“Gods,baby,” he whispered, trying to hold her carefully because of the multiple cutsand welts on her skin. “Are you all right?”

“Iwill be if you take me away from here. Please Thrace, let’s just go.”

Thrace’s heartfelt light for the first time in days.

“Iwas hoping you would say that. We’re going,” he promised her. “Going rightnow.” He looked at Charlie who nodded.

“Listenup, people,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the frightenedmurmuring of the lesser priestesses. “We’re going to leave now and we’re goingto do it peacefully as long as nobodytries anything. You two go first,” she told Thrace. “Becca and I will coveryou.”

Thrace swungTrin into his arms, ignoring her halfhearted protests, and covered her nakedbody in the folds of the scarlet cloak he still wore. Then he carried her straightdown the aisle at the center of the inner sanctum. The lesser priestesses werequick to get out of the way, pressing back from him as he went.

Then,suddenly, Trin’s mother was standing there, blocking his path.

“Youdare,” she breathed, staring up at him. “You dare to try and take my daughter!And in the middle of her cleansing ritual! Before she has been pronouncedblameless by the Goddess.”

Thrace wastired of the older female’s attitude. He could understand why she didn’t likehim and that she felt he had corrupted her daughter—that he could forgive. Buther willingness to stand by and see Trin hurt and tortured—both physically andpsychologically—that was a whole different matter. And it was something hecould not forgive.

“You’redamn right, I’m taking her,” he growled. “I’m taking her because I want to healher and take care of her—which is a hell of a lot more than you seem to bewilling to do.”

“Youdefiled her!” Trin’s mother was redin the face.

“No,I loved her,” Thrace corrected her. “As I loveher still which is why I’m taking her. Now get out of the way.”

ButTrin’s mother wasn’t budging.

“Youdefiled her and she allowed it!” She pointed accusingly at Trin who was curledagainst his chest like a wounded animal. “Allowed it and enjoyed it! Her pain and suffering are necessary. They are the only way to pay for such blatantsacrilege.”

Thrace lookeddown at his beloved—at the raw, red scratches that marked her lovely, creamybrown skin…at her ragged hair. And then he thought of the other damage whichhad been done—of the suffering she must have endured when her beloved pets werekilled in front of her…the agonizing she must have done the night before whenshe was trying to decide whether it would be easier to chop off a finger orpoke out one of her eyes. And all to please some puritanical code thepriestesses had cooked up, no doubt just to scare the other females intosubmission and keep themselves in power.

Thinkingof all that had been done to Trin was enough to make the Rage drop over himagain like a red cloak that clouded his vision.

“She’ssuffered enough,” he growled, fighting to keep his temper in check. “Nowget…out…of …my… fucking way!”

Despitehis best efforts, his voice rose to a roar on the last words and he saw Trin’smother flinch back. Her face had turned from red to white and she stared at himwith shocked eyes.

“I’ddo what he says, lady,” Becca said softly, coming up behind him. “If you don’twatch it you’ll push him into Rage—that’s the state of berserker fury thatKindred or Havoc males go into when their females are threatened and it’s not pretty to see.”

“Oreasy to stop,” Charlie added.

Trin’smother stepped back but she still wasn’t done.

“Lonarra,”she said, addressing Trin directly. “Lonarra, listen to me—you can’t go withthis male. You can’t throw away yourlife like this!”

Trinhad been pressing her face to Thrace’schest but now she turned her head and looked into her mother’s eyes.

“Ihave to go,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Mother, but I have to.”

“You’llregret this!” The high priestess’s voice rang out behind them and Thracehalf turned to see what she was doing.

Hewas afraid she might be holding a weapon on them but instead, Betina wasstanding directly in front of the looming gray statue of the Goddess ofJudgment, her arms raised dramatically. In one hand she held the jeweled daggerand in the other a golden bowl.

“Youwill regret it!” she repeated. “For I curse you now, Lonarra Trin, former Daughter of Zetta.”

Inhis arms, Trin jerked and gasped as though the priestess had physically struckher. Her mother, whose face was already pale, suddenly went as white as snow.

“No,”she whispered hoarsely. “Oh, no—not that! Not a blood curse—anything but that!”

“Icurse you, Lonarra” Betina went on relentlessly. “I curse you that your sinswill never be forgiven. They willlinger in your mind and haunt you all your days. And when you die—Goddess willit shall be soon—your stained and degraded soul will be condemned to the Hellof Defiled Women where you shall burn in fire and drown in blood for alleternity!”

“Please,”Trin whispered. “Oh Goddess, please no…”

“AndI seal my curse so, with blood.” thehigh priestess finished triumphantly.

Shedrew the sharp blade of the dagger down her forearm, opening a long, shallowcut which began to bleed at once. Blood spattered upon the stone floor and oneof the lesser priestesses rushed forward to take the golden bowl and catch someof the scarlet drops in it. Betina took the bowl from her and knelt before thestatue of the Goddess of Judgment.

“OhGoddess of Judgment, drink of my blood and know of my devotion. Seal my curseto this female’s soul that she may never feel joy again and take her soon toHell!”

“Please,”Trin whispered again and when he looked down, Thrace saw her eyes were filledwith tears. “Please, Thrace,get me out of here!” she whisperedbrokenly.

“Ofcourse, baby.” Thracefelt a stab of shame. He never should have kept her here, listening to all thatcrap the priestess was spouting. But for a moment he’d felt frozen to thespot—unable to move as she carried out her bloody incantation.

Heturned back towards the entrance of the inner sanctum, ready to push pastTrin’s mother—to knock her aside if he had to. Though he abhorred violencetowards females, he wouldn’t let her stop him from taking Trin, wouldn’t lether keep them in this hell hole one more minute.

ButTrin’s mother stepped quietly aside as they passed. Thrace saw Trin look up at theolder woman.

“Mother…”she whispered but her mother only shook her head and looked away.

“Donot call me that anymore. I have no daughter now.”

“Mother,please…” Trin struggled to get out of his arms but Thrace wasn’t taking a chance onher changing her mind and staying for more torture. Between her mother and thatbitch of a high priestess, she’d had her mind fucked with enough for one day.Hell, for an entire lifetime.

“Comeon, Mistress,” he said, striding forward. “It’s time we were going now. Pasttime, actually.”

“Wait!”Trin begged but Thracewasn’t waiting anymore—not for anything or anyone. He carried her out of thesanctum, out of the temple, and into the fresh air and sunshine.

Parkedacross from the temple in a grassy spot, was the Kindred shuttle. Thracecarried the struggling, crying Trin towards it. Becca and Charlie followed,still keeping a firm grip on their destroyers.

“Wait,”Trin begged again. “My mother…”

“Hassome very fucked up ideas,” Thracegrowled. “And it’s not going to do you any good to listen to any more of them.”

Trinsubsided in his arms, sobbing. Thrace’sheart ached for her and he held her tight, wishing he could ease her pain.

“Shecursed me,” she whispered at last. “She laid a blood curse on me, Thrace.”

“Iknow, baby,” he murmured into her ragged hair. “I know and I’m so sorry. But acurse is just words—you don’t have to believe it.”