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"Enough," she protested, her voice unsteady as her cheeks flushed with arousal

"Not nearly," he ret, he released her

The spirit had to be found before it could ignite the huenocide

But once it had been destroyed, along with Gaius, then

Then he was going to lock this woman in his private rooo

Sally was as miserable as a witch could be

Roke had done his part With the natural couards that Styx wanted to see her in his study Then, avoiding the plethora of deh to slip on a leather eon doors, before leading her to a forgotten pantry near the kitchens

It wasn’t until then that she had discovered that her ic refused to work

She told herself it had to be sos If Styx had it in the dungeons, ouldn’t he have it in the rest of the house? It made perfect sense

But, deep inside she feared the interference wasn’t going to go away even when they were beyond the lair

She’d never tried to use witchher natural talents

Crap, crap, crap

Absently rubbing the sleeve of her sweatshirt where it covered her inner forearled to conjure a spell of illusion It should be easy It was a spell she’d perfor Nada Jack-squat

Herher crazy

Almost as crazy as her ar to take?"

With a tiny jolt, she realized that Roke had shifted to stand directly before her, his expression one of tender concern

"I don’t know," she uilt This vampire had held her prisoner, she reminded herself for the hundredth ti in her power to escape? Her sudden inability to conjure a siic"

His eyes shiht in the darkness "What is it?"

"It’s still ht be written on her face "Thereh" He thankfully accepted her explanation, brushing a hand down her back in unspoken sympathy "But, we can’t stay here"

She bit her lip, afraid of leaving the pantry without herto do?"

"We have to get out of here before the guards realize that you aren’t ot that, but--" Her words broke off as her co out his hands as he walked from one end of the pantry to another "Roke?"

"Sssh," he replied, distracted

She watched in baffled silence as he continued his pacing, his head tilted to the side so his raven hair brushed his shoulder He looked like he was searching for soreen beans?

"Okay, you’re starting to weirdthe thick silence

He chuckled, halting to shove aside the cans "Have faith,to be sooooo pissed when her spell wore off

And it would wear off Even now she could feel her strength fading In a half hour, maybe less, she would be completely drained and then

She was thankfully distracted as Roke gave a sudden shove on the shelf and a section of the back wall parted with a low groan

"A hidden door," she breathed in shock "How did you know?"

"I have a talent for sensing structural anomalies" He offered a wicked sot how to breathe God alhty, he was beautiful Unreasonably, indecently beautiful, with an ability to o weak at the o"

"Be careful," he warned, pulling the narrow door wide before stepping into the darkness "You won’t be able to see once the door closes"

Hesitantly she followed hi darkness Although she could see better than huht vision