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She heard their screams of pain. She saw David’s father rush out, and he too was lit on fire. She watched them engulfed in huge flames, and Royce bent in on herself as she cried out, “Noooo … oh nooo …”
Pestale snapped his fingers, removed the scene he had just displayed for her, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her. “Listen to me, Princess. I saw them delivered to one of their human hospitals. They are unconscious now from the drugs they have been given. But they will wake up, and they will remember what they suffered, what they still suffer. I can remove the memory. I can heal them—all of them—but now you must cooperate with me.”
“You will heal them … make their pain stop—take away the memory of it?” She sobbed, unable to think.
“Yes, but it will take a great deal of effort on my part. I need a boon from you first. I need for you to accept me—all of me—as your mate. I am who I am, but I promise you, beauty, I will make you love me. Take my hand and vow to me that you will be mine.”
“Yes … yes, anything … only heal them.” She pounded on his bare chest, tears rolling freely down her cheeks.
“I want your vow in blood … so that it cannot be broken even if at some later date should you wish to break your vow—you will be unable to. The blood will bind you to me.”
“I will make any vow your wish and in my blood … on my life … anything—only heal them!” she snapped. She wasn’t thinking straight; she knew she wasn’t thinking straight. She had to get control of herself and find a way to destroy him.
Think, Royce! Don’t just react—think! He tricked you before into doing what he wanted. Is this another trap?
Unfortunately, Royce realized, even if Pestale was once again deceiving her, she had to proceed as though he had told her the truth. The risk to the Hansons, to her precious David, was too high.
~ Seventeen ~
CHANCE AND TREVOR paced at different ends of the wizard’s weapons room. Chance held his fists at his back, and Trevor occupied his time with stopping now and then to inspect some of the very odd artifacts on the room’s stone walls.
A blazing fire crackled in the oversized fireplace, and Chance paused his pacing to sigh heavily and stare into the flames.
He was going mad waiting.
He felt so damn helpless. What was he to do? She was there—with him, with the Dark Prince—and he was useless.
He felt his fist itching to find Pestale’s face and disfigure him. He discovered an ache, a heart-wrenching ache thinking that Pestale might have his hands on Royce. He put his fist to his mouth to still the roar that made its way to his throat.
This was no good. He had to stop imagining the worst—for it was driving him senseless, and he needed all his clear thinking intact!
But with every moment that passed, he lost a little more control. Every second that ticked by suggested that Pestale was on her … touching … kissing her …
He groaned against his will and looked at Trevor. “I … I have to kill him, Trev … I doona think I can bear to bring him in alive as yer queen wishes.”
“I know.” Trevor answered grimly.
Chance looked away. “Bloody hell!” he shouted just to release some angst. What the devil was taking so long?
And then the wizard shouted out excitedly, “Humph!” followed by, “YES!”
Both Trevor and Chance marched right up to him and waited as Rysdale waved a very ornate wand in the air. A sprinkle of gold dust exploded, and the wizard smiled broadly. “There, I have it!”
“I see nothing!” Chance exclaimed anxiously. “Only the wand you have had all along.”
“I have the spell perfected,” Rysdale said softly. “It took a bit longer than I had expected … but given the short notice, it is as good as can be expected.”
“As good as can be expected?” Chance growled. “What does that mean?”
“Indeed … there are two very important things that will be working against you,” said the wizard as he started walking towards a small, arched door on the other side of the weapons chamber.
Chance and Trevor followed and came up to flank him. Chance reached for the wizard’s arm and touched him. “Rysdale … what will be working against us?”
“In a moment, Chancemont … now we have to get to my portal!” Rysdale answered crisply with a finger up in the air.
“Then lead the way.” Chance started forward and turned to wait for the wizard. “Come on …” he encouraged as Rysdale stood for a moment, apparently deep in thought.
“It occurs to me that something must proceed you into the portal. Yes, right then, off we go,” Rysdale said as he marched to the door and swung it open, waving his hand for Chance and Trevor to precede him.
