Page 19 (1/2)

"It’s sacrilege to desecrate the teone; but her complaint was all but toneless, a rote objection and little more Her desperation to be free was a palpable force, yet she held herself together with the fierceness Ariana had always admired It was the reason the wo asked no one in particular

Up above, Ariana could hear the sounds of pounding, as if the Mage were trying to find a way to break through She stroked the back of Kougar’s head

"You can put me do"

He eyed her without expression, then brushed his cheek against her hair "I could" But he made no move to release her, and she leaned into his touch, perfectly content to re bond opened a littlesensation in her paletting seriously hungry Out-of-control hungry Whichbond opened, the rip of the poison inside her should ease, as it siphoned off to Kougar It shouldn’t be strengthening

Was this Hookeye’s doing? Fear twisted inside her even as the hunger leaped with a strength that startled her, the prickling shooting up her legs and arms like sharp little scalpels

"What’s the ar stiffened "You’re in pain"

She didn’t answer She couldn’t The scalpels were tearing her apart froet out It was a coth she possessed to fight

Her heart pounded with the struggle, with the fear that this tiasped

"How?" Kougar’s face swa to his neck, drawing on the sainst the darkness with everything she had as it tried to free itself to spread to her maidens To destroy those who’d survived the first attack

"Ariana?"

"It’s the poison More" She was beginning to shake frorip on her tightened "Tell le fluid movement, he set her on the cool floor at his feet, stripped off his shirt, and leaped at Jag, his fangs and claws erupting uar shifter’s shoulder

The darkness inside her hoith pleasure at the shifter’s pain

Jag stu as he went feral "What the fuck?"

"Fight s "The darkness within her feeds on the pain Feeding it is the only way she can control it"

"Neither one of you is any good with the warnings!"

Kougar leaped again and the two part-, clawing and bleeding

Seated on the cold floor, Ariana gripped her head with both hands, closing her eyes as the darkness fed, as she fought the battle inside her Sounds carried to her--the ripping of cloth and flesh, the crunch of breaking bones, the growls and snarls The metallic smell of blood filled her nose and slid down her throat to coat her tongue Droplets of sweat, or blood, splattered her bare feet

Atoward Melisande

Ariana stared at her friend in horror "Mel" Her second had a knife in both hands and was cutting her own thighs Blood ran in rivulets down her legs, trickling across the floor, pooling near Ariana’s feet

Silent tears slid down Melisande’s cheeks Blue eyes, dark with agony, lifted to Ariana "You need pain I’ you mine If you lose, we all lose"

Ariana’s vision blurred with tears of her own, anger burning violently inside her at the Mage who’d caused suchone another until their blood, too, began to run over the tiles as if seeking her

Deep inside her, the poison devoured their pain and rejoiced

A light tingle running over her skin alerted her of Getrill’s return seconds before she appeared, the Chief of the Ferals at her side With a sledgehammer in one hand and two pickaxes in the other, Lyon fell unsteadily to one knee, his head low as he struggled against the sweeping nausea

"Cease!" he roared at his battling warriors

"No" When his sharp gazethis forpain If I don’t quench its hunger, I’ll lose control"

Lyon frowned but said nothing more After half a minute, he rose slowly, dropped the pickaxes, and walked over to Melisande, the sledgeha feet, then back to her face "I’ood place for you" His tone, though dry, possessed a bite

MelisandeA chin that dripped with tears "I deserve that for attacking you in your ho I wouldn’t do for her Nothing"

Lyon eyed her assessingly, then gave a brief nod "Cover your face" Lifting the sledgeha it onto the tile near Melisande’s ankles Chunks of crystal flew in every direction

Ariana ducked her head against her knees against the flying debris

Over and over, Lyon attacked the teht While the poison inside Ariana fed

Finally, the darkness inside her slunk back into the shadows, and she was able to draw a shaky breath of relief

"It’s enough," she said between strikes of Lyon’s ha as if he’d thoroughly enjoyed the fight Kougar clasped the jaguar shifter’s bloody, nearly healed shoulder, and together they strode to where Lyon worked While Jag grabbed one of the pickaxes, Kougar continued to Ariana He was afrom his cheek and shoulder, his chest and beard covered in blood But in his eyes, she saw only concern for her

"Are you okay?" he asked, squatting beside her