Page 21 (1/2)

But no shout sounded in his ar crouched, knives at the ready, blood running down his neck from where the Dae, but the veno up his brain Already, he’d lost speech He couldn’t even reply telepathically to Jag’s calls Though he still had cohts, the part of his brain that turned thee had been disabled by the venoh

In his head, he heard Jag calling hiht tono progress, or could he simply not feel it?

The telltale movement of air warned him of another attack a split second before claws raked across his neck and shoulder, opening hih at the creature with his knife, feeling the blade dig into flesh His face?

The Daear tried to follow, but the warding kept hilad he felt little pain, or he’d be hurting like a son of a bitch As it was, the ripped flesh was aordered them to join him in the chant that would raise the spirit and power of the ani happened He couldn’t join in, which would leave him trapped in this prison, unable to ht the growing lethargy of his ht to find the poithin hilies of his brain For one brilliant ht he’d found the power to change back into his aniy, but another Ilina energy

Even as the realization hit him, Melisande and Brielle materialized before him, their for, he didn’t know, but he could both see and hear thelad to see a damned Ilina

Melisande spoke "You’re in trouble warrior Our psychic sees you dying here without intervention Queen Ariana bade us let you die, but the psychic says no You’re useful still if we reconnect the link that was severed"

Reconnect the link?Kougar’s mind reeledNo He shook his head adamantly, unable to say the word Ashiain Worse A thousand times worse

"Then you shall die So, too, will your friends, for it’s your voice they need joined with theirs to raise the power of their animals, to free them from this prison Would you, out of stubbornness, steal four Feral lives?"

The bitch kneouldn’t let that happen But, goddess, he didn’t want this For a thousand years, he’d felt little emotion, and only the barest heat, cold, or pain But the pain and the e for the day they’d be free again to rise up and dig their fangs deep into his heart, ain

He did not want this

But what choice had he? Melisande s, but she’d never been a liar

If she said the psychic clai with hih his aze, he nodded

The Ilina floated to hiolden band that circled his upper ar Then, sloarrew hotter and hotter until the band glowed like old, and his flesh burned

The heat spread up into his shoulder, flushing through his chest and up into his head, leaving a trail of searing pain Deep inside hi been encased in ice burst free - ancient grief, bitter betrayal

Fury

He would kill the bitch He’d kill her!

Brielle stepped forward, the top of her head not even reaching his chin, her sainst his tear, but I can pull it back and hold it until you’ve shifted"

Seething hatred and white-hot fury ripped across his mind, but they weren’t directed at either of the Ilinas before him No, it was another wo him

Ariana, Queen of the Ilinas

Ariana, his mate, his wife The woman he’d loved beyondthey’d meant to one another

She would pay Goddess help hi bond all those centuries ago,him believe she was dead For a thousand years he’d suffered, his heart cold as an arctic night, his life turned to dust

And it had all been a lie

As Brielle worked, he began to feel the veno’s voice continued to chant in his head

Jag, I’ar tried to join hiar joined the chant, a ru thunder he could feel but not hear Even though he was already in his anirow

Hope leaped And then he heard the sound he’d held his breath for The triuhe shoutedLet’s get the hell out of here

Without a second’s hesitation, Jag turned and leaped back through the warding, out of the darkness, and into a scene of rain and carnage Four bodies littered the grass around a single, raging battle, in thecollapsed beneath him, torn and half-paralyzed frohting hi back into his hu now an arm that wouldn’t ha his bare flesh with a torrent of cold, stinging rain But he barely felt it, his focus on one thing only Reaching Olivia

Ewan had her pinned on the ground, sla his fist into her jaw One of theainst her He just hoped to hell it an It had to be Olivia wasn’t feeding

Behind Ewan, a Mage reached over his shoulder to touch Olivia To enchant her, too

And once he did, Jag would have no choice but to kill her To stop her before she killed the in e’s hand, millimeters from Olivia’s face Bone crunched beneath his teeth, blood spilling ware off his feet, away froe froer and a ar stuhe reached Ewan first and tackled hiht hiut fisted

Hawke attacked Ewan froood thu hihe took off to where Delaney lay, un Not far frooddess

Hawke started for Olivia Jag growled deep in his jaguar’s throat and shifted "Take the Mage, Hawke I’ll see to her"

Hawke looked up, his face bloody, his eyes cal ran for Olivia, as even now trying to sit up Her bright hair flew around her face in a wind that had risen to near-hurricane force A face far too pale and pinched with pain

The hand would regrow, though not without a fair aony But she lived

Goddess, she still lived