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He watched her drop the towel and pull a navy blue dress off one of the hangers "How long have you been here?" he asked her

"I don’t know" She shrugged the dress over her head "Ti in this place"

"Were you born here?"

"No I was eight when Birik clai ift isn’t nearly as strong as mine He mostly just calls snakes" A s at a teht me, forced me, to draw my power for his own use I haven’t been off thisin the human world at the time you cato reach the moon"

"The 1960s You’ve been down here about forty years You’re still very young"

She quirked a brow, a glie in her eyes that pleased hi hi sone al instant, in the brief radiance of her smile, he felt as if he’d been sucker punched

Skye pushed her sleeves to her forearrace back in full

But when she stopped beside hiaze wouldn’t quite ly delicate, she looked as fragile as a sapling in a storm A need to protect her rose fiercely within hiaze finally rose to his, pressing into his chest, into his heart

"It’s been a long time since I had someone to talk to Someone who offered a little sympathy" She bent and laid a feather-soft kiss on his chest

A pressure built inside hi at his heart

"Thank you," she said softly

He aze "You’re welcome"

She turned and started toward the door

"Where are you goingSkye?"

"To the woods" She glanced back at him with pensive eyes "I need the woods" A sanctuary and the protection he couldn’t provide

As she disappeared around the corner, he stared at the e time A hundred dire problems pressed on his mind, yet all he could think about was her Skye

Without a doubt he’d been enchanted The question was, by ic?

Or by the woman herself?

Hours later, Skye finally left the forest to return to the caverns, another doe by her side and a pluh it was a day away froht, she felt the need for their company As she descended the cavern stairs, a pair of crows circled her head Two more squirrels scampered around her feet

She set the woodchuck down and slipped into the kitchen to fetch her Feral soh he hadn’t asked for anything Besides, she felt this soft need to bring hiift he wanted, of course She couldn’t free hie

She wrapped several thick strips of roast venison in two pieces of cheesecloth and slipped one wrapped package into each of the deep pockets in the seams of her dress

With the woodchuck once more in her arms, she led her little troupe down the stone stairs that ran throughout the cavern Spying Birik deep in discussion with two of the sorcerers and the Feral, Vhyper, her heart lurched The doe, feeling her distress, pressed her head against her hip

As always, she tried to pass without drawing his attention, but Birik’s hand snagged her ar the woodchuck The creature fell to the rock at her feet with a squeal and waddled behind her as Birik’s flat eyes pinned her fast

"It worked," he said coldly

Skye nodded, holding theaway She fought not to trehed darkly "I told you it would Paenther’s too ht not to coaze flicked to her hip "I s hilanced at hi the same coldness in his eyes she saw in everyone’s these days Everyone except Paenther’s She liked that she knew his name, now In Paenther’s eyes she only ever saw heat The heat of fury Or passion

Vhyper nodded, that cold hu ood six inches "You’ll have hiaze back on Birik "As I knew she would"

Birik pulled her closer, his hand tightening painfully around her upper araze jerking up to his as understanding rushed over her The power she’d raised with the Feralwasn’t enough? The orbs had been spitting with h?

"I’ll try again" Instead of disht released a rush of heat low in her body

"No Leave hi else in mind" He released her with a flick of his hand "Go Feed your pet Then return to me"

Skye blinked, bewildered and not a little worried

As Birik turned his back on her, she hurried away, her pulse too fast He was planning so What?

Her heart sank to her toes Surely he wouldn’t kill him Surely not that But she knew all too well Birik was eness

Her Feral couldn’t die

Yes, he was a rare and beautiful creature And, no, she never wanted any of her creatures to die, but this was different

He was different Strong, powerful A knight, Vhyper called hi even his ene pity for her

For the first time in years, she was reminded there were those still in possession of a conscience Warriors with goodness in their hearts

With souls

And she would not see this one destroyed

Nor, selfishly, did she want to lose hi she’d lived in the cold, she’d alotten ar hiift When she’d been hurting, he’d not only accepted her body but helped her take him without pain

For so many years she’d been alone Without sympathy Without care Those she’d loved, the friends, had all been sent elsewhere Or changed, transforth of the Elemental’s, Inir’s, army

Not in years had someone cared that she’d been beaten Not in years had anyone tried to ease her misery