“I think Leah needs a sleeping pill chased by bourbon,” she mumbled, her expression turning unfocused. She shook her head as if to clear it and refocused. “I’ll get her.” She looked to Abel and said, “Hang on.”

The door closed, but it wasn’t long before it was again opened and both Sonia and Delilah appeared.

They gave the king and queen their good-nights and headed to their room, Delilah leaning heavily on Abel as they walked.

“She’s not good,” he pointed out the obvious.

“None of the other ones killed were her family, but she’s terrified,” Delilah said. “She and Myrna weren’t real close, but Myrna was still her cousin. The other members of Leah’s family that they have, she’s close to.”

“Extractions are probably happening while we speak, baby,” he told her. “Maybe some of the ones rescued will be Leah’s kin.”

“I hope so.”

He tightened the arm he had around her shoulders to give her a squeeze.

They entered their room and mutely got ready for bed, brushing their teeth side-by-side, taking off their clothes standing close, Abel waiting for Delilah to pull on a nightgown. Then they slid into bed together.

He turned out the lights. She snuggled into him, and the way she did, he knew it would be the first night since their relationship became intimate that they didn’t make love.

He was down with that. If she needed to cuddle her man, he’d give that to her.

Abel stared at the dark ceiling and waited, holding her, stroking her, letting her call it. Either she’d talk, he’d listen and do what he could to soothe, or she’d go to sleep.

She talked.

“If they’ll do that, what else will they do?”

“I don’t know, baby. Try not to think about it, okay?”

He felt her nod against his chest.

“Leah said Myrna was a good concubine. The best. She adored her vampire—”

“Stop,” he ordered gently.

She stopped.

Then she started again. “I guess her vamp is out of his mind.”

He would be. Vampires took protecting their concubines seriously. Gregor had told him that every one of the hundreds who’d had concubines taken, even inactive ones, were out of their minds. Some had to be restrained so they’d do the cause, and themselves, no harm in their need to rescue.

And their thirst for vengeance.

“He would be. Of course he would be, pussycat.”

She pressed her face into his skin and whispered, “I want this to end.”

He tightened his hold, bent his head, and said into the top of her hair, “I do too.”

He kept her close and waited for her to lose it, either yelling or crying, however she needed to do that, or get a lock on it.