Immortals After Dark 12 - Lothaire

so important to you? We are talking about conquering kingdoms together! Is bedding me so critical? That is what concubines
are for.”
    He could maintain a harem, taking a new female every night. He didn’t require a Bride for those needs. United front, Lothaire? “I hadn’t planned to have any other females. They seed dissension.”
    “You are the most singular male.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “It’s not a question of sex. It’s a question of her .” When he said nothing, her lips parted. “You’re falling for the mortal! Apprise yourself of this fact: soon you will destroy her very soul.”
    “You think you have me at your mercy?”
    “I do .”
    “I could use the ring to force the Horde to follow me.”
    “Tricky ring, precarious power. You will need me by your side for as long as you seek to rule them—or you’ll be challenged constantly.”
    He couldn’t deny this. Lothaire didn’t meet one of the Horde’s two sacred requirements. Just as Hag had predicted, his Bride was the key to his throne.
    “Without me, Lothaire, you face an eternity of sedition. How will you conquer the Daci with your kingdom mired in rebellion?”
    “Then perhaps I’ll keep you and Elizabeth. You will be my queen, and she will be our dirty little secret. A hidden concubine who comes out only in my bed.” Perfect.
    Just as he deserved a goddess for a queen, he deserved a young, nubile female to appease his lusts.
    “You want me to share this body, Lothaire? That will not happen.”
    “I say it will.”
    “Do you remember the rest of our conversation that first night in the woods?” Saroya asked, her voice velvety. “I do. Often.”
    He’d thought of it often as well. . . .
    Tracing within inches of her, he cupped her nape with a shaking hand. “The onlything greater than my need is my strength. Your mortal form is too fragile for me to claim. But I must finish this.”
    “Then I will not yield this body until you destroy Elizabeth’s soul and make me whole,” Saroya said. “For now, you may take your physical release in some way—after you swear you will do these things you’ve offered. Vow to your Lore, and make this unbreakable pact with me.”
    They stared into each other’s eyes, and he felt as if time had slowed just so he could appreciate how momentous his next words would be. “I vow to the Lore that I will do everything in my power to extinguish Elizabeth’s soul forever, then make this body undying.”
    She seemed vaguely surprised, then pleased. “Very good, my king. . . .”
    Now Saroya said, “You made your vows, Lothaire. You will be compelled by them to find the ring in order to make this body immortal—and to rid it of Elizabeth.”
    He’d been right that night; his words had been momentous. Just not for the reasons he’d assumed. “Release me from this pact.”
    Her lips curled, almost a smile. “I vow to the Lore that I will never release you.” She was enjoying this. “These vows are so compelling, are they not? Remember my acolytes? Your fate is sealed, Lothaire.”
    It is. He knew it. His path was clear.
    “Console yourself, vampire. If you remain steadfast, you’ll soon have everything you’ve ever wanted. Everything Ivana wanted for you.”
    But he might have begun to want more .
    “Now, Lothaire, shall I summon your—temporary—concubine?”
    Eyes narrowed, he grated, “Yes, flower . Have her bathed and dressed in red silk in my bed. Oh, and skip the garish makeup.”

32
    E llie woke to shivers glancing up and down her body.
    Lothaire lay beside her in his bed, trailing the backs of his fingers from her navel to the valley between her breasts.
    She was dressed in a sexy teddy; he was naked.
    “I like you in red,” he said, his voice raspy, making her shiver even more. “I’ve been awaiting you.”
    “What . . . what are you doing?”
    “I’ve decided to give you a chance to atone for your earlier insolence. With head.”
    “ My insolence. Did Saroya just recede on her own?” That would mean . . . “Oh, God, she delivered me like this to your bed? Or did you just get through with her here?”
    Ellie didn’t feel like they’d been intimate. But how could she tell for certain?
    “One or the other, it matters naught.”
    “You’re right—either way, it’s sick . You and Saroya are sick!” She shoved at his chest but couldn’t budge him. “Get away from me!”
    He easily captured her wrists in one of his hands, pinning them above her.
    When