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“Oh yes,” Foras growled in a deep voice, “You’re mine, now. There’s no one to save you, and no one to stop me. The world is mine for the taking; just one pesky task left.”
Once he was standing directly in front of me, Foras waved his wand over my body, causing my skin to grow hot. A prickling sensation covered me from head to toe, and what looked like fog seeped from my pores, hovering close to me.
Foras gave a gravelly laugh before taking a deep breath, inhaling the fog through his mouth. As he swallowed, I felt the strength draining from my body. He was consuming my essence - my life force - my soul. And there was nothing I could do to stop him.
As my consciousness clouded, my final thoughts fell on Nigel. I would never get to see the wonderful man again. I’d never hear him call me darling, or feel his caring touch.
The only sliver of comfort I had was that he and I had not yet bonded. He was free to move on with his life, and maybe find love in the future. I wanted him to be happy, even if it couldn’t be with me.
I only hoped that a world would remain in which he could continue on and find fulfillment. Foras claimed he could not be stopped, but maybe there was a way. And if there was, Nigel would be the one to find it; I was certain of that.
Using the last of my strength, I whispered his name before my vision went blurry.
XXXXX
Nigel
My eyes sprang open as I awoke from a horrible dream; Milan was in Foras’ grasp, whispering my name as he was losing his life. I needed to feel him, to cradle him safely in my arms, so I rolled over and reached out for him, only to find an empty cot.
I sat bolt upright as my heart pounded, and took notice of the room. Milan’s shoes and coat were gone, but his socks remained on the floor, and the door was hanging ajar.
I knew right away that something wasn’t right. Milan wouldn’t have left my side; he promised. Maybe the dream was more than that; perhaps it was a warning. My beloved was in danger.
I grabbed my wand from the floor and closed my eyes, focusing on a mental image of Milan’s face. I had never teleported to a person before; only a place. And even then, I needed either an address or a clear memory of the place itself.
But I had no idea where Milan was, and it terrified me. The only hope I had was to focus all of my energy and thoughts on my mate, and to pray I found my way to him.
When the temperature surrounding me became a little cooler, I opened my eyes, whispering my thanks to Fate when I saw block walls beginning to come into focus around me. But my gratitude vanished when I saw what they held; Milan, pale and hunched over as he rested on his knees, surrounded by fog that Foras was breathing in.
I pointed my wand at the beast (he was no longer a man), and sent a spell hurtling towards him. I was too furious and panicked to have a particular spell in mind; it was just a blast of energy to get him away from Milan.
The burst sent Foras stumbling away, and Milan collapsed onto the ground. I tried to run to him, but Foras sent his own spell at me, and I was shocked at its force as it tossed me into a nearby wall.
The back of my head smacked into the bricks, but I shook off the pain; I needed to keep my wits about me to help Milan. I sent a stunning spell towards Foras, but since I didn’t catch him off guard this time, he was ready for me.
Foras simply waved his hand to deflect the magic before baring his wickedly sharp teeth. His physical appearance reflected the evil that now resided in him. No mage could dabble in the dark arts without losing themselves to it.
Frightened by the power he had amassed but determined to fight for all I was worth, I sent every charm I could think of; stunning, disarming, flares, sleeping, energy balls, electricity bolts, constriction…but nothing landed. With a jerk of his head or twitch of his hand, my spells changed direction. Even with my elder magic, I couldn't touch him. He was too damn powerful.
At first, Foras laughed at my attempts, but he soon grew tired of the game, judging by the scowl on his face. He yelled, "Enough!", and flung his wand in my direction. His spell hit me square in the chest, sending me flying backwards into the wall again.
But this time, I remained suspended in the air, with my feet hovering several inches above the floor. It felt as if his hand were squeezing around my throat, even though he wasn't even touching me.
