And he'd used it to defeat a monster.

Morgana breathed, "I want one of him all for myself!"

Trehan Daciano was . . . magnificent.

The crowd of mighty Deathly Ones started chanting, "Prince of Shadow." And for a few wonderful moments, she was high from the victory, from pride in her vampire, from the roars of her people.

She narrowed her eyes to the sky. I dare the Vrekeners to attack.

Cas released Bettina's arm, drawing her mind back to him.

"It was a good fight," he bit out. "And a clever move. No wonder the people chant his name now."

How difficult that must be for Cas to say. His childhood had been miserable among the Deathly Ones, yet over the course of the last week, they'd begun to sing his praises.

But the kingdom was fickle. Much of the attention he'd been enjoying had shifted to the vampire, his own people clamoring for Daciano.

She wanted Cas to have acclaim as well. She wanted him to have demonesses worshipping him and throwing garters and squeezing his muscles-

Her breath left her in a rush. With that thought, she knew the truth and accepted it: her feelings for Cas weren't as she'd supposed them. . . .

Cheers reverberated even louder when Daciano folded the fire back into the staff, dousing it, controlling the weapon of an enemy with absolute surety.

Morgana murmured, "Now that is an accessory I must acquire."

Bettina quickly asked, "Do you think you could use it to get my sorcery back?"

"If only it were so simple, freakling. It's merely a channeling device, a conduit, to upload powers to their storage vault. But still, for a Sorceri to possess a scythe of the Vrekeners? How it would gall them! How it would rally us!"

Instead of acknowledging all the crowd's praise, Daciano kept his eyes on the prize, staring up at Bettina with that dark, arresting gaze.

At the end of each match in the past, his expression had said: I'm fighting for you. Soon you'll be mine.

Now his expression said: I'm coming for you. You are mine.

Ah, gods, he looked fierce. She swallowed. And not a little scary.

Morgana registered the vampire's expression and advised, "Be wary, freakling. As I said before, Lorean males become very brutish after fighting over a woman. They need to thrust at things. To rut, if you will. They lose their higher faculties."

"Morgana!" she cried, trying to wrap her mind around everything that had happened. It fully sank in that Daciano lived. Which meant that it fully sank in that he would fight Cas. She gazed up at him, recognizing him for what he was: her guide, her lifeline, her mentor.

Her best friend. "I don't know what to say, Cas."

"Enjoy tonight with the vampire, Bettina," he grated. "It's his last." Cas traced away.

The certainty in his words gave her chills. A week ago his statement would have delighted her. Now . . . ?

She couldn't lose either of them.

Morgana grabbed her hand. "Off we go. You must get ready."

"For what?"

"The Prince of Shadow will be coming for you," she said, ushering Bettina away from the ring, Inferi trailing. "To stake his claim."

"Morgana, please, I'm in no mood for this."

"This was the battle," she insisted. "Killing Caspion tomorrow is just a formality."

"Stop talking like that!" The male she was falling for had lived, and the gut-wrenching fear she'd felt for him had momentarily dissolved. But on the heels of her relief, dread rebounded.

"Your demon is simply too young, with too few kills under his belt. He doesn't stand a chance against that vampire." As Morgana whisked her back to the castle, she said, "The Prince of Shadow is no longer a prince, dear. He's as good as king of this realm."

Three onerous hours had passed since Bettina had returned to her spire, with no sign of Daciano.

She'd spent the time with Morgana and Salem in her room. The two were convinced that Bettina and the Prince of Shadow would consummate their relationship tonight, so they'd decided to wait, hold vigil with her-and give her pointers.

Bettina was not convinced this was happening. I just want to talk to him, to ask his opinion. She knew exactly what she would say: "Okay, you were right, vampire. Cas is just a friend, but he's my best and oldest one. I can't lose him. Having sex for the first time-with the male who's going to behead my best friend-is a difficult concept to wrap my mind around. Suggestions? Comments?"

Now Bettina crossed her arms over her chest. "I thought you said he was coming."

"So eager to be bedded by the vamp?" Morgana asked, reclining over the foot of Bettina's bed, wineglass in hand. She looked tipsy, relaxed, and happier than Bettina remembered seeing her in, well, ever.

Chapter 42

Salem had been hanging out in her headdress, thrumming comfortably.

"You shan't go to him-it would scream of desperation," Morgana said. "He'll be along."

Bettina's eyes went wide at a sudden thought. Oh, gods, what if Daciano's injuries had been worse than she'd supposed? She hopped from the bed to her feet.

"Salem here will bar the doors. Won't you, Salem?"

"Right you are, Morgana." He was all but purring.

With a glare at both of them, Bettina grudgingly sat back down. When did they get to be so chummy?

"Besides, we haven't finished our chat," Morgana said. A birds-and-bees lecture. "I'm just getting to the good parts."