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very well date, let alone marry, a human man who
    would begin to wonder why she didn't age. After all, there were only so many ways to lie
    about plastic surgery before it became obvious she was immortal.
    And in all this time, she'd convinced herself that Velkan hadn't been as faithful to her. During
    their lifetime, no woman would have ever expected fidelity from her husband. It was absurd.
    Even her father, who was adamant about his Christianity and who demanded absolute
    faithfulness from his subjects, had been known to have mistresses.
    So she'd convinced herself that Velkan had never really missed her. That he'd taken what he
    wanted and used her to kill her father.
    Could it be that Velkan really did love her? That he missed her?
    If it were true, then she deserved to die at their hands. Because if it were true, then she'd
    been punishing a man for centuries for no other crime than loving her.
    No one should be hurt because of that.
    Surely she hadn't been that stupid. Had she?
    I am such a rabid bitch. No wonder Velkan had told her to get lost. She was lucky he hadn't
    choked her. Clenching her teeth to staunch the pain that ached inside her, she tried her best
    to remember what he'd said the night she'd left Romania. She could see the moonlight on
    his face, the blood on his armor.
    They'd argued, but now she couldn't remember anything other than her confusion and fear of
    him. She'd been absolutely convinced that he'd tried to kill her by burying her in the ground.
    That he'd lied about the tonic he'd given her.
    But had he?
    Please don't let me be wrong. Please. "He won't come for me," Retta said from between
    clenched teeth. "I know he won't."
    Dieter narrowed those rodent eyes on her. "We shall see. Not that it matters. Either way, we
    kill you."
    It was almost five in the morning when Velkan found himself alone in his bedroom. Then
    again, he was always alone in his bedroom. God, he was such a fool. Any man worth his salt
     
    would just find a willing female and sate the ache in his loins for a woman's body.
    But Velkan refused to forsake the oath he'd taken to Esperetta . He'd vowed before his
    father's God to honor her and to keep himself for her only, and he'd stood by that oath.
    Even though he hated himself for it.
    There was only one woman who held his attention and it was why he despised her so much.
    She'd left him with nothing. Not even his manhood.
    Damn her.
    Suddenly there was a knock on his door. "I told you to leave me alone, Viktor," he snarled,
    thinking it was his Squire.
    "It's not Viktor," Raluca said from the other side of the doorway.
    How unlike her to venture here so close to the dawn. Not that the dawn held any sway for her,
    but normally Velkan would be preparing for bed.
    Frowning, he opened the door with his thoughts to find her there, wringing her hands. Her
    sons and Francesca were behind her and all of them echoed their mother's worry. His
    stomach shrank. "What has happened?"
    Raluca swallowed. "They have taken her."
    He knew instantly that Esperetta was the her . "Who has?"
    "The Order of the Dragon," Andrei said, his voice tinged by anger. "Once they notified us
    that they held her, we tried to get her free, but…"
    "But?" Velkan prompted.
    Francesca stepped forward. "They have her tied inside a cage. An electric one. There's no
    way for us to get to her without it immobilizing us."
    Velkan gave them a droll stare. "Fine, let her stew there, thinking about how much she's
    betrayed me. When the sun sets, I'll go get her."
    The Weres exchanged a nervous glance before Raluca spoke. "It's not that simple, my
    prince. They've put her on a small stool with no rungs. And that stool is on an electrified floor.
    If she puts her legs down at all or slips from the stool, it'll kill her instantly."
    Francesca nodded. "They have enough juice on that floor to light up New York City."
    He wanted to tell her that he didn't care, but the fear in his heart told him exactly how much of
    a lie that