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Her bravado was utter shit Lucan saw it Felt it Wanted to get underneath it to reach the fragile woed for hih Impatience chafed him, but he sed it down She needed time to heal, his attention, and the certainty he would be there, no matter what No way could he convince her of all that in a day or two
"The first co Merlin’s spell is soht, wrapped his arlared across the roo warrior immediately "I’ll take that There’s no need for Sabelle to be involved" As Ice relaxed back at his ed his shoulder with a scowl
Olivia grabbed Merlin’s book "The next component is trickier The blood of someone from Nimue’s line"
"Nimue? Who is that?" Duke asked "Soical Sorry I’rim smile "Nimue is otherwise known as Viviene Most commonly known as The Lady of the Lake, the witch as Merlin’s student and lover, who eventually tricked hi someone of her ancient bloodline will be difficult"
Tabitha shoved herself up fro belly reithin her "I think I can help there My father, before he was killed, updated a docu Nie there Morganna won’t knohere to look" She gestured to a thick, yellowing book herthis, Olivia Keep talking I’ll continue looking My father handwrote ured it out"
The Doomsday Brethren’s leader smiled her way, then Raiden helped her back to her seat Before anyone could even resuain, the paper occasionally scraping against her protruding belly
"While she looks for that, I’ll tell you about the last requirement of Merlin’s to release the potion," Olivia continued "There’s a reference here to the second washerwoman Whatever that is, we must have one of those"
Lucan frowned "What does that mean?"
"A banshee," Anka whispered fearfully from the back of the room And no wonder, the no the bloody clothes of those about to die, singing the death wail, were feared by all
He spun his head around to stare at his foran Why give voice to her thoughts now? And how did she know the answer?
"Anka is right," Bra me that there are three types: the ets difficult In addition to the blood of soeneration in a banshee line, so one who is also athe potion"
"What?" Lucan completely lost his patience "Is that even possible? Weren’t the banshees obliterated hundreds of years ago? The feeren’t killed by the paranoid Council idiots ended their own lives, rather than endure public execution I’ve heard rumors that a few still exist…but I would never have stopped Anka’s training for thisfor the impossible"
"Sounds like the equivalent of an Elvis sighting to us humans," Sydney piped up
Bralare "It’s i or we’ll never be rid of Morganna"
Into theutterly white "I found Nimue’s bloodline!"
"Well?" Braht This isn’t possible"
"Supposedly opening Morganna’s to her was i with the bitch So tell us Who do we know that’s a descendant of Nihand over her belly, Raiden wrapped his fingers around hers, giving a soft squeeze of co to have to undertake a dangerous hunt for a banshee…and make a deal with the devil"
Chapter Six
Anka fidgeted Lucan’s watchful gaze never strayed She schooled her face i a banshee continued Her heart froze up, failing to beat for long minutes Oh, God She didn’t want to dance with the devil Facing hi his partner would be impossible But Mathias wasn’t her only worry
For Anka’s entire childhood, hertheir deadly bloodline a secret Don’t trust anyone, girl And definitely don’t ever sing
If people knew the truth, she could be hunted, incarcerated, killed Every day, she thanked their Creator that being a blend of other species didn’t reflect on a nature Banshee ca Hunted by paranoid witches and wizards in their rees, the woed away froically sewn shut forever Often, they were slaughtered Entire generations of banshees perished together Her grandiven her life so that her mother could escape such a camp Eventually, her rave, and made Anka promise to do the same And in the century she’d been iven him any reason to suspect just what blood ran in her veins
But now…she hesitated Would telling her friends her secret help theanna, so they could ultiain? She wanted that bastard gone so badly, would give anything to see the scum who’d torn apart her life defeated and dead She’d risk exposing herself, seeing horror and pity on the faces of all she’d called friends for centuries She’d even risk being ostracized for the rest of her life But if she spoke now, Lucan would forever know that she was as inferior as she felt He’d never touch her again And maybe that was better for him
No That was definitely better for him
Anka opened hera secret like this from Lucan for over a century, if she revealed it now, he would feel co him more stabbed her like a physical ache And ulti to help theanna’s potion sih her veins, she wasn’t a second washerwoman She wasn’t a mother Not that she and Lucan hadn’t tried in all their years together to conceive It hurt to, once again, be useless
"Do you have so to add, Anka?" Bram asked fro at anyone
Unless she could be helpful to the cause, this shame was hers--and hers alone--to bear
From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucan He watched her with a slight frorinkling his brow, as if trying to figure her out He wanted inside her head She didn’t dare let him Later, she’d worry about how ed from the tender mate she’d known to the delicious alphaain, but she’d wondered what heWas he revolted…or curious? Did he want to try that with her?
The thought rattled her She could take the pain frouish, scrubbed her soul raw and clean so she could go on, less burdened by the past But it didn’t touch her heart Lucan taking control of her, pulling her hair in his fist as he plunged inside her with onein her ear how much he wanted her… The fantasy alone completely undid her