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Once again seeing only black-and-white, Darius flattened his palainst the rocky cavern wall He stared into the swirling mist She&039;d escaped Grace had actually escaped Everything inside hied him to vault into her world and hunt her down NowHowever, his reasons were not what they should have been It was the beast inside hi together, he re the surface world was not an option Not until he appointed a temporary Guardian Darius uttered a brutal curse into thethat heof relief Grace would live a while longer, and he would see her again, no matter where she went, no matter how far

He dropped one of his hands and clasped his medallion from beneath his shirt When he felt only one, he stilled Frowning, he reached inside his pocket, encountering only the buttery soft glide of leather His breath became as chilled and frosted as the h him Not only had Grace escaped him, and quite easily, too, but she had also stolen the Ra-Dracus His hands fisted so tightly his bones threatened to grind to powder

The wolance at the mist, he stole out of the doomed cave and up into the palace Seven of his warriors aiting for hi hall

They stood united, each of their ars braced apart The stance for war In the center was Brand His lips were thinned in displeasure, and his broas stern There was a leam in his eyes that didn&039;t quiteto tell us, Darius?" his first in command said

Darius paused midstep, then he, too, assumed a pre-battle position His men had never waylaid hia to tell you"

"Well, I have sorowled

Madox placed a warning hand on the young dragon&039;s shoulder "That tone will get you nothing but a beating"

Zaeven ether in silence

"I do not have tiht now"

"Ga a ga to win your wager? I told you to stay inside the practice arena for the rest of the day That is where I expect you to be" Darius pivoted and strode toward the hallway

"We know about the wo forward A scowl marred the clean lines of his features

Darius paused abruptly and spun to face them He schooled his features to reveal only mild curiosity "Which woman is that?" he asked with false casualness

"You art His features lost their steely edge

"Shut up," Brand told the boy He refocused on Darius His next words lashed out as sharply as a sword "I&039;ll ask you again Do you have anything to tell us?"

"No" Darius&039;s tone was absolute

Tagart&039;s scowl darkened with a flash of scales "How is it fair that you are allowed to have a woainst the far wall He crossed his feet at the ankles and grinned ry hu man found amusement in every situation "I say we share the woman like the nice little fire lizards we are"

"There is no woman," Darius announced

Their protests erupted immediately "We saw her, Darius"

"Brand touched her"

"We even fought over ould have her first"

Silence Thick, cold silence

Very slowly, very evenly, Darius roaaze over every man present "What do you mean Brand touched her?"

The question elicited different reactions Brittan chuckled The younger dragons paled, and Madox and Renard shook their heads Tagart storh of this"

Brand-the gods curse hi the point," Brand said "For years we have followed your orders and your rules without dispute You said woone pleasures of the flesh while residing in the palace For us to discover that you have a whore hidden in your chambers for your own personal use rowled Instead of offering an explanation, he repeated his previous question "What did they mean you touched her?"

His friend pushed out an exasperated sigh and threw up his hands "That&039;s it? That&039;s all you have to say?"

"Did you touch her?"

"She backed into a table, and I helped right her Noill you concentrate?"

Darius relaxed until Madox muttered, "Yes, but did you have to &039;help&039; her for so long, Brand?"

With surprise his lips thinned

With disbelief his jaw tightened

With fury his nostrils heated with sparks of fire

Darius recognized the emotions and did not even try to ry, nearly consu Grace Ever He didn&039;t stop to examine the absurdity of his possessiveness He just kneas there He didn&039;t like it, but it was there all the same

"Did you hurt her?" he de his arms over his chest "Of course not I&039;m insulted that you even have to ask"

"You will not touch her again Not any of you Do you understand?" His piercing gaze circled the group

Eachsilence Then, as if a dam had broken, they hurdled rapid-fire questions at him

"What is she to you? She wore your mark on her neck"

"Where is she?"

"What&039;s her naain?"

He ground his tee," Madox snapped

Or there will be a revolt , rang in the air unsaid

Darius tilted his head to the left, felt ht, felt the bones pop Control He needed control "She only just arrived," he said, offering them a bit of information to pacify theether for over two hundred years, but right now they were nearly more than his precarious discipline could withstand "She has already left"

Several moans of disappoint ti her back?" Zaeven asked eagerly "I liked her I&039;ve never seen hair that color before"

"She will not be returning, no" A sharp pang of disappointain-and he would-but he wasn&039;t supposed to desire her here, in his ho the room with her very presence He wasn&039;t supposed to look forward to their encounter, to sparring with her or touching her Neither was he supposed to mourn her loss

It isn&039;t the woman herself he wanted, he assured hienerate his senses

"There has to be a e can bring her back," Zaeven said

They didn&039;t know that she was a traveler and must die, and he didn&039;t tell them They had never understood his oath, so how could he explain this most loathsome task of all?

"Brand," he barked "I need to speak with you privately"

"We aren&039;t finished with this conversation" A muscle ticked in Madox&039;s temple "You have not yet explained your actions"

"Nor will I The woman was not my lover and was not here to see to my personal pleasure That is all you need to know" He pivoted on his heel "This way, Brand"

Without another word or even a backward glance to ensure his friend followed, Darius strode to his chae and jerked his hands behind his head

How had his life become so chaotic in only a few short hours? His men were near revolt A woh he&039;d had sufficient time, he had failed to do his duty His hands curled into fists

Now he had to leave all that he knew and travel to the surface

He despised chaos, despised change, yet the moment he&039;d encountered Grace he&039;d all but welcomed both with open are of the bathing pool Darius knew that if he could see colors right now, Brand&039;s eyes would be a deep, dark gold filled with baffle so unlike yourself"

"I need your help"

"Then it is yours"

"I must journey to the surface and-"

"What!" Brand&039;s excla in his ears, followed quickly by a heavy pause "Please repeat what you just said I&039; is excellent IAtlantis is forbidden You know the gods bound us to this place If we leave, eaken and die"

"I will not be gone ?"

"I would go still There has been a slight complication The woman was my prisoner She escaped" The confession tasted foul in his mouth "I must find her"

Brand absorbed that inforo?"

"No"