He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to breathe. His chest was tight and his heart pounded at the memories. He took another deep breath and continued. “As for Helena and what happened that night, because of her telepathic abilities and because there had been a lull in the battle, we were talking back and forth within our minds. It was wonderful. She and the children had just come back from town. They’d unhitched the horses. She was very big on making sure our kids learned those kinds of skills early. Kerr and Christine always complained, of course, but at nine and seven those two knew how to care for any of the horses we had on the property and how to keep the wagons and carriages in good shape even if they couldn’t yet do the work themselves.

“God, I was proud of them, all of them. Helena was a wonderful mother, patient, kind.” A new weight descended on his chest and his throat grew tight, the memory pulling hard now. “So, she was in my head, telepathically telling me about some fabric she had just purchased, a recent import from Mortal France, a very fine silk, when the communication was suddenly disrupted.” He remembered the moment as though it were yesterday. “I was standing and before I knew what had happened I was sitting, my head in my hands, tears rushing out of my eyes for no apparent reason … except I knew, I knew they were gone, all of them.

“The stable had been rigged with enough gunpowder to blow a hole through a mountain. The Commander wasn’t leaving anything to chance. In addition to my family, two of the servants died as well. They’d been in the stable helping out, as they always did.”

He felt Alison release a deep breath. “Was the Commander ever charged with the crime?”

“There was no proof of his complicity but he offered up a pair of death vamps for trial. They were convicted and hanged on the flimsiest evidence. Were they guilty? Who knows. I will always lay the crime at the Commander’s feet. He was the one with the motivation.”

He took a breath in, shoved one out. He ached into the pit of his stomach. This was why he didn’t like to talk about what happened. The memories were as fresh as yesterday. The pain as real.

“So you believe he killed your family to hurt you.”

“Demoralizing an enemy is a legitimate tactic of war.”

She turned toward him and looked into his eyes. She kissed him. She kissed him over and over, her hands on his face, her fingers gliding into his hair. She kissed his lips, again and again, pushing at him, her tongue driving into his mouth, her arms snaking around his neck, her body lush, warm, and alive against his.

He drew back and looked into her eyes once more, wet blue eyes, rimmed in gold, sparkling, telling him things she neither spoke aloud nor into his mind, desperate things made up of hopes and dreams.

She kissed him again, those insistent pushing kisses, working his mouth, her body writhing against his. She was here, she was now, she was alive, all for him, to comfort him, to listen to his pain, to hear it, to feel it, to accept all that he was, even his profound failure.

He rolled her onto her back, hard once more, ready for her. When he drove into her, he looked into her eyes and never stopped looking; nor did she shift her gaze away from him even for one passion-drenched moment. Instead the frenzy became about the now of his life and the now of her life, her ascension that would mean everything to him, that would herald a new, shared future, God help them both.

When her climax took hold of her, and her power punched against his abdomen, blue eyes still locked to his, he spent himself in a wicked blur of movement.

As his body settled down, she kept nodding then finally said what was in his heart as well: “Tonight, at my ascension ceremony, our life together begins. I’ll be free of the Commander. The death vamps won’t be hunting me anymore.”

He nodded.

“Yes,” he whispered, but he kissed her hard and ignored the desperate feeling of the moment. Would they truly begin a new life or was this just one big massive lie?

* * *

Alison stood in the middle of the marble floor beneath the enormous central rotunda of Endelle’s palace with Havily just off to her left side and behind her a foot. She was almost home free. She could feel it. Once she completed the ascension ceremony, Darian—the Commander—would have no legal right to continue his attack on her. According to everything she understood about ascending, he would turn his efforts in another direction, perhaps to another ascension-in-progress, who knew?

What she didn’t understand and what made her nervous right now was why Greaves hadn’t attempted another attack. She didn’t know what to make of it, a circumstance that caused her to look over her shoulder more than once, and the fresh air from the open walls did little to calm her nerves.

Despite her concerns, however, this was the moment she had been waiting for, the completion of her process of ascension, the point at which she would become … an ascender … a vampire … an immortal.

She weaved on her feet. She ordered her mind, or tried to.

Endelle stood in front of her, nearly ten feet away. She wore a formal black robe, which just barely touched the top straps of her stilettos. She held out her right hand and a book appeared. She grimaced, flipped through several pages, put her forefinger on a paragraph, and started reading.

The words spoke of the beauty of the dimensional worlds, the exalted nature of ascension, of the community Alison was entering, and of the depth of responsibility each ascender bore to the future of Second Earth. Service was hailed as the greatest privilege and chief duty of every resident of Second. Alison tried to take in what was being said, but Endelle’s frequent sighs and rather bored voice dominated the meaning of the text.

Kerrick stood in guardian position behind Alison and just to her right, his mind never far, a calming, hovering presence with a gentle touch against her thoughts.

The Warriors of the Blood were stationed behind both Kerrick and Havily, in formal regalia—minus the heavy brass breastplates—all seven warriors, including Marcus. Warrior Marcus’s acceptance among the warriors had apparently increased with each successive night of battling.

She could feel the heat of so many large male bodies behind her. But they shifted on their feet, cleared throats, and released breaths. The Commander had been quiet since the Tolleson arena battle, which made all of them uneasy, like that old expression about waiting for the other shoe to drop, only it wouldn’t be a shoe, it would be a sword, a lot of swords.

A cool breeze flowed over Alison from the open walls. The absence of doors, walls, and windows gave an impression of an Olympian dwelling, especially since the palace had been built out from the side of the McDowell Mountains.

Yes, Olympus came to mind. Alison smiled for if she could have made a comparison, Juno suited Madame Endelle quite well. The goddesses of Olympus were remarkably self-involved, unsympathetic in nature, demanding, and of course very beautiful. Yes, very much Juno.

Endelle’s voice broke through Alison’s thoughts. “Do you agree to serve Second Earth with a mind and heart dedicated to service?”

Alison nodded. “I do.”

“Do you agree to abide by the laws of Second Earth, especially as they apply to the limitations of involvement with Mortal Earth?”

“I do.”

“And do you solemnly pledge your loyalty to me, as Supreme High Administrator of Second Earth?”

“I do.”

“You may approach.”

Alison moved forward to stand three feet in front of her.

“Closer,” Endelle commanded.

Alison took two steps to position herself within a foot of her. Endelle folded the large ceremonial book away. She placed her hands on Alison’s face over both cheeks, her fingers spreading to cup her jaws as well. Endelle’s skin felt warm against hers and soon grew warmer.

“I hereby imbue you with Second immortality, all the qualities that will allow for long life and the sharing of blood and potions. May you bring peace to our world.”

As power flowed from Endelle, Alison closed her eyes and parted her lips. She took deep breaths, absorbing the sensations with some difficulty though she wasn’t certain why.

“Dammit, Alison,” Endelle cried. “Release your shields! So damn stubborn. So ridiculously powerful!”

She let go and a warm wave flowed through her body. The sensation was like swimming in tropical waters. She felt covered, surrounded, filled, oddly complete, as though until this moment something unknown had been missing from her life. Her eyes filled with tears.

So this was ascension, the true gift of ascended life, a wonderful ease, a sense of belonging and oneness. Was this what everyone felt?

Every ascension is different. Kerrick had told her that.

She opened her eyes and met Endelle’s gaze. For once, the leader of Second didn’t seem so hardened. Even the wooded appearance of her eyes had softened and she actually smiled. “Congratulations. You have completed your rite of ascension. From this moment forward, should Commander Greaves or any of his minions have the temerity to attack you, any or all will be held accountable under the full weight of the law. I say this to assure you that none of us expect further aggression. With that said, welcome, vampire ascender Wells.”

“Thank you,” Alison responded. She nodded several times. “Thank you.” Her mouth felt strange, her gums achy. Huh. The presence of fangs? Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of what she might do with her fangs and how Kerrick had used his when pleasuring her. Her body responded improperly and she took more deep breaths to compose herself.

“Turn around, ascender Wells, and greet your fellow countrymen.”

She turned slowly, her heart so full she couldn’t speak. The warriors set up a loud applause coupled with whistles and shouts. Havily grinned.

Kerrick smiled his crooked, off-center smile. He nodded and a blast of cardamom hit her square in the chest.

She staggered beneath the blow, but she smiled. She was like him now, truly his equal, and she couldn’t wait to be with him again.

He crossed to her quickly then gathered her into his arms and embraced her. “I didn’t know,” she murmured into his neck. “To think, I might have refused this.” He held her for a good long moment. She could feel the tension in every limb, in the way he held her so tight, a combination of fear and love.