A love that he’d never spoken, but had offered in every touch of his hand, in every lingering kiss.

He could only pray that she’d been able to sense what he’d been too cowardly to say.

Assuming the creature in control of Gaius was intent on enjoying his slow, painful death, Santiago found himself abruptly dropped as Nefri released her grip.

Falling to his knees, he glanced up to discover that she was staring blankly at the far wall, clearly oblivious to her surroundings.

Then, Gaius stepped between them, staring down at Santiago with a cruel smile. “I will release her on the world, Santiago,” he purred. “I will release her and the only way to halt her rampage will be to kill her. Are you prepared to sacrifice her for your oh-so-noble loyalty?”

Santiago’s gaze shifted back to the female who had sacrificed so much to protect others, knowing what her choice would be. She would demand that once again she be the one to suffer.

“Damn you,” he rasped, already knowing what his decision would be.

Gaius grimaced, seeming to briefly come to his senses. “We are all damned, my son.”

Chapter 26

Styx’s lair in Chicago

Roke had never been the most flamboyant of his brothers. Or the most gregarious.

He was, in fact, a taciturn vampire who was as willing to share his feelings as a rattlesnake.

Tonight, however, there was no doubt of his emotional state. As he paced the carpet of Styx’s study, his moccasins made no sound, but the floor shuddered beneath his feet and the recently repaired chandelier swayed as his power sent tiny quakes through the air.

Leaning against the massive desk, Styx folded his arms over his chest, his expression one of exasperation. “Roke, I understand your precaution, but—”

“No,” Roke interrupted, halting his pacing to glare at his king.

“What if the book is important?”

Still dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and his leather jacket, Roke shoved a hand through his hair. He’d almost ignored Styx’s text that demanded his presence in the study. Unfortunately, it was difficult to ignore a royal summons.

“Then it will still be important a month or even a century from now,” he growled.

“But—”

“No.”

Styx muttered his opinion of pigheaded vampires before he pointed an accusing finger toward Roke. “Has anyone told you that the art of negotiation consists of both sides being willing to compromise?”

“This isn’t a negotiation.” Roke allowed Styx to glimpse his unyielding resolve. “Sally isn’t going anywhere near that warehouse until we discover why that coven was slaughtered. And who did it.”

They matched each other glare for glare, both too alpha to back down.

Then, with a shake of his head, Styx straightened from the desk. “Dammit. I’ll have Jagr do some research,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing in warning. “You need to concentrate on tracing Sally’s family tree. The sooner you break the mating bond, the better.”

Roke clenched his jaw, caught off guard by the raw stab of fury at Styx’s callous words.

Magical trickery or not, the bond felt as real as any other mating.

Not that he was about to admit as much. To anyone. Instead he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You mean I’m actually allowed to leave Chicago?”

A punishing hint of pain crawled over his skin. A promise of what was possible if he truly pissed off his king.

“You’ve never been a prisoner, Roke,” Styx said, arrogantly discounting his refusal to allow Roke to return to Nevada. “But why would you need to leave?”

“It’s not like I can hop on demon ancestry dot com,” he pointed out dryly. “If I’m going to pin down Sally’s father, then I’ll need to retrace her mother’s footsteps.”

Styx scowled, but having already commanded Roke to find a way to break the mating, he could hardly forbid him from taking the steps necessary to discover the source of Sally’s demon blood.

“I don’t want you going alone,” he at last muttered.

“I’ll have Sally with me,” Roke said, pretending the thought of having the exquisite little witch far away from the constant surveillance of Styx and his guards didn’t send a flare of treacherous heat through his blood.

Who would ever know if he decided to steal a taste of her peach sweetness?

Dammit, no. She was off limits, he grimly reminded himself. Whether they were being watched or not.

The towering Aztec gave a shake of his head. “Not good enough.”

Roke made a sound of impatience. “You just said I wasn’t a prisoner.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re going to meddle among witches without protection.”

“Styx . . .”

A shrill chirp interrupted Roke’s protest and Styx offered a mocking grin as he reached for the cell phone on his desk and said, “Hold that thought.”

Roke bared his fangs as Styx pressed the phone to his ear, but his seething frustration was forgotten as Styx hissed in shock, a blast of his frigid power nearly knocking Roke backward.

Shoving the phone into the front pocket of his leather pants, Styx was heading toward the door, a force of nature that could destroy everything and everyone in his path.

“Come with me,” he commanded.

Roke swiftly followed his king out of the study and down the hallway. “What is it?”

“Spike said that Santiago just arrived.”

Roke lifted a surprised brow. The last they’d heard, Santiago was hot on the trail of his former sire. “He has news?”

“I suspect it’s more than that.”

Styx’s power was making the lights flicker and the priceless portraits tremble on the wall. Instinctively Roke reached to pull free the dagger he’d tucked into the sheath hidden in his knee-high moccasin.

Something was wrong.

“Why?”

“When Spike told Santiago I was in my study, Santiago said that he was here on an errand from an old friend from Rome,” Styx explained.

Roke frowned. “Does that mean something to you?”

“Gaius.”

Roke instantly understood Styx’s concern. Was Santiago sending a warning or a threat?

In either case, they needed to be prepared for the worst.

“What do you want from me?”

The vampire pulled out the massive sword strapped to his back. “Find Jagr and tell him to start a search of the grounds.”

They had reached the stairs when Roke grasped his companion’s shoulder and pulled him to a halt. “Styx.”

The Anasso sent him a frown of impatience. “What?”

“I know Santiago is a trusted brother, but Gaius is his sire,” he reminded his king. In the heat of the moment it was too easy to overlook the obvious. “That’s a bond not easily broken.”

Styx’s expression was as hard as granite. “I don’t question Santiago’s loyalty, but I’m not blind to the fact a vampire can be torn by a competing allegiance.” He grimaced. “Either to Gaius, or to Tonya.”

“The imp?”

“She’s been a part of his family for a long time.”

“Then you realize that you shouldn’t face Santiago alone.”

Styx grunted as he was neatly cornered by his own admission that Santiago might prove to be a danger. “Cristo,” he muttered. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

“I try.”

Pulling out his cell phone, Roke hit Jagr’s number and concisely revealed what was happening with Santiago’s arrival and Styx’s order to start a search of the grounds.

The Anasso gave a rueful shake of his head before turning to jog up the stairs. “This way.”

Roke was swiftly at his side, baffled as he realized they were headed toward the private wing of the house. “The bedrooms? What could he . . .” With a startled hiss, he came to a halt on the landing.

“Roke?”

Roke ignored his impatient companion, his hand lifting to press to his unbeating heart.

There was a tight ball of . . . what? Fear? Anger? Pain?

Actually it felt like a strange combination of all three.

He rubbed the spot in the center of his chest, baffled by the unfamiliar sensation. The feelings were inside him, but they weren’t his.

Insanity.

No, wait.

It wasn’t insanity.

It was . . .

“Sally,” he growled.

His muscles suddenly clenched, a fear that was all his own catapulting him into action.

He moved down the hallway with a fluid speed, absently sensing Styx keeping pace while his concentration was entirely focused on his connection to his mate.

“Talk to me, Roke,” Styx commanded.

“Sally’s in danger.” He reached the door to her private rooms and threw it open. “Shit.”

Even prepared, the empty room hit Roke like a blow to the gut. Charging over the threshold, he released his hunter instincts, discovering the scent of a male vampire combined with the rich smell of peaches.

His mind clouded with pure possessive anger.