“We’re one,” she whispered. “I never understood what that meant until now.”

She could see the red rim his eyes. Oh, her sweet man. He had such a huge, strong heart. So full of joy and faith. What had she done to deserve the gift of his love?

Grace. In that moment, Brigid Connor understood grace.

“Thank you for being my wife.” He winked at her with shining eyes. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

She smiled, trying to hold in the laugh, but it didn’t work. She was giggling like a schoolgirl. “We…” She shook her head. “We didn’t really think this through, did we?”

“What do you mean?”

She laughed again. “We jumped into it! I mean, you show up one night and by the next—”

“Be honest, how long have you had feelings for me, woman?”

That brought her up short. “What? How long?” She tried to think. “Are we counting the embarrassing teenage infatuation?”

He grinned. “Can we?”

She rolled her eyes, which only made him laugh again. “No. Okay, not counting that…” She sighed. “Probably since you called me on the drugs in college.”

His eyebrows raised. “Really?”

“Yes. I was relieved you found out.” She shook her head. “I tried to be mad—I was mad! But I was relieved, too. And then… then I thought, ‘If I can make it through this, it will impress him.’ I don’t even think I realized what that meant at the time. But then years went by, and the next time I saw you—”

“At Christmas,” he said. “You’d just started working for Murphy.”

“And you asked about my hair.” She smiled. “And I fell in love with you a little for remembering that it used to be purple.”

“How could I forget? You look fantastic in purple. Almost as good as you do in nothing at all.”

Brigid said, “And you? When did you have feelings for me?”

“I think around Christmas, as well. But I was relatively clueless. It wasn’t until that second night at the Ha’Penny when I realized I was attracted to you.”

“I knew you seemed odd that night!” She chuckled. “But surely that wasn’t anything new. You’ve been around for a thousand years, and you’re a man.”

“Oh, but it was new. Because it wasn’t a fleeting thing. It was you. And you were… you.” He rose and stood behind her again, hugging her to his chest. “So, you see, it’s been something like seven years, Brigid. This is the longest courtship in history.”

She snorted. “We weren’t courting that whole time. We were… friends. Good friends. And then, we were more.”

He laughed in her ear. Leaning down, he whispered, “Silly Brigid. Love is friendship. Just with less clothes, which makes it far more brilliant.”

Carwyn took her out to the garden after they’d fed, the cool earth cradling them and heightening their pleasure as they made love under the stars. Brigid decided she was glad she’d purchased a house with a very high hedge. Finally, they rested, and Carwyn brought a blanket from the living room to shield them as they both lay on the soft grass.

“Tell me about your friend,” he urged softly.

She’d told him that Emily had taken the elixir. He was concerned, but she could also see the curiosity in his eyes. Brigid felt his arm wrap around her more securely. “Axel—her boyfriend—gave it to her. I think he was the one who was working with Lorenzo on the heroin before.”

“I remember that. But you said he didn’t have the smarts for it.”

“I must have been wrong. Because once Ioan was killed, when Lorenzo’s heroin operation was halted, things settled down. Then, there were the rumors. And right about the time you left for Rome, Elixir started showing up. I think he used the same distribution network. The same clubs and dealers. He gave it to her over a year ago. And I saw him at the same club where she was. He has to be the connection.”

“It sounds like it was around the same time that Lucien drank from Rada.”

“Who?”

He cleared his throat. “Ioan’s friend. The doctor? He had a research assistant—an old lover—who had cancer. She was dying, and Lorenzo showed up in Eastern Europe with a miracle. After she’d been healed, Lucien drank from her. He was elated at first. Thought he had healed Rada and conquered bloodlust all at the same time. Then he started losing time. His mind became hazy.

“It affected his amnis. Damaged it.”

“Yes. Most of us—older vampires especially—rebel against the thought. We’ve all become accustomed to thinking of our amnis as this impenetrable shield. Nothing can harm it. It’s what protects our minds. Lets us control the elements. That’s why we have to feed from humans or animals. It’s the energy in their blood. It’s more than just the physical substance; it’s mortal energy we feed on, Brigid.”

“Almost like it recharges our batteries,” she mused. “That makes sense. And the elixir breaks it. Disrupts the flow of the current, like our wiring becomes twisted.”

He paused. “That’s a very good way of putting it. Maybe it’s easier for younger vampires who grew up around technology to understand. Was Emily sick when Axel gave her the drug?”

She shook her head. “No, but she’d just come off drugs. Her health had taken a hit from years of use, and then she went through withdrawal. She said…” Brigid felt her voice grow thick with emotion. “Axel told her that it would make her healthy and beautiful again. Even though she wasn’t ill, she took it.”