Page 164 of Dhampira

My heart pumped faster as the cheering continued. We’d done it. We’d won. Rasimir was dead. Nocta was free. Even as the thought sprouted wings in my head, a second cast a dark shadow. Marrigan was still out there, her threats simmering. The citadels dotted Nocta. How many served her? How many werewolf packs did she control? Would they rise up to topple me before I figured out what came next?

And I still owed Ruvien a favor. The elven lord was powerful. My power was new and mostly untested.

Movement at the edge of the crowd caught my eye. Kristoff held my stare, Daryn at his side and the rest of the Greyskold wolves fanned around them. The alpha nodded once, then turned and strode toward the forest. His wolves followed suit, melting into the trees.

I shivered. Had Kristoff and his wolves knelt with the other Noctans? The crowd was vast. I’d been too overwhelmed to notice.

Lorcan turned to me, and the look in his eyes chased the shadows from my mind. “I love you,” he said. “Completely.”

The glint in his gaze let me know he referenced our wedding night. Desire shivered through me, and my heart soared. “I love you, too.”

“And me,” Vander said.

Smiling, I threaded my fingers through his. “And you.”

“Of course you do.”

“And you love me?” I asked.

“Probably more than Lorcan does.”

Lorcan bristled. “That’s not—” He closed his eyes. “I’m not doing this again.”

A laugh burst from me. Then I sobered.

“What is it?” Vander asked as the cheering continued.

“You really love me?”

“Yes,” he said slowly, suspicion gathering in his eyes.

“Good. Because I need you to help me move a demon.”