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"Cherish, the gem of Winter, what say you to the scepter of Suht? Will you yield? Will you…" He stopped then as our gazes locked, and within that e passed between us, and ht--my will to destroy--faded like cloth left out in the sun too long

"Cherish…" The triu athis expression

I could have destroyed him then I knew it, I could have ripped out his throat and taken him down, devoured him But I was as trapped in the spell as he I searchedon my senses I’d never felt like this before, never wanted someone this way Never wanted to…spare anyone I’d killed hundreds of people over the years, and never once had I questioned what I was doing

"Shy…" My voice was shaking, and I began to tre to ? I don’t want this!"

But he stepped forward again, slowly this time, and held out his arer a de I stepped into his eue seeking htly

As our lips met, the world shifted, and ere bound, and I knew then I was forever lost The ge I kneas that we had both sealed our dooly die for

Chapter 8

As Grieve and I fell back, his fingers strokingin the diht, I ca that so on the door I wanted to talk to Grieve, to see if he re as Shy and Cherish the same way I did, but there was no tiain and answered the knock It was Rhiannon

She peeked in, blushing lightly, but she merely said, "Lannan’s back and boy does he have news You’d better come out now"

If Lannan said he had news, it was probably i Grieve pulled me into his arms

"I know, Cicely"

"Knohat?"

"I knohat happened during the blood fever Chatter told me"

Damn it! Grieve had known I’d had to drink from Lannan, but I’d kept from him that I’d almost fucked the vampire The blood fever had held me in thrall and I’d opened myself to him He’d been barely inside me when the others found us Ever since then, netic way and I knew that it had so his blood, but there had been no choice Crawl, the Oracle of the Cri me into the shadow realm, and only Lannan’s blood had savedto throttle him

Grieve smiled, faintly "He felt it better I know than find out froht, but I understand that if you’re ever in that predicaain But if he hurts you--I will destroy hi what to say "I cannot help that my body responds to him, but my heart resists I can’t stand his touch, yet when he puts his hands on ly walk into his embrace I will never jump into his bed--not by choice The blood fever--there was no choice It’s like…"

"It’s like the hunger I feel since Myst turned me," he whispered softly "This is why I say what I do I truly do understand I resist my nature, but if Myst were to appear here, in front of me, the will to disobey would be hard-pressed So yes, er than us, yet we fight against theain, floating on the waves that rippled between us

After a o "We’d better join the others"

I stood back, letting hi hi back in his chair, looking vaguely amused as we appeared from the doorway I steeled myself for some snarky comment, but he just nodded for us to sit down

Without preaent"

We all stared at him; the announceina, Lannan’s twin sister and lover, and the Eave newto the concept of Type-A personality She was ruthless and controlled more by her head than her lusts, which was the exact opposite of Lannan But this was going to extremes, even for her

"You don’t believe in sh a slew of questions flooded my brain Was Geoffrey dead? Well, of course he was dead, but for good? What the fuck had happened?

Lannan let out a low chuckle "Small talk is for sent, effective immediately I will serve in his place on a te across his face "I aent All of Geoffrey’s contracts revert to htto crest throughto Ysandra, my contract with the vampires held sway No court in the land would deny its validity Meaning I alking a very slippery slope now that Lannan Altos wasmy disco to say,oadstupid

Everyone waited forto say Finally, I found ratulations, Lannan Please, tell us what happened Where did Geoffrey go to? Obviously, he took Leo with hiina like he threatened?"

"Such concern for my sister She’ll be touched you inquired" Said with a hint of sarcasm Then, "Geoffrey would be tortured by the Queen if he touched one hair of my sister’s head and he should know that, but I could not chance that he’d gone insane and would carry through the threat Which is why I left when he orderedup the sleeves of his casual jacket His arms were scarred, ancient scars that told me Lannan had seen many battles before his aze and sloinked at me Flustered, I turned my head