Or maybe not. She internally cursed herself. Had she not learned a single thing? Who knew why Kelvin was here, and her shattered heart was by no means mended just because he'd shown up and turned himself over to her clan. The enemy clan. No... his nobility and self-sacrificing stunt would gain him no ground with her. Not in the least.

"You go ta him, and there's no turning back." She heard the warning in Ramsey's tone, as if speaking from experience, and knew he was right. If she continued her quest down this corridor, she would come into view of the Pookah. She'd see his piercing eyes, hear his deep voice, smell his spicy, masculine scent.

Her whole being urged her to go to him. The same force that had pushed her to Kelvin since the first time she had laid eyes on him had not relented. Would one look from the man that held her soul send her sad, empty house of cards crashing to the floor? If he gazed at her with that raw ferocity that made her pulse stutter, would she be able to deny him?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Ramsey sigh loudly. "I am in no way equipped ta give advice, nor tell ya what ta do." He looked at her with such concern, eyes laced with the kind of worry a parent might have for a child. "It's gonna hurt, lass... badly."

Since the day she'd come here, Ramsey had been the only person who didn't look at her with contempt, sneering at her shortcomings. He simply informed her of what was to happen and allowed her free rein. "Thank you, Ram." She gripped his hand, giving it a friendly squeeze.

A terrifying roar came from down the hall. Izel dropped her hand from Ramsey's as if his had burned her skin.

Looking over his shoulder Ramsey yelled, "Oh, come on, Pookah. Really?" He looked back at her, shrugging, and stepped out of her way. "Maybe you can go calm that beast."

"What happened? Is he hurt?" She stepped forward.

"Nay, he's just pissed ya touched me."

Her confused gaze landed on Ramsey. "What? How? He can't even see us, not that it matters. I mean, I don't even-"

"I'm gonna have ta stop ya there, lass, since it sounds like you're about to accidentally insult me," he said with a grin.

She smiled. "You know what I mean."

"Aye. Now. Can you please go do something about that boar? He's making the whole castle shake with his tantrums."

She rolled her eyes, but as soon as Ramsey walked away, leaving Izel alone and mere yards from the Pookah, a hot dose of angst shot through her. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she followed the bellowing and stepped into the dim hall.

The soft footfalls of his female's steps crept closer... slowly... slowly. The suspense tormented him. Kelvin ached to see her, to touch her. Although she was hidden by the shadows, he could scent her. And not only that, he smelled himself on her, inside her. Masculine pride soared through him.

My mate.

He shook his head hard, fighting against the night and his instincts fervently. His mind and body were constantly battling within him. She stepped from the shadows, and his breath hitched.

So beautiful. So mine...

"Izel." He gripped the bars, willing himself to control his manic thoughts. The ones that were currently screaming to claim his female, to roar and fight for her.

She lifted her face into the dim glow of a nearby sconce. Her eyes filled yet she held back her tears. The mere sight of her was drugging. He made himself go still... refusing to give in to this addiction. Her haunted eyes stared beyond him. Pain assailed him, aching in his chest at her expression. She was hurting.

Her gaze wouldn't meet his, rather it quickly roamed over his features and went back toward the floor as if she couldn't allow herself to look upon him.

I've done this to her.

Kelvin wanted to gut himself. How could he have allowed this to happen? He'd known the whole time she was his, and yet he'd denied it, fought it. And now, in the end, she suffered. He had planned to plead his case, to relentlessly argue for her forgiveness. To war, fight, submit. Whatever she wanted he would do to make this right. But standing before her in this bleak cell he realized she was too far out of his league.

No matter what he attempted, he would never be good enough for her. He could only hope to protect her: the prophecy of her death was not an option. And if he couldn't change her fate with magic, he'd change it by meeting any being that meant her harm with the steel of his blade.

When she whispered his name, he sank to his knees, his hands sliding down the bars. Her delicate, broken voice was like a slap to the face. Bowing his head, he took a deep breath, letting despair wash over him.

"I'm sorry, love."

Izel looked down at Kelvin. She had been stupid to think she could handle this. With each step she had taken, the memory of his betrayal, the sting of his lies burned into her. All her concentration couldn't produce an expressionless face. She knew she wore her pain like a flag-could tell by the Pookah's reaction.

He was a proud warrior. An immortal leader of a fierce army. A man who had never surrendered, even when facing torture or defeat. And yet this same man was on his knees before her, groveling.

"Please, lass." He beseeched.

Her teeth gnashed with her pain. "You think you have the right to me? After everything?"

"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "I have no right ta you. My offenses are too great." He looked up at Izel, and for the first time since emerging from the shadows, she met his eyes. "I beg you ta take retribution on me." Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Was he asking her to hurt him?

She shook her head, "I will do no such thing. I... you-"

"You must!" he said sharply. "I would beg for death, but I must live ta protect you. I trust no' other than myself ta see ta your safety."

Rage washed over her and she stepped closer to the bars. "My safety? My safety!" Red covered her vision. "Get up!" she screamed. "Get up and get out!"

He hadn't come for her. He'd come to assuage his own guilt. Not love, not even desire, but safety. And she thought he'd already delivered the worst of the blows at the tower. The tears she tried to keep at bay came spilling onto her cheeks.

She saw Kelvin clench his jaw as if the sight ailed him. "No," he said calmly, remaining on his knees. "I'm no' leaving without you."

Anger continued to flare through her. All the emotions she'd pushed away these past days came rushing to the surface. The horror and embarrassment she'd felt that morning when she turned to Kelvin with trust, only to have found dishonesty. She choked on a sob.

She wanted to hit him. To curse him and hate him. She wanted him to stand up and fight with her. To scream back.

"How could you do that to me?" she shrieked, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to talk around the tears.

Brows drawn and knuckles white on the bars, Kelvin looked as if he were in physical pain, and that made her ire skyrocket. Was the big bad Pookah upset? Oh, how hard it must be to watch a pathetic little female cry. How horrible he must feel!

"I said, get up!" she yelled again, banging on the bars before wrapping her fists around them. She shook against the cold steel violently. "Get up! Face me! You're so strong, huh?" She kicked a bar. "Prove it!" Her face was hot with hatred.

Not hatred for him. If she truly hated Kelvin Kerr, she wouldn't be this upset. It was herself she hated. Hated that she loved him the way she did. Hated that he'd hurt her. Hated that she had allowed him to hurt her.

The Pookah shook his head, remaining on his knees. "I'm no' worthy ta face you."

His humility hit her like a blow to the stomach, making her bawl even more. She needed to loathe him. She needed him to be stubborn and relentless. To blame this whole thing on someone or something else, but he wouldn't. He knelt there before her, taking sole responsibility.

With her whole body trembling, she fell to her knees. She was lost. With only the bars between them, she lifted her gaze to his. "Please," she sobbed. "Please make this stop."

Chapter 27.

Kelvin ground his teeth. This was more torturous than anything Andrew Thompson could have devised. He watched, helpless, as his female broke down, all the while begging for it to end. He placed his hands over hers. Both of them gripping the bars, she looked at the ground.

"I want it back," she murmured, sniffling.

He tilted his head, wanting so desperately to take this pain from her; to redo these last weeks of his life. "What, love?" he gently cooed.

Her bright eyes were like shining emeralds through her wet tears. "My heart," she whispered, dropping her head and squeezing her eyes shut.

It felt like razors were slashing him from the inside. She had freely given him everything she was. That final night, she had trusted him with more than her body; she had trusted him with her heart. And not only had he taken it, but he'd shattered it. Memory of the Mystic's journal entry came flooding to his mind.

Her heart out of her own control...

He swallowed hard. He'd come here to fight for her. To win her back, but all he'd done was infuriate her, once again, by informing her of his duty. It's my responsibility to keep you safe, he had said.

How could I be so blind... so foolish?

Releasing her hands, he cupped her face in his palms.

"Izel," he whispered, coaxing her to look at him, "I am so sorry. I would do anything ta make this right with you. But"-he held her stare-"I will no' give you your heart back. That I will fight to keep for the rest of my days. I will never let you go." Her tears continued to silently fall. He brushed his thumbs against her cheekbones.

"Lass"-he drew her closer, bringing her lips only inches from his-"you have no' only my heart, but my soul. Everything I am, Izel... it's yours." He looked at her trembling chin just before pulling her mouth to his.

The taste of her sweet lips rocked him. God, how he'd missed them. Through the bars, he held her face and slanted his mouth over hers, thrusting his tongue past her teeth, drinking her in. Her quivering lips met his forcefully. He could feel her passion in her touch as she clutched his shoulders.

Softly sobbing, she clawed at him through the bars. He growled and ran one hand down her neck to her breasts. Kneading one, then the other, he was desperate, dying from intense longing for his mate. She gasped, and he felt her body begin to thrum.

Suddenly she yanked herself back. Before Kelvin could process the loss of her heated mouth, he felt the sting of her palm swipe across his face. Had the bars been any more than six inches apart, he had no doubt the blow would have left his jaw stinging.

An expression of satisfaction instantly crossed her face. He watched her plump lips press together as she raised an open hand and struck his cheek again.

He gritted his teeth but didn't stop her. He was so hard for her that upon the tingling burn of her slap, his cock only pulsed more.

"Feel better, lass?" he rasped.

She slid the back of her hand over her wet cheeks, wiping away the last of her tears. "No." Her voice was throaty, raspy from her screaming, and sexy as hell.

Still on his knees, he looked her body up and down, a consuming lust blazing through him. She obviously wanted to slap him again, undoubtedly thinking that he'd come to play with her feelings again. Her fury was so strong, Kelvin sensed its heat radiating off her flawless, glowing skin.

Dare he hope that he was the cause of this display of power?

She raised her hand to strike him again, but this time he caught her wrist before she connected the blow. Stunned and even more infuriated, she swung her other hand. With a quick swoop, Kelvin snatched her other wrist as well. She struggled, trying to get free, but he held her firm. When he yanked her by the forearms, the motion caused her breasts to push up against the bars.

He saw his female shiver and caught a glimpse of desire in her eyes. The contrast of their hot skin separated by the cool metal made him groan. He could no longer hold back. Finally he had his mate in his grasp, and he would never let her go again.

He bent his head and tasted her neck. She moaned in pleasure, but as if clinging to her pride, she continued to fight him. Each time she struggled, he retaliated by taking a nip or a lick at her throat. He pressed his body even closer, needing to feel her against him. His cock was so hard, he knew she could feel it prod at her belly between the steel bars. Her struggles ebbed, and he raised his head, delving his tongue between her lips once more.

Her cry against his open mouth made him growl. But when she met his kiss and tilted her hips toward him, seeking him, he knew she was surrendering. The feel of her hot body thrashing against the cold cell door had him out of his mind with lust.

He released her wrists but braced himself for her retreat and possible retaliation. Shock and awe flooded him when she gripped his shirt and drew him closer.

She was lost for him. Completely taken over by this man and loving it. God, how she wanted him. Her body felt as though it warmed from the inside out. A heat only he coaxed to the surface.

She wanted him to pay for what he'd done. Wanted him to miss her and long for her. She aspired to give him something he ached for, only to take it away. Yes; that was why she was doing this. That was why her hands were frantically pulling at his belt in an attempt to free his thick shaft.

His large hands tugged at her jeans. Ripping, tearing, and finally removing them. Without warning, he buried his hand between her legs. She cried out and instinctively rolled into his touch. He had trained her body to respond to him... only him.

In a guttural voice he rasped, "You are so wet for your male." He took her mouth fiercely again, sucking her lower lip between his teeth. His thick finger circled her clitoris, sending her into a frenzy of pleasure. Never ceasing his rubbing, he unclasped the fly of his jeans and shoved them to his thighs.

Her moans became constant as she teetered on the brink of climax. Right when she felt the beginning shudders of release creeping up on her, Kelvin, in one swift movement, spun her around and laced a brawny arm around her hips. Now on her hands and knees, he pulled her ass back against the cold bars, threading her calves between them. With his tight hold on her middle, she perceived him gripping his large shaft, and felt the broad head nudge her opening.

"Mine!" he cried out, shoving into her.

In one quick surge, he plunged to the hilt, and she felt complete. Unable to help herself she screamed, "Yes!" and arched her back in delight. The feel of him inside her was like coming home. This was where she was supposed to be... with her male, her body gloving his tightly. She wanted to weep with joy at the fullness.

"Mine," he growled again, driving his shaft even further. His strong hands gripped her hips and he hauled her body back as he thrust forward. As if he couldn't get close enough, deep enough.

"Kelvin!" she cried out, writhing against him. Her body flooded hot, and sharp tremors crawled beneath her skin as a powerful orgasm ripped through her body. She felt her sex clamp down on the thick cock inside her.

Kelvin seemed maddened. He clutched her waist tighter and fucked her impossibly hard. Her eyes widened from the shock of intense pleasure and her nails scraped against the floor. The sound of his hips banging loudly against the bars as he plunged into her over and over made her desperate for more.

She was panting, on the brink of another orgasm. She was powerless against it... against him. The Pookah sparked a fire in her, a hunger she couldn't deny. Unable to handle the force of her climax, she collapsed to her forearms as it overtook her. White lights blinked in front of her vision as she screamed and spiraled off a cliff of intense pleasure.

Kelvin yelled, and she felt his seed pump hotly inside her, branding her, claiming her. In that moment, she had never loved, and loathed, anyone more.

Chapter 28.

It took all of Izel's determination to stay away from the dungeon. Since her and the Pookah's episode, she had successfully avoided the prison for a full twenty-four hours. Sitting on her bed, head in her hands, she had all but locked herself away to keep from returning.

Her thoughts and her body were in a constant state of confusion, guilt, and... happiness? No, surely she couldn't be happy about what had happened. Kelvin had admitted he wanted her. So?

She had caught a glimpse of his own guilt and unleashed her fury on him.

She was his mate, and he had come to claim her. Crap.

Her emotions had spun out of control. The heavy devastation she'd been carrying somehow erupted in the face of the Pookah. Every time she'd raised her hand to him, in anger or otherwise, a knot inside had unfurled. It was as if she breathed easier when he was near. Felt more powerful just being in his presence.

They were bonded. Her life to his. Her mortal life. She had given him a death sentence the moment they'd made love. And now, despite his betrayal, she had given in to him again.

He's here. He came for me.

Despite his actions, she wasn't stupid enough to expect him to love her.