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Upshifting into his full-sized cougar, he flen the stairs four at a tirowing brighter as he descended, revealing the jeweled inlay work in the walls, creating ns One part of his mind wondered at the artists who’d created the place, but his only concern was finding Ariana

A flash of pain, Ariana’s pain, burst fro him crazy with the need to reach her

After more than a dozen turns of the stairs, he leaped into a cha pulled up beside hie, circular chaht her feet had been cut off and she stood balanced upon the re stuaze rose to her face, to the defiant fury that couldn’t mask the terror in her eyes He shifted into his huar deht to breach the sanctity of the queen’s chaar strode to her, in no mood for her attitude "Tell me!"

"She’s in the lower chamber"

"Show me how to reach her"

This time, her ire rose "It’s forbidden to all but the queen" Even terrified half-out of her ar’s patience was at an end He went feral, his claws and fangs descending, though he held hi her by the barestthis one off her feet

A distant screa frorowl ripped through his voice

Her resistance visiblythe better of her where her fear for herself had not

"You can’t follow" Melisande lifted her hand to forestall his reaction "I can open the door, but the teh it It won’t even let h her expression "And you’re not even Ilina"

High above, a shout sounded, followed by the s warned

Melisande’s teer fueled by pure terror "You’ve led the held his hand out to Kougar, palm up "Knives? I’ll hold thear retained his clothes and weapons when he shifted

Another distant cry of pain rang out, followed by a burst of agony blasting down theand whirled on Melisande "Open the door!"

The blond an to chant softly in thedoor appeared Kougar raced for it, desperate to barrel through, but all too afraid Melisande had spoken the truth He pulled up, atteh instead And hit solid rock

"I told you" For once, Melisande’s voice held no sar wasn’t about to give up Again, he heard Ariana cry out and felt her pain in thatso hard to keep hi a deep breath, he closed his eyes and followed that bond with his h the decrepit, caved-in cord, trying to touch her in soh the bond, he reached for the door again And again, hit only stone

From the other end of that bond, he felt her pain, her fear And so control of the poison

Goddess He pounded at the door with both fists, then shifted into his cougar and tried to leap through, only to be knocked back on his haunches He sat there, his head ringing for an infuriating moment before he leaped to his feet and shifted back to man As he’d done above the stairs, he kicked at the barrier over and over with his foot; but this one showed no intention of cru to let hi from below Fear for her tore at his throat The need to reach her rose until he thought it would suffocate him

"Let me reach my mate!" A roar of fury and possession and frustration blasted up froh the cha at the walls "She’s ain, then stopped suddenly as a weird crawling energy hit his scalp and washed down his body Deep in his mind, a voice spoke to him A voice he didn’t knooaze flew to Melisande "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Turning back to the shi, unbreachable door, he knew The temple itself, or the queen whose spirit resided within, had heard his claiht, he shifted into his cougar and flew through as if the stone had never been As before, he landed on tight, spiral stairs, this tied as he descended to the lowest of the cha and lily of the valley Of fear and pain

Ariana’s pain

With his cat’s agility, he tore down the stairs, a longer set than the last ones, twisting deep into the earth With each twist, Ariana’s pain grew inside hiht he couldn’t stand it another minute, he burst into the chahtmare

Ariana stood within the circle of pillars, in the center of the knee-deep pool, naked Bloody stripes crisscrossed her breasts and thighs Stripes that weren’t healing

As he watched, a bolt of lightning shot from the top of one of the pillars to slice across her abdomen With a cry, she threw back her head, her face a ony She swayed unnaturally on her feet as if she were being held upright by an invisible force

He felt her pain as if it were his own Shifting into a man, he ran to her and jumped into the pool as another bolt struck her low across the back

"No more!" he shouted

The water plastered his pants to his calves and soaked into his boots As he reached her he saw a flash of light against the ceiling and shifted to put himself between it and Ariana Pain sliced across his shoulder blade, an electric current that raced through his body, setting every nerve ending on fire Biting down on a groan, he wrapped his ar hiar" His naasp "You can’t be here"

"I’ you out of here"

"No Can’tleave"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another bolt flash, and shifted to take that blow, too The lightning tore through his left hip, slicing his pants and his flesh halfway to the bone

Fuck

Within the cage of his body, Ariana began to soften, her breath easing