“I love you, wife,” he murmured.
“Love you more.”
“Impossible.” His hands played over her body, lingering in those places he knew aroused her most, carrying her to the peak, then backing off until she thought she might go mad with wanting him.
She clutched his shoulders as, with a lustful growl, he thrust into her, carrying her over the edge of desperate need into ecstasy and beyond.
* * *
Tessa was drifting off to sleep when her cell phone rang. She sat up, instantly alert. People never called with good news at three a.m.
“Who is it?” Andrei asked as she reached for her phone.
“Jilly.” She mouthed the word before answering. “Jilly, what’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid Jilly can’t come to the phone right now.”
“Katerina!”
“Sorry I missed the sham of a wedding. Do tell my husband hello for me.”
“What do you want? Where’s Jilly?”
“Oh, she’s right here. The hunter, too. And the priest who dared to marry you.”
Tessa stared at Andrei. With his preternatural hearing, he could listen to both sides of the conversation.
He took the phone from her hand, his expression grim, his eyes as hard as flint. “What do you want, Katerina?”
“I want what’s mine. But since you don’t want me, I don’t want you to have anyone else. So, tell your whore that if she ever wants to see her friend and the hunter again, to come and meet me.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Then put her on the phone so she can tell her friend good-bye.”
Tessa snatched the phone from Andrei’s hand. “What do you want?”
“I’ve decided to fight for what is mine. If I win, I get Andrei. If you win, you get your friends back. I’m afraid it’s too late for the priest.”
“You killed him?”
“I never could control my temper.”
“Just tell me where you are.”
“We’re in the high school gym. Be here in ten minutes, or she’s dead. Oh, and come alone. I’ll know if you don’t.”
There was a loud click as Katerina ended the call.
“Are you crazy?” Andrei exclaimed. “You can’t fight her.”
“Well, I can’t let her kill Jilly and Luke.” She jumped out of bed and went to her closet.
“I’m not letting you go alone.”
“She’ll know if you’re there.”
“I don’t give a damn,” he said, following her across the room.
Tessa pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater, tugged on a pair of fur-lined boots.
“Dammit, Tess, she doesn’t play fair. For all you know, Jilly’s dead already.”
“Katerina loses her leverage if she kills her. Because I’ll know if Jilly and Luke are alive as soon as I get there.”
Andrei bit out a curse.
Tessa put her arms around him. “You know I have to go, don’t you?”
“Yes, dammit, I know. I’ve been expecting her to pull a stunt like this. Stay strong, love. I won’t be far behind.”
* * *
As soon as she left the house, Tessa’s courage deserted her. Katerina was ancient. She was a fledgling. But she had Andrei’s blood in her veins. And by extension, Katerina’s, too. Hopefully, that would make all the difference.
When she arrived at the school, all the windows were dark. After vaulting over the fence, she made her way to the gymnasium. One of the doors stood open. It was pitch-black inside. Pausing, she opened her senses. Katerina was inside. So was Jileen. She could smell her friend’s fear. And Luke’s. And overall, the smell of blood and death.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the gym’s yawning maw.
“So, he let you come alone.”
In the darkness, Katerina’s voice seemed to be disembodied.
Tessa’s gaze swept the room. Jilly and Luke were bound to metal chairs. The priest lay dead in the far corner, his blood congealing.
There was no sign of Katerina. But she was there.
Tessa moved to the center of the floor, her hand reaching into her back pocket for the weapon Andrei had thrust into her hand as she left the house. “Let’s get this over with. I’m on my honeymoon, you know. Andrei’s in bed, waiting for me.”
With a growl, Katerina materialized and launched herself at Tessa. Hands like claws, teeth bared in a feral snarl, she grabbed Tessa’s arm and hurled her across the room.
Tessa bounced off the wall and scrambled to her feet. Whirling around, she deflected the blow she saw coming. Katerina fought like a wildcat, her nails scoring Tessa’s arms and cheeks while she hurled insults.
The smell of fresh blood filled the air.
Tessa fought back as best she could, amazed by her own strength. She had never been in a physical fight in her whole life. And never a fight to the death. She thought of Jilly and Luke. If she died, they would die. She thought of Andrei, of how much he loved her. How much she loved him. If she lost, she would never see him again.