Kaitlyn closed the door behind her, then hurried across the room and slipped under the covers.
Zack’s arm went around her, drawing her close. “So, what brings you here?” he asked, a note of amusement in his voice.
“I can always leave.”
His arm tightened around her. “Wanna bet?”
“I never bet against a gambler,” she retorted, hiding her smile.
“Smart girl.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek. She smelled of lavender soap and toothpaste. And woman.
Kaitlyn grinned as the sheet suddenly tented above Zack’s groin.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Some things just can’t be hidden. Or controlled.”
She laughed and blushed at the same time. “I guess you carried me back to my bed.”
He nodded. “Yeah. About that—”
She propped herself up on one elbow. “What about that?”
“Your mother caught me carrying you to your room just before dawn.”
Kaitlyn’s eyes widened in alarm. “Does my dad . . . ?”
“No. Just your mom.”
Kaitlyn slumped back down on the bed, her head resting on Zack’s shoulder. Had her mother told her dad? She considered that a moment, then shook her head. Her mother hadn’t snitched on her the last time. Besides, if her father knew, she would have heard about it by now. Big time.
“Katy.”
She looked up at him, alarmed by his solemn tone.
“Yes?”
“You know I’m in love with you.”
“Yes.” A thrill of excitement fluttered deep inside her.
“And you love me.”
She smiled. “Yes.”
He blew out a sigh. “I never thought I’d say this to anyone, but will you marry me?”
“Marry you?” She sat up, wondering if she looked as stunned as she felt.
Zack sat up, too. “I know your father won’t approve, but . . .”
“Oh, Zack!” She threw her arms around him. “Of course I’ll marry you!”
He grinned at her. “I thought you’d say no.”
“Why would you think that?”
He shrugged. “I’m an outsider. One of the Others. Your father hates me. I’m not sure about your mother.” He paused. “I can never give you children.”
“It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters, as long as you love me.”
“Never doubt it, Katy darlin’,” he murmured. Falling back on the bed, he carried her with him. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her long and slow and deep. He might have made love to her then, in spite of his vow not to defile her, but the decision was taken out of his hands when the bedroom door flew open and an angry father stormed into the room.
Kaitlyn bolted upright, her heart racing even as she told herself to calm down. She hadn’t done anything wrong. And even if she had, she was a big girl now, old enough to make her own decisions, her own mistakes. But all her inner arguments melted away in the face of her father’s fury.
Zack kissed Kaitlyn on the cheek, then gained his feet. “It’s customary to knock before entering someone’s bedroom.”
Drake snorted. “You are lucky I do not drive a stake into your black heart.”
“You can try.”
“Dad . . .”
“Keep out of this Kaitlyn Liliana,” her father said. “This is between me and Zack.”
“Why don’t you calm down?” Zack suggested. “She hasn’t done anything wrong. If you’ll notice, she’s fully dressed.”
A muscle twitched in Drake’s cheek. “I am grateful for your help last night, but I think you should leave here. Now.”
Kaitlyn leaped off the bed to stand beside Zack. “If he goes, so do I.”
“Am I missing something?” Elena asked, coming into the room.
Kaitlyn smiled at her mother. “Zack asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
“You will not!” Drake roared.
“Yes, I will!” Kaitlyn replied, her tone as irate as his. “I don’t need your permission.”
All the anger seeped out of Drake’s expression. “Perhaps not,” he said quietly. “But what about my blessing?”
Kaitlyn’s shoulders sagged. Tears stung her eyes.
Zack put his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “I don’t want to come between you and your family, Katy. I won’t make you choose.”
She looked up at him, her gaze searching his as she tried to hold back her tears. And failed. “What are you saying?”
“I withdraw my proposal.”
“Enough!” Elena moved to stand in front of her husband, more angry with him than she had ever been in her life. “Are you happy now? Look at your daughter’s face. She loves him, Drake. And he loves her. Have you forgotten how that feels? How you would have done anything to be with the one you loved?”
“Elena . . .”
“Don’t ‘Elena’ me. You went against your father and your people to marry me, remember? Everyone thought it was a terrible idea, but you didn’t listen to them. You even changed your laws. And now you’re acting just like your father!”
As always, when he wanted to silence her, Drake did the only thing that worked. He took her in his arms and kissed her.
“Not this time,” Elena said, pushing him away. “Our daughter’s happiness is on the line. What are you going to do about it?”
Drake looked over Elena’s head to where Kaitlyn stood beside Zack. “You love him?”
Kaitlyn nodded.
Drake turned his gaze on Zack. “And you love her?”
“You know I do.”
Drake blew out a sigh of resignation. “All right,” he said with as much good grace as he could muster. “I know when I am outnumbered.”
“Thank you, Dad!” Kaitlyn hurled herself into her father’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Drake slid his arm around Kaitlyn’s waist. “Just one thing. Whatever plans you have already made or hope to make will have to wait until Nadiya is no longer a threat.”
Kaitlyn went into Zack’s arms as soon as her mom and dad left the room. “You didn’t really change your mind about marrying me, did you? I mean, it was just a bluff. Wasn’t it?”
“What do you think?”
Canting her head to one side, she looked up at him through the veil of her lashes. “I’m not sure,” she said with a teasing grin. “I guess you’ll just have to propose again.”
“Is that right?” In a single fluid move, he dropped down on one knee. “Kaitlyn Liliana Sherrad, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
She would have thought he was teasing except for the serious expression on his face, the intensity that blazed in the depths of his eyes. “Yes, Zack, I will.”
Rising to his feet, he drew her into his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss like no other he had ever given her—achingly tender and sweet, a kiss of commitment meant to bind two hearts and two souls together. Forever.
There were tears in her eyes when he broke the kiss.
“I love you, Katy, with all my heart. I’ll do my best to make you happy.”
“I am happy,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Happier than I’ve ever been in my whole life.”
“And I intend to see that you stay that way.” Or die trying.
Chapter 36
Elena sat on Drake’s lap. She tried to pretend she was calm, but her voice betrayed her.
“When?” she asked tremulously. “When are we leaving for the Fortress?”
“We are not leaving,” he said, kissing her cheek. “I am leaving. You will stay here with Zack and Kaitlyn.”
“No!” She slid off his lap, then whirled around to face him, her hands fisted on her hips. “I am not staying behind!”
“Elena. Wife. You will do as I say, or I will lock you in your room.”
“That’s not fair!”
“Fair or not, I will not put your life in danger. You will stay here with Kaitlyn. Zack will be here to protect you.”
“You can’t face Lucien and Nadiya alone.”
“I can and I will,” he said. “This is my fight. I cannot let Lucien think he has won.”
“That’s just your pride talking. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“The Fortress is my ancestral home. I will not give it up without a fight. Nor will I let Nadiya go unpunished for what she did.”
“Please, Drake.” Elena placed her hands on Drake’s shoulders. “I’m afraid. What if . . .” She couldn’t say the words. What if saying them made them so? She wasn’t brave; she didn’t care what happened to the Fortress. Her only concern was for her husband. He was her courage. Her life. Without him . . . “Drake.”
“I know.” He put his arms around her waist and drew her close, his head resting in the vee between her breasts.
“What if Lucien won’t meet you?” she asked hopefully.
“I will not give him a choice. Day after tomorrow, I will summon my brothers and the husbands of my sisters. We will meet at the Fortress.”
“Not Andrei,” Elena said.
Drake lifted his head. “Why not Andrei?”
“Because Katiya is pregnant again.”
“Who told you that?” he asked, frowning.
“Katiya sent me a letter. I got it a few days ago but with everything that was going on, I forgot to tell you.”
Drake nodded. “Not Andrei, then.”
“So you won’t be alone,” Elena said, relieved to know that his brothers would be there with him.
“I will meet Lucien alone. My family will be there to assure it is a fair fight.”
“Isn’t there another way?” She knew what his answer would be, but she had to try one more time.
“No.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Do not worry, wife. I will come back to you.”
Elena forced a smile, but inside, her heart was breaking. And then, not wanting him to think her weak or cowardly, she forced a smile. Taking him by the hand, she urged him to his feet. “Let us go upstairs and make the best of what time we have left before you must go.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “Can’t you change his mind?”
“I tried,” Elena said. “But you know how your father is, once he’s made a decision.”
Kaitlyn reached for her mother’s hand. It was late on a rainy afternoon and they were sitting side by side on one of the sofas in the main hall. A fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth. A flowered teapot and matching china cups sat on the coffee table, along with a batch of freshly baked sugar cookies. They had dined earlier.
“Can he win?” Kaitlyn asked.
“If Lucien and Nadiya play fair, it’s no contest. Your father will win easily. But you know Nadiya won’t play by the rules. Even if your father defeats Lucien, I know Nadiya will have a back-up plan to make sure your father doesn’t survive.”
“We have to be there,” Kaitlyn said.
“I agree, but I don’t know how we’d manage it. We’d have to go by plane, and by the time we get there, it’ll all be over.”
Kaitlyn heaved a sigh of exasperation. More and more lately, she found herself wishing she was a full-fledged vampire like her father. Like Zack . . . Zack. Of course! He could take them to the Fortress.
Kaitlyn gave her mother’s hand a squeeze. “I know a way. Shh, they’re coming.” She looked up, smiling as Zack and her father entered the room.
“You’re up early,” Elena said, smiling at her husband.
“I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could,” Drake said, kissing his wife’s cheek. “What have you two been up to?”
“Talking about the wedding, of course.” Kaitlyn moved to the other sofa so her parents could sit together. She smiled at Zack as he took a place beside her.
“In a hurry to tie the knot?” Zack took her hand in his and raised it to his lips.
The touch of his mouth sent a shiver of longing straight to the center of her being. “Of course.”
He grinned at her, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He knew exactly the effect he had on her.
“Zack, I have a favor to ask of you,” Drake said.
“Sure, anything.”
“I am going to meet Lucien at the Fortress tomorrow night. I would appreciate it if you would stay here with Elena and Kaitlyn.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go along to watch your back?”
“My brothers will be there. I need someone I can trust to stay here.”
“Whatever you want.”
“If anything happens to me . . .”
Elena quickly put her hand over her husband’s mouth. “Don’t say it! Don’t even think it!”
Drake stood and pulled Elena to her feet. “If you two will excuse us, I want to spend the rest of this night with my wife.”
Kaitlyn nodded. After her parents left the room, she turned toward Zack. “Let’s go outside.”
“I don’t think your father would approve.”
“Just out into the backyard.”
“It’s raining.”
She shrugged. “Afraid you’ll shrink?”
Laughing, he followed Kaitlyn into the kitchen and through a small door that led into a large garden surrounded by a high stone wall. He glanced around. He imagined the garden had once been beautiful, but no one had cared for it while Drake and Elena had been at the Fortress. The flowerbeds that lined the footpaths were filled with weeds. A small round fountain bubbled cheerfully in the middle of the yard; an ancient wroughtiron bench was located under a towering oak.
He followed Kaitlyn to the bench, which was surprisingly dry, and sat down beside her. “You’re worried about your father.”
“If anything happens to my dad . . .” She loosed a deep, shuddering sigh. “I don’t know what my mom would do without him.”
“I fought beside your dad,” Zack reminded her. “I wouldn’t worry about him.”
“I wouldn’t worry, either, if I thought Lucien would fight fair. But my mom’s worried that if Dad wins the fight, Nadiya will make certain he never leaves the Fortress alive.”
Zack grunted softly. It was a legitimate concern. Elena wasn’t the only one to think of it. “What do you want me to do?”
“Go with him.”
“No way. I’m not leaving you and your mother here alone.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Forget it, Katy. I’m not leaving you here, not with Nadiya running loose.”
“But . . .”
“No buts. And don’t think those tears will sway me. I don’t want to face your old man if anything happens to you or your mom. Besides, he told me he’s calling his brothers for backup.”
“He told you that?”
“We discussed his plans earlier. With all his brothers, half brothers, and brothers-in-law, he should be all right, even against the Korzha contingent.”
Knowing further arguments wouldn’t get her anywhere, Kaitlyn rested her head on Zack’s shoulder. “I hope you’re right.”
He winked at her. “I’m always right, Katy darlin’. And now that that’s settled, I think we should get down to some serious huggin’ and kissin’.”
“Oh, you do, do you?”
“Don’t you?” He made a sad face. “Your lack of interest cuts me to the quick.”
“Oh, shut up and kiss me, you fool.”
“You’re so romantic,” Zack muttered. “Is it any wonder that I love you?”
In a move that left her gasping with surprise, he lifted her onto his lap and kissed her, a long lingering kiss that started off feather-light and gradually grew in intensity until it was an effort for her to think, to breathe. His hands—those cunning, clever hands—slid seductively over her back, along her hips and thighs. She leaned into him, wanting to feel his skin on hers, wanting to drag him down to the ground and explore every inch of him.
Zack lifted his head, his eyes hot. “I’m willing if you are.”
“What?” She stared at him. “Are you reading my mind?”
“
So it would seem.”
“But . . . how is that possible?”
“I told you, the more often we share blood, the stronger the link becomes.”
She blinked at him, her mind racing. “Zack . . . could you turn me?”
“What?”
“Make me a vampire like you are.”
“Why on earth would you want that? You’ve got the best of both worlds now.”
“I know, but I want to be able to zap myself across the street or across the world. I want to be able to dissolve into mist. Or turn into a wolf.”
“If you want to zip across the country, I’ll take you. As for dissolving into mist . . .” He shrugged. “It comes in handy now and then, I’ll admit, but mostly it’s overrated.”
“But being able to turn into a wolf, now that’s cool. I watched you when you were fighting Nadiya’s men. It gave you a real advantage.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“So, will you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s possible to change from one kind of vampire to another. Even if was possible, what would your parents think? What would your father think?”
“That’s a silly question. We both know he’d be against it. I’m not sure about my mom.” Kaitlyn bit down on her lower lip. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. If she was a vampire like Zack, there would be no more shared meals with her mom, no more going out to lunch together and then on a shopping spree, no more balmy days by the lake. Of course, when she married Zack and they went back to Tahoe, she wouldn’t be doing those things very often anyway.
“Think about what you’d be giving up,” Zack said.
“The sunlight,” she said, thinking aloud. Would she be happy, living in a world of darkness? Never seeing the sun again, or feeling its warmth on her face? “And food.” She would miss real food—apples and oranges, artichokes and tomatoes, a good steak. Chicken and rice. And chocolate . . .
“Once it’s done, darlin’, you can’t undo it.”
Kaitlyn nodded, He was right, of course. She needed to think it through. And there was no hurry. In the meantime, she was wasting precious moments with the man she loved.
She smiled a slow, seductive smile, her fingertips trailing across his lower lip. “So, where were we?”
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