Bitten Surrender by Rebecca Royce

out the front door. Then she’d figure out what to do next.
    ****
    H anzi bent over Feri’s very dead mate. Detachment kept Hanzi alive. In the other room, Jerome held a bellowing Feri back from slamming through the door. Hanzi couldn’t allow the noise to distract him, not when he had to figure out what had happened here.
    “Let him in Jerome.”
    Feri flew through the door and skidded to a stop. “I bit her three times. Three exchanges. Do you think it’s enough? Can she make the change?”
    Hanzi turned to look at Feri. His friend’s halted English sounded frantic. In the few minutes Hanzi had been in the room, Feri had paled considerably. The cool, collected Feri was nowhere to be seen. In his stead, a very worried vampire waited for Hanzi’s response.
    “Then you did not do it on purpose.” Hanzi rose to his feet. “It was not your intention to end her human life.”
    “No. Not yet.” He grabbed at Hanzi’s shirt. “I didn’t do it. I went for some air. To cool off. I saw how out of control you got. I left her sleeping. When I came back, dead. Answer my question. Three bites from me. Will she rise?”
    It had been a thousand years since any member of the royals had made a vampire purposefully, other than their mates.
    “Maybe.”
    Feri’s eyes widened. “Maybe isn’t an acceptable answer.”
    “It’s the only response I have. Let go of me. If you did not kill, and for the moment I am going to believe you, then we have to figure out what happened here. You can let go on your own or I can make you.”
    A muscle ticked in Feri’s jaw. “You threaten me?”
    “Its not a threat. I’ve always been stronger, which is why you raised an army against me. We’re past our disagreements. Let go of me. I can find who killed your lady.”
    Feri dropped his hands and staggered backwards. “She can’t be dead. I only just found her.”
    Hanzi ignored the twist of his own stomach. Adrienne slept peacefully in their rooms as Feri’s lady had done. What if he came back and found her dead?
    “Jerome, I find I cannot concentrate. Go check on Adrienne, please, my friend.”
    “Yes.” Feri nodded. “And Ambrus too. Tell him what happened. So he can be on alert.”
    Jerome nodded and with a quick gait left Feri’s rooms. They were identical to the ones he and Adrienne shared. Feri watched Jerome in silence until he exited and then rounded on Hanzi.
    Hanzi held his ground. Feri had never frightened him.
    “If she does not rise, I will be a monster such as you have never seen.”
    Hanzi had seen many things in his days, including vampires who had lost their loves. He had no doubt of Feri’s words. A heartbroken undead creature was a powerful force of evil.
    “If need be, I’ll put you to death.”
    “Right.” He nodded before he knelt in front of the couch where his mate lay dead. “She will wake and all will be well.”
    “Tell me about her.” Hanzi liked details. They led to captures. The more he learned about his prey the better.
    “Her name is Faiga. She’s from Berlin.” He placed his head next to her and closed his eyes. “And she was everything good and warm.”
    Hanzi knew Feri’s response wasn’t possible. Adrienne was everything good and warm. For the present he wouldn’t argue. It seemed somewhat inappropriate.
    “Her family works for the vampire community in Berlin?”
    Feri sighed loudly. “They’re first generation.”
    “Really? How did they become involved with...?”
    His question remained unasked because a bellow of pure rage from further into the hall sounded through the walls. Ambrus. Hanzi would know his anger anywhere. He’d been on the other side of it many times. Ambrus had a temper to be reckoned with.
    However, what he heard was pain. Turning, Hanzi ran the distance before his brain caught up with his instincts. Unfortunately he knew what he was going to see, and it would be another dead woman, eyes lifeless, story cut off too short.
    Hanzi pushed his pain further