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"You seemed to be enjoying it."
"Did it ever occur to you that I faked it so he wouldn't kill me?"
Sefton studies me with squinted eyes while his fingers twitch. "If you despise him, why were you so upset that I sent him away? You demanded to know what I did with him."
Damn, I suck at lying.Say something to convince him, do it now.
I resist the urge to bite my lip and force myself to look him in the eye. "Dax is the anchor. I was afraid all your hard work might be destroyed if he dies."
Sefton slants toward me. "Should I believe you? I'd like to, Allison, but your behavior suggests otherwise. You did escape from me a few days ago. And you fucked my brother. These actions must have consequences."
My throat has gone tight and dry. My pulse beats so fast that I'm starting to feel lightheaded, but I can't give in to the fear. I need to stay calm, at least on the outside.
He grabs my arm and drags me out into the hall, then shoves me into the bedroom where Dax and I had made love a matter of minutes ago. The sheets are still rumpled. Dax's clothes lie on the floor beside my underwear.
Sefton hovers on the threshold, one hand on the knob. He's breathing hard, almost wheezing.
"Are you okay?" I ask. "You seem tired."
"Yes, I am tired—of waiting to get what I want."
I suddenly wonder if he's suffering from power drain. All the magics he keeps tapping into might have weakened his body.
He twists the doorknob in his hand. "You will remain here while I prepare for the ceremony."
Sefton slams the door shut.
I stare at the door, immobilized by shock and fear and so many other emotions that I can't sort them out. Ceremony? He intends to force me to marry him so he can…rape me.
A chill shudders through me, making my teeth chatter. Yeah, I'm terrified of what Sefton might do next. But I can't just stand here waiting for it to happen. Dax taught me how to defend myself—and how to fight.
I hurry to the door and try the knob. It twists freely, but the door will not open. I yank as hard as I can. Nothing happens. Sefton must've sealed the door from the outside via supernatural means.
Should I risk using some of my power to break out of this room? I wish I had a magical power meter that would let me know how much I can afford to use.
The door swings open, forcing me to stumble backward out of its way.
Sefton locks his hand around my upper arm. "Soon we will be wedded, and the power of that union will reinforce the merging of the worlds. You will be one with me."
"But I don't love you. How will a forced union give you what you want?"
"It will. I need only your power." He hauls me out the door. "Our sexual union will cement the bond."
"No, it won't. We have no bond, Sefton. I barely know you, and quite frankly, I don't like you anymore. You are insane."
Yeah, I've thrown the "placate him" plan out the window. I know what he intends to do to me, and I will never let him do it, even if I have to die to stop him.
He tries to drag me down the hall, but I dig my heels in, which forces him to stop. With his bad knee, I don't think he can fight me if I resist, at least not enough to make me go where he wants.
Sefton halts and half turns to look at me, still cuffing my arm with his hand. His lips compress into a hard line, his gaze narrows and sharpens on me, and he hisses words through his gritted teeth. "Give yourself to me willingly, or I will take you by force."
Like hell he will.
I relax as if I'm giving in, and his grip loosens a touch. Seizing the opening, I yank my arm free of his grasp and run for the staircase. Sefton reacts a split second too late. I leap onto the railing and slide down it faster than his bad knee will let him get to the stairs. The instant I reach the bottom, I race through the foyer and rip the front door open to sprint outside into the light of the full moon. Just as my bare feet touch down on the grass, figures jump out to block my way.
The Echo creatures have surrounded me.
I halt so quickly that I stumble and almost hit the ground. I'm gasping for breath, my heart thrashing.
