Sweyn rolled her eyes and smirked, but I did not miss the heat in her gaze as she looked up at him. It was harder than I ever imagined it would be to stand between the man that was my husband for three centuries and the monster he was forced to share a bed with since my death in order to survive. It made me sick. It made me want to scream and cry. He did not deserve a life as hard as he’d gotten. It took every ounce of self-control to not reach for him or look to him—-actually, it wasn’t self-control. It was defense. I could not endanger him. I could not bring more pain and stress to his life than I’d already caused. I could not hurt him anymore. That was what kept my hands pressed to my side and my gaze straight ahead.

Sweyn’s chamber was nightmare fuel. It was dark, lit only by candles and no torches. The bed was like two California King’s combined, taking up most of the room. It sat in the middle of the room, raised on a dais, with iron bars running along the two sides and enough room for walking all the way around it. The humans they’d captured in the Land of the Lore were lined up naked on the bed in two rows, their hands and feet bound and chained to the bars.

Oh my God. My breath hitched. I pressed my hand to my stomach.

Sweyn still had my face in her hand, which I somehow had forgotten in my horror of what I saw in front of me. But now she arched her eyebrow. “What is wrong, María? Your heart pounds.”

“No sé qué hacer,” I whispered. “¿Cómo lo hago?”

“She does not know what to do or how,” Everest translated for me.

Sweyn’s eyes took on a delighted sparkle. “Even better. Everest, you are the better teacher. Care to give our tickling some instruction?”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Sweyn bit her bottom lip, her fangs piercing into them. She reached into the bust of her dress and pulled a large red crystal out. Holding it between her fingers, it shimmered like lava. A low, menacing chuckle bubbled up her throat. “What do you think The Coven would say if they knew just what this Fire Stone gave us?”

“I could write them a letter, if you’d like.” Everest chuckled behind me. “Deliver myself even to assure I got their proper reaction.”

I bet you would.