Page 107 of The Star's Sword

“I want you,” I said. “For as long as I have you. But I want you to know I intend to fight like hell to bring you home.”

“That’s my Morningstar,” he said, kissing my forehead. He bent, scooping me into his arms. My ring caught the moonlight and I smiled at it.

“That way, a little part of me will always be with you.”

I cuddled in against him. “You always will, anyway. You’re already imprinted in every corner of my heart.”

He kissed me at that, and kept walking, and didn’t stop until he reached our bedroom, and he dropped me on the bed.

Then he went to close the door, sliding the deadbolt in. When he turned, he was already loosening his collar, his long hair lengthening, his demon eyes glowing red in the dark.

I felt my body changing also, my fingers extending, pink moving up my arms and legs, my tail sprouting out of my clothes.

“Mate,” Samael said, his tail whipping out as his arms extended, his tux torn to pieces on his larger body.

I moved back on the bed as he moved forward, hulking and gorgeous, tail swaying from side to side.

My heart raced as he began to crawl over me, his body causing heated sparks against my skin wherever he touched.

“You’re mine tonight, Morningstar,” he growled, grabbing my hands and pinning them. “Finally, all mine.”

We made love that night as we never had before. Finally committed no matter what happened, no secrets between us to keep us back. Skin on skin, lips on lips, tail entwined with tail, Sam kept me screaming until my voice box stopped working, and then even a little more.

He filled me, completed me, and then when it was over, and we lay panting in each other’s arms, he spoke words of love to me in the moonlight, soothing my heart even as the trials the next day haunted my mind with fear.

Slowly, peacefully, I drifted off in his arms, dreaming of his touch and rubbing his ring with one of my hands as I snuggled in against him.

One more night of peace, and then the storm.

37

Ididn’t ride my unicorn the next day, due to Zadis and Luren wanting to stay back and continue to try and figure out how to extract serum.

It appeared once tamed, a unicorn also calmed down around any friend of the person they were tamed by.

It still felt unreal that I’d been able to do it. Or that I’d finally mated Samael.

The red ring gleaming on my finger as I walked past the gate with my friends and entered Simon’s keep kept me calmer than I would have been.

I needed to stay calm. To do everything with a minimum of effort. Otherwise I might not be able to save my friends.

I was afraid of losing Sam. Nothing was certain. But with the unicorn angle and Cayne’s plan to use targeted force, I had hope.

I had to have hope, because Ara was right. I was lucky in that I could step away from this and go have a regular life. But there were many who couldn’t.

For them, I had to do the trials. No matter what I might lose.

But feeling my bonds with my friends and my strongest bond with Samael burning in my heart, I had a feeling I could do anything.

After all, my opponent had been so busy spreading shit, she probably hadn’t even trained.

“She’ll use illusions,” Cayne said, leaning into me. “Remember what I taught you about dispelling them.”

“Scent then telekinesis on the real target,” I murmured, as we walked past hundreds of vampires, all clad in black, all staring at us as we walked through the gardens and past the ballroom.

At the back of the property, far past Simon’s human settlement, was an area where we planned to do the trials.

Every vampire I locked eyes with either sent me glares that clearly wished me death or looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

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