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Ice

Oh God Everything they had done together last night rushed back to her in stunningly clearinto his eyes as he penetrated deep inside her, sending her hurtling into pleasure The memory of the tenderness etched onto the hard lines of his face melted her And the pleasure he had driven her to, over and over

He’d been relentless, unyielding, de with a wizard asn’t even in the rooht, Ice had more than proven that whatever she’d felt for Lucan whilst she’d cared for the wizard during hiswas less than a pale imitation of the vibrant, white-hot need Ice roused, the attentive way he sought to fulfill her every desire He’d treated her like a woman, not a china doll And she’d never experienced such ecstatic bliss

Slowly, she opened her eyes to the harsh lines of his cheekbones, the black wings of his brows over closed eyes, his strong jaw Her heart skipped Actually skipped Soht She’d always been interested in Ice Curious This … was ained a foothold in her heart

Sex for her had always been easy, fun … and fairlypleasure But she had stored energy, which was all she’d needed in the past After Ice, Sabelle didn’t think she could ever settle for less than fierce, stunning desire again He’d given her so much, shown her so many possibilities, looked at her with such adoration

You could have that forever, a voice whispered to her Speak the Binding Become his mate

And ould Braed? Could she endure the possibility of being shunned? What about the hed Bra where the fairness was in that did her no good As Merlin’s granddaughter, celebrated froickind, she was heaped with expectations from the moment she’d cast her first spell No, life wasn’t fair It never would be, and resenting her brother for following his urges and heart only lanced over her shoulder at Ice again He occupied three quarters of the bed, and she recalled his ar draped over her, hard breathing on her neck She’d felt cherished And protected

Gathering up the courage to Renounce hiive Ice hope when she could not be free of her station in life was nothing but unfair to hiauzy drape aside and stu her face with her hands and holding in her sobs She wanted Ice Wanted hiain God help her, she feared she wanted him for always and no one else would do A reckless part of her wanted to crawl back into bed with him and Bind to him so it could never be undone

Duty Desire Family Her heart All were important, and she didn’t knohich way to turn

Sabelle reached for her clothes and thrust them on, so utterly confused, herin her head warned her

She rushed to the bed to shake Ice awake, but he was already ju on his jeans

"The Anarki are here," he , she nodded "They haven’t penetrated our reat numbers"

As soon as he said the words, a bohts Puzzleer Triumph

"Whoever is out there knoe’re inside and potentially cornered We must escape now"

Ice hesitated "You must escape now I’ll help you Hide you and Braripped his hand "You’re co with me"

He caressed her cheek "No, princess They believe they have soic and find the premises e us If they find me here, they may believe they’ve won and leave you to escape with Bram and the book"

Horror crossed her face, blanched her veins "Ice, no … You can’t If they find you, they’ll torture--"

He placed a soft kiss over her et you hidden I know a place I found it in the cellar If I can, I’ll teleport away and e in an hour"

"Do you pro resolute drifted across his face, and it scared her to death "If I’o withouton you"

His assurance that he’d teleport away … a lie He was going to let the Anarki take hiht hi his life for hers

"Please don’t do this" Tears welled in her eyes "Please"

"Princess, we o If you’re to escape, we can’t waste time" He brushed past her, and she watched his wide back retreat, then bend as he lifted Bram, still shrouded in the black cloud, over his shoulder "Grab your pack Let’s go"

This couldn’t happen She couldn’t let this deep, passionate wizard give himself over to evil and unspeakable torture to save her

With all her strength, she latched on to his elbow and swung him around to face her "As I becoood, and--"

Ice covered her mouth with his hand, his body tense, his eyes rife with pain It killed him to stop her So why had he?

"You don’tsacred words to keep me with you … No For me to allow that would be dishonorable And I won’t have you suffer should so happen to me"

How had she ever believed that he could Call to her with revenge in his heart and ive him up now, especially to the Anarki

"But--"

"We did our best, princess We tried to escape and we failed I love you Know that If you wish to hts happy, escape for ain, let hih the early dawnher eyes as she strapped her pack on her back and hurried after hier and the fear But doing without hiht of it even crushed her How had he come to mean so much to her in a few short days?

As she chased after him, her mind raced There must be some way, any way, to convince him to escape with her Or try Maybe the Anarki didn’t knoas here

But in the next rass and it crunched beneath her feet in the ghostly fog, she sensed the Anarki’s thoughts Zain’s thoughts and voice, calling out for Ice Soic