"Why will she no' drink? Aye, Valkyrie, I hear your whispers. I know what she is. What I doona know is how she is my brother's mate." A vampire, a blood drinker. He gazed at Lucia. Her expression was inscrutable.

Annika answered, "Emma will never be a 'mate' to one of you!"

But 'twas done. A male marked his woman to keep other males away, to brand her as his. Yet since the bite was done in the throes of taking her for the first time, it could also be an indication of how much he wanted his female. Any doubt that Lachlain wanted Emma for his own vanished with one look at her neck.

Lachlain had marked the ever-living hell out of her. Vampire or not, he desired this female desperately.

Any thoughts of escaping vanished as well. Garreth knew he had to remain here. This was where Lachlain would be. Just a matter of time. "It has been done," he grated. "I assure you."

Annika struck him.

He gave her a killing look. "He's marked her," Garreth bit out. "He'll be coming for her. I'm just surprised he's no' here already."

Annika raised her hand again, but Emma had awakened and murmured, "Annika, don't...."

"Force blood down her throat," Garreth said.

"You think we have not tried that? She can't keep it down."

"Try other blood, then." Though being bitten by a vampire was considered deeply shameful by Lykae, Garreth said, "Take mine!"

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"Why do you care?"

"Because that's my queen, and I'll die for her."

"Now do you believe me?" Lucia asked in a deadened tone. Hours after MacRieve's confrontation with Annika, she was sitting outside his cage once more, watching him pacing within. "Your brother abducted her in France."

"Aye, but he would no' harm the female like that!"

"We know Emma was with him for weeks, and now she returns to us delirious, talking about fires and war and blood. She mumbles about Furie, our missing Valkyrie queen, and about Kristoff, the rebel vampire king. Lachlain captured Emma, and now she lies dying."

MacRieve shook his head hard. "It was no' Lachlain."

"How do you know what he's capable of?" Lucia asked. "You don't know where he's been for nearly two centuries. He could've been trapped somewhere, tortured. He likely was - there are rumors that Demestriu has Furie chained to the bottom of the ocean, dooming her to die and regenerate back to life over and over. Maybe he did the same or worse to your brother." She shuddered. "Lachlain was famous for his hatred of vampires, and Emma is one. You can't speak for him."

"You'll never convince me of this. I know my brother."

"Annika will exact retribution for this."

"And what will you try to do to him?" Garreth demanded. "Kill him?"

"MacRieve, you can't just abduct one of our own and not suffer repercussions. Your clan would do the exact same thing."

She was right. "Lachlain will be coming for her."

Lucia met his gaze, her face hard, another facet of her revealed. "We're counting on it."

 15

That night, Garreth shot upright on his cot. He sensed Lykae all around Val Hall. Were they planning to war with the Valkyrie to free him and retrieve their queen?

Please, gods, let his brother be one among their number....

"I'm taking Emma from this place tonight," Lachlain called from outside the manor.

His brother's voice. Garreth's eyes slid shut, and he sagged with relief. Just doona war with them, doona hurt Lousha.

Annika called back, "Never would I give my daughter to a dog."

Good luck with that one, Lachlain.

"Then trade me for my brother."

Wait, bargaining himself for Garreth? Oh, bluidy hell no. Brotherly irritation - so welcome to Garreth - flared. In Gaelic, he bellowed, "Goddamnit, Lachlain, I just got into this house!"

"Or take both of us," Lachlain amended. "Just let me talk to her."

More whispers from within. They'd be fools to turn down his offer - and the Valkyrie were no fools. Moments later, Garreth heard louder footsteps upstairs and scented his brother inside. They were bringing him to the basement. So I can see him for myself.

Once they led Lachlain down the stairs and into the cell, Garreth stared at him as though seeing a ghost. Lachlain didn't resist, even when the door clanged shut behind him.

Since the last time Garreth had seen Lachlain, his brother's appearance had been altered - his build was rangier, his countenance more haggard. But it was Lachlain before him. Running a hand over his face, Garreth muttered, "My eyes doona betray me?"

"No, it's me."

Garreth rushed to him, grin in place, and whaled slaps on his back. Now everything would come together. Lachlain would explain what really happened to the vampire, and they'd figure out how to heal her. Lucia would see that the Lykae weren't that bad. Aye, all will be better with Lachlain's return. "Well, brother, what have you gotten us into now?"

He raised his brows. "It's good to see you as well."

"I thought you were..." Garreth trailed off. Gods almighty, my brother is just here before me. Shaking himself, he said, "When they said you'd taken Emma, I thought they were mad. Until I saw her, saw you'd marked her." He frowned. "Marked her hard, no?" He shook his head. "Ach, anyway, it's good to have you back. Under any circumstances. I've so many questions."

Where have you been that I could no' find you? Why did you leave against our warnings?

Are the rumors of Demestriu's tortures... true?

Yet Lachlain looked so tormented with worry over his mate, Garreth said, "But that can wait. You need news about her?"

At his nod, Garreth said, "She's injured, Lachlain. She has gashes down her side, and she could no' drink though she was... she was about to die in just the first couple of hours."

Now the scent of blood arose. Garreth glanced down, saw Lachlain's claws stabbing into his palms. His voice a rasp, he said, "What saved her?"

"An IV."

When Lachlain's brows knit in confusion, as if he'd never heard the term, a jolt of dread ran through Garreth. Where had his brother been? Lucia had said, He could've been trapped somewhere, tortured.

Garreth explained, "They gave her blood through a tube that fed it straight to her veins. They think she's stabilized, but the gashes will no' heal. I suspect whatever got her had poisoned claws. Maybe a ghoul, but I doona know."

"I do." Lachlain ran his hand through his hair. "Demestriu did this to her. I saw it all."




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