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Not until she’d captured a dark-eyed panther with hatred in his eyes and honor in his soul

Now she feared Birikelse All in the na of roast venison Paenther’s sto his fill of the sight of her Her hair and dress were daht in the rain Her quiet, delicate beauty did so river even as it heated his blood

Once again, anih a different collection than before As before, she ushered the ses and tied the doe with a rope at the wall Then she came to him, her eyes at once troubled and lit with a warht you so" But as she pulled the wrapped venison out of her pocket, her gaze went to his wrists, sticky with his blood Her broered unhappily "You’ve been struggling"

"Always"

Her eyes pleaded "Accept your fate, warrior There’s nothing else you can do"

He shook his head "Never quit fighting, little witch It means the death of your soul"

Those troubled eyes of hers darkened as she unwrapped the ry"

"I aave hi to bite ht of the way she’d curled around her injured ar her dress "I’ed my mind"

Her mobile mouth shifted into a selad" She held the meat to his mouth for him to take a thick, juicy bite

She stroked his chest with her free hand, nearlyhim purr Yet even as she touched him without wariness, he s of her heart

"I won’t bite you, Skye"

Her gaze flicked to his "I believe you" She tried to feed hiain, and he shook his head

"You first You’re too thin"

"I’ry"

He scowled at her "I find that hard to believe" But those shadows in her eyes were darkening "Tell ht her botto"

"You’re afraid"

"I’m fine"

"Are you afraid of Birik?" Her tiny jerk at the mention of his name told Paenther what he wanted to know "He’s threatened you again"

"No aze, unhappiness etched into every line of her face "This time he’s threatened you"

"How?" Paenther’s jaw clenched, his ainst his bonds He was all for a battle, but to fight, he had to be free

"I don’t know He said the energy we raised wasn’t enough, but when I offered to try again, he said no He had soood"

Paenther captured her gaze and held it fast "Get me out of here, Skye I’ll take you with me You’ll be safe from him"

"And where would you take me? Your people have been at ith mine forever"

"What difference does it make? He wouldn’t beat you any her hand on his chest "I can’t leave I don’t have a choice"

"We all have choices, Skye" He stared into her eyes, willing her to hear hiht depend on it "Whether we choose to face them or hide from them defines e are Whether we choose to let evil live, or we fight to destroy it, defines our lives Choose, Skye Choose"

A spark of temper lit her eyes "You don’t understand"

"Skye"

She pulled away froht hiht him, and all I’ve done is end up bloody and broken He’s too powerful! And his reach is too long Even if I et away, and I wouldn’t, he’d hurt ed to come back to him just to end the misery"

"I’ll protect you"

"You can’t!" She whirled and fled the room, his dinner still in her hand

"Skye!"

He waited, praying she’d return, but she didn’t He cursed himself for a fool She was his only hope of escape, his only coitation in the cages in the corner He’d pushed her too hard, too fast, and scared her away

He was still kicking himself for it soe outside the rooreen snake curled around his neck, Paenther knew this was it The tie studied hiht, Feral A night you’ll never forget" The Mage reached for hiainst his chains, but there was nothing he could do to stop the cold press of the bastard’s pal into the net of enthrallment

"Wake up, BP"

Paenther heard Vhyper’s voice as if fro through his body, propelling hie of partial enchant brain He could tell he wasn’t alone with Vhyper by the murmur of other voices and the squawk of crows Smells drove into his senses Old blood, new fires, and violets

Skye

As before, he was on his back, but the rock beneath hiathered beneath his left calf and right shoulder He tried to ht as fir on the rock beneath his head

Finally, his vision broke free As he looked around hied He was on the floor this tier room within the cavern A roo through fro embers of banked fires in vessels scattered around the roolohitewash and graphic sye Ae that lived in his blood boiled over He was not an aniainst his shackles With a furious growl, he called on the power of the aniain tried to shift Like before, nothing happened

"Fight it all you want," Vhyper drawled, standing at his side, his voice floating down fro anywhere, BP"

With his furious gaze, he searched the rooe sorcerers in ritual robes

Ritual robes Goddess, he smelled layers and layers of old blood in here Was his about to coat these stones, too?<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>