Vlad and Erinna's goodbyes to their hosts were hurried, with promises to visit in the future. Since teleporting back home was relatively easy, Erinna did it herself this time whilst Vlad teleported everyone else.

She smiled at the first thing she saw in their bedroom. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised to see that Xander had made himself at home in their absence, on Vlad's side of the bed too. He was going to be so annoyed.

"Hey, Xander."

"You make noise, Princess. 'Tis too late," he complained, burrowing into the bedcover some more.

"Vlad will be here in about five minutes, I thought you might want the heads-up."

Ideally, she wanted her mate to get along with her familiar but so far that had not gone too well. If they found each other in the same room, they were bound to fight and Erinna was too happy to want to play mediator between them. This was a good night and nothing was going to ruin it for her.

"Why didn't you leave it in Egypt?" Xander whined, crawling off the bed and up the wall onto the ceiling to a corner he had terrorized some spiders into making a giant web for him.

"Who would be my mate then if I left the only one I have in Egypt?" She humored his thought process.

"We finds you a better one. Zat Deacon be looking mighty fine to Xander."

"We don't mention the 'D' word in this castle," she told him as she removed the bedcover and pillow cases because Vlad would be able to smell that Xander had been on them. After dumping them in the laundry basket, she fetched clean bedding and began remaking the best, hopefully before Vlad arrived.

"His ancestors good, upstanding folks too. Stood by my side when we foughts za great war with za creeping Centaurs, wanting Ellingsdale for zerselves."

"You were with Enai when the Centaur invasion happened, right?" Erinna asked, trying to recall her history lessons with Melissa.

Enai's form had been steele and she had been the one to fight Centaur rule and lead the elves into victory when they had almost lost their freedom. All the great things she had achieved made Erinna feel a bit inadequate.

"Yes, me and my mistress we sent back za Centaurs to where zer came from," Xander said proudly. He had really loved Enai; the only time that he was animated was when he was talking about her. She had her work cut out for her if she was ever going to get him to respect her half as much.

"Well, if you had come with me, we could have done a great thing tonight. We broke Vlad's curse."

"Great thing would have been to trap it in za tombs and leave it to starve for eternity," Xander drawled, clicking his pincers obnoxiously, the way that he did when Vlad was mentioned.

"You are terribly morbid, you know. If you and Vlad spent more time together, you would find much in common," she told him, fluffing the pillows the way that she had seen the maids do.

It didn't look altogether shabby. Maybe there was hope for her if the Countess thing did not work out.

"Kill us now, princess," Xander groaned, making Erinna laugh.

"So you would really rather I not break his curse?"

"Za world is bigger zan your vampire. You waste your powers, focusing all your attention on him. So much more you can do."

"Like what, Xander?" She asked, because she really wanted to know.

It was not like the job came with a manual. All she could really do was work with what was given to her and the situations that presented themselves to her.

"You figure it out. You not too foolbrained, traitor princess."

Not an answer, but he was done talking. His snores were not because he had suddenly fallen asleep amidst their conversation but because he was dismissing her.

Erinna undressed and went into the shower so that she could wash off the scent and dust of the Great Pyramid off her. When Vlad came, he immediately joined her. Erinna turned around, looping her arms around his neck with a bright smile on her face.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

"The warlock. Apparently you promised him that he would work for us." His eyebrow twitched up in question, his dark eyes looking into hers.

Erinna rolled her eyes.

"He's so presumptuous. I told him that I would ask you."

"Then he's more perceptive than most," Vlad said, taking the sponge from Erinna and washing her from where she'd left off. She sighed in relief because she was not all that keen on bending. Her back was not too happy with her after their adventures at the Sphinx.

"Perceptive how?" She asked, allowing him to turn her so that he could wash her back. Every touch seared her but his hands didn't linger, leaving her frustrated and wanting.

"Because he figured out that I can't say no to you."

Erinna scoffed. "You say no to me all the time."

"Only when it's for your own good." He kissed her neck and bit hard enough to make her gasp.

The speed with which Vlad washed her made Erinna laugh. Someone was definitely in a hurry. After she was clean, he moved to himself, applying the same brisk and movement efficient tactics. Erinna wanted to help but knew that her back would not have it. Lying on hard, solid rock at the Sphinx had not been such a wise decision.

But there was something to be said about watching the water beat down on Vlad's shoulders and muscular chest even though she couldn't touch. Yet.

He had really great shoulders, broad and capable. The ink of the protection symbols on his chest appeared dark and they appeared to move underneath his skin as water cascaded down his torso. The veins in his arms stood out on a body that embodied everything male and everything virile. On the outside, he looked like every other warrior who imposed strict discipline on his body but there was nothing ordinary about him. Erinna had seen what those hands could do.

It was probably nature's joke that someone so beautiful on the outside could wreck so much destruction and violence. But perhaps that made it easier to lure his prey because a lot of people underestimated Vlad and the lengths he would go to to get what he want. Erinna had once been one of those people, too blinded by her own sense of right to pick up on the subtle nuances of power and malice that he projected.

But there wasn't any malice on Vlad's mind that day. No, there was something else. Something darker, sweeter and more addictive than any delicacy fashioned by the hands of men or gods. Desire. He was not even trying to hide it, it hung thick between them, leaving Erinna's mouth dry and her body aching for him.

She was supposed to be dealing with her hair but she could not take her eyes off Vlad. He looked so edible. Even doing such a mundane thing as showering, he managed to ooze raw, animal sexuality and magnetism. His aura was cloaked by an ancient power that no other could mimic.

Her eyes followed the trail of water down his chest, casting down the valley of his defined pectorals to the well-defined abdominal muscles that begged to be touched. Or licked. Or both.

When she raised her eyes from the dizzying site of Vlad's incredible body, his eyes were on her, a devilish smirk on his lips. Of course he had been watching her drooling all over him.

Erinna covered her face which was now on fire for being caught red-handed. Vlad's deep, rumbling chuckled filled the air and his hands encircled her wrists, pulling them from her face.

"You can look, it's yours."

He kissed the inner palm of her right hand then bit it. Erinna swayed a little on her feet. Now that Vlad's full attention was on her, her body was going insane, all her nerve endings firing at once and clouding her mind.

"Why do you have to look so good? You make me look wanton but it's all you," she whined, leaning into his so that she could feel all that smooth skin and hard body against her. Now that she had been caught, there was no more need to hide her lascivious intentions. She might as well take advantage.

Her response seemed to amuse Vlad even more.

"So in other words you can't help yourself?" He asked, his arms going around her.

"Mmmm," she mumbled, kissing his collarbone.

And since her mate couldn't really resist her either, when she drew back to look at him, his eyes were scarlet and he smashed his lips onto hers. It was exactly what Erinna had wanted and she pushed herself closer to him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. Their bodies molded together as their mouths devoured each other.

Vlad's taste was clean and fresh with no embellishments but it left her dizzy and wanting more. She kissed him deeper, her hands roaming over his body. He filled her senses, obliterating awareness of anything that was not him. Every kiss felt like torture and every bite like hell. But it was a hell she craved. This was something she would never stop needing.

Vlad's hands wandered down her waist to span the small of her back. Erinna's knees went molten when he pulled her into him. There was no way that she was going to be able to stand for much longer. She was feeling too much, way more than she had ever felt in her life. Everything was heightened by the adrenaline and power still flowing through her veins and begging for an outlet.

But it was not just the adrenaline, it was her feelings too. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, swirling with love, need and desire. It was like a floodgate that had been closed was finally open. Like she had been afraid to give him everything in her before, in case it all got ripped away.

But Vlad was hers now and there was no going back. All the curses in the world hadn't been strong enough to destroy this beautiful thing between them.

He seemed to realise this too because his kisses were harder and more possessive as if he was trying to claim her all over again. There was no need because Erinna had been lost from the moment she had accepted him. There would be and could be no one else.

"Vlad," she moaned against his lips desperately when he let her breath, his lips moving to her jaw.

Erinna tipped her head back, her senses overwhelmed by the sheer force of his power. It expanded in the room, leaving the atmosphere crackling with energy. Her own power rose out to meet it, something beyond them and bigger than both of them taking place.

"You're so responsive to me," Vlad said, his voice deep with possessive pride.

"Can't stand," Erinna told him, her breathing labored.

Wanting something, Erinna wrapped her arms around Vlad's neck, drawing up on her toes to get closer to him and kiss him deeper. Vlad walked her away from the stream of water until her back was pressed against one wall of the wall of the shower. She clung to him, wanting to climb all over him but also not wanting to see if she could actually still do it with this watermelon she now carried around.

"You are intoxicating, you know that? I can feel your power like it's mine right now," Vlad said, nibbling on her jaw.

Erinna's insides squeezed, her nerve endings firing up with ecstasy. Oh this man. Was there something she wouldn't do for him?

"It's yours. I'm yours," she told him.

She had been so scared for months that things would spill out of control and she would end up killing him even against her will. To feel those shackles fall off was unlike anything. Erinna kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Diana to come out jumping and laugh in her face for being so naïve as to have faith.

"Did it really work?" She asked, grabbing Vlad's face between her hands so that she could look into his eyes. "How can we know? The other time I thought it did but-" She broke off to close her eyes that were tearing up as she remembered the false hope of Silvercrest. She could not go through that again.

"Let me show you."

Vlad kissed her wet lashes, then trailed his lips down to kiss her lips softly and sensuously. Sweet tingles of desire raced down Erinna's nerves all the way to her fingertips and toes. Her hands went to his chest to anchor herself, holding onto him as destroyed her world and redefined it.

As Vlad kissed her, Vlad passed the images of what had happened to him at midnight when she had freed Daniel. There were no visible sparks of magic or anything dramatic but Erinna felt the change within him.

It was like a barrier had been removed, bands of energy that had been around for so long that he had stopped feeling them. Only when they had been removed, was it obvious how much he had been restrained. Even the landscape of his mind had changed. The death, darkness and desolation that she always saw and felt when she was in there was gone.

In its place were the forever moving waters of the ocean under a midnight sky. It was nowhere near the fruitful and bright piece of paradise of her own mind but it was a starting point. Water was the sign of life and Vlad had so much life ahead of him.

Relief, joy and hope welled up in her, feeling with warm feelings that she just wanted to share with Vlad. She kissed him harder, her right hand cupping his chiseled jaw and the other going around his waist to the scarified skin on his back.

"I need to be with you now," he said as he moved to kiss and nibble on her jaw.

"Yes," she agreed breathlessly. She wanted him so much.

Vlad pulled back, to look into her eyes. The hunger and possessiveness she saw in him left her breathless. Her knees trembled, her joints suddenly feeling weak. Blood pooled in one place in her body, leaving her lightheaded. There were so many things she wanted to do to him, with him.

Vlad's brow furrowed, as if he was making a decision he didn't like.

"Not in the shower. It's too dangerous now with the baby."

Before Erinna could blink, she found herself landing on the bed. She chuckled as she bounced on the soft mattress, soon followed by Vlad's body over her. He placed mouth just underneath her rounded belly, then kissed his way up. The baby kicked in what seemed to be irritation, making Erinna laugh.

"Do you think the baby knows what's happening?"

"If he does, he should know this would be the polite moment to plug his ears now."

He made love to her sweetly and intensely, giving her all she wanted and all she had never known she wanted. Even after they were done, Erinna's body was still trembling with aftershocks from her orgasm. It felt like she was still at the Sphinx, caught between the electromagnetic waves of the pyramid and the sheer sexual magnetism that was Vlad.

Vlad tucked her body into his, so that her back was plastered against chest and his arm spanning her stomach. It brought a wave of warmth and comfort that she would never take for granted. He massaged her stomach, kissing her hair and the back of her neck for a few minutes.

"I adore you, you know that? You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

The love, awe and adoration in his voice grabbed her heartstrings and tugged. Wanting to see his face, Erinna shifted her position so that they were both now lying on their sides, their faces close to each other. This close, she could see every detail in Vlad's eyes. He was the only person she knew who had purely one eye color. Most people's eyes were at least bicolored or scattered with with some yellow flecks but not Vlad's. His eyes were solid black.

Looking into their depths felt like drowning. Not because she could see into his soul or anything else that people said about eyes being the window to one's soul but because his gaze was just intense. It pierced into you, dug deep and shredded. Vlad could make her feel naked even when she was fully clothed.

She reached for his hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the cold skin of his palm. Because she was close, she saw the slightest shift in his eyes. Just a hint of red before it was swallowed by the black again.

"And now I get to keep you forever now. Because of your sacrifices. How do I ever repay that?"

His eyes were tormented and his expression serious as he asked her the question. If not for his words and the sincere gratitude that she could feel from him through their bond, she would not have been able to place where his head was at.

Their bond told her what he could not put into words. It made Erinna's heart mist over because Vlad did not think he had been worthy of the sacrifice. But he was wrong. She would do it and more a thousand times again. No price was too great for his life. So she told him that.

"You don't need to repay me. You are my life. I would do it all over again."

Somehow this was not the answer Vlad was looking for and a flicker of irritation crossed his face.

"No, stop being gracious all the time. Be honest with me, tell me what you want. For once be selfish."

He wanted to know that there was something he could do to be worthy of this second chance but in her eyes he was already deserving. She didn't want him to pay in money or good deeds for his freedom.

"This was the most selfish I have ever been. Tonight I chose to keep you despite knowing how many people I might be damning."

That seemed to finally be the right thing to say. Vlad's eyes became more intense, looking at her with fierce possessiveness.

"You chose me," he said.

This time when he kissed her, there was raw passion and unrestrained hunger. His hands scorched her, his tongue owned her and his words undid her.

Goodness lord, she wanted to eat the man alive. Erinna pulled him closer and wrapped her leg tighter around his waist. Her hands went into his hair, pulling and tugging it as she kissed him deeper, wanting to be a part of him. Her body was shaking with need and it felt like her heart was trying to pound right out of her chest.

When she couldn't breathe anymore, Vlad broke the kiss, his mouth moving down to suck on her mark whilst his hand massaged her side. Erinna threw her head back, giving him more access to her neck. It felt like all her nerves had gathered to that one place and her mate being the vampire he was, knew how to stroke them to life.

Needy desperate hunger consumed her, reducing her to monosyllables.

"Please, please, Vlad."

She begged, not knowing what she was asking for. Her brain and body just knew that whatever it was, it was going to come from him. Her pleas seemed to set something free in Vlad. He made a strange guttural sound he really let loose on her. He dug his fangs into her neck and right on her mark, sucking his blood with a hunger and ferocity that instantly had her peaking.

Her mind blanked and she was washed into a sea of pleasure. It felt like drowning and it felt like coming alive but still she held onto him. There were tears, there was a lot of screaming but Erinna was too out of it to deny that they might have been coming from her. Vlad bit into her harder, moaning something in his throat as he pulled her essence from her body.

"Open your eyes, let me see," Vlad said when he finally pulled his teeth from her neck.

Too drowsy and too satisfied, Erinna opened her heavy lidded eyes and looked at him. Vlad's eyes were completely red and the hunger in them speared through her, awakening something that she thought had been appeased.