Love Me to Death (Underveil, #1)(102)

She met Vlad’s amused gaze. Sneaky devil.

“Just so,” he said, with a wink.

He pulled away from her. “This can’t wait. A surgical strike on Fydor and the rescue of the queen is critical. I can do this and prevent the human massacre and a full-scale attack on the Slayer fortress by our resistance.” He stood very still, tension practically rolling off him in waves from his dark hair to his bare feet. His attempt to hold his emotions in check had him close to cracking.

“Take the Uniter with you,” Vlad said.

He answered without even considering it. “No. Absolutely not. If you can read her mind, then you know exactly why. There is too much risk for her.”

“You underestimate her.”

“You underestimate me,” Nik answered.

“How about letting me weigh in on this?” Talking about her like she wasn’t in the room was infuriating.

“No,” Nik snapped.

Hands on hips, she collected herself for several reasons. Not only did she not want to set off the two empath vamps, she didn’t want to set Nik off, either. He’d just been through a horrible ordeal, and he was being asked to give up control and concede he needed help, neither of which were easy for him.

“She doesn’t need your approval. She has her own powers and can go without you,” Vlad observed.

“I won’t allow it.”

Enough. Elena gripped the edge of the table. “Is Chauvinism 101 a required course for all Slayers, or is it reserved for royalty?”

Both of his dark eyebrows shot up. Other than that, he remained still.

“I can teleport out of here any time I want, Nik, but you can’t. I’ll give you half an hour to make up your mind whether or not you want me to take you when I teleport to the fortress.” With that, she marched out the door to go get her sword from her bedroom.

Her vision blurred through the tears she refused to shed. She was trying, she really was, but he needed to meet her halfway. When he was ready to treat her as an equal and stop acting like a royal ass, she’d be more than happy to talk to him. As soon as she got what she needed from the elf, she was out of here, with or without him.



Nikolai knew he was being a prick, and possibly giving Elena cause to hate him, but couldn’t risk losing her or his baby. Just thinking about her carrying his child made his heart beat faster . No. She would stay here with Vladimir Dalca where they both were safe.

“I would like some more suitable battle clothes if available.”

The three vampires didn’t respond, not that he expected the two empaths to do anything. Freakish creatures, but invaluable in battle. They fed off the opponents’ fear or fury and were unstoppable. Sadly, that carried over into everyday life, so they had to be contained to this mountain where their interaction with other species, especially humans, was limited.

Dalca reached for a goblet on the table in front of him. “You spoke of mistakes you’d made. You are about to make the biggest one of your existence.”

“I can’t allow her to put herself and our baby in harm’s way.”

“Which is exactly what would happen if she remains here. We will all be in harm’s way. She’s the key to ending the war.”

Part of him knew he was right, but the other part wasn’t willing to take the risk. “I couldn’t bear to lose her.”

“Based on her thoughts, you very well might have lost her already.” He took a sip from the goblet and put it back on the table. “Your markings do not say that the Uniter will rise from the ashes of death by a warrior’s hand, only to be locked away for her own good, thereby denied the ability to dethrone tyrants and anoint kings.”

“This is bullshit.”

“Yes, it is.” He closed his eyes and then stood. “Evidently, there is some unusual activity in the forest on the south side. You two are needed to see your units secure the castle. Go now.”

Both vampires stood and wordlessly left the room.

With a crook of a finger, Dalca signaled to the woman in the corner. Without hesitation, she crossed the room to stand before him. His eyes darkened, and she smiled as he loosened her hair and ran his fingers through it.

“It’s a funny thing about fated mates. I’ve never had one, so I can only relate what I’ve heard from those who have been more fortunate than I.” He unbuttoned the woman’s blouse and slipped his hands inside, but his gaze was on Nikolai. “One’s weakness is the other’s strength.” The woman moaned, and he whispered something in her ear that caused her to moan again. “Your strengths, Nikolai Itzov, are bravery, honesty, and fighting skill.” He sat in a chair, pulling the woman into his lap. “Elena Arcos’s strengths are compassion, intelligence, and an uncanny ability to think analytically.”

The woman reached for the button on his pants, and he stayed her hands. “Together, you and Elena are a formidable team, making up for each other’s deficits. Her brains, your brawn. Think about it.” He released the woman’s hands and brushed her hair over her shoulder as she worked his zipper open with a zing. “But please think about it somewhere else, Nikolai Itzov. I think my castle is about to be under attack, and I have something to do first.”

When Nikolai was a few yards from the door of the bedroom he’d been sharing with Elena, female voices brought him to an abrupt halt.