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"What the hell?" Lyon de in Paenther’s head as he was sure it did in all the Ferals’ A shifted Feral was able to speak telepathically ho as that person was relatively close by I didn’t intend to shift I felt her pulling on
The cat came around the table slowly, his walk stealthy Deadly I’ to rip that bitch’s throat out
Paenther shoved back his chair and stood, Skye at his back "Like hell you are It’s not her fault, Jag"
No? She works her ic, and it’s not her fault? Who’s to bla’s
"I can’t shift," Paenther told Tighe even as he grabbed Skye fro her with his body
"I can" In a flash of lights and striped fur, Tighe shifted into his tiger and leaped at the saht over the table The pair crashed on top of the platters of food, sending dishes, crystal pitchers, and silverware crashing to the floor
Paenther pulled Skye to the other side of the rooht in a way strictly forbidden by the code of the Ferals
"Jag, shift Now!" Lyon ordered
But the jaguar’s only reply was a furious growl as he sank his fangs in the tiger’s shoulder and was batted back by a huge, powerful paw
Lyon turned on Paenther "Get her out of here, or I’ Skye hard against hi this on purpose or not, the result was the same
"The Prisons, BP," Lyon yelled, as Paenther pulled Skye from the room "I don’t want her anywhere near the others"
In the hallway outside the dining roo hand and saw the fear in her eyes A fear that echoed deep in his soul Because whether she was doing it intentionally or through the cantric eer his friends
As he led her down the long stairs to the prisons below, he felt his choices narrowing to a dismal few In a terrible twist of irony, he’d found that rarest of creatures, a kind and gentle witch Yet thanks to the treachery of her own kind, she was still dangerous
And a dangerous witch, caught in the Ferals’ trap, had only one kind of future Bleak
Chapter Fourteen
Skye turned to face Paenther as they reached the prison deep below the house She was shaking, her sto rooly desperate to reach her Not drawn to her Not leaping to greet her as the panther was He’d alainst his will, turning hiry Viciously so
"I didn’t do it on purpose"
Paenther looked down at her, his rim "I didn’t say you did"
"But you have to think I was responsible"
"I don’t think it’s you but your cantric that’s to blame"
"Why? I mean, ould Birik load a spell into my cantric that would drive a Feral crazy? He couldn’t have expected me to free you, let alone be kidnapped by you in return It doesn’t make any sense"
He opened the door of a cell across froht Someone had cleaned up the blood
He ushered her inside, then followed her There was a wooden bench in this one, and she sat on it as Paenther stood beside the door, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his body still No expression crossed his face
"It ht not make any sense, but the only alternative I can see is that you’re doing these things intentionally"
"I’m not"
He watched her closely "I believe you"
She closed her eyes, absorbing the sound of those words
"But thatto sit beside her on the bench "Or soht of"
As he stretched his long legs out in front of hi to do, Paenther?"
He turned to aze "What do you mean?"
"With me?" She knew her survival was at stake She knew it And knew he did, too "I want to help you stop Birik More than anything in the world, I want that But I don’t kno"
He reached for her, hooking his arainst him "I know I don’t kno, either"
"You can’t let o for fear Birik will catch s But Lyon won’t letsodown here is enough for now We’ll figure out soentle squeeze, he released her, then stood and turned to look down at her "Stay here I’ry"
He cupped her face with hand "I’ll be right back" Then he locked her in and disappeared down the long passage, leaving her alone and treed for kindness For goodness in another She’d finally found it and fallen head over heels in love with a good h the underground of the house, hating that he had nothing more to offer Skye than platitudes Lies Words of hope, soood, of course Vhyper’s words, repeated every day of their incarceration three centuries ago, had kept hi to get out of this, we three Together Do not doubt it Do not ever doubt it"
The words had turned out to be a lie for Frederick, the third of their group He’d died in that dungeon, bleeding to death from a wound Ancreta had inflicted on him just for the fun of it She’d cut off his foot to see how long it would take to grow back It hadn’t
The three of theether Frederick had never becouar Feral he washad finally dragged his surly ass into Feral House and set about turning every Feral against hiht he’d never show up To this day, nearly three centuries later, th and dry ould have rounded out their teaotten the chance, despite Vhyper’s words of hope<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>