Sonja nestled in Lucian's embrace upon the floor of the turret. Her weary head rested upon his shoulder while her bare arm and leg were draped over his supine form. His sinewy body felt as warm and comforting as a blazing hearth compared to her cool undead flesh. Her fingers toyed with the wiry hairs upon his chest. Both exhausted and sated by their vigorous love-making, she was content to snuggle against him for what little time remained to them. Part of her still couldn't believe that this was really happening, that she had actually taken a lycan as a lover, but right now, at this very moment, there was nowhere else she would rather be than wrapped securely in his strong arms. She wished they could stay like this forever. This must be what the mortals imagine heaven to be like. Their clandestine affair had caught them both by surprise. Furtive looks exchanged in the castle corridors, as they "accidentally" brushed against each other in passing, had led to stolen moments in the smithy, and whispered confessions of mutual ardor. It was she who had first divulged the true depths of her feelings, but not until Lucian trusted her with the secret route to the deserted watchtower had they dared to consummate the forbidden passion between them. Fearing exposure, she had told no one of their trysts, not even Luka, her faithful lady-in-waiting. If my father knew of this! "So," he murmured softly into her ear, "did I make myself useful, milady?"
"Indeed." Her nude body quivered at the memory of their strenuous exertions. Lifting her head, she contemplated her lover thoughtfully. The dashing blacksmith was like no man she had ever known, and a marked improvement over the arrogant aristocrats who courted her relentlessly. Loving, courageous, and intelligent, Lucian was twice the man of any vampire in her father's court.
Now she wasn't so sure. He rolled over onto his side so that he could look her in the eyes. A serious expression came over his face, which was only inches away from hers. His dark brown eyes looked more human than lycan. "If I were to leave from here, would you come with me?"
She sat up in alarm. "Do not say that! Do not even think it." She clutched his arm. "They would hunt you down like all the others. You would be marked for death!"
Lucian chuckled and replied,"They wouldn't able even find me, did you forget my father is Hadrian Peverell."
Sonja then remembered Hadrian and Lucian's father-son bond.
"Vampire and lycan," he brooded darkly. He placed a hand against her cheek; his hot, callused palm felt rough compared to her own smooth white skin.
He stared soulfully into her anguished chestnut eyes. "We are both the children of Corvinus. Yet my kind are slaves."
He sighed and added, " I will leave this place." By the fates, he means it! There was no doubting the passionate intensity of his words, which struck her like a wooden stake through the heart. Her ivory complexion went paler still.
A gasp that was almost a sob escaped her lips. No good can come of this. Her obvious distress was not lost on him. Anger gave way to tenderness on his handsome face. His voice softened and he reluctantly returned the key to its pouch before taking her into his arms once more. Sonja clung to him fiercely, as though she could keep him safely at her side for all eternity. Her nails dug deeply into his naked back. She inhaled deeply of his musky aroma. She never wanted to let him go. "But I can never be without you," he promised. Nor I you, she thought.
Tanis reached the far end of the palisade, where the rough-hewn walkway merged with the rocky slope of the mountain. To the east, a frightening rosy glow was rising on the horizon. A warning bell once again foretold the dawn. Although he had not yet located Sonja, he would soon be forced to retreat to the safety of the keep's impenetrable walls, and to take his chances by abandoning his futile quest. Perhaps Viktor had already retired for the night? That would be fortunate indeed…. A wolf howled from the distant wilderness, eliciting a shudder from the faint-hearted scribe, who pulled his fur-lined robe tightly about his slight frame. A scholar, not a warrior, he preferred to read about werewolves in his dusty tomes, not to hear them baying only a few leagues away. He looked forward to the day when Viktor and his Death Dealers exterminated the wretched breed once and for all. Save for our domesticated lycan slaves, of course. Sighing, he turned away from the parapet and gazed out over the courtyard one last time. A shimmer of motion caught his eye and he leaned out over a guardrail to get a better look. Crafty blue eyes widened in surprise as he spotted Lucian emerging from his smithy accompanied by Sonja herself! What the devil? A heavy gray cloak was draped over Sonja's rumpled scarlet gown. Her streaming walnut tresses were loose and disordered. She glanced about furtively as she stepped out from behind one of the crude hides enclosing the blacksmith's forge. If Tanis didn't know better, he would have sworn that she had just tumbled guiltily out of a lover's bed. But with a lycan? That was inconceivable…. Or was it?
He quickly walked away.
As Lucian and Sonja hastily returned, their intimacy interrupted by an unexpected disturbance, a swirling vortex materialized in the corner of the room. The air crackled with energy as the vortex twisted and distorted, accompanied by a cacophony of rustling and rushing sounds. With a sharp crack, the vortex vanished, leaving in its wake the imposing figure of Hadrian, Lucian's adopted father.
Sonja's apprehension was palpable, but Lucian's expression softened as he recognized his father's arrival. "Don't worry, it's just my father," he reassured her.
Hadrian had already cast a multiple repelling charms around them to be not seen,heard or even caught a scent off.
Hadrian greeted the couple with a smile, but it quickly faded into a grave expression. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but Tanis has been dispatched by Victor to find Sonja. I suspect he's stumbled upon something concerning your relationship," he explained, his tone serious.
Sonja's heart raced with anxiety, and Lucian's jaw clenched with anger. "He hasn't reported back to Victor yet, which means he's after something from you," Hadrian continued, his gaze flickering between them.
Realization dawned on Sonja, and she whispered, "He wants to blackmail me."
Lucian's fury simmered beneath the surface as he growled, "I'll tear him apart."
But Hadrian intervened, his voice calm yet commanding. "Let's not act rashly. Perhaps we can turn this situation to our advantage," he suggested, his words tempering Lucian's rage.
Reluctantly, Lucian nodded, his muscles tensed but his resolve tempered by his father's wisdom. Together, they would face whatever Tanis had in store.