after this,” he managed to say gruffly. “I want you to find a gentleman worthy of you. I want you to marry him and have children. I want you to have happiness.”
She shook her head. “I believe I will love you always.”
“Ophelia.” God, it was hard to do this, with her large blue eyes fixed on his face, with apprehension reflected in them but also tenderness and caring. She cared for him when he did not deserve it.
He told her what Jade had told him, as gently as he could, about her eldest brother. With every word she drew back from him. He could almost feel the shock and horror exude from her.
“Jade claims he was hurting your family. She told me he had attacked your younger brother. Your oldest brother would have killed you, but your power protected you. But the truth is, I knew none of this at the time. Jade commanded me to kill him, and I did as she asked. I took your brother from you.”
Felie’s hand clasped over her mouth.
But to his surprise, her brother stepped forward. “It is true, Ophelia. Simon had become a madman.”
“He was a grave threat,” Jade said.
Jade was speaking in his defense.
“Your brother had turned to the dark arts,” Jade continued. “A black warlock, we would call him. He wanted to enslave mankind and demons. He was an apprentice to an evil and powerful man named Valde—a demigod. Valde had been banished for centuries and required your brother to give him a portal into this world. He used your brother’s body as a shell in which he could pass from his prison-like place into this world. Valde intended to use your brother’s evil nature, then destroy him. We had to kill your brother to drive Valde back to his prison. It protected all of us. But even without Valde’s influence, your brother was dark and vicious, and he was a threat to both mortals and vampires.”
“You had to do it,” Felie said.
Raven yearned to touch her, but he had no right to anymore, did he? “I didn’t know that when I took his life. I was a mindless demon who did nothing but kill.”
He wanted her love, but he could only accept it based upon honesty. Ironic, since he had run away from pain and emotion for his entire life and his undead existence.
Ophelia faced him with a grave face. “You were newly made into a vampire and you were a prisoner. Did you truly have a choice?”
“No,” said Jade. “He was required to serve me.”
“Do not listen to her. She wants me to survive so she can keep me as a pet again. That will never happen. I heard your words, Ophelia. You told Jade if she wanted my love she could not keep me as a captive and hope I would grow to love her because I had no choice. That was what I did to you. You were my prisoner, and I don’t believe you can truly love me. How could you when I kept you a captive, when I forced you to do as I demanded? I did want to save you and protect you, I swear that is true. But how can you forgive me?” His voice broke. “You told Jade you must be worthy of my love. How can I be worthy of yours? How can I ask your forgiveness for the evil that I’ve done?”
“You have changed,” she said simply. “That is the reason I forgive you. I love you.”
“Guidon,” shouted Jade. “The chit loves him. Is that sufficient?”
“Yes, I believe it is enough.”
“Good.” Jade turned with a smug smile on her lips. “Then let us be done with this.” She waved her hand and he fell again to his knees. She had willed it and her power was so strong it made his body submit. Her hand pressed to his head.
But if he lived through this, he went back to Jade. Ophelia and his sister would go free, but he gave Jade the ability to rule the vampire world—and the mortal world. He refused to give Jade such power and live as her lover.
He would destroy himself.
Hades, it hurt. A river of fire seemed to burn through him,
Guidon, Raven called through his thoughts. I cannot let her take this power. She will use it to destroy the damned world.
If you break free, she cannot get your power. You will be destroyed, and the power will end with your death.
His body shook and jerked. He could feel the power rushing through him. His muscles twisted and writhed, out of control.
He fought to pull away from Jade’s hand.
Ophelia saw him try to break free of the queen’s hold, try to pull away. His muscles rippled, his limbs jerked, his eyes rolled back in his head.