“I’m not! I’m not asking you to be okay with it, but I’m asking you to understand why we have to do it, to acknowledge how much is at stake and who is at stake. I’m asking you to not think about me or think about yourself in this. I’m asking—”

“You’re asking for the impossible.”

Daemon lunged forward, and a second later, my back was flush against the wall and his mouth was on mine. The kiss . . . holy alien babies, the kiss was a raw combination of lust and possession. There was a taste of desperation and anger as our teeth clanged, but the hand against my cheek was so gentle, barely there, and all those emotions were in the kiss, but the love was far stronger than anything else.

As his mouth moved over mine and the deep sound from the back of his throat reverberated through my skull, I didn’t feel the cold press of the damp wall or the bitter edge of panic that had started clawing at my insides the moment Lotho stated his condition.

Daemon kissed like he was staking a claim, but he already had me—all of me. My heart. My soul. My whole being.

When he lifted his head, his breath was warm against my lips. “I can’t promise you that I’m going to let this happen. I also can’t promise that I’m not going to walk back in that room and try to kill him. But you’re right. We need them.” Those three words sounded painful for him to say. “All I can promise is that I will try.”

I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against his. What we were about to do—because it wasn’t just going to be about what I was feeling or thinking, but both of us—wasn’t going to be easy. Out of everything that we’d been through, I knew it was the hardest, and possibly the truest, test either of us had ever faced.

Nerves were going to get the best of me. Between the upcoming feeding—God, I didn’t want to even think about it—and the way Daemon prowled the length of a large chamber we’d been led to after we’d agreed to Lotho’s condition, I felt like I was seconds from freaking out.

But Daemon had one of his own conditions—he demanded to be with us. Lotho had smiled a bit too widely and too brightly at that. Instead of refusing him, he practically rolled out the red carpet.

Archer was outside, still in the main chamber, and while I knew he could handle himself, a lot of the Arum had been checking him out like he was an appetizer.

Daemon stopped in the middle of the room, glaring furiously straight ahead. Heart sinking, I followed his gaze to the massive bed covered with what looked like pelts of animal fur.

“His bedroom,” he said, shoulders rising. “The son of a bitch just had to do this in his bedroom.”

Yep. He had to.

I was beginning to think this whole thing was just to mess with our heads. There were plenty of places Lotho could do his thing. I shuddered, now unsure if I was going to be able to go through with it.

But I had to.

We both had to go through with it.

Bile was sitting at the base of my throat, ready to come up at any given second. Shaking my arms out, I closed my eyes and tried to release some of the tension building in my muscles.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

“What are you doing?”

I stopped what had become an impromptu dance. “Sorry. Nervous.”

“Don’t apologize.” He arched a brow. “It was interesting. Kind of reminded me of a flailing Muppet Baby.”

A wry laugh escaped me. “Really?”

Daemon nodded. “Yep.” He glanced at the bed again and swore. “Kat, this . . . this is screwed up.” My throat tightened as I whispered, “I know.”

His brilliant emerald gaze centered on me. “Did you ever think this is where you’d end up when you knocked on my door asking for directions?”

I shook my head as I walked over to where he stood. “No. Not even in a million years. I couldn’t imagine any of this when I knocked on your door.” I paused and forced a smile as I gazed up at him. “All I was really thinking about that day was your abs.”

Daemon barked out a laugh.

“And that you were a flaming ass**le,” I added.

A cynical smile formed on his lips. “Sometimes I wonder if you ever regret it.”

“Regret what?” My worried smile faded from my lips.

“This—all of this,” he said, voice low. “Us.”

“What?” I pressed my open hands against his chest. “No. Not once.”

“Really?” Derision dripped from his voice. “I’m pretty sure there had to be moments where you’ve regretted stepping foot in West Virginia.”

“There have been times that have sucked—sucked donkey balls—and I never want to relive them, but I don’t regret us.” My fingers curled around his shirt. “I couldn’t, because I love you. I really love you, and love . . . it comes with the bad and the good. Right? I mean, I know my mom never wanted to experience everything that she went through with Dad and then losing him, but she doesn’t regret loving him. Not even with all that pain and heartbreak, and I can’t—”

Daemon kissed me, capturing my words with the soft and tender pressure of his lips. “I know there were many times when I didn’t deserve you, especially with the way I treated you in the beginning, but I plan on using every second to make up for that.”

“You already have.” I kissed him back. “Many times.”

As we drew apart, the heavy door to the chamber swung open, clanging off the blocks of the wall. I turned in Daemon’s arms and got an unwelcome eyeful.