For the Wicked

By David M. Bachman

"Nothing good lasts forever" had been Raina's personal motto for longer than she could recall, particularly since she became a Fallamhain vampire. She was no longer royalty. She had found a new sense of contentedness and balance. For the most part, she had finally learned how to make things in her new life work. Things had settled down. Life was good. But the peace, stability, and domestic bliss that she had found in the time since the abdication of her title already have been steadily crumbling away around the edges. Now, as a series of half-truths, outright lies, and a refusal to accept certain realities have finally caught up with her, all at once. Worse still, new and terrible threats have suddenly emerged. Raina's entire world is about to be turned upside-down yet again. And this time, hers is not the only life that is being yanked from normalcy and thrown into a chaotic maelstrom of vampire politics and violence. "For the Wicked" is the first in the final trilogy in the Raina series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David M. Bachman
• Release date: Oct 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311649263

David M. Bachman

Born in the Midwest, and an avid writer since the age of 13, David M. Bachman's works of fiction span over 25 years. His first published work, "When Raindrops Come Crashing," marked the start of his foray into publishing in December 2000. Since then, he has written a number of other fiction novels and short stories, including the carefully-crafted "Raina Fallamhain" series that has involved well over a full decade of composition and over nine full-length novels. He currently resides in the East Valley area of Phoenix, AZ, where many of his recent stories are based.

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For the Wicked

By David M. Bachman

Copyright 2015 David M. Bachman

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

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Chapter One

Raina always smiled when the blood came with the first bite. How much blood, if any, would ooze to the surface where she could lick or suck it away was entirely dependent upon where she bit, how far she pushed in her fangs, and sometimes how well she prepared the site. The process was much as it had been during her former profession as a phlebotomist, really, except it was now quite a literal statement to say that she did this for a living. Drawing blood from others was no longer her means of putting food on the table; rather, the very blood that she drew was now her food, or at least a delicious treat that preserved her physical and mental health.

Mmm-hmm, she hummed, drawing back a moment to savor the metallic and yet sweet flavor as it met her taste buds. The perfect after-sex dessert.

In the years before becoming a vampire, herself, and particularly before she had first befriended one prior to her Change, she had believed the naive myth that vampires used their extended upper canine teeth like a pair of syringes, poking directly into a person's jugular vein and drawing the blood out directly through their fangs, leaving only a pair of neat, tiny round holes. The reality of a vampire bite was that it was still very much like most any other animal bite, just a means of tearing open the soft, fleshy wrapper to release the yummy red stuff inside. How delicately the bite was done determined whether or not there would be an opportunity to enjoy this taboo delight once again with the same person in the future. At the very least, a poorly performed and inadequately prepared bite would be miserably painful for the donor, definitely ruining the mood and making them reluctant to submit to such an act ever again; at worst, particularly with a human, a savage, flesh-ripping bite in the wrong place could be permanently disfiguring or even fatal, either from uncontrollable blood loss or bacterial infection of the bite wound.

Embracing her with his legs and his other arm from behind as she sealed her lips around the subtle bite wound in his forearm, he murmured into her tall, pointy ear, Yours is sweeter by far.

It was for the above reasons that Raina had only once bitten a human donor. Humans were too delicate. They scarred. They got sick. They died too easily. And they (or their relatives) had a tendency to file lawsuits and send law enforcement agencies after them like angry lynch mobs, toting pistols and rifles instead of pitchforks and torches.

Raina drew her tongue across the shallow wound, gathering blood upon her tongue, and then turned her head to meet his face. She kissed him long and deep, and when they parted, she breathed, God, it feels like it's been forever since I've had this.

Blood?

No.

Sex?

Nuh-uh, she hummed, licking the wound again. Cuddling. Being held. It's better than sex or blood. She licked, swallowed, and then shuddered slightly with delight. Well … almost better.

Of course, the obvious consequences of feeding upon humans were a major deterrent. But for Raina, her reasons for satisfying her bloodlust urges exclusively with other vampires were mostly due to her own personal ethics, as well as those house rules for her bloodline that carried the weight of law. Humans were never to be bitten, although fresh, real human blood was a necessary evil from time to time. Realistically, one could only survive upon substitutes for so long before biology took over. Raina had strictly mandated that clinical phlebotomy practices be used whenever accepting blood from humans, and permission had to be explicitly granted by the humans involved. She had even paid a lawyer to draft a business card-sized legal consent form that her bloodspawn and servants were required to have with them at all times when they were interacting with humans in a social setting. So far, nobody had actually been sued yet. Raina hoped to keep it that way.

She felt his lips brushing against her shoulder. May I?

I dunno, she answered hesitantly. I'll have to make up an excuse to cover for the mark if anyone sees it before it heals.

Instead of biting her, he began laying a trail of kisses from her shoulder up to her neck, flicking his tongue at the tip of her elongated elf-life ear. The pointy ears were a feature that Raina had always disliked. It was something that so many others considered to be a symbol of vampiric royalty that were often referred to as the crown of the High Court. He laid the lobe of her ear between his teeth and ever so gently nibbled upon it, drawing a shuddering sigh and a groan from Raina as she felt the first tingling effects of her body reacting to the taste of his blood.

Stop that, she said after a moment with a soft chuckle.

Why?

Because if you don't, I'm going to wind up on top of you again.

You make that sound like a bad thing. His free hand drifted down her flat, navel-less belly, his soft fingertips seeking and then finding the sweltering softness of her intimacy. Rather than pushing him away, she hummed approvingly as her knees parted slightly. I'm willing if you are…?

Mmm … stop. Seriously, she breathed. We can't lay in bed all night fooling around.

Why not? You're the mistress of this house. You're the head of your bloodline. You can do whatever the hell you want.

Raina sighed, feeling the sticky sensation of the bite wound as it began to gel over, the unique texture and look of a fast-forming clot exhibited by wounded vampire flesh. She gave the delicate bite wound one last broad stroke with her tongue before she laid a gentle kiss upon it and pushed his arm away. She moved to lay upon her back so that she could face him more directly. Because this made it easier for him to reach her, he took this as a sign of encouragement and began to insert a digit. Raina's spine arched and she gasped with pleasure, but she refused to let herself be overwhelmed by the potent combined effects of sex and blood. It took a great deal of willpower to overcome her desire for more, but she grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away, moving it up to rest upon her stomach.

No … I only wish it was that simple, she said. I have responsibilities. We both do. Just because this is the first time we've got the whole place to ourselves doesn't mean we're free to do whatever. We can't just act like newlyweds on a honeymoon and say to hell with everything else. Raina met his gaze directly, caressing his face gently. Besides … I'm married. And so are you.

He frowned slightly, and she could actually feel the change in his emotions. One of the unique traits of the Fallamhain race, a rare hybrid cross between the High Court and Commoner among whom she was the first, was the ability to sense the emotions of others in close proximity to her as if those feelings were her own. This strange form of emotional empathy, a sort of pseudo-telepathy, was something that had baffled scientists and frustrated Raina for years. Sensing others' emotions was sometimes helpful, a means of gauging someone's intentions and thus being able to anticipate their actions in a way that had saved her life on more than one occasion. However, these were always just vague impressions, literally a gut instinct, and they offered no specific answers to her questions about what someone else might be thinking. It was also often difficult to separate her own emotions from those that she sensed, since they so often felt one and the same.

It was for this reason that she had a very hard time saying no to him … or to others before him. If someone desired her, then it was far too easy for her to mistake their wants as her own. Learning to separate those feelings was just as vital as exercising the willpower to control the carnal and violent urges of her Fallamhain genetics. Over time, she had learned how to control herself, although not always before it had been too late. She was beginning to see this as another such example. She had consented to their unions that morning and evening, as well as the several times before, but that first time … no, that first time she had definitely let her physiology override her common sense.

So, this must be the part where things get awkward again, he sighed, kissing her palm affectionately. He stared into her eyes deeply. Tell me this isn't all just one big mistake.

Raina opened her mouth and drew in a breath to immediately deny that, but it caught in her throat. She closed her lips, bit down upon them slightly, and then had to break away from his gaze. I wish I could say for sure.

"So, you do regret it," he said, rather than asking.

Do you?

He shook his head. This isn't about me. You're the one making the calls here. You're the queen of the castle. I'm just one of the peons. I'm literally just one of your servants.

Shush. She pulled him into a kiss that was brief, but passionate. As they parted, she whispered, You're more than that to me. A lot more.

But I'm not your husband. Now it was his turn to look away as she distinctly felt the twist of his guilt within her stomach. And you're not my wife.

Stop that, she said. His hand slid up and over, caressing her left flank idly as she spoke. I'm not second-guessing how you or I feel about each other. I'm just worried about how it will affect everyone else.

Yeah, learning that your spouse is having an affair isn't usually pleasant.

This isn't an affair.

It's not? I'm married, you're married, and now we're sleeping together, he responded. What else would you call this? A fling?

Absolutely not, she said. I don't do flings. I've never been into casual sex.

Well, you also used to say that you didn't like sharing your significant other with anyone, he countered gently, but nowadays you seem to be pretty comfortable with it. Keith hasn't exactly been exclusive with you, either.

But at least he's honest, and he respects me. He never even so much as kissed Svetlana until I explicitly gave him permission, Raina explained. Since then, he's only been with others that I've approved. Or at least he keeps me informed. And until now, I've never been with anyone else unless he was there with me … and even then, I only did it that one time with Miles. She grimaced, shaking her head. I still don't know how Svetlana enjoys it. The guy's just too damned big.

She's taller than you. You're kind of petite.

Not really. Kat is way smaller than me. She reached down and took hold of his semi-firm self, giving him a gentle squeeze as she smiled. My God, I can't even imagine how you two physically fit together.

I'm not that big.

Damned sure not small, either, she said with raised eyebrows. If you were any thicker, I'm not sure we would have done what we did awhile ago at all. She paused. Keith never does it. What we did, I mean.

Really? Never?

Nope. He says the whole idea of it turns him off. He kinda made me feel guilty about even asking him to once. I mean, it's not something I want all the time, but … y'know. Sometimes. Just because. She shrugged. I guess I'm just into weird things. I'm kind of a freak like that.

You're not a freak. You're just kinky.

A kinky freak, she chuckled.

Kat doesn't like it, either.

No?

Nope. Not because she thinks it's gross or anything. Just because she's got bad memories about what happened with Rick Gomez. I try to avoid anything that might remind her of that, so I've never brought it up with her.

Oh. Well yeah, I can relate to that, Raina admitted. Probably wouldn't feel good to her, anyway. I mean, she's just so darned tiny, and you're so big…

Sex is never easy with her. I know it hurts her, no matter how slow and careful we are, but she swears she enjoys it. He shrugged. Aisha never had a problem with me, though.

Yeah, and she was damn near six feet tall. Kat's just under five. Totally different proportions. Raina kissed him briefly again. I'm more your height. I think we fit perfectly. You're just the right size for me … in every way.

Is that a nice way of saying that I'm average, but you don't mind?

There you go again. I'm being practical here, okay? I don't like feeling like I'm being split in half. She turned so that she could lay upon her side to face him squarely, pulling the sheets up to cover herself discretely. Look, I need to be serious for a minute with you here, and talking about sex is just making me want it again.

Would that really be so terrible?

Look at me, Raina said, gently reaching out to hold him by the side of his jaw. Look me right in the eyes, okay? I can sense your emotions, so I know what you're feeling. But I want you to know what I'm saying is sincere, too.

He stared at her for a moment or two in silence before saying, You're not going to say something regrettable, are you?

Probably, she admitted, but when have I ever not regretted saying or doing something in my life? You know how I am. I over-think and second-guess the hell out of everything. At least that's what my therapist tells me.

You mean Serenity?

No, I mean my real shrink. The one without fangs.

Oh. And so, now you're second-guessing what we're doing?

No. Well, yes. Maybe. Shit, I don't know. Stop distracting me, she said, shaking her head and looking away for a moment. After a beat, she met his deep green eyes again. Listen. This, what we're doing here right now, laying here together like this … I don't regret this. I really don't. This feels good. This feels right. You feel right to me. And I'm not just talking about the sex. I mean you, all of you. You get me. And I get you. This works. It shouldn't, but it does, and it seems more wrong to fight it than it does to go along with it.

You're starting to sound like Serenity.

Raina grinned broadly enough that she felt her fangs showing at the corners of her mouth. Duchess Serenity was the youngest Elder of the International Vampiric Council (IVC), a resident of both Sedona and San Francisco, and such an outspoken vampire hippie that her extremely liberal opinions and practices had a tendency to drive people nuts more often than not in private conversations. Truly a by-product of the American age of free love, she had supposedly been in her sixties when she had become a vampire. But she still looked and acted like an early-twenties flower child of the Vietnam War era, with a lot of modern-day Wiccan and New Age influences.

With a master's degree in psychology now, as well as having three consorts that helped her to run a professional massage and aromatherapy practice right out of her home in Sedona, Serenity fancied herself as a healer of all wounds and woes of the physical, emotional, and spiritual sort. As head of her own High Court bloodline that she had named the House of Tranquility, as well as being an IVC Elder, she had a lot of political clout among vampires, and an even bigger human fan club with her frequent involvements in pop culture and Hollywood. She was always offering friendly advice to everyone, whether it was wanted or not. She had become Raina's self-appointed personal therapist. Raina had been seeing (legitimate) therapists off and on for the past decade or so, but in spite of all of her annoying hippie tendencies – or perhaps because of them, in a weird way – Raina had found her sessions of speaking with Serenity to be the most helpful.

In spite of this, Raina had always tried to keep Serenity at arms' length, both emotionally and physically, because she still did not entirely trust the wannabe white witch High Court vampire. In fact, on one occasion, Raina had very nearly impaled Serenity with a sword in a fit of rage after learning that the tall blonde bombshell had deliberately tried to deceive her, putting others' lives at risk, just for the chance to catch her in a Debt of Blood – a serious favor owed between vampires. Her history of sleeping and scheming her way to the upper level of the IVC, as well as her compulsive tendency to be a manipulator, made it impossible for Raina to fully trust her. It was only because Raina had so firmly drawn the lines between them, and because Serenity was wise enough to respect those boundaries, that their friendship worked. Raina was able to share her most intimate secrets, and Serenity was able to help her sort through her twisted history and her often dark thoughts, not only because of her education but also because of her experiences with being a high-ranking vampire and very public celebrity figure, herself.

She's a little eccentric, Raina conceded, but she's not crazy. And just because she's blonde doesn't mean that she's an airhead. If not for her listening to all of my whining and giving me some good advice now and then, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Where you are today? You mean, lying in bed with a married guy while you, yourself, are also married? he teased with a grin.

Raina frowned. You're really hung up on that part.

Why shouldn't I be? I've been married for less than a year, and already I'm cheating on my wife. Creases formed at the corners of his eyes. Can't you see why I'm a little conflicted over this whole thing?

I understand the guilt. But this isn't cheating. Not for you, at least. Your wife knows what's going on, Raina said.

Does she? Because I've never told her. And we've been doing this on the sly for, what, a month now? So, unless you told her…?

Raina glanced aside. Not in so many words, no. But I broached the subject with her a few times. Once, I even asked her outright, although it was more of a hypothetical question. She doesn't have a problem with sharing you. She's just as comfortable with being polyamorous as Svetlana has been. She shrugged. Besides, it's not like she hasn't been doing other people, too. Svetlana, Miles, those people she knows at the club … even Keith.

She felt his sudden surprise. What?

Kat's been with Keith at least a couple of times that I know of, Raina confirmed with a nod. I thought you already knew.

Well … no, but … I guess I do now.

Does that bother you?

Not really. Should it?

Maybe. I mean, think about it, she said. Right now, for all we know, they're probably getting it on. If nothing else, I'm sure they've been doing it at some point over the past couple of days. Maybe even with Miles? You can't tell me two male Fallamhain vampires and a female Commoner are going to be staying at motels together for a few days at a time and nobody's getting some action, or at least sharing blood.

He considered that for a moment before nodding and saying, Yeah, I suppose you're right.

Raina took her hand away from his face, raising one eyebrow at him. And…?

And … so what? he replied. She's my wife. I trust her. I love her. If there's anything going on there between them, then I know that it's just sex. That's all it ever is with her when she's with anyone else. But that's not how she is with me. I know it's more than just sex when her and I are together.

How can you tell? Did you suddenly acquire Fallamhain or High Court abilities at some point?

No, I just … I can tell. It's in the way she looks at me, the way she acts, the way she talks, he attempted to explain, struggling to rationalize it. I just know it's real.

Then what about us?

He blinked at her dumbly. What?

Is it just sex between us?

Hesitantly, he responded, Well, isn't it?

Raina didn't answer. She couldn't. She just stared at him, meeting his gaze solidly while she tried to focus upon what emotions she sensed from within him. It slowly crept into being, a tightness in her belly that actually bordered upon nausea. He was afraid. In fact, he was almost terrified on some level.

Raina. Look, this can't…

I love you, Ray, Raina blurted. The words flew past her lips like an uncontrollable reflex, like a hiccup of her soul. She almost put a hand over her own mouth to murmur, Excuse me.

Ray's eyes widened, his brow furrowed, and he began to pull away from her. It wasn't the kind of reaction that she had wanted, but it was certainly the one that she should have expected. She knew exactly how he felt, that sudden sensation that started in the stomach and zipped through her spine like the tingle of freefall from a high place. About the only thing she could have said to scare him more would have been to say that she was pregnant … which, of course, was a biological impossibility as a vampire.

He shook his head. Raina…

Don't, she said quickly, laying a finger across his lips. Don't say anything yet. Okay? Don't say anything to try to talk me out of how I feel. Just go with it. I know it's real. For some reason, Ray smiled as if he found it amusing. Okay, dammit, what is it?

"Deja vu, he said. Kat was sort of the same way the first time she said the L-word. It's almost like you were quoting her."

She gulped and shook her head, steeling herself as she prepared to say it very deliberately this time. I'm in love with you, Ray. I'm not quoting anyone. This is me talking. I love you. And I know you're not in love with me … not in the same way. I know you love me the same way that we all love each other. Y'know, as friends. And I know you don't want this to be anything more than that. It's okay. I didn't want it to be anything more, either. But you know how I am. Like I said, I don't do casual sex. I need to really trust someone before I can be with them like this. I need to go all-in, to open myself up completely, or else it all just feels wrong. She looked away. Even though this is kind of wrong.

"Kind of wrong? he echoed with disbelief. This is about as wrong as it gets. I still don't know where we're supposed to go with this. I mean, realistically, I don't know where it can go."

She stared at him for just a moment longer, closed her eyes, and let out a heavy sigh as she turned away. She rolled onto her side with her back to him. You just answered my question before I even asked it.

What question?

What happens next? She felt a lump beginning to form in the pit of her throat that she couldn't swallow away. We both know this can't go anywhere in the long run. That's a given. For one thing, I can't ever leave Keith. I love him to death. And he doesn't deserve to suffer any more hurt than he already has over the years. She bit her lower lip for a moment, feeling the wetness beginning to burn her eyes. He deserves better than me. Better than a wife that would do this to him.

You're running in circles with this. You keep saying that everyone's okay with this whole polyamorous thing, but you're playing the guilt card like someone in a monogamous relationship, Ray said. Are you or are you not okay with this? Because I'm okay with it … or at least I was…

Until I told you how I really feel, Raina said for him.

Well, it does put a slightly different spin upon things.

She nuzzled her face into the softness of the high thread-count pillow, feeling a tear soak into it. Leave it to me to take a simple situation and ruin it by making it complicated.

If this was just sex…

I know, I know. She sniffled. It was a mistake. I'll just go ahead and say it. This really was all just a mistake.

Raina…

No! she snapped, grabbing the covers and throwing them aside. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up abruptly. Nothing good is ever going to come out of this if we keep it up. Kat might be okay with the sex and blood, but she won't be okay with anything more than that. And she shouldn't be, either. Sex and blood are one thing, because those are just things we need to stay sane. But because I have to be stupid and get all emotionally involved… She ran her fingers through her hair for a moment, clutching her head as she rested her elbows upon her knees. God, Keith can never know about this. He would totally lose his mind.

That's just silly, Ray scoffed. What, it's okay for him to sleep around on you, but the first time you get with someone else, suddenly you're the evil one?

Keith's not a man-slut like Marco was. He doesn't go around humping everything that moves. And so what if he's done it with a few other people, anyway? He's not the one that's getting emotionally attached to everyone he screws.

You're not in love with Miles or Svetlana, are you?

She blinked. What?

You've done it with them, haven't you?

Hesitantly, Raina said, That's, ah … that's different.

How?

Well, for starters, it only happened once. The four of us got all goofed up on blood and booze one time, and we all kind of fooled around a bit. I've never flat-out had sex with Svetlana. Not, like, in a one-on-one kind of setting, she explained. And like I said, Miles is too damned big for me. We started to do it that night, and I was like 'Ouch, nope, forget it, I'm done.' Mainly, it was just a threesome with Miles, Keith, and Svetlana,. I was just sort of on the sidelines … y'know, helping out. Cheerleading, I guess. Whatever you call it.

Oh. He considered that briefly. So, like I said, Keith gets to nail her and anyone else he wants, but you don't? Even though you're the head of the bloodline and Keith's Maker? Exactly how is that fair?

It's not, but it doesn't matter what's fair. What matters is what keeps everyone alive, she insisted, wiping more tears from her eyes. Being a Fallamhain vampire and staying sane is like, I dunno … like trying to juggle flaming swords while walking on a tightrope. The bloodlust and sexual cravings are way worse, so it's hard not to become obsessed with it. It's even harder to pretend that you're even halfway normal, just for the sake of keeping up appearances. It's awesome if you can pull it off, but if you lose control, it's easy to go completely off the deep end.

Going rogue, you mean?

Exactly. I've managed to stay sane and healthy for this long, mostly on my own, but only just barely. Miles has been doing great with it, and a lot of that is because Svetlana is so supportive. She shook her head. But Keith … he's not doing so good at it, especially the past few months. He's stopped going to group meetings for his PTSD. He's stopped seeing his shrink. His nightmares are only getting worse and more frequent. She shook her head sadly with a sniff. And here I am, screwing around on him behind his back with someone he calls his friend. Some wife I am. Her voice became choked. God, I never should have married Keith. I'm a terrible wife. He needs someone that supports him … instead of hurting him.

Honestly, Ray said slowly after a few moments of silence between them, I don't know what it was that you were expecting.

Raina turned her head as if to look at him over her shoulder, but instead she only stared at the rumpled-up comforter of the bed. What do you mean?

You say you don't know what's supposed to happen next, and you don't see this going anywhere, he said. What is it that you're wanting out of this, exactly?

A husband, two kids, three cats, and a nice house in a quiet neighborhood. You know, the same stuff every girl wants, she replied with bitter sarcasm. She shook her head. "I don't know. I wasn't looking for anything. I'm not like Samantha or Serenity. I don't have an agenda behind everything I do. Raina shrugged. If you want a simple answer, I don't have one. Obviously, sex is part of this, but it's not everything."

And now you're disappointed because whatever it is that you're wanting beyond sex isn't going to happen? What is it that you were expecting? Are we supposed to bail out on everyone and elope together or something? He paused. I'm not suggesting anything here. But clearly, divorce isn't an option for either of us.

Raina sighed deeply. Ray was always pretty good at stating the obvious, although it wasn't always appreciated. Raina knew full well that the Code, the antiquated set of traditions and basic laws penned by her predecessor and Maker-by-descent, Grand Duchess Duvessa Fallamhain, made the bond between a Maker and their bloodspawn a permanent thing. The only two ways to escape from being someone's bloodspawn were through death or being released to become the adopted bloodspawn of another vampire, which usually amounted to virtual slave trading. Keith was Raina's bloodspawn, and Ray was Kat's, so their marriages seemed to be completely redundant unions. One could not simply divorce someone that had given them the blood that ran through their veins. A Maker could, however, take back every drop of that blood if they so chose to, and they could do so for any reason at all.

Divorce never even crossed my mind, she said, and I can't think of any sort of blood trade that would make anyone happy. Not that I would ever seriously consider anything like that in the first place, of course. But even if people were willing, forget it. Too many legal problems with the Code, anyway. She finally lifted her eyes to again meet his, still looking over her bare shoulder. If I was still Grand Duchess, I never would have let this happen in the first place. It wouldn't have just been Keith that we'd have been worried about.

Who else?

The whole IVC would have revolted. Well, most of it, anyway, she told him. I had enough enemies there already, as it was, but something like this would have turned more than a few other people against me. They would have had me overthrown … and that would have probably gotten all of us killed. And I mean all of us, Ray. Every single member of the House of Fallamhain. Blood trades would have never stopped that.

The act of blood trading a vampire to another bloodline was a not uncommon means of resolving conflicts within one's own bloodline or with others. Such a trade was how Svetlana had joined the Fallamhain bloodline, accepted as a gift to Duvessa from a Russian vampire pimp (whom Duvessa had thereafter killed) a couple of years before Raina had become Grand Duchess. Trading people around simply wasn't an option here. Not only was it impractical for emotional reasons – she didn't want to lose Keith, nor did Ray wish to lose Kat – but also because of racial issues.

As much as Raina hated it, vampires had their own distinct races and, along with it, their own special brands of racist attitudes and traditions. High Court vampires were supposed to be superior to all others, and true love between a High Court and a vampire of any other race was considered to be taboo. Commoners and Sabertooth vampires were included in High Court bloodlines as a formality, existing only as servants to their royal masters and mistresses. By law, the High Court vampires were more than welcome to use, abuse, and feed upon their servants however they saw fit, but they were never to be seen as equals in any way. The High Court was royalty, and any others (including humans) were just filthy, unworthy subjects to be ruled. Members of royalty falling in love with the peasants might have made for nice fairy tales and trashy romance novels, but in reality, such relationships only sold tabloid magazines, got website hits, and usually ended in bloodshed.

Of course, it still happened, but it was almost always done on the sly. Even Duvessa had been guilty of violating her own Code, having been quietly carrying on a weird sort of romance with her Commoner servant and chief of security, William. Such standards did not seem to apply to Keith or Miles, since they had never held any official rank with the IVC and they were in a unique social gray area as Fallamhain vampires. Having once been Grand Duchess herself, however, the old High Court rules did still apply to Raina, or at least that seemed to be the opinion of the IVC Elders. Even if she had never married Keith, and if Ray had also not wed Kat, the very idea of Raina taking a Commoner vampire as a husband or even a consort was damn near blasphemous. If Raina had married a Commoner like Ray, everyone in the celebrity worship business would have completely gone nuts and the IVC would have immediately cried out for a trial and execution by the Elders for violating the Code. Of course, the Code never specifically banned race-mixing relationships, at least not word-for-word, but it was implied strongly enough in various places that it was accepted by most as having the weight of law by assumption.

Ray appeared to chew upon Raina's words mentally for a few moments before asking, This isn't going to get anyone killed, is it?

If nobody else knows about it, then no, she said, but nothing ever stays a secret forever. It's bound to come out at some point, and when the time is right, it should. But until then, this needs to stay between us.

So, worst-case scenario…?

She shook her head. I don't even want to think of how Keith would take it.

I mean, would the IVC come down on everyone else? His eyes were wider now, and Raina could sense how genuinely afraid he was becoming. If this is putting Kat or anyone else in danger…

No. I don't think it matters as much now. I don't have any official rank with the IVC, she replied. I'm still the head of this bloodline, and I'm a celebrity, but beyond that, I'm just a nobody. They sort of tolerate me and ignore what I do for the most part. My being Grand Duchess for a few years is a part of history that I'm sure they'd like to forget. But I wouldn't put it past a few of them to look for any excuse they can to come after me with a sword in their hand. I'd rather not give them the opportunity. She tried to force a smile, and Raina could feel just how awkward it probably looked. I won't tell if you won't, okay?

Raina got up from the bed, running her fingers through her very long hair. She had cut it shorter for a while following the abdication of her title as Grand Duchess, as well as dressing much more casually. She had been trying to distance herself from all of that royal nonsense and rejoin the real part of society. Of course, that had proven to be a wasted effort. If anything, she'd become an even bigger celebrity by being outside of the IVC rather than by being its leader, and Serenity and others had urged her back at least halfway toward that regal look.

More importantly to Raina, Keith had admitted that he missed her waist-length hair, finding it and the skirts and dresses she'd worn then to be so much more sexy than shoulder-length hair with jeans or shorts and T-shirts. Hair grew quickly for Fallamhain vampires, so it was already halfway down her back at that point. With hair of that length, it was easier for a lover to grab hold of and tug firmly upon when they knelt or stood behind her, which was something she certainly enjoyed with Keith … and now Ray. The realization that it was a moot point because Keith never made love to her anymore – and Ray did, but shouldn't have – made her already dark mood even blacker yet.

She felt Ray's warm hands gently come to rest upon her shoulders from behind. She had been standing in such deep thought that she hadn't even noticed him getting up from the bed and approaching her. Logically, she knew it was best to either ignore him or to simply walk away from him. Practically, she would have been even wiser to shrug off his touch, perhaps even to slap away his hands, because the feel of his touch and the closeness of his presence clouded her thinking. But emotionally, she couldn't bring herself to do anything but lean back against him and allow him to wrap his arms around her.

As he pressed the front of his body against her from behind, she was keenly aware of how nude they both were, but the embrace was not sexual at all. Ray just held her, his arms crossing her chest and hands gently holding her arms while he nuzzled his cheek against hers. He was taller than her, but not by much. It wasn't just in the cruder sense of things that Raina had meant that they fit together perfectly. In both mind and body, it seemed that she and Ray had been made for each other, yet nearly everything else in life seemed to tell her that being with him like this was utterly wrong. She stood there and let him hold her, closing her eyes and unsuccessfully trying to stop her tears from coming.

Shhh … don't, he murmured as Raina nearly choked upon a restrained sob. Don't be that way.

How can I not? she whispered.

Just stop over-thinking it. Just go with it.

But … what do we do now?

She felt Ray shrug his shoulders and then playfully nibble at the side of her tall, elf-like ear. This.

What?

Play it by ear, he said, giving her earlobe a flick with his tongue.

Not funny.

Sorry. He kissed her cheek dryly. Seriously, though. This isn't something either of us sought out to do. I don't have those psychic High Court powers like you do, but I can tell that you didn't have a plan in mind when you and I first came together. As I remember it, you were just downstairs taking your laundry out of the dryer and I was putting mine in the washer, everyone else was asleep upstairs, and…

I know, I know, she interrupted softly before sniffing back her misery. Raina lifted a hand to caress his face, feeling the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. Believe me, it was something I'll never forget.

What? Doing it on a pile of dirty laundry?

Yeah, actually. It just sort of happened. It was spontaneous. She closed her eyes, reliving the experience. I don't know who kissed who first. It all just sort of happened all at once. I just remember … needing you.

You went for my drawers first.

Did I?

Yep. Pulled 'em to my knees in a blink, then turned around and bent yourself over the dryer.

Oh. Yeah, I guess I did. Pretty slutty move, huh?

No, it was just … very forward.

I'm not that good with foreplay, anyhow. Not with guys, at least. I'm too impatient. And my fangs get in the way.

It's okay. He chuckled softly. It was pretty hot, actually. The way it started so fast.

I was in a hurry. I was afraid you might change your mind, she admitted with a subtle nod.

Change my mind? I wasn't aware that we had verbally agreed upon anything at that point.

Not verbally, but I sensed it. You wanted it. I wanted it. And I was sick of all of the flirting games and sexual tension. It was kind of inevitable.

He tightened his hold upon her for a moment. I miss the flirting. You don't do it anymore.

I don't?

Not like you did. You stopped right after that first time, he said. You sort of turned cold after that.

How? We kept doing it. I didn't shut you out.

I mean, with the flirting. The teasing and the playfulness is gone. You're always so serious now.

"Well, that's because I'm hung up on guilt issues. I mean, obviously."

"I thought it was because you'd just lost interest. I was worried that you were done with