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CHAPTER ONE
SABELLE RION HEARD DEATH whisper, felt its breath on the back of her neck Bram, it called Co desperately to keep him anchored in this mortal plain
Since beco a fully transitioned witch at twenty-four, she’d had the ability to touch others and make them feel whatever she wished In the last sixty years, she’d perfected the skill Very feere iift But she had no idea if Bra vibrations she now sent his way If so, they weren’t i his condition
Da his life and, she worried, hisback angry tears, she clenched her fists, her fingernails cutting into her palms
Just yesterday, they’d tangled with the evil wizard who had escaped after hundreds of years of exile Last night, Conrad the healer and her aunt Millie had examined Brae it caused … or how to eradicate it
They only kneas draining the life of the person she loved most in this world
“Can I come in?”
Sabelle looked over her shoulder as Lucan, her brother’s best friend, entered the roo Mathias’s abduction of hisof their bond, Sabelle had cared for Lucan, providing hih sex while he’d been incoherent and suffering acute iven him support, protection, and a roof over his head It was no surprise that Lucan wanted to help care for Bram in return
“Certainly”
“Any change?” He caressed her shoulder
The gesture surprised Sabelle Lucan had never touched her while bound to his former mate But now that Anka was in the arms of another, and he knew Sabelle had recently provided the sexual energy needed to keep hied their friendship in his eyes?
Nibbling on her lip, she risked a glance in Lucan’s direction He was a beautifulblue eyes lured a woe of black lashes His mouth … He kne to kiss; she’d learned that … eventually over ti and pressed his mouth to hers The skill of it had stunned her So Lucan’s would solve many problems
She shook her head to clear the thought His gesture , was s for Anka And it was impossible for Sabelle to think about her future when her beloved brother ht soon pass to his nextlife
“No change,” Sabelle murmured
Clutching her shoulders, Lucan urged her to her feet to face hi yourself to exhaustion”
She pulled away “I can’t leave Bram What if he wakes and needs me?”
“Spare yourself five —the huh food They did it for you”
The tears that had been threatening all day speared the back of her eyes, closed up her throat Though she’d only known the other woreat friends Yes, circu Mathias on the loose required a ical army to defeat hiroup of warriors, ht olivia and Sydney wereforce, and had not only stood by their ickind of this cancer, though the fight wasn’t theirs Their efforts to help her touched Sabelle
“Five reed reluctantly
Lucan nodded and brought her close “I’m worried about you You can’t carry all of Bram’s responsibilities on your shoulders”
She cast hiaze “I have to try He’s worked so hard to build this—”
“No one will allow it to cru for you”
Everyone? Surely not … “Shock?”
Lucan clenched his jaw “No one wants the traitor here”
Especially not the traitor as now shagging Lucan’s former mate
It touched her that the Dooe, but she feared only one person could help her brother “Has anyone searched for Bray—”
“Might heal hi more than her first name Sydney has volunteered to call Aquarius, since she presumably knows Emma”
Sabelle shook her head “Aquarius says she doesn’t know Emma’s whereabouts Her flat is empty, her mobile phone disconnected The shop she once worked in is closed tight Bram already tried all those avenues Clearly, the woman doesn’t want to be found”
“In light of the situation, Sydney agreed to speak to Aquarius once more”
She prayed the wo possibility stabbed despair through her heart Sa-belle beat back a fresh batch of tears She would not cry Waste of ti She could fall apart later Alone Now, too much was at stake
Lucan smoothed a thumb across her cheek “You’re one of the bravest women I know, Bella Bram is my best friend Let me help you Lean on me”
The offer was te wizard and warrior But he’d lost his o, and had only just learned that Anka sought refuge with an eneet back on his own feet before worrying about her issues
She plastered a smile on her face “I’m fine, but thank you”
“Let me help There wasn’t tihed “Thank you I know the sacrifice yousoy to live and heal” Lucan threaded his hand thorough her pale hair “I re with you Your fear Your determination Your softness”
He re But it wasn’t as if she’d forgotten the feel of Lucan either, his heat, his hardness, his single-ether, Sabelle had come to know him as a lover … and she wasn’t certain how she felt about it Noas hardly the time to sort it out
“Lucan, I—”
He brushed his lips over hers, cutting off her words Soft but firentle He set his mouth on hers and merely felt her Breathed her Then he lifted his head
“Anything you need, I will be here for you”