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They were all more than enough whenever they stood together … and Lorelei intended to make the most of the extra time Saskia had granted her.

Whatever either of her allies might think, flirting with her lover was always a top priority.

“Well, General?” Taking full advantage of the height that Bluebell gave her, Lorelei dropped a mischievous wink at Gerard from across the room.

Seven years ago, she had met that mountain in a uniform, and he’d set her a seemingly impossible challenge.

Tonight, she knew with giddy delight that she had won it … just as he had won her heart along the way.

“Shall we take our leave now?” she drawled in her haughtiest tone as flames leapt outside the bedroom. “This party is becoming terribly dull, you know. It might lead to the most embarrassing gossip if we chose to stay longer.”

“And we all know how much you fear scandal.” Warm amusement sounded in Gerard’s voice as he strode around the broken bed to meet her.

The Imperial palace continued to burn beyond him. Screams and yells of both alarm and command sounded in the distance.

Otto’s unmistakable shout of rage rose above all the rest …

But all that Lorelei cared about was the tender smile that cracked the familiar, chiseled face that had been set like stone against her for so many years.

The warmth of Gerard’s strong hands closed around her waist, and she slipped from Bluebell’s back into his waiting arms.

“It’s time to go home,” she told him. “Together.”

32

Of course, it wasn’t quite that simple. Before he and Lorelei could go anywhere, the other Queens of Villainy had to be returned to their own homes—but with Lorelei in his arms and his would-be assassins left behind, Gerard found himself more than happy, for once in his life, to linger and take time along the way.

They landed first in a long, narrow hall with stained-glass windows shaped like snowflakes and cool blue draperies hanging from the walls. It took no great leaps of intuition to guess which queen claimed this as her home, even before Ailana slipped gracefully off her gryphon.

“At least that’s finished,” she said, “but we’d better meet again once we’ve all had some rest. We’ll need to set our new plans in motion as swiftly as possible.”

One arm still curved around Lorelei’s soft waist, Gerard bent forward in a respectful bow. “I hope you’ll allow me to assist in any plans devised by your alliance, Your Majesty. I won’t forget the aid you all gave me tonight.”

“I appreciate that, General. In that case…” Her brown eyes narrowed in speculation. “How would you feel about beginning your repayment tomorrow morning, as early as possible?”

“Tomorrow?” Gerard blinked. “If you hope for me to lead any armies, I’ll need—”

“I was thinking of a more tangential approach.” The Queen of Nornne tapped one finger against her side. “Why don’t we start by following through on your earlier threat to Otto?”

“Speaking to journalists, you mean?” Relief cascaded through him at the idea of any strategy that might delay the inevitable moment when he would have to lead troops against his own former men in battle. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to be dishonest with any of the women who had saved him. “Depending on Otto’s reaction tonight, the newspapers may not be willing—or able—to print the truths I share with them. They may not even believe me if Otto tells the world I’m a traitor … especially once they learn that I am now partnered with Lorelei.”

There were more than a few journalists, he knew, who would leap on that particular development with malicious glee—bad blood showing itself at last, as always; a traitor after all, just like his parents! Even now, that prospect sent a trickle of acid into his gut—but with Lorelei at his side and his own principles untainted, he was finally ready to stand tall against oncoming scandal.

“They may not take your word on the matter,” Queen Ailana agreed, “but if nothing else, it will plant the seeds of contrary ideas into their heads … and I know others who will be far more inclined to listen and believe you immediately.”

“Of course!” Letting out a gurgle of delighted laughter, Lorelei nestled even closer against him with an open possessiveness that soothed his tension. “Every soldier in the Empire respects the Golden Beacon far more than they do poor Otto. Unlike him, you actually earned every medal you’ve been given, and they know it! All you have to do now is find a way to address your old troops directly … and luckily for you, my darling, your fabulous new consort is more than willing to help you travel anywhere you want to go from now on. We can portal directly to your last encampment tomorrow morning, if you’d like, and explain exactly what’s happened before Otto has the chance to spread any of his libels beyond the capital.”

“Even in Fiora, not everyone can be fool enough to believe him,” put in the Queen of Kitvaria with her customary brusqueness. “They may be keeping quiet about it for now, but Otto only just got rid of the old high priest by telling all sorts of awful stories about him. When he starts spreading claims about his high general, too, there’s bound to be more suspicion.”

“A good deal of suspicion,” Queen Ailana agreed, “and as the newspapers have spent the last decade and a half working tirelessly to make General de Moireul a shining hero in the eyes of the public, it will be even harder for Otto to quell the rumors this time round.”

“Ahem.” As Lorelei glowered at the ice queen, her grip tightened protectively around Gerard’s waist. “My consort worked to make himself a hero. The newspapers only reported on that fact.”

Queen Saskia raised one hand to cover her mouth but didn’t manage to disguise her snort-laugh as a cough. When Lorelei turned her warning gaze to the witch queen, Saskia only shrugged, smirking. “It’s just … fascinating to see how quickly things can change.”

“Hmm.” Lorelei’s ominous scowl deepened.

“Weren’t you the one who said, only last week—?”