chapter 2

“Kate Hassell is here to see you, Mr. Ibanescu.”

Dragos winced. Eddy did not like Kate, not one little bit. The only time his Renfield had threatened to leave, to force him to find another Renfield, had been when Dragos had thought about moving Kate into the mansion. Dragos had backed down, much to Kate’s disgust. But there’d been no way he’d allow Eddy to feel Dragos’s house wasn’t Eddy’s home.

No matter how he’d cared for Kate, Eddy was his.

Now that Dragos had found his sotiei, moving Kate in was no longer an issue.

Eddy was going to adore Mina when they finally met, which Dragos prayed would be sooner rather than later. It had been a week since his flight with Parker, a week during which Mina had avoided him like the plague. If it weren’t for Amara emerging from her tree he might not even know that Mina was still hiding in her Throne, licking her wounds while doing her best to keep Iva’s yew alive.

Soon, it wouldn’t matter that Mina was still recovering. His beast would force him to her side, and then all hell would break loose.

“Dragos, do tell your boy to get out of my way.” Kate’s absent disdain for his Renfield was evident in her tone. As much as Eddy disliked Kate, Kate disliked Eddy more. She’d never forgiven him for talking Dragos into refusing to move Kate into the mansion.

Dragos bit back a growl. “Why are you here?” He nodded to Eddy,

letting him know it was all right to leave. Eddy beat feet, leaving the doorway so quickly he almost knocked Kate’s purse out of her hands. The boy gasped, turned pale, and ran.

Interesting.

Kate’s slinky walk had once been a pleasure to behold, especially when she wore the tight skirts she so loved. Now he merely wondered what she hoped to gain. She only stalked him that way when she wanted something. She was dressed to impress in a tight navy blue sheath dress and gold heels that made her legs seem a mile long.

Too bad for Kate it no longer worked. He felt no attraction, no desire to give her anything more than a pleasant conversation and a quick exit from his home.

What the hell had he seen in her, anyway? She was cold, calculating, and bordering on black witchcraft.

Selena had cursed up a blue streak when she’d found out about his relationship with Kate, but he’d declared it an off-limits topic. It had taken only one push from Selena for him to practically write the doctor off, refusing to see her until she relented.

Nearly a year of coldness and aloofness whenever they had to meet forced her to give up her objections. Their relationship still hadn’t

completely recovered, and Dragos was afraid it never would. The worst of it was, he’d been aware of Selena’s feelings for him, but she’d never been someone he viewed as a potential romantic partner. She was just too...too...

“Dragos?”

He sighed. The problem of Selena would have to wait. He had a much bigger one in front of him. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She hated when he did that. She said it made him look arrogant, and that was exactly the impression he wanted to give. “Kate.”

She sighed, the sound so put-upon Dragos had to hide a smile. “We had a date tonight, remember?”

Dragos scowled. No, he didn’t. He looked down at his calendar. Things had been slipping by him recently, but you’d think he’d remember making a date with a woman who wasn’t Mina. “We no longer have that kind of

connection, Kate.”

Kate smiled, but he caught the subtle clench of her jaw. She reached for the fob attached to her purse—a little silver disk with some runes inscribed on it that smelled of cinnamon and ginger. She always worried at the damn thing when she got upset, claiming it calmed her. He could understand why. Cinnamon was one of his favorite scents, homey and sweet. “You promised me sushi and dancing, remember?”

Wait. There was something tickling at the back of his mind. Maybe he had he made a date with her?

“We agreed to this months ago. It’s the best night to celebrate our

anniversary, what with everything else going on with the town council.”

Damn. It made sense, considering every other night this week was full of his mayoral duties, things that his assistants and Eddy couldn’t take care of. “I’d forgotten.” Not that it mattered. He knew now who his sotiei was. He wouldn’t be going anywhere with Kate.

No matter how tempting she was.

“I know, darling.” Kate ran her fingers down the front of his shirt. Dragos did his best to hide his shiver. Part of him loved the feel of her against him,

her long legs wrapped around his waist as he plunged into her moist depths, fed off her sweet blood. Kate was an amazing lover, and had kept both of his hungers well satisfied.

His beast wanted to eat her face off for daring to touch him.

Dragos took a step back, aware he was moments away from harming her. “I think I need to cancel.”

She smiled up at him bravely. “I know we’ve been having problems, but isn’t there some way we can work things out?”

It broke his heart to hurt her, but he had no choice. “I—”

“Dragos?” Of all the people in the world to interrupt his tête-à-tête with Kate, it would be Selena Giannone. She scowled when she saw how closely he and Kate were standing together. “Oh. I guess I should give you the info on Mina later.”

Mina.

Mina.

Shit. Mina would rightfully kick his ass if she knew the thoughts he’d just had about Kate. He had to get rid of Kate, fast.

Dragos grabbed hold of Kate’s arm and dragged her to the door. “I think you need to leave.”

“Why? Because Selena said so?” Kate was scowling, and suddenly she was no longer attractive. The thought of drinking from her was nauseating rather than arousing. “We have a date!”

“You go and celebrate for me.” He shoved Kate, squawking in outrage, out of the door before pulling Selena in and slamming it shut. “Mina?”

Her brows rose. “That got your attention, didn’t it?”

At least she no longer looked at him with the gaze of a wounded deer whenever Mina’s name came up. Perhaps she was finally getting over her infatuation with him. He hoped so, for Ash’s sake. He liked the young

dryad far too much to have Selena mooning over him and hurting one of the rulers of the forest. “How is she?”

“Your sotiei is a stubborn wench, I’ll grant you that.” Selena took a seat on the large leather loveseat he kept in the room. She slumped wearily, and Dragos wondered what she’d been up to. She didn’t have Mina’s scent on her, so she hadn’t been with his sotiei... At least not physically. “She’s doing her best to fight the nightmares, but she’s losing the battle. Ash and Greer are worried that Iva’s absence isn’t helping the situation.”

“Any word on Iva?” He leaned back against the edge of his desk and crossed his arms.

“No, and her tree is beginning to drop faster than the dryads can heal it.” Selena scrubbed her face. “Damn it. It won’t be long before a new Yew will be born.”

“Throwing off the balance of power in the Throne.” A newborn dryad was always weak, a child that had to grow along with his or her tree. He still didn’t understand why some trees spawned dryads and others didn’t.

Perhaps Mina, as their Queen, knew. “The four of them went to school

together, grew up together.” The loss of Iva would devastate all three ruling dryads.

Selena nodded. “And Mina considers them her brothers and sister. Losing Iva hurts more than the power balance, it hurts her personally.”

Then Dragos would have to see what he could do about it. Mina should

not suffer, not even for a second. “I’ll see what I can find out. I have resources not even Mina knows about.”

She snorted, amused. “You have resources the president of the good old US of A would envy.”

The door creaked open. “Is it gone?”

Dragos rolled his eyes as Selena cackled. “Very funny, Eddy.”

Eddy entered the room, his eyes darting around nervously. He had some Oreos clutched in his hand, proof positive that he was worried about

something. Eddy only got out the cookies when he was truly upset. “There’s something very wrong with Kate.”

Dragos, for all he’d broken up with the woman, still held some affection for her. They’d been lovers for years, after all. “Is she sick?”

Selena snorted in disgust even as Eddy shook his head. “Not that kind of wrong. I mean, she’s wrong.” Eddy, his face still pale, was shaking like a leaf. He shoved a whole cookie in his mouth.

Dragos was becoming alarmed. “Eddy?” Eddy swallowed. “I think...”

“You think what?” Dragos led his Renfield over to a chair, forcing him to sit when it was obvious Eddy would fight him on it. Sometimes Eddy was far too stubborn for his own good, but Dragos would take care of him,

whether he liked it or not.

Eddy bit his lip. “I think she’s gone to the black.”

“Not all black witches are evil, but...” Selena shrugged. “Yeah. I can see Kate going all Sith Lord on us.”

Dragos winced. Black witches—those practitioners who put their personal gain above anything else—were one of the most feared creatures in the world. Selfish and brutal in their attempts to satisfy all their cravings, dark practitioners lived for nothing and no one but themselves. White

witches followed the Rede, which stated “An it harm none, do what ye

will.” Gray witches straddled the fine line between the two, forever on the edge of teetering to one side or the other. The freedom to perform certain acts, or choose not to, was something the gray witches believed in

wholeheartedly.

All witches were rooted deep into the earth, their power an extension of the cycle of life. All witches but one—the witch doctor. Selena’s connection to the spirit world gave her powers other witches envied, but it also gave her headaches no one else would wish on their worst enemy. Dragos had

seen what happened when Selena pushed her gift.

Ash was going to have a fit when he finally saw that.

But Eddy’s word that Kate had turned to the black was disturbing. Kate had always been gray, just as Selena had always been white. She’d teetered close to the edge of both sides, but she’d never fallen, not that he’d seen.

“Shit.” That would explain some things, but not all of them. Was he the one who’d thrust her over the edge by breaking her heart? “Are you sure?”

Eddy shrugged, but he still hadn’t recovered his color. He was still far too pale for Dragos’s liking. “She’s never really been a Double-Stuff, but now

she’s a Triple Double Chocolate threat.”

Dragos shook his head and tsk’d. “You and your cookies.” Eddy gave him a weak smile. “Oreos are the food of the gods.”

Dragos could debate that till the cows came home, but as it had been

centuries since he’d tasted a cookie he’d trust Eddy’s judgment. “We need to find out what, if anything, she’s up to.”

“Oh, she’s up to something, all right.” Selena crossed her legs and settled back, making herself at home. “The only question is, what?” She frowned. “And why did I sense an active spell when I opened the door?”

Dragos stared at the same door he’d thrust Kate through not fifteen minutes before, remembering the way his body had lit up when she’d touched him. Maybe there was something more going on here than a lingering desire for an old lover. “Now that is an interesting question.”

Mina stood at the edge of the Throne, her hands shaking, her gaze darting around. The overwhelming belief that she should not be here rooted her to the spot, unable to take a step forward.

Gods damn it. She was terrified to leave her home in the forest. Horrified at the thought of setting one foot outside the Throne. She was the gods-be- damned Queen of the Forest, and she couldn’t even touch leaf or branch if it was beyond the edge of her Throne.

She shouldn’t be feeling this way. Terri was gone, dead, her ashes in tiny

sealed jars. Selena, one of the few outsiders Mina allowed into the Throne, had told her that Dragos was making sure those jars never again saw the light of day. Terri couldn’t hurt her, or anyone else, ever again.

And still, she couldn’t force herself to take that one tiny step that would allow her to leave the Throne.

“Mina.”

She screamed and clutched her chest.

Dragos, his eyes glowing red in the darkness, stepped out from the shadows of the trees. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

She stared at him, shocked to the core. The forest hadn’t whispered his

presence to her. Not even Ash could sneak up on her unnoticed.

But here Dragos was, the forest content to let him pass unremarked, as if he belonged.

As if he were one with it, as she was.

Dragos stepped up to the line where the Throne began, leaving them toe- to-toe. He studied her closely. “You look tired, draga mea.”

She lifted her chin, hoping she looked regal and not arrogant. There was a fine line between the two, and Mina tried to not cross it.

Never let them see you sweat, Mina.

“What does that mean?”

He smiled softly. “It means ‘my darling.’”

“You can’t call me that.” Not now. Maybe not ever. If she was so weak she couldn’t even leave the Throne, how could she lead the dryads? How could she stand at his side as an equal?

He cocked one eyebrow. “Oh? Why not?”

She took a step back. “Because I can’t be yours.” She knew what a sotiei was, and Dragos was showing all the signs that she was his. It would harm him, to take her as his blood wife, the one being he could feed on for all his

years. Her life span would expand, matching his, Mina dying when he did.

She wasn’t certain why she believed so strongly that becoming his sotiei

would ruin him, but the belief was rooted inside her heart. No. It was better to drive him away, make him leave. Neither of them would be hurt if he’d just go away. He cocked his head, the question clear in his expression.

“Can’t...or won’t?”

She shook her head. If things had been different, she’d have allowed him into the Throne, given him time to court her so they could learn one

another. Not all sotiei were lovers, but the best pairings were.

Unfortunately, as attracted as she was to Dragos, she had her own problems to deal with. Becoming a blood wife wasn’t on the top of her list of things to do today.

Leaving the Throne was.

“Can’t.” She took a step back, prepared to retreat to her tree.

“Wait—” He held out a hand, hissing when the trees around the Throne reacted. Branches lashed out, striking Dragos hard enough to bruise. He

stared in shock at his hand. “Mina.”

The low, growling threat had her backing even further into the Throne.

Her heart was racing in fear. “I can’t.”

“You need to stop running from me. I’m afraid of what will happen if my beast takes over.” He closed his eyes, the strain of holding himself back visible in his tense shoulders and clenched hands. “Please, Mina. Just...stay and talk to me.”

She paused. The proud man was practically begging for her company.

Was that too much for him to ask? Just to talk? She nodded slowly, reluctantly. Mina wasn’t certain this was a good idea, but he was trying so hard not to chase after her that she felt she had to give him something.

“Very well.”

He relaxed instantly, and when he opened his eyes they were their normal, beautiful gray. He had the clearest, prettiest eyes she’d ever seen on a man, surrounded by thick dark lashes that framed them beautifully. She

could get lost in his eyes. “Thank you.”

Guilt tore through her at his relieved tone. He’d been suffering too while she tried to solve her issues. “I’m sorry I’ve been denying you, Dragos, but I swear it’s been for a good reason.”

He smiled, but he looked sad, weary. “Selena has told me some of it. The

nightmares aren’t going away, are they?”

She shook her head. “No. She’s right. They’re getting worse.” “You blame me for not saving you.”

She blinked, shocked. “Yes. I know it’s not fair, but part of me does.” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “The other part knows damn well I should have been able to save myself.”

“I got to you as quickly as I could. I stepped into a clearing, knowing it would spring the trap Terri had set for Ash and Greer, possibly Amara.

When it triggered, I wound up fighting dozens of thorned vines aiming for my heart.”

She’d heard of the battle Dragos had waged in that clearing. “I thank you for saving Ash and Birch.”

He nodded his head, one leader to another. “You’re welcome.” He leaned back against a tree trunk, his gaze never leaving her even for a second. In fact, she wasn’t certain he’d blinked. “How are you otherwise?”

“Peachy. Never been better.” He chuckled softly. “Liar.”

She shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Dragos? That I’m not broken?”

“You’re not broken.” He straightened. “You’ve been bent in a storm, but

you haven’t broken.” “I wonder.”

She said it softly, but vampires had superior hearing, second only to

wolves. “Shall I prove it to you?” Dragos held out his hand, inviting her to step outside the protections of the Throne. “I give you my solemn vow that you will come to no harm while in my care.”

She stared at his hand, so tempted. It would be so sweet to give herself over to him, to allow him to protect her, to coddle her. She almost cried with the need to take his hand and give him everything he asked for.

But she was Queen of the Forest. The one who sat in the Throne and

ruled all of the creatures within the wood. If she were anyone else, it would be different. She’d take his hand, allow him to protect her, even from herself.

But to take his hand now, when she couldn’t be what they both needed her to be, to allow him to be her superior instead of her equal, would diminish them both. She shook her head, aware how badly her answer

would hurt him. “I can’t.”

He dropped his hand, red fire dancing once more in the gray of his eyes. “I won’t wait much longer, Mina Chainey. Queen or no, you will be mine.”

She tilted her chin up, but inside she was shaking, and not all of it was from fear. “That remains to be seen.”

He smiled, heated, wicked, and she nearly responded, the pull of him intense. “That it does. Until tomorrow, sweet Mina.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but before a single word passed her lips Dragos disappeared, right before her eyes. She scanned the forest for him, using all of her senses, opening herself up to the living creatures within as only she could.

He was gone, no longer within her demesne. He’d vanished, and taken the majority of her courage with him. “I’m so sorry, Dragos.” She sighed, and acknowledged what she already knew. “I won’t see you tomorrow night.”

She turned away, back toward her tree. Toward safety, and her own cowardice.

Dragos watched as she left, the line of her shoulders indicating her

weariness, her pain. He hated that he’d pushed, that he’d tried to force the issue, but what else was he to do? He was slowly going mad, and just the sight of her, seemingly whole and healthy, had soothed his beast.

It was all a lie, though. She wasn’t whole or healthy. Something more than the nightmares was going on, and Dragos intended to find out what that something was. He waited, watching over her until she was lost to even his sight—the Throne swallowing its Queen in her sorrow.

“I’m sorry too.”

“Mina? Are you there?”

Mina looked up from where she’d knelt by the yew tree. “Hey.” She wasn’t really up to much more of a greeting. She was exhausted—all her energy concentrated on one thing. One thing she was failing at.

Yew was dying.

It was only a matter of time before they lost Iva forever. For all her power, Mina wouldn’t be able to stop the demise of her sister. It had been too long since Iva had been home, and Mina was beginning to lose hope they’d ever find her. Mina could no longer sense her, and even the witches

couldn’t scry out where she was being held. It was as if she was behind some kind of barrier.

Like the veil of death.

Except her tree still lived. It was the only hope Mina had, and she would cling to it as she had over the last two-and-a-half months.

Amara and Parker swept into the Throne, grimacing at the drooping tree. “Oh, dear.” Amara rushed over and placed her palms against the yew. “I can feel... Oh, no.” Parker was at her side in a split second, cradling Amara as her eyes teared up.

“I know.” As a protector of the forest and the Throne, Amara would be feeling the loss of one of the ruling dryads most keenly. The only others who would be as affected were Ash and Greer, and they were busy

communing with their trees, their efforts to help Mina and save Iva having finally exhausted them beyond endurance. She’d ordered them to take a rest when she saw Greer avoid tripping Ash when he was being annoying.

Greer, ever the jokester, always the one to make them all feel better with a laugh and a smile, hadn’t cracked a joke in a week.

So here she was, alone in the Throne, and for the first time ever she didn’t like it. Not one little bit. She was tempted to crawl into her tree and stay there until...

Gods above. She never wanted to crawl back out. How pathetic. Parker watched her over Amara’s head, his expression sympathetic.

“Noah and Dragos believe that Iva and his beta have been taken by Van Helsings.” The wolf beta went missing around the time Terri had been in town. For a while they’d thought perhaps the witch had something to do with his disappearance, but when he hadn’t returned after Terri’s defeat they’d started considering that perhaps the same people who’d taken Iva had taken him.

Van Helsings.

She blinked. Dryads were rarely bothered by the human hunters of the

supernatural, mostly because even the Van Helsings didn’t believe in them. That they’d changed their minds did not bode well. Van Helsings were known to take supernaturals and run “tests” on them. The creatures they

abused called it torture, if they were lucky enough to survive and be rescued.

No one knew how many supernaturals the Van Helsings killed a year, but

they were getting bold if they were coming near Maggie’s Grove. The

protections the witches kept in place should have made it invisible to human eyes. Had the Van Helsings finally found a way around the protections? If so, Maggie’s Grove would no longer be the safe haven it had been for centuries.

If Iva was being held captive by Van Helsings, it would explain why she hadn’t returned, and why her yew was slowly fading away. “What are they doing about it?”

Parker’s brows rose in surprise. “More to the point, what are you going to do about it?”

Mina rose and began to pace. “I can’t leave the Throne. You know that.”

“You can. You’re just afraid to.” Mina scowled, but Parker didn’t look afraid. “Dragos is more than willing to help you.”

Just the thought of Dragos sent a jolt of panic through her. He’d want more from her than she could possibly provide—not now, not ever. “No.”

“Yes.” Parker stood, staring at her with his own scowl. “You’re ripping

him apart, and you don’t even care.” “Parker!”

Amara’s outburst didn’t stop her lover from continuing. “Do you know what happens to a vampire who finds his sotiei and can’t claim her? Do you have any idea how strong he is, to have withstood it for so long?”

“I do.” Mina straightened her spine, aware it still barely brought her to

his chin. Dryad females had a tendency toward shortness. “I do understand, and I’m sorry. I wish I could be what he needs, but I can’t even leave the Throne. If I can’t, if I lean on him, I won’t be a partner. I’ll be subservient.”

Parker rolled his eyes. “Subservient? Balls. You’d have him in the palm of your hand.”

“You don’t understand.” Mina began to pace, getting more agitated the

more they spoke of Dragos. “He would become my everything. I would have to rely on him for everything. How can I do that to him? To myself?” She shook her head. “No. Until I can beat this stupid fear, he has to wait.”

“His strength would become yours, Mina. His voice would drown out the fear.” Amara and Parker shared a fond look before Parker continued. “The mind bond would ensure it.”

“Mind bond?” Oh, boy. Mina did not want the sexy-as-hell vamp rooting through her brain. Just the thought made her feel faint. “Yeah. He’s gonna wait.”

Parker tilted his head. “Mina? Is something wrong?”

“Hmm? No.” Mina smiled, hoping she wasn’t as pale as she felt. “I’ll be fine.” She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. “How are the

wedding plans?”

Parker and Amara exchanged another one of their glances before Parker shrugged.

Amara grinned. “We’re going to speak our vows under my tree.”

“And at night, so we’re both represented and the groom doesn’t look like black pudding on his wedding night.”

Mina smiled. “And Brian and Greg?”

Parker snorted. “Pair of idiots. All their plans are at sixes and sevens.” Mina and Amara stared at him. Amara recovered first. He acted so

American that, despite his accent, it was hard to remember he was British sometimes. “I think what he means is, they can’t decide what to do, where, or when. And when they do make a plan they change it in a few days.”

“Thus driving me batty.”

“Parker? You’re already batty.” Amara flapped her arms at him.

“That’s a myth.” Parker chuckled. “Vampire bats, indeed. What bloody fool came up with that one?”

Amara pointed toward the oaken throne. “Let’s sit. I’ll fill you in on the wedding plans, and you can explain to me why you’re torturing Dragos.”

Mina tensed again. “No. I won’t.” She tried to smile, knowing it was a weak imitation of the expression she usually wore. “But we can discuss wedding gowns.”

“I want you to be a bridesmaid.”

Mina closed her eyes. She wanted to be one too. She’d only known

Amara a short while, but the hamadryad had been there for her, had helped save her. They’d quickly grown close as Mina attempted to work out her issues.

“Please?”

Mina felt the pull of one of her dryads. How could she refuse when Amara needed her? “I’ll try.”

“Yes!” Amara danced around the grove. “The queen’s gonna be my bridesmaid, the queen’s gonna be my bridesmaid.”

Parker laughed. “Thank you, Mina. It means a lot to her.”

“I know.” Far better than Parker would ever give her credit for.