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“No!”
Beth’s loud stomp made Alora jump.
“Daegreth’s suffered enough for something that isn’t his fault. I’m not letting anyone tell him about this new portal. Just figure it out and fix it before Vindrake finds a way to come back over here and screw with Daegreth’s head again.”
“Look, Beth... I agree with you, but it isn’t up to me. I’m sure the adults are going to tell Daegreth. If Vindrake has figured out how to make a new portal and he shows up here, we all know what’ll happen. It’s not Daegreth’s fault he has Vindrake’s bloodbond, but he can’t control himself if Vindrake is in the realm. Think how upset Daegreth would be if the bloodbond came back and he hurt someone.” Or killed someone.
“It’s not fair,” Beth muttered, clenching her fists at her side.
“I know it’s not.” Alora tried to think of something encouraging to say, but nothing came to mind. She took a step toward Beth, reaching out an arm toward her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
Her usually affectionate friend stiffened. “Don’t you get it? Daegreth would sacrifice him
self for you. For me. For any of us. He’s better than all the rest of us put together, and yet he’s the one who always gets the raw end of the deal.”
“Well at least he has you. That has to make him feel better.”
Staring out the window as a single tear tracked down her cheek, Beth replied in a wooden tone, “He doesn’t have me. He refuses. He says I can’t like him because he’s not good enough for me—not safe.”
Alora rubbed her eyes, stalling as she struggled for words. “Beth... I want to be there for you... like you always are for me. Just tell me what you want me to say.”
“I want you to tell me you’ll fix this. I don’t care how you do it—just fix it so it’ll never happen again.” Her sad brown eyes closed, damp lashes lying on her cheeks.
“Okay, I promise.”
Beth looked up and gave her a wobbly smile. “I know you can’t really keep that promise, but I love you for saying it.”
“No, it’s true. Graely’s determined to find a way to make sure there’re no portals between these two realms, even if we have to kill my father to do it. We have to. Not just for Daegreth’s sake, but for all of us.”
Only when Beth threw her arms around Alora did she feel the depths of her emotion. Wow, she’s really worried about him. Relieved, Alora returned the heartfelt hug.
“Okay, but be careful,” said Beth. “I don’t want to lose my best friend, either.”
A shiver rippled down Alora’s spine as the foreboding words conjured a few vivid memories, but she quickly pushed her fear back. “You know, I have another idea. The council is already talking about sending us on a quest of sorts this summer—to Serenshire. They’re hoping we can find a way to take the soulmate bond off, although Kaevin and I aren’t in agreement. But I was thinking... if there’s a way to get rid of the soulmate bond, maybe there’s a way to get rid of Vindrake’s bloodbond, too.”
“Do you really think so?”
Alora hesitated, not wanting to get Beth’s hopes up. “It can’t hurt to look.”
The timer dinged in the kitchen, and Alora followed Beth in, stooping to peer into the oven. “They look just right to me—a little bit gooey,” said Alora.
“We’ll do this batch gooey for you and the next one a little bit crisper for me.”
“Since when do you like crispy cookies? You’ve always liked ‘em soft.”
Beth shrugged and mumbled something about changing her mind as she handed Alora a hot pad, along with a healthy dose of embarrassment.
“Good grief, Charlie Brown! It’s not you who likes ‘em crispy, is it? It’s Daegreth.”
“I refuse to dignify that question with an answer.”
Chuckling, Alora opened the oven door and reached to grab the cookies from the center rack. But the cookie sheet slid backwards, and she had to reach farther in to grab the corner.
Then it happened.
Her bare skin touched the upper oven rack. White hot pain shot through her arm.
Alora screamed.
