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"What can you tellon Laszlo’s empty stool

"He’s a sweet man," Leah replied as she prepared a slide

Mina waved a hand "I already know that But what else do you know?"

"He’s Hungarian, I believe," Abby said, peering through a microscope

"I know that, too" Mina swiveled impatiently on the stool "But why is he so nervous aroundhim how cute he is, and that I would never hurt hi with his buttons"

Leah suess he’s nervous"

"Why?"

Leah sighed It was hard to get any work done with a curious fox in the roouess you’ll have to ask hi, Leah looked into ayanked from a sheath e th black hair and sparkling green eyes The saht, but he’d always looked wonderfully handsoasped and scraave her an annoyed look "I haven’t coaze refocused on Leah, and he stepped toward her "You’re the fool who’s pestering ed toward hi backith so much force that the plaster cracked when she hit the wall

She crumbled onto the floor, unconscious

"Mina!" Leah started toward her, then hesitated Her gaze fell to the dagger on her table She would have to defend herself

Abby pulled a gun out of a drawer just as Howard and Phil ran into the roo their pistols at the de a sword With a bored look, Darafer waved his hand, and they all froze

It took a second for Leah to realize what he’d done Marielle had warned her that he could stop tirabbed the knife and threw it hard It froze in midair

"Dr Galileah Chin The brilliant disappointment of her faer from its frozen state "They never appreciated you like I will" He tested the sharpness of the blade "I wonder if your parents will grieve for you like they would your brothers?"

She sed hard Marielle had warned her that the second Darafer saw her, he would knohich wounds to pick at and which fears to manipulate She looked frantically about for another weapon A scalpel? She eased toward it

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you" In less than a second, Darafer had zooer at her belly "It would be a shanant, don’t you think?"

Leah clenched her fists "What do you want?"

"Revenge, of course" He tossed the dagger on the ground "And you’re going to give it tointo a black cloud She ran, but within seconds she was engulfed in darkness, choking for air Panic seized her, freezing her with fear just before everything went black

Chapter Twenty-eight

The second Dougal woke fro Howard and Phil were in the baseri a sack "I warus derimaced, his heart stuttered

He dashed up the stairs to Leah’s dor on her bed, sniffling, while Gu Mina tried to coal and burst into tears "I’ori zooht?"

"Darafer caori’s aral stuone? He ran down to the lab It was empty Mina’s sword lay on the floor next to a cracked wall The sgian dubh he’d given Leah was on the floor behind Abby’s worktable

"We tried to protect her," Howard said quietly behind him "We ca we knew, he was gone and Leah was "

"He froze us," Phil added "We’ve been watching the tape to see what happened"

"I want to see it," Angus said as he entered the rooal wandered to Leah’s table and empty stool There was a

And now she was gone

A searing pain slaone Taken by Darafer And he’d failed to protect her

His prosthetic hand clenched There was hope left "Her tracking device" He turned to Howard "Did ye track her?"

Hoinced "It’s not working We’ve been trying for three hours"

A cold chill swept down Dougal’s spine Hoould he ever find her? He’d failed her

"I contacted everyone as soon as night fell wherever they live," Howard continued "Mikhail in Moscow Zoltan in Budapest Jack in Venice, and Connor in Scotland They all started teleporting west Emma picked up a few of the older olf boys Ian, Carlos, Robby, Jean-Luc, Phineas, Nate, and Finn all volunteered, sohave a total of fifteen in Hawaii, waiting for our call"

"Call theuys in Australia We need all the et"

"Here" Rajiv pulled a bottle of blood frouys need to stay strong"

Dougal strode froive him How could he have failed her? From the moment he’d met Leah, he’d sworn he would protect her

The hallas lined with Va him sympathetic looks

Dammit Save yer sympathy for someone who deserves it He rushed out the front door and down the steps He was halfway to the beach when he realized his socks et fro out at the black water while freezing pain seared his feet

He deserved it The cold hipped at his shirt and kilt, freezing his bones He deserved that, too All the pain in the world could not compare to the ache in his heart He’d failed her

Where was she? Was she still alive? Hopefully, Darafer would keep her alive, but only if he could use her Was he torturing her? Whipping her into subh hier But the guilt was the worst He deserved the pain of hunger