Dead After Dark (Companion #6.5)(109)

“How, Sasha?”

She lifted his hand and placed it over her heart. “You hear love with your heart, not your mind. I can’t read your thoughts, either, but I hear your love in every word you speak, every time you touch me, every kiss we share.”

Damn. He’d never considered that she couldn’t read his mind, either. She was taking as big a risk as him, more so if he could take her as a mate because she didn’t know what she would be signing on for if they joined as one for life.

“I love you, Sasha.” The words leaped out without thought, but now that he’d said them Trey would not take them back.

“I know you do. I love you, too, so let’s stop spending our life apart.”

“If I take a mate,” he began and cleared his throat, “my mate and any children from the union would be subject to any repercussions I’d suffer from a bad decision.”

“I don’t understand.” Sasha scrunched her forehead.

“Basically, if I break my oath—honor above all else—and take an action Macha considers dishonorable any mate will face the same fate she decrees for me.”

“Oh, is that all?” Sasha smiled. “You’re the most honorable man I know. If she sends you away it means I go, too? That seals the deal for me. I trust you completely to make the right choices, so I’m in.”

Which was exactly why that condition had been attached to all Belador unions. No warrior, male or female, would risk a mate by making a careless decision.

“The final decision is not in my hands,” Trey added. “Beladors normally mate with humans, not another supernatural. We carry a gene from our ancestors that could turn into an evil spawn if two Beladors mate. The woman in the hologram was Brina, the warrior queen who leads our tribe. She answers only to Macha. We’d have to get her permission and she can be—” Difficult, irritating, impossible to find . . .

I can also send you to live in Antarctica, Brina snapped.

Sorry, Brina.

“She’s the leader of the Beladors?” Sasha asked. “Wow, she’s so totally awesome and beautiful.”

I like this girl, Brina piped up.

Brina, would you approve of Sasha as my mate? Trey asked before he couldn’t find her again.

Sasha proved she is honorable and worthy of a Belador. Now you must prove you are worthy of her. I welcome her into our tribe. She’ll at least assure you won’t start another war. So marry her with my blessing.

Thank you, Brina, and thanks for tonight. I’m going to do my best to not disappoint you for helping me.

You’d better not disappoint me. A spot on his forehead tingled briefly—a Brina touch of affection. Then she was gone.

“Uh, Sasha, we got approval already.”

“What? Did you two just talk? I’ll have to think on how I feel about that.”

Trey’s stomach fell through the floor. “So you’ve changed your mind?”

“About what?”

“Marrying me.”

“You haven’t asked. Now that I think about it, I may make you wait for my answer as payback for nine years of misery.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed this woman who believed in him without question. Fate had thrown him a curve ball at twenty-one when he accepted his destiny. If he’d known then he would end up with Sasha, he’d have been a lot happier about it.

Trey broke the kiss. “I’m asking you tonight and you’re answering me immediately.”

“You think?” She grinned, full of mischief.

“I know. Give me five minutes with you in bed and you’ll be willing to agree to anything.”

“That would be taking advantage of me, which may fall under the heading of dishonorable.”

He turned serious. “There is no dishonor in loving a woman as much as I love you.”

Sasha’s mirth softened and her eyes glistened. “I believe you.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed him, her lips hotter than fire. When she slid her hand down to rub an erection that might never go away with her always close, Trey groaned and kinetically turned off the lights near them. Sasha obviously intended to take just as much advantage of him as he wanted her to. He willed her sweatshirt to split open down the middle and fall away, then dipped his head to prepare her for their negotiations.



Batuk’s bellow shook the foundation of Mount Meru, his fury beyond all that Ekkbar had ever witnessed. Serving wenches scattered. His soldiers shuffled from the great hall.

The walls glowed fiery red. Flames spewed from crevices and loose boulders crashed against each other.

“M-master, please listen. All is not lost.” Ekkbar’s knees chattered against each other. When his master turned burning eyes on him, the magician shrank away.

“I will not tolerate another lie from your poisonous mouth, knave!” Batuk reared up from his throne, chest expanding convulsively with each angry breath he drew. The tips of his fingers sparked, sharpening into claws.

“I do not lie, Master,” Ekkbar whispered, his throat too dry to produce a full sound. “P-please hear me out. Hear me, please.” He swallowed and rubbed a hand over his head. Sweat streamed into his eyes. Batuk’s rant had steamed the nihar, threatening to boil the underworld inhabitants.

“Give me one reason I should not spend the rest of eternity in this dung pit slicing a strip off your skinny hide daily and making you fry it for my meal.”