The other women in the harem had accepted their fate, but Katya had fought back, bravely and courageously until the rapes had stopped and Balkathan had sent her to isolation in a dark and filthy place. Katya was starved. She wasn't allowed to bathe. She was given hardly any water to drink. In addition, her cell was filled with night crawlers of all kinds--crickets, worms, ants. A rage grew in Eve's stomach, rising to her breast, choking her. She wanted to kill that demon bastard for what he'd done!
No wonder her daughter had gone mad.
Slowly, she retreated from Katya's mind, placing her deeper in sleep at the same time. When she withdrew completely, she looked over her shoulder to the guard. "Help me put her in bed," she said huskily.
The guard rushed forward and lifted Katya in his arms while Eve drew back the covers. He laid her down and she covered her daughter. She blinked rapidly, refusing to cry as she stared at the sleeping woman who was once a happy, vibrant beauty with her whole life ahead of her.
Eve bent down and kissed Katya on the forehead, whispering, "I love you." She straightened, drawing in a long, shaky breath.
"Are you all right?" Drago asked deeply.
She gasped and spun around. He was standing directly behind her, his expression unreadable except for the telltale muscle working along his jaw.
She didn't respond as she removed her dagger from her belt and slit her wrist. Drago cursed roughly and grabbed her hand. He pressed his palm on her cut.
She looked up at his handsome face darkening with concern. "You're confusing me for a mortal woman," she said coldly. "I am neither, not mortal, nor a woman. I'm a vile creature, remember? Let me go."
His mouth was grim as he let go of her hand and she turned to her daughter. Leaning over her, Eve placed her wrist on her daughter's mouth and let a few droplets of blood touch her lips. Katya murmured in her sleep and her tongue flicked over her lips, licking the blood. Satisfied, Eve drew back.
"Go get Hesta," Drago ordered his guard. "Quick! Tell her she must stitch a cut."
"It's not necessary," Eve said. She lifted her wrist and they both watched her wound slowly fade and disappear. "It will take my daughter a day before her madness disappears. I've made sure she sleeps the whole time. She'll be ravenous when she awakens, so you must make sure there is plenty for her to eat." She stepped away from him. "I will take my leave now." She then went for the door.
"The housekeeper will prepare a chamber for you," he said abruptly.
She turned to look at him. "I won't be staying."
"Where do you think you're going? You must be here when your daughter awakens."
"I must go."
"You don't strike me as the kind of woman who gives up."
Her eyes welled with tears and she inhaled sharply. "I haven't given up," she said. "I know where Balkathan hides and I'm going to his lair to kill him."
Chapter Three
Without saying another word, she left Katya's chambers. Drago cursed roughly and followed her into the corridor, grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Her expression was defiant as she glared up at him. Her eyes welled up and a tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away furiously.
"You can't stop me," she said on a rising sob.
Drago's heart thudded in his chest. He understood her pain. Wouldn't he want to rip the limbs from anyone who harmed his son? "How do you propose to get past all his Lycan and vampire soldiers? It's suicide."
"I'd rather die than stand by and let him get away with what he did to my daughter."
"Balkathan deserves to die, but nothing will be accomplished if you march into his hideout without an army. The attack will require planning, strategy."
Her face quivered and his heart slowly thawed. He wished he could erase what he imagined were horrifying scenes from her mind when she'd gone into her daughter's thoughts, but he couldn't. For the first time in his life he felt helpless.
"Drago, my daughter was raped. Repeatedly. She was starved and beaten and…" Her face crumbled.
He was unmanned. Grimacing, he gathered her tightly in his arms and held her close to his chest. "I'm sorry, Eve," he said quietly. "I'm very sorry."
Even though she stiffened against his chest, he was surprised she didn't struggle out of his arms. He rested his head gently on the top of her head, tightening his hold around her. Slowly, his compassion faded as a more significant development arose.
In her tight warrior garb, he felt every contour of her body…the sultry curve of her hips, her firm breasts and her small waist. He stiffened. He knew it was comfort she wanted and if he kept holding her body against his, like this, it was more than comfort he was going to give her. He gritted his teeth. It was that damn leather outfit she was wearing. He fought his aroused wolf. Gently, he pushed her away and stared down at her pale face.
"I want nothing more than to plunge my own silver into that demon's chest," he said, "but Balkathan's army is huge. Bigger than my Lycan guards. To destroy him, we need to take him by surprise. My son is returning from his honeymoon in a few days. Twenty of my finest guards are with him. When they return, we will attack and I promise you, we will avenge your daughter. The best time to attack will be during the day when his vampires are asleep. It will lessen the numbers against us."
"I've travelled under sunlight before."
He took her hand and showed her the scar on her thumb. "A mere sunbeam scarred you. If something should happen and you're exposed to the sun, you will die. I will not allow that to happen, Eve." The thought of her burning to a crisp shook him and for the first time in two hundred years, fear pulsed through his frame. The realisation stunned him.
"I'm already dead, Your Highness," she said, her eyes dimming with regret.
Suddenly, something tight inside of him unraveled and before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed her shoulders and dragged her into his arms. He silenced her gasp with his mouth on hers and he kissed her. Shock reverberated through his frame. Her lips weren't cold and lifeless. They were warm and soft, their touch inciting a fire within him he thought long extinct. He gathered her body close to his and a rush of heat flared through his veins.
She tasted sweet and he deepened his kiss, moving his mouth hungrily over hers. This was madness. He wanted to taste all of her. He released a low groan and slid his hands over her bottom, pressing her body against his erection. Damnation, was she bewitching him with her vampire magic? She must be, he thought, because he desired her like no other. He hadn't meant to kiss her. He just wanted to prove to her that she was still a woman capable of feeling. Somehow that reasoning flew out the window the moment his lips touched hers. Now all he wanted to do was take her upstairs to his bedchambers and make love to her.
He cursed his inexplicable lust for her. Lycans did not mate with Vampires.
He dragged his mouth from hers and pushed her away from him. "If you were dead," he said, his breathing laboured, "your heart wouldn't race as it does now."
Her expression shifted, the passion he'd seen on her face disappearing. "I felt nothing. As you just mentioned, Lycans do not mate with Vampires."
Realisation hit him in the gut and he growled. "You went into my thoughts."
"I didn't mean to," she said. "It just happened. Besides, what harm is there when we both agree. This is madness."
Having her agree didn't sit well with him. "You lie. Your response to me was real."
"A very small remnant of my human self." Her face hardened and she went back to being the cold, undead beauty. "Balkathan's lair is a three day's ride from here. In bandit territory, behind the waterfall below Mount Trotus. That settles our deal. I will be leaving with my daughter after sunset." She turned away from him.