"Bless you, mistress. Bless you."
Caught and held by the smoldering fire in Abby's eyes, the witch stepped slowly forward. Dante frowned as Abby wrapped her arms about the woman. What the hell was the Phoenix up to?
He heard Viper and the Shalott groaning behind him, but his gaze never wavered from Abby as she closed her eyes and tilted back her head.
For a moment there was nothing.
Just the pulsing blackness that clutched at him with the promise of death. And then, from seemingly nowhere, there was a violent explosion.
Dante flew backward to land with a jarring impact against a mold-slick wall.
His ears were ringing, and he was fairly certain his brain had become dislodged. But amazingly he wasn't dead.
At least not yet.
Giving his head a shake to clear the fog, he frantically searched through the thick smoke that filled the air. A sharp fear flared through him as he realized the encroaching darkness had been seared away.
And even more frightening, the leash that had held him prisoner for the past three centuries had been sharply severed.
He was free. But at what cost?
No.
HeH no.
He wouldn't believe Abby was dead. He couldn't believe it.
Scrambling on his hands and knees, he crossed the dirt floor to the last place he had seen Abby. It took less than a handful of seconds to move the short distance, but to Dante it seemed an eternity passed.
At last his searching hand encountered an outstretched arm. He gritted his teeth as he forced himself to touch the satin-soft skin.
A touch was enough.
He could feel her soul.
She was alive.
His head briefly touched the cool floor before he was moving to gather her still form in his arms. He ignored the mess that lay only a few feet away.
There was little left of Edra.
No doubt bits and pieces were scattered throughout the cellar. Certainly what was left of the charred lump couldn't possibly add up to a whole body.
A cold smile touched his lips.
It was a fitting end to the witch.
"Abby." He buried his face in her hair, holding her far too tight.
He felt her stir, and he pulled back to watch the brilliant blue eyes open.
"Dante?" Her face was covered in soot, her hair was singed, and there was blood on her chin.
And she had never looked so beautiful.
He pressed a careful kiss to her peeling lips.
'You did it, lover," he husked. 'You put an end to the spell."
"Not me." Her voice was raw and raspy, as if her throat had been burnt. "The Phoenix. It wouldn't let itself be used to destroy without cause."
"Sssh. We'll discuss it later. For now all that matters is that you're alive."
The faintest smile touched her mouth. "And still a goddess."
He gave a soft chuckle. "So it would seem."
"Will you worship me?"
He brushed his lips on the dark bruises that marred her beautiful skin.
"Lover, I intend to worship you every night for the rest of eternity."
Epilogue
Two weeks later, Abby was lying on the bed in Dante's lair, watching as he carefully lit the candles he had placed about the room.
The witches had fled or been buried after Edra's death, bringing an end to the coven. Not a great loss to Abby, considering they intended to use her as some sort of catalyst for Armageddon.
Granted, she was now stuck carrying a mystical spirit, but she was becoming much better at disguising her powers from those who would like to see her dead, and there were a number of benefits to being a Chalice.
Not the least of which was the promise of an eternity with Dante.
Above them, Selena's mansion was slowly being reconstructed, complete with tinted windows and a new library for Dante's vast collection of books. And, of course, the newer travel catalogues that he had ordered for Abby.
For their honeymoon, Dante had promised to take her around the world.
But first they would share the ceremony that would make them truly mates.
Stirring on the pillows, Abby tugged at the black satin sheet that was all that covered her naked body.
'1 get that Selena and Edra were in a power struggle to decide who would be allowed to rid the world of demons and become some sort of demigod," she murmured in lazy tones. "But I still don't understand why they waited so long to try and use the spell. You would think as soon as Selena became the Chalice they would have tried to flex their mojo."
Lighting the last of the candles, Dante turned to face her with a lift of his brow.
"Mojo?"
Her breath caught.
Wearing nothing more than a black silk robe and his hair framing his alabaster face, he looked every inch the wicked pirate.
Yum. Yum. Yum.
With an effort, she battled her attack of lust. 'You know what I mean."
He shrugged. "From what I could discover among Edra's writings, it seems they were waiting for the stars to be in proper alignment."
"Oh."
"Clearly they didn't realize that the Phoenix possessed a mind of its own and that it would destroy anyone seeking to use it for such evil."
Abby shuddered. She still had nightmares of her time in the cellar with Edra.
"Not until too late."
"Enough, lover," he soothed. "We aren't going to ruin our night with thoughts of the witches."
No, they most certainly were not, Abby agreed, her gaze running over the perfect male body.
"You are looking way too sexy for anything to ruin the evening."
The silver eyes blazed as he moved to place himself on the bed beside her.
"How sexy?"
Abby smiled as she helpfully tugged the robe off. "Surely at your age you wouldn't be fishing for compliments? "
"I can't use a mirror to reassure myself, so I must depend upon you."
With the robe tossed onto the floor, Abby ran her hands over the smooth perfection of his back.
"Well, I suppose I won't be kicking you out of my bed any time soon."
His fangs flashed in the candlelight. Suddenly he looked incredibly exotic and every inch a vampire.
"Our bed," he softly corrected.
Her heart halted as she gazed into the silver eyes.
"Our bed."
With a slow motion, Dante pulled the sheet aside to allow the cool air to rush over her bare skin.
"Are you prepared?"
Her hands tightened on his back.
With the death of Edra, the spell that prevented Dante from being able to drink human blood had been broken. He was now a fully functioning vampire.
And anxious to complete the ceremony that would bind them together.
She gave a firm nod. "I'm ready."
Easing himself on top of her, Dante settled between her legs. Then gently he brushed her hair from her neck.