Excerpt of Lady Triumphs by Renee Bernard

"Raven.” He shifted so that he was kneeling before her,
his hips pressing against her legs to subtly part them, his
supplication transitioning into an erotic position of
hidden power. “I’ve come to you. After everything, after
all of it, I am here. I have begged forgiveness for that
terrible day. I have repented every stupid moment of that
last day and vowed to enslave myself to you and you alone
in exchange for your forgiveness. You have shoved me into
a creek, abused me at every turn, tortured me body and soul
and left me in the rain and mud. I’m not sure what else is
left. What else can I do? What additional proof of my
devotion do you need?”

“For once, Sir Warrick, my mind draws a blank on the
subject.”

“You’re infuriating, woman. Damn it, Raven. How can you
be so calm? Tell me it is not every day that men are
kneeling at your feet begging you for their lives.”

She smiled. “No. Not every day.”

“I’m an idiot.” He stood slowly but lifted her up from her
chair and into his arms. “But no more begging. Tell me
there is hope and that we can yet find some way to craft a
future together, you and I.”

“You are not an idiot. I generally have no use for idiots,
Phillip, but I—I find that I am very much in need of you.
As illogical as that may be…” She shook her head. “I am
not a woman who hopes. But I am a woman who needs.”

He kissed her then without preamble, without pretense. It
was a searing kiss that threatened to overwhelm them both
with hunger and with relief at the passionate fires that
still burned between them. Nothing had been lost.
Phillip’s kiss was commanding, lifting her up against him,
tasting her mouth and ravishing her senses. There was no
hint of begging or supplication now. He was the man who
had always driven her desires and after nearly losing her,
it was clear that Phillip Warrick was not going to
relinquish the reins again.

“Oh, my!” she sighed as he finally released her. “Phillip,
this is a dangerous devotion. Tell me you realize this.”

“I love you, Raven Wells. I love you, Serena Wellcott. I
love every incarnation of you, light and dark. It is all I
can do. Am I overjoyed that you place yourself in harm’s
way to help others or that you trust at a glacial pace?
No. Am I going to be prone to forbidding us to so much as
play cards so that we can avoid any reference to someone
winning or losing? Yes. Am I going to run at the first
flash of those elegant claws? No. Never again. So name
your terms, woman.”

She took a deep breath. “I will not abandon the Black
Rose.”

He nodded. “So be it.”

“I will never marry.”

He didn’t flinch. “We’ll set aside that debate for another
day. So long as I alone have you, for I will not share you
with another man.”

“If only you knew how truly selfish I have been with this
heart, sir. Apparently once given, I lacked a single
thread of human charity that would have compelled me to
offer any other living soul a slice of it.” She sighed.
“Even when I hated you, Phillip Warrick, I was yours.
Entirely yours.”

“I will make no effort to reform you on that point.”

Serena tipped her head to one side. “I assume your
fidelity is also part of this arrangement?”

“Without question.” He began to relax, the heat between
them igniting again. “Anything else?”

“I am going to destroy Trent. It is time.”

“Raven,” he started to protest, the heat dying in an icy
flare inside his chest. “Please, my darling. Let’s let it
go. The earl is the devil himself. Let Hell sort him
out.”

“No.” She shook her head and pulled her hands away to
stand. “My resources are in place. I have cooled my heels
long enough to give him the illusion of my disinterest. I
am going to destroy Trent, on my own terms and in my own
way. And what I require is not your approval or
complicity, but your strength to stand aside.”

He came to his feet without effort. “To stand aside?”

“I will not ask for your help in this enterprise. There
must be no hint of your involvement or he will sense it
like a fox downwind of the hounds and I will lose him.”
She reached up to stroke his face, the soothing trail of
her fingertips calming his brow. “My skills are
unparalleled but even I cannot risk arousing his old
obsessions when it comes to you, Phillip.”

He shook his head. “I don’t care what you claim. Your
confidence had to have suffered a blow at Southgate and
these ‘skills’ that put you in harm’s way will not shield
you from Trent’s madness.”

“I’ll make no inventory to you of recent lessons I’ve
learned, Phillip.” Her hands fisted at her hips. “I have
named my terms, sir.”

“He’s more dangerous than you imagine.”

“I know that even better than you.”

Phillip shook his head. “What self-respecting gentleman
could agree to this? What kind of man steps back and lets
the woman he loves face a demon like that alone?”

“I won’t be alone. I have the Black Rose and I have you to
return to each night and to encourage me.” Raven leaned in
to kiss him softly. “Give me the greatest gift I could ask
for, Phillip.”

“And what gift is that?” He tasted the silk of her lips
before she leaned back to look into his eyes. “My trust?”

Her eyes misted with emotion and at last, she gave them
voice. “Revenge.”