I have never been more attracted to Cordelia than I am right now. I am so fucking proud of the progress she has made in her training; even though she sees the death of the animal as a tragedy, in time she will come to realize that this was merely the first step of her journey to the very top.

Even though I have tried to tell her in more ways than one, she has no idea how fucking powerful she is. What she can do with her mind is incomparable, even to a vampire.

The moment I was turned, I was transformed into the strongest and the fastest of the supernatural creatures. The ones on the top of the food chain, if you want to think of it that way.

Because of who my sire is, because of who I am...I am made to rule.

And if I am made to rule, Cordelia is made to stand beside me. To be my queen.

I just have to make her understand what it will take to make that happen. That's the part I'm not so sure about, and I know I have some making up to do for today. Not to mention whatever the hell I did the other day after our tryst on the couch that had her so upset.

Moving her hair aside, I lean forward and brush my lips over her jawline. "I know you're sad, coelhinha, and I'm sorry for how callous I was. It was inexcusable. Sometimes I forget human emotions after being a vampire for so long, and I hate that I hurt you."

She doesn't flinch away from my touch like I was afraid she would, and she glances up at me in the mirror before whispering, "Is that really all it was?"

"I know you don't feel the same, but I'll admit that I was proud of you for doing something so difficult with your power. My excitement over that got the best of me."

She leans into me a little, and that is all I need to know forgiveness will come sooner rather than later. I've never been quick to admit when I'm wrong, but for her, I can do that.

"Let me make it up to you. I'll have Ruth prepare your favorite dish, and I'm sure I can come up with other ways to show you I'm sorry."

She inhales sharply and breaks eye contact with me, busying herself with washing her hands. Again.

"Dinner sounds good, but I'm feeling really tired, and I think I'm about to start my period or something. I've sort of lost track of my cycle since I've been here." She dries her hands and steps out of my reach, walking out of the bathroom. "You can come upstairs and nap with me though...I mean, if you want," she adds, gripping the doorframe and glancing over her shoulder at me on the way out.

I have no clue how to read what is going on with her. This feels like one of those situations where I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. It takes some fast thinking to find a response that won't send me up shit creek without a paddle.

"You go take a nap, and I'll work on the preparations for dinner. You've had a tough afternoon, and I don't want to distract you when you need the rest."

The corners of her lips turn up into the smallest of smirks, and I feel the knot in my chest loosen just enough to allow me to breathe.

"Good thinking. Come get me when dinner's ready?"

"Yeah, now go get some rest," I say, leaning in to brush my lips against her cheek. She surprises me and turns her face so she can kiss my lips.

"Tell Ruth I said hi," she says before turning to go upstairs to our room.

Our room. I hope that's still the case after today.

I've never gone over the top with flowers and candles like I have tonight. The kitchen has at least six vases overflowing with bright tropical flowers. Pillars of candles light the entire downstairs, setting everything in a soft glow. I plan on making tonight a night that Cordelia will never forget.

"Do you want me to make sure Cordelia is awake before I go?" Ruth asks, checking on the dish she left to warm inside the oven.

"No. I need to practice some patience. I'll wait for her to come down when she's ready."

The older yeti snorts a laugh. "That is something I never thought I'd see you do."

I shoot her a glare, but I can't help the slight uptick of my lips.

Ruth places her blue and yellow apron on the hook next to the back door, and with a nod says, "Good luck." With that, she slips out.

I return to the living room and sit on the couch. My gaze wanders to the stairs over and over again. I'm anxious to see Cordelia's reaction to the night I planned for us. It isn't only about making up for the way I acted today. Tonight could be the start of our forever. There's only one thing standing between us, and she has the ability to eliminate it.

Finally, after what seems like hours later but is probably only thirty minutes, I hear the door open upstairs and Cordelia's footsteps in the hallway. I jump up to meet her at the bottom of the stairs, and when I look up, I can't help but smile at her sleepy expression as she rubs her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep so long, but—"

She stops talking when she reaches me and sees the transformation Ruth and I pulled off in a matter of a couple of hours.

"Don't apologize, coelhinha, it gave me more time to get all of this ready for you."

Her lips part and she stares at me in awe. "Cane, it's beautiful. What is all of this for?"

"Just because you are you." I hold out my hand to her, but she hesitates. She glances down at her leggings and pale purple sweater, her fingers moving to the sloppy bun on the top of her head.

"You look beautiful, Cordelia."

She sighs and slips her fingers through mine, and I lead her to the kitchen. Pulling out her chair, I help push her up to the table before grabbing the dishes Ruth made from the oven. The savory scent of herbs fills the room, and I catch Cordelia licking her lips as she eyes the silver pan. When the food is dished out, I sit across from her and watch as she digs in. I consider sedating her hunger my first win of the night.

"I take it that it's good," I say, smiling as I take my first bite.

She groans and nods, the sound inappropriately going straight to my dick. I will it to calm the fuck down because I'm still not sure we're getting any tonight.

"Yes, it's delicious. But Ruth's food always is," she says.

"Definitely. It's just one of the many reasons I'll never hire another housekeeper. Not to mention, I love her family too much."

Cordelia's eyes soften and she takes a sip of her wine. "She told me when I first met her that she was a widow, and that you'd always been so good to her children." She smiles and takes another bite. "You know, that was one of the very first things that made me like you just a little bit."

"Just a bit?" I tease with a cocked brow.

"Maybe a little more than a bit now."

I place my fork down and swallow my food. "Do you know what I first liked about you?"

"Tell me."

"Your bravery. I know you didn't understand what you were walking into at Evermore, but once you knew, you faced it with such grace and fearlessness."

Her cheeks turn pink and she laughs, that sweet, delicious sound I have somehow grown to crave nearly as much as her touch.

"Fearlessness? Oh, you really should admire my acting skills then, because I was scared shitless half the time. Like, I had no fucking clue what was going to happen around the next corner. Was I going to be drowned in the ocean next? Or was someone going to cut out my intestines? And who was it going to be? There were times I trusted no one." She takes another sip of wine. A long one. "And I do mean no one."

"I think you don't give yourself enough credit. Your instincts told you to be careful, yet you never locked yourself away. Even if it was acting, it was still brave. You've convinced me that nothing is impossible for you."

She tilts her head to the side and furrows her brows, the expression on her face making it clear she'd never thought of it that way. "I suppose so." A smile spreads over her face, a real one for the first time since that squirrel fell from the tree, and she leans back in her chair. "Hey, I guess I am pretty brave."

I push my half-eaten plate back and clasp my hands on the tabletop. "You are, and that bravery is necessary for what we must do next. I want to give you the world, Cordelia. There should never be a reason for you to run and hide. You are meant to be honored and respected in every way possible. I want to give you that."

She sits up straighter in her seat and leans in toward me. "What are you talking about, Cane? What do we need to do next?"

I get up from my chair and move around to the one directly to her left so I can be closer to her when I lay this all out. "Do you like it here?"

She looks around at the room and then back at me. "Here. You mean here with you? Here in this realm? What?"

I shrug. "Either. Both."

She doesn't hesitate when she says, "Yes. I do. I like it here more than I could have possibly expected, but...like I told you earlier—I miss my parents. A lot. That's one of the things I wish were different."

"I am offering you my world along with theirs. It doesn't have to be a choice. Not for you."

Her eyes sparkle. I've seen her go through a gamut of emotions; this one is clear. She doesn't want to choose. I'm on the verge of offering her what she wants most.

I take her hands in mine and say, "You and I can make that happen, Cordelia."

"How?"

"I want you to rule at my side when I take the vampire throne."

She blinks and shakes her head. "I thought... I mean, isn't that the reason Elias tried to kill you? How are you going to be king if both of you are alive?"

I tilt my head and stare straight into her eyes. "I'm not going to be king if he is still alive. You can help me with that. Take your revenge on Elias for what he put you through, free yourself from the bond you share with him, and become my queen."

Cordelia's grey eyes gleam silver, widening in pure shock. "You're asking me to...to kill Elias?"

"He's put you through hell, Delia, and you saw what he tried to do to me. What he did to me."

She swallows and closes her eyes. When she opens them, her pupils are dilated, black flooding the silver. "But our bond...wouldn't that...I don't know...physically hurt me? To take my own mate's life?"

"I don't know how any of this works when you are bonded to two beings. But you will never be alone. I will do everything within my power to care for you." I cup her face and sweep my thumbs over her cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere. I want a long existence with you."

Cordelia's jaw flexes and she meets my eyes. "Okay. Just tell me what I need to do."