"WELL DONE, BROTHER," Lucian said, pulling up from his slouch and walking into the room clapping loudly. "You have saved the day as always!" The sarcastic amusement in his tone was evident. Christian looked merely curious that Lucian was even there, and Victoria stared at him with wary distaste. Lucian's saccharine tone irked her. She knew why he was here; he had come to finish his brother off, and he had also come in search of her ... to fulfill the prophecy that haunted him.

She watched in slow motion as he walked over to Gabriel's inert body and pressed his booted foot to his throat. He was still breathing. Locking eyes with Victoria, his face was cruel as he stepped with all his weight, breaking Gabriel's neck in seconds. The wet sound of crushed flesh and bone echoed in the room. Gabriel did not move. Lucian smiled with savage pleasure.

"No!" Victoria shouted. "You are sick! You really are a monster!"

"He attacked my brother."

"Strange that you weren't worried about your brother when I came to see you in Paris," Victoria said. "I warned you, Lucian."

"Warned me not to help my brother? You forget yourself," he said. Victoria looked at him with distaste.

"I can hardly forget that you were the one saying that if your brother was meant to die, then so be it. I also can't forget that you tried to kill me," she said, watching Christian's reaction out of the corner of her eye. She was not disappointed. He whirled in a fluid twist, his silver eyes like diamond chips and Lucian involuntarily backed up a step.

"What's this?" Christian asked, carelessly, like he was asking about the weather, but a muscle began its familiar movement in his jaw.

"Do you know what she is, brother?" Lucian said. "Of course you do, you played me for a fool and I listened to your song and dance about the prophecy not being about her, and that her blood was poison! You knew and you lied!"

"I did not lie, Lucian," he said. "Her blood was poison."

"You still protect her?" Lucian was snarling now. His overwhelming desire for Le Sang Noir impeded his better judgment, and his eyes were starting to go wild at Victoria's nearness, feeling the heat of the forbidden blood that surged so sweetly beneath the surface of her flushed skin. Such torment ... he could barely concentrate. It was so strange that he had never noticed it before until she had deliberately revealed it to him in Paris, and now it was like a tempting secret suddenly naked and exposed.

Christian watched Lucian, knowing the signs of the change intimately. He glanced around the room. Angie had wedged herself into a corner staring at them with unfocused frightened eyes as if she were watching something totally different in her head. She had moved Gabriel's body away from where Lucian had been standing and he lay just a few feet away from her. Her fist was pressed against her mouth as if to stop herself from screaming. Victoria was silent.

"Lucian," Christian said.

Lucian's long, lithe body started to lope with a familiar grace as the hunger spread through him, and he fought to control it. It was a losing battle.

"Lucian," said Christian roughly. "Snap out of it!" He tried to grab Lucian's shoulder and Lucian backed away ever so slightly, only to continue his frenzied shifting. "Lucian, that's what it does. I have seen it ... it lures you in and then it kills you. Trust me."

"Trust you?" Lucian's laugh was hollow and completely devoid of any humor. "I never should have trusted you. You couldn't stand to see me more powerful than you, that's why you hid it from me!" Christian looked at his brother's twisted face in stunned surprise.

"Is that what you think I've done? Saved you from a deathly mistake so that I could be more powerful than you?" Christian said slowly. Lucian's eyes were over-bright, and the truth of his feelings was clear as he glared murderously at Christian. "I left so that you could have the power you craved, to rule the House of Devereux as you wanted, not because I wanted to be more powerful than you!" Christian's body was rigid with disbelief at his brother's complete and utter hatred toward him. "We are brothers ..."

Lucian laughed humorlessly. "We are the furthest thing from brothers there ever was. Mother worshipped the ground you walked on. You were always the first. I only have the House because you left—"

"For you!" Christian said.

"You took Lena, you hid the prophecy from me, and now, her—"

"Lena?" Christian looked at Lucian like he was demented. "You have Lena!"

"But she has always wanted you, she was always yours, she still is!" Christian's eyes flew to Victoria's knowing that the turn in conversation would not be easy for her. Her face was inscrutable but he could see her white, clenched fingers.

"Lucian, what happened with Lena happened. I can't change the past. And if you wanted her so damned badly, you should have gone to the Council yourself," he said. Christian sighed and raked his hands through his hair. "What is this really about, Lucian? Le Sang Noir? You really think it's the answer to everything?"

"Yes." Lucian's voice was sulky.

"Well, it isn't, just ask her!" he said, looking over at Victoria.

It was entirely the wrong thing to do, and Christian cursed himself as soon as he said it. When he had been speaking to Lucian, he had unconsciously redirected Lucian's attention to himself and away from Victoria, but the second that he'd pointed toward Victoria, everything pivoted onto itself.

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Lucian snarled, dropping into a feral crouch, transformation complete as he became the hunter ... and his prey was Victoria. Christian shoved her behind him, and a low fierce roar tore from his chest as he faced his brother.

"Don't do it, Lucian," he growled. But Lucian didn't hesitate as he leapt with all his strength right at Christian, his hands connecting with his chest as they both went flying.

Christian barely had enough time to shove Victoria out of the way as Lucian snapped his teeth perilously close to her neck. He was unfamiliar with his newfound strength and she catapulted backward, her head cracking against the marble. She lay motionless on the cold floor, a thin trickle of dark blood dampening her hairline. The scent alone was enough to drive Lucian into a feeding frenzy as he whirled toward its source.

Christian twisted his body, wrapping his leg around Lucian's waist with enough leverage to flip him over, and held him down with the weight of his body. Lucian snarled even more ferociously as the terrible hunger clawed its monstrous way out of him; there was nothing human left inside of him. He threw a knee up into Christian's gut with brute force, heard him grunt in response, and then kicked with his other leg sending Christian somersaulting head over heels.

Lucian was on his feet in minutes, his teeth gnashing together in sheer rage at being thwarted, but the minute he turned to spring toward her motionless form, a bodily missile tackled him from behind. They rolled along the floor in a flurry of blows, their arms moving with silent and furious invisible speed. Christian sprang to his feet just as Lucian leveled a blow to his head that shattered the marble floor.

Christian was holding back because he wasn't sure that he could control the liquid heat inside of him, licking at his vampire senses like flames. Lucian lunged and landed a wallop that snapped Christian's head sideways. Christian answered with a vicious uppercut to Lucian's jaw and the crack resounded through the room as his jaw dislocated.

Within seconds, Lucian had re-aligned it and it healed into place even as he dived growling, his sharp nails slicing Christian's exposed chest. The wounds healed as expected and Christian swung around to counter his bloody attack, but Lucian was backing away slowly, watching him with an incredulous expression, his nostrils flaring. His eyes flicked from Victoria's still form to Christian in disbelief.

Confused, Christian looked down at his chest and touched the thin lines of blood that had welled along where Lucian had scratched him, a telltale blackly-red color smearing on his fingertip. He smelled it too, different now but still the same underlying cloying heady scent.

Lucian's incredulous expression had transformed to one of accusation and then his face hardened into a mask of freezing rage. Christian hesitated in shock as his vampire instincts responded to the sight of the blood that was his but not his. The hesitation cost him dearly as Lucian spun with inhuman speed and snatched Victoria's body to his.

He held her in front of him, his fingers around her slim neck as her head lolled unconscious to the side.

"You liar!" he snarled. "You took her blood, I can smell it in you."

"Lucian, don't!" Christian said. "I didn't take it. She gave it to me but she altered it first—" He couldn't finish because Lucian had started laughing uncontrollably, the sound harsh and terrible in the silence.

"Come on, Christian, face it," he said. "She's going to die and I am going to take her blood, same as you. We both wanted it from the minute we saw her, you just got to her first." His smile was cruel.

Christian could see Lucian's terrible teeth lengthening even more as his face contorted into a terrifying grimace, leaning over Victoria's exposed throat, his eyes never leaving Christian's. Christian half lunged and Lucian shook his head in warning, dropping his mouth an inch closer to her neck.

"Don't fight it, Christian," he said. "I want you to enjoy this."

In that moment, something burst within Christian. He didn't recognize it but it flooded his stomach and his heart with wild energy. It raced unhinged along his limbs tingling like tiny bolts of electricity responding to an unspoken command and pooling purposefully and then flowing back out again. Christian swallowed hard as the pulsing power took complete ownership of his limbs, and he felt a shiver of fear for what was happening, so devastatingly silent inside of him. Was this what Victoria talked about when she spoke about the energy of the blood?

It couldn't be ...

Cruentus protectum, it whispered in her voice. Defend the blood.

In a moment of sudden clarity, Christian realized what he had to do. One glance at Lucian, a hair's breadth away from Victoria's neck, and he made his decision. He let his walls fall.

Christian flinched as the strange magic slid into his consciousness. Its touch was curiously familiar. It felt like Victoria, the silent part of her that stared at him, shyly wondrous when she thought he wasn't looking, the quiet bit of her that tucked her hair behind her ears self-consciously whenever she saw him looking at her, and the calm side of her that lay curled up trustingly every night she fell asleep in his vampire arms.

He would trust it, and trust her, just like she'd always trusted him. He didn't fight it when it captured his conscious mind, wild with intent.

Blood magic.

Lucian's elongated fangs were at the skin of Victoria's neck when Christian stared at him, their silver eyes locking, only Christian's weren't silver any more ... they were the silvery black of a moonlit sky, and Lucian's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"Confuto," Christian's lips said, only it wasn't his voice, it was a whisper soft musical sound that took shape in his mouth. And Lucian obediently froze, staring at him in astonishment. "Libero," the voice continued, and Victoria's body floated gently down to the ground where she softly stirred but did not awaken. Lucian's eyes widened even more until he couldn't even bear to look at his brother. And still the voice continued in its musical softness, "Curo!" Lucian stared at Christian completely at a loss for words, he couldn't even move.

Release me, Christian! Lucian thought to him angrily, and then he paused. How is this even possible, you can't do magic! You're a vampire! And what the hell is wrong with your eyes?

It's the blood ... it's in my head, everywhere. Christian's voice was full of wonder but strangely calm. His mental voice sounded like his usual tone even though the voice that had come out of his mouth had distinctly not been his.

The blood? Lucian's response was skeptical.

Her blood in me, it's protecting her. From you.

That's impossible! Blood is not alive, it can't think for itself!

There are many things that are possible in this world, brother. And Le Sang Noir is one of the greatest of them. And as if he couldn't control himself, he continued his voice wondrous. You wouldn't believe the energy, the magic. It's so alive!

Lucian's eyes were unimpressed, imprisoned as he was by Christian's incantation in the first place. But the awe in Christian's voice brought back the feelings of righteous anger that Christian had taken the gift of Le Sang Noir while he himself had been deprived of it.

What happens next? Lucian asked flatly.

Christian didn't respond. He'd completely surrendered to the power of Le Sang Noir. The blood surged in his mind like a live being. This blood curse had a strength and power that seemed to thrive on sacrifice. He didn't even want to imagine what allowing the little bit that was inside of him to kill Lucian would do. Protecting Victoria had been the sole reason he had allowed it into his mind, it was something he had inexplicably understood, but now that she was safe, a vague sense of unease curled up his spine.

The blood surged in his head channeling most of its magic into the last healing spell it had directed at Victoria. It still had not released Lucian and he stared at Christian with a furious intensity. Christian could see the fear in his eyes behind the deliberate look of hate-filled defiance. Victoria stirred and Christian's heart lurched as he rushed to her side, for the moment forgetting his brother, stroking her forehead gently. Her eyes opened and she smiled as she focused on him—they were the color of warm jade, and for a moment Christian was mesmerized, lost in their balmy liquidity.

"Do you know your eyes are black," she whispered.

"What?" he said automatically, and then realized that Lucian had also mentioned something about his eyes earlier.

The blood heaved again and he felt its energy start to amass once more, just as it had before each spell it had recently cast. It threw him for a second before he realized exactly what was going to happen. His gaze jerked to Lucian, and he saw the answering panic reflected in his expression. Christian's breath came in small raspy gasps, the potency of the blood's desire was overwhelming—he wanted to kill Lucian like he had never wanted to kill anyone, not even at the most ferocious demands of his hunger as a just-turned vampire. The desire for his death was eviscerating.

"Tori!" he said, gasping. His voice was desperate, and Victoria became instantly alert to the alarm in his tone.

"What is it?" she said.

"Your blood inside me healed you but now it wants to k ... kill Lucian!"

Christian was on his knees grasping his stomach in unbearable pain, forcing himself not to look at his brother. Victoria looked completely shocked, and then touched her head, realizing that a spell that hadn't been of her own making had healed her head wound. She could still feel the remaining tackiness from the blood that had congealed in her hair, and she looked at Christian, recognizing that the healing spell had unbelievably come from his lips. And now it was her blood that held him darkly captive ... it had been in his eyes, wanton and blatant.

Now it wanted sacrifice, vengeance!

Christian's face was covered in a damp sheen of sweat as he battled to not even look at Lucian, whose own expression was one of unconcealed dread.

"Sectumcorpus," Christian whispered, and Lucian screamed in agony, the pain intensified by his complete inability to move. Victoria's face was frozen in horror as she watched the veins in Lucian's neck bulging from the fury of the offensive spell intended to disembowel its victim. She could see the blood trickling from his nose. Where had that spell come from? Her blood was lethal even when it wasn't inside of her, probably even more so somehow knowing that it was outside of her normal control!

"Libero," Victoria shouted, after a worried glance at Christian still clawing the floor and his belly, and Lucian, finally released from his magical prison, backed away his eyes wide and gasping as his body automatically regenerated.

Despite the fading pain, Lucian clenched his jaw as the enthralling allure of her scent had not diminished in any way. Still, he moved away even further, watching intently as she crouched next to Christian's heaving body. Christian's face was strained, the veins in his head and throat standing out in clear relief as he violently struggled for control.

"Run," he said. Run, Lucian!

Lucian didn't need to be told twice. After an inscrutable look at the two of them, he vanished in moments and the cavernous room was empty. They were alone. Victoria looked around, noticing that Angie had also gone, and hoped that she had gotten to safety.

Christian was hunched over, pain evident in every rigid line of his body. Even though Lucian had left, the blood still sought vengeance against the aggressor who had threatened it, and its will was incredibly strong despite the fact that most of its strength had been used to restore Victoria. It was awe-inspiring and terrifying, and Christian's body strained with the effort to contain its vicious will.

He couldn't believe the force of its control and though he fought it with every shred of his own vampire strength, Christian did not feel any lessening in its desire for punishment ... for sacrifice. It was rampant within him, fueled by its own desires and infecting his senses with its taste for death. Christian felt the soft touch of Victoria's hand and drew a deep, shuddering breath.

Victoria realized that her blood only recognized one master and even though it flowed temporarily in his veins, there was no way it would obey him. He had no power over it. With some terror, she knew that the blood magic would probably destroy Christian the more he fought against it, and would attempt to dominate him completely or kill him, whichever came first. Victoria squeezed his shoulder and focused, delving into the power of the amulet. She would have to kill the blood before it had a chance to do either.

"Cruentus immunis totus," she said, her voice unwavering as she spoke the words to exorcise the blood curse. She grasped his hands. The power surged from the amulet through her body to his, and she felt Christian's body heave responsively, his skin growing fiery hot to the touch as the rogue blood struggled against its own execution. His shoulders convulsed spasmodically and within seconds, he retched, regurgitating a thick, blackly red mass that was almost spongy in its consistency. It was revolting.

Christian fell back as the blood lost its alluring luster and rapidly congealed as it died. The syrupy scent of it lingered heavy in the air. Depraved, Christian still felt his darkest nature still involuntarily craving it like an addict. He looked away with effort. All he wanted was to get as far away from it as possible.

"We need to leave," he said, trying not to breathe as he pulled her to him.

"Yes," she said, as her legs gave out from beneath her and she grasped his shoulders for support, the room starting to spin. That last spell had been intense despite the amulet's help, and her knees buckled. Christian hooked an arm under her legs, cradling her against his body. She buried her face in the contours of his neck as they made their way out.

"Where are we going?" she said, as they exited to the quiet and deserted street level of the alley.

"We'll go to my apartment. It's near here," he said.

AT CHRISTIAN'S APARTMENT, Victoria felt shattered and confused. Other than a destroyed secret room, there was no visible evidence that any of the events had taken place. Everything seemed entirely too surreal—Gabriel's betrayal, Charla's murder, Enhard's death, and Christian's own possession by her demonic blood.

Surreal was the only word to describe it, and a part of her kept waiting to wake up from what she felt must be an impossible dream. But it wasn't a dream. People had died. She had killed some of them. Even Gabriel was dead. Her blood trilled softly and she shivered, turning toward the only comfort she knew.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked.

"Yes," Christian said, depositing them both on the sofa. "For as long as you need."

Forever, she thought.

Victoria nestled against his side and within minutes, he could hear her deep, even breathing. She was childlike in sleep, barely resembling the fierce fighter she'd been earlier. He frowned at the dark smudges under her eyes and rubbed his thumb across her cheeks as she sighed in her sleep, burrowing deeper into his side.

Memories of the night assaulted him, and Christian's head swam with unwanted images of Enhard as he bit back the hot wave of agony that filled him. He took several steadying breaths, and was unprepared for the sudden potent scent of Victoria's closeness.

It was unexpected. It was intoxicating.

It was torture.

The craving of his body for her blood was not unfamiliar, but what sickened him, was that despite knowing its demonic power, he still wanted it with a fervor that he could barely control. He remembered its thick, rich taste as it had flowed over his tongue and into the back of his throat like an elixir, so pure, that it had healed him in seconds. He had never dreamed of anything like it. Christian sighed wearily. He'd accepted the blood magic into himself knowing that it had been the only way to save Victoria from his brother. But its possession of him had been consummate.

He wondered if he could ever forget it. Or escape it.