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SHAYE STUDIED the other women locked inside the cell Of course, they were the same ones who&039;d been locked inside the hobby room with her They didn&039;t see amicably with each other

How could they possibly be frohtmare Was Brenna here? Shaye really needed an ally Someone to share her worries with, soirl shouldered her way through the thick crowd "Here"

"Thank God" Shaye pulled her into the nearest corner "How are you? Did Shivawn punish you for trying to escape?"

"Escape," the one called Tiffany groaned She leaned against one of the side bars "Please tell ain At least, not right now Don&039;t you know you&039;re supposed to wait until everyone is sleeping, then run? That&039;s how all the movies do it"

"I still don&039;t understand why you&039;d want to escape Valerian" The dark-haired girl who&039;d left Valerian&039;s roo the conversation "He&039;s a at her sides as jealousy speared her

"I still drea dreamily "Does he ever speak of nashed together as i - consu was new to her, and she didn&039;t exactly kno to deal with it "No He hasn&039;t ed with disappointment "Hopefully he&039;ll tire of you soon I really, really, really want him back"

"What makes you think he&039;ll tire of me at all?" she snapped She hated that she possessed that fear herself How long would Valerian rean to rove in search of someone else? Soed "You tried to escape him I can&039;t see that such behavior will appeal to hiive you a week, two at most"

Shaye stepped forward, hands clenched, ready to strike Brenna grabbed her arm, a silent command to stop "No tools to patch Kathleen," her friend said hoarsely

Expelling a deep breath, Shaye turned away from the bitch in question She wanted out of this cell, away froo hoht left her with a hollow ache in her chest

The group began chatting about the arrival of a new ny Valerian Apparently this ny women to climax with only a look After a while Shaye tuned out the prattle Fury seethed like a ticking bomb in her blood, detonation assured

If she stayed here, this was the life she would have She would be trapped in a cell every tiotten by Valerian, just another of his conquests And all the while, she would crave hiht buried

What would she do when he got tired of her? He&039;d said he wouldn&039;t, but he could not predict the future Another woht one day catch his eye He was a nymph, after all, and that was par for the course

I can&039;t let him dump me

Everyone she&039;d ever come to love had either abandoned her or disappointed her No one stuck around No one wanted to work at relationships She knew that She also knew that if she didn&039;t love, then she didn&039;t hurt when everything cru hiiven another

Her first instincts had been right She needed to leave him

Determined, she faced Brenna "This is our best chance for escape," she whispered The ache that had sprouted in her chest just a little while ago intensified draers around the bars "Are you with me?"

Indecision played over Brenna&039;s features She nibbled on her bottoether Finally she nodded, the action hesitant

The bars were thick and blue, bright, about the width of a baseball bat, and hot to the touch Not enough to blister, but enough to burn She rattled them, or tried to at least They didn&039;t move

"Do you kno Valerian turned the bars to ain

Brenna shook her head

Shaye replayed the goodbye kiss Valerian had given her through her mind His lips had met hers and he&039;d backed her into the bars Only, the bars hadn&039;t been there They&039;d - what? Disappeared? Her eyes widened Maybe they had Maybe an outside touch was required Valerian hadn&039;t pushed a button or used a key His guard had si bars and they&039;d vanished

She had to get one of the guards to reach into the cell "I&039;ve got it!" she told Brenna, then strode over to Kathleen "You want to get rid of me, then you have to help me" She explained what she wanted the woman to do

Kathleen&039;s eyes narrowed "So you plan on leaving Atlantis? Forever?"

Again Shaye&039;s chest throbbed with prickles of pain "Yes"

"In that case, helping you will be my pleasure" Kathleen sashayed her way to the front of the crowd She gripped the bars, smiled sweetly, and said, "Terran, you look so handsorinned over at her, hungry yearning in his eyes

"You look handso her role perfectly "Your ed toward her as if pulled by an invisible cord, but they didn&039;t reach for her

Shaye kept her attention divided between the men and the bars, ready to exit at a moment&039;s notice

Kathleen whispered throatily, "May I lick your neck, Dylan? Please I have to taste you"

He didn&039;t even think of denying her "Of course" He gripped the bars and leaned into Kathleen&039;s waiting lips

In that instant, the entire cell turned to mist

"I want to lick you, too," Shaye heard other woed forward, past the uards, co their attention Shaye easily and silently slipped out of the prison, Brenna beside her She sly as she tiptoed from that section of the cavern

"Wouards&039; now-frantic pleas, she and Brenna rounded the corner Yes! We did it! Following the curls of fog, they soon came to the portal and approached tentatively It swirled and churned, its jellylike center beckoning Shaye shivered froret, she assured herself - and wrapped her arms around her middle

"I can&039;t believe how easy that was," she said But she didn&039;t go another step farther

Brenna didn&039;t respond

She tore her attention fro her hands, her expression tortured "What&039;s wrong?"

"Joachim needs me"

Ah, crap The nymphs had brainwashed another one She didn&039;t need this now If Brenna backed out "He&039;s healing nicely You said so yourself"

Brenna bit her lip Probably a nervous action, since she did it a lot "Shivawn is sweet"