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From her current lover to her previous one and his friends

"We appreciate anything you can tell us," Sabelle assured

The suspicion left Duke’s expression "Be careful"

With a sad slance toward the stairs where Lucan had disappeared, Anka exited the house, then teleported away

Sabelle closed the door, gathered her strength, then marched back to the table "We need a plan Is Caden, you and Sydney find Lucan Calone Ice, can you and Tynan secure our weapons elsewhere? We can’t let them fall into Mathias’s hands"

His air of authority cleared the rooered for a last look at Sabelle

Once everyone had gone, Duke guided Sabelle to the nearby library and shut the door "How quickly can we secure the house with our ic?"

"In a few hours’ tiic is complicated I can allow friends in, like Anka I can undo the safeguards I’ve put around the house But until he wakes, I have no idea how to unravel his protections, even if they are weakening"

"Can’t we lay souidance and pere in a few days, I think"

"We don’t have a few days" Duke hts frustrated

"Indeed" She paced

"So we abandon the house"

Sabelle pressed treether This was her home, and a million memories resided here Bram loved this house Its seclusion, its beauty And she didn’t kno to save it for hi out of control

"I know this is a lot of responsibility for you," Duketo a child

"Don’t placate me I’ll be fine" Resolution and fury stiffened her spine as she pointed out, "The book must be protected"

"You, olivia, or Sydney must carry it A feic ensures that it will dissolve instantly and return to its last fe place in which she put it"

"I’ll take it," she volunteered

"Sabelle--"

"Olivia hasn’t come into her power yet, and Marrok is both mortal and human Were Mathias’s minions to kill hihed heavily "Agreed He’s a legendary warrior, but a hu him apart And Sydney is human as well"

"Indeed" Nor did the woman share Marrok’s prowess on the battlefield She’d beco Sydney a very teet Coupled with the fact that herwith his uard wasn’t shts "I can’t send you alone"

"Duke"

"If you plan to take the book, you need at least one warrior to protect you I’ll take your brother andaway fro if he lived or died or needed her, filled her with panic "He comes with me"

"Be reasonable"

"Berelative" Her absent, selfish mother didn’t count

Duke rubbed his forehead with his hand "You’rethis difficult"

"Go with Caden and Sydney Make certain the transcasts continue Magickind needs the regular news she provides via their mirrors Send Tynan with Marrok and olivia They’ll need the extra protection"

"That leaves you with Lucan and Ice"

Sabelle sucked in a breath Da alone with either erous She most trusted Ice to protect her, but not herself to resist him "I’ll take Lucan"

"He ad transpiring with Anka … he could quickly regress into a dangerous state You’ve been granting hiy If he turns feral, he may refuse sex from anyone else and force the issue We can’t risk that Take Ice, as well"

Asthat she could, by herself, protect the book and care for her brother, while dealing with a wizard whohe couldn’t control, and fight off pursuing Anarki seemed foolish

"Bra even less Sabelle, the clock is ticking We need to leave now"

Damn and blast! "I’ll let theet along I refuse to play referee"

"Consider it done"

"I’ll grab the book and a few ite Bram down and to meeted toward Brah-maintenance men How the devil was she to handle the odd tension between the three of thee Lucan’s potential slips into illness and Ice’s desire, whileBram’s expectations? Later She couldn’t worry about it now

Sabelle took a few rab the book and scan her brother’s office, re all the tiain?

Sing a lu the clock tick down to danger

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath her feet A huge blast resounded in her ears The walls shook S her She fell to her knees, clutching the book, then crawled into the hazy corridor

Duke had er to one of the front s and looked out with dawning horror "Get out, everyone! We’re being attacked now!"

CHAPTER TWO

WHEN THE CEILING THUNDERED, and Ice heard a woman scream, his blood ran cold Sabelle!

He and Tynan hadn’t quite finished stashing the weapons when he heard the first rus They were under attack In a choice between preserving the hardware and saving Sa-belle … no choice