Gareth had seen many men conspire in many ways to gain wealth or power. He trusted Millicent’s senses, for shape-shifters were known for their ability to sniff out magic, especially predators—the master of the Hall of Mages employed the baronets as spies exactly for that reason. So he believed the box and its contents carried no magic… and besides, he did not think Ghoulston would be so foolish as to try to put a spell upon the queen. He also doubted that the duke would poison the queen… it would gain him little. Unless he could manage to put a doppelgänger in her place… but it would be too difficult to keep up such a charade for very long. Doppelgängers were difficult to control, often prone to their own evil desires…

“But there has to be something unique about that box. And I believe we might be able to find out what it is.” Gareth stood and pulled on his clothing.

Millicent watched him with an appreciative gaze. He liked the way she looked at him. Like a cat would look at a tasty mouse.

“How? Because I must get Nell out of here, Gareth. Ghoulston has threatened her one time too many. I cannot keep risking her, and she refuses to leave until we discover what the duke is up to. Although why Nell should care about what happens aboveground is beyond me.”

He turned, studied her face until she blushed. “Do you truly believe that? Do you hold such a disregard for the world above?”

“They have never cared about us, or what happens down here.”

He leaned down and caressed her pink cheek with the back of his hand. “Because most of them think you are a myth, my dear. You know the sorcerers have gone to great lengths to keep this place a secret. And perhaps those aboveground do turn a blind eye onto what happens down here, but do you not realize that both places are intertwined? What happens above can affect the Underground.”

She threw up her hands, displacing the sheet about her upper body, a puddle of satin forming around her hips. “I don’t know what has happened to me! I have always minded my own business, and except for Nell, have made sure to keep independent of all others. I go my own way. I take care of myself. It has kept me from harm since I was a little girl. And now…”

“You have become involved in things larger than the shell you created around yourself,” he finished for her. “Is it so very bad, my lady? Do you regret so strongly that I have entered your life?”

She sighed, the anger draining from her as quickly as it had come. His mercurial cat-lady.

“No, my dear knight. Despite all the complications… I have never felt so alive before. Loving you has been a gift I could never regret, no matter what happens.”

Gareth understood her unspoken words. As far as Millicent was concerned, they had little hope of a happy future together. She feared he would resent her for keeping him trapped in the relic, or that he might be turned to dust if the curse were broken. No wonder she could not fully love him. She would be risking too much of her heart, and he could not blame her.

But he could not let her go, either.

He handed Millicent her chemise. “I have shown great restraint, my lady, but if you do not cover yourself now, I shall not be able to resist caressing those perfect breasts much longer, and then it shall be another hour until we have our answers.”

She cocked her head, midnight hair spilling over pale shoulders, as if she seriously considered delaying. “Blasted cat,” she finally muttered. “My penchant for curiosity is most inconvenient.” And then she pulled the chemise over her head.

* * *

Gareth gently tugged the rope of the bellpull. The embroidered decoration he had ripped off when he had yanked it too hard before still lay on the table. It felt like such a long time ago, when he had first come to this room with Millicent, and Selena had helped them escape. He should have known they would wind up right back where they started, what with baronets and the duke’s minions chasing after them.

He finger-combed his hair back from his face, took off his belt, and set it next to the embroidered scrap of fabric. He did not want Selena to feel threatened in any way. After further thought, he removed his surcoat and tunic, tossing them over a carved mahogany chair, his nipples tightening from the chill in the room. He would not bare his chest for most women, as it would decidedly put them off until they were abed. But Selena was not most women. Subtlety would get him nowhere.

A thump came from behind the closed bedroom door, a low growl following it. Gareth sighed, hoping Millicent would be able to keep Nell and Ambrose quiet while he spoke with Selena. He did not wish to explain the sprite’s presence, nor did he want the were-bat reminded of the others in the next room. He wanted all of the woman’s attention upon him.

The door to their luxurious prison ground opened and the vamp stood there gazing at him, armed guards shadowing her back. Selena’s black eyes glittered in the candlelight. “So, you have finally managed to seduce the were-cat. I daresay it took you long enough.”

Gareth lowered his voice suggestively. “I’m sorry to disappoint, lady, but that is not why I summoned you.”

Her eyes widened, and she licked her lips, taking a step forward into the room. One of the guards who stood behind her grunted, and she halted just past the threshold. “Then why did you call me? His Grace is aboveground and—”

Gareth shook his head, his hair scraping his shoulders. “I do not wish to speak with Ghoulston. I want to see you.”

Her gaze roamed his chest, and she licked her lips yet again.

Gareth strode forward. “You have been avoiding me. You come only when I am within the relic.” The guards bristled, and Gareth stopped within touching distance of her. “What have I done to make you fear me?” he murmured.

Her spine snapped erect. “I do not fear you.” She turned and waved dismissively at the guards. “Wait for me outside. I require some privacy.”

The big red-haired guard glared warningly at Gareth from over Selena’s head while he reached for the niche holding the statue. Gareth returned the man’s look with a smile as the stone door closed.

Selena arranged her skirts on a settee upholstered in burgundy-striped satin and melted back against the cushions, her eyes hooded and lips parted.

Gareth kept his smile glued to his face and sat next to her. “How have you been, my lady?”

“Bored, bored, bored. His Grace will not allow me to accompany him aboveground, and without his… games, there is little to do.”

Gareth reached out and curled a length of her hair about his finger. He could not help but compare it to the texture of Millicent’s black silky locks, which were finer and smoother. “Why won’t he allow you to go with him?”

She made a face. “I scare those above. Can you imagine?”

He shook his head. “Nay. Surely your beauty would make you the belle of any soiree.”

She preened, then glanced suspiciously around the room. “Where’s the cat and the bird?”

“Asleep.” He traced a finger across her cheek. It lacked the rose-petal softness of Millicent’s. “As you see, I am bored too.”

“No doubt. Although I don’t imagine a frigid cat and a crotchety bird are proper company when they are awake. I can only imagine how frustrated you must be.” And she grinned, exposing all those pointy teeth.

Gareth suppressed a shiver, remembering how those teeth felt sinking into his skin. But he must go to great lengths to get Selena to tell him of Ghoulston’s plans, for only then could he devise a way to untangle Millicent and Nell from the duke’s schemes. Even if it meant giving up some of his life’s blood.

He arched his neck in offering.

Selena shuddered and backed away from him.

Gareth frowned, different pieces of a puzzle twisting inside his head. He covered his blunder by tracing his hand down her neck to the mounds of flesh exposed by the bodice of her gown. She leaned into his hand and he spread his fingers, absently caressing her flesh.

“I am sure you can think of many ways to relieve our boredom,” she breathed.

“Indeed.” Gareth hid his revulsion. How odd, that he would be willing to give his blood, but cringed at the thought of bedding her. But the idea of someone other than Millicent in his arms made him feel… empty. He prayed words would suffice. “Perhaps you would like to hear of the many ways I can pleasure a woman.”

Her black eyes sparkled. “Oh, yes.”

He launched into a detailed description of a lover from decades ago who had a taste for the exotic, while his mind tried to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Fear had passed across Selena’s face when he had offered to feed her. Why? He remembered that she had acted strangely when she had fed from him before, her lust for him turning into a mindless infatuation.

The Duke of Ghoulston had taken a cup of his blood.

And then he had given Millicent a gift for the queen.

Ghoulston wanted power and position.

By the time he finished his tale, Selena’s eyes had turned glassy, her pupils dilated and her breath coming hard and fast.

“I knew you would like that story,” whispered Gareth, leaning closer to her.

“Such ingenuity,” she murmured, stroking his bare chest. He remembered how Millicent had touched him, with tenderness and longing, as if the were-panther had tried to memorize the feel of him.

Selena scraped her nails across his skin possessively.

“Show me how you managed that position,” she whispered.

“Shall I? I am not sure you have the courage for it, lady.”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”