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Soren comes around from his desk and stands in front of Michel. He reaches out and cups Michel's cheek and Michel's eyes close briefly before openingagain.
"I said, it's my call. There's nothing to worry about. I won't take her. She's still yours. You'll joinme."
"We'll join you," Michel says, and his voice sounds flat, like Soren has compelledhim.
"All right then," Ed says and extends his hand to Soren as if he's just another professional. "What time do you want ushere?"
Soren shrugs. "An hour before would be fine. One of my drivers will pick you up in Helena in a UV-protectedcar."
He turns tome.
"Nice to meet you again, Eve," he says and bends down to me, taking my hand, kissing my knuckles. I can't respond, sitting there like a lump. "Untiltomorrow."
* * *
I've never been soglad to be away fromsomeone.
On the drive back to Helena, I slowly recover from the effect of whatever endorphin Michel's released in mybrain.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to fly back with him?" Isay.
Michel says nothing. He's staring out the car window, chewing on his bottom lip as if lost inthought.
"He forced you to agree, didn't he?" I say, taking Michel's hand. "He can compel you to obeyhim."
Finally Michel turns tome.
"There's nothing to worry about," he says. "He's not going to take you." He leans over to me, his hand tangling in my hair, and he kisses me. He strokes my cheek with his thumb. "You're stillmine."
"Do you even know that he's compelledyou?"
"Don't worry, Eve." He kisses me once more and turns back to the window, but he takes my hand in his, threading his fingers through mine as if his mind is afraid he'll lose me, even if part of it assures him hewon't.
Ed looks at me in the rear-view mirror. "What did you think ofhim?"
I shake my head and gaze out the window at the stars above the hills. "I think he's verydangerous."
"He's powerful, that's for sure. All this firepower and money." Ed's thinking of weapons and soldiers. I'm thinking of his power to manipulate people's minds and of the shadows that looked like huge wings sprouting from his back. It was probably the play of shadows in a dark room. If I repeat that enough times, I might start to believeit.
* * *
Chapter 13
"Within yourself deliverancemust be searched for, because each man makes his ownprison."
EdwinArnold
We arrive back at the hotel before 10:00 P.M. I go inside my room and immediately flop on the bed. Michel enters the room from his adjoining room a few momentslater.
"You should get some sleep," he says. "I'll just watch news headlines. I'm not leaving youalone."
He's truly worried, despite Soren's compelling him not to. I nod and get my nightgown and toiletries and go to the bathroom, do my nightly routine of cleaning my face and teeth. I come back into the room and he's on the other bed with his shoes off, and is flipping through channels on the television. He glances at me when I go to my bed, his eyes moving over my body. I remember what Soren said – that he's attracted to me because I resemble Danielle, and that he wants me because ofher.
"Julien told me there was something in your wallet I shouldsee."
He frowns. "I told you he'd try to stir thingsup."
"Can I seeit?"
