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Authors: Regan Black
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burst. Darian, Dare to his friends. Wood Elf. From a long line of elves in service to the Elite Guard. What the hell was the Elite Guard, she wondered, just as the answers tumbled around her head. "Wait. How do I know this?" And why did it seem as familiar, as normal, as anything out of her own past?
"Know what?"
She needed to get out of here. Amy shoved at his chest, a useless move that got her no closer to her escape. "Your nickname. I know your nickname: Dare. Your family. Your past." Her vision blurred and tunneled. She fought to stay conscious, to stay upright. "Stop it. I'm not hysterical," she groused, when he made soothing noises and rubbed her arm. But blackness crept around the edges of her vision, threatening to take her under again. Were the words even coming out of her mouth anymore? She slapped blindly at his hands. "I said stop whatever you are doing."
Slowly her vision cleared, but she was in a chair near the table, with no memory of getting there. "What was that?" She saw him hesitate. "Tell me everything," she growled.
He sighed and handed over her phone. "Will you listen?"
She nodded. She had no choice, needing the information and explanations.
"And will you believe?" He glared down at her, arms crossed, feet planted. The stormy temper in his eyes was unmistakable, but oddly, she wasn't afraid.
Not of him.
With the riot of information and visions currently running through her head belief wasn't going to be an issue. Acceptance, maybe. Where moments ago she was focused on commitments, now she was worried about being committed to an institution. She nodded. "Please tell me how I know so much more than your name," she said with all the superiority she'd use to subdue an off-track discussion group.
He rolled his eyes and muttered words that sounded like soft rain on a forest floor. "I suppose it's a hand-me-down."
She waited, her eyes locked on his face.
He blinked first. "Knowledge from one Matchmaker to the other. I can't know for sure as I'm not allowed to read the book, but it makes sense that there would be magic to ease the transition."
"Transition?"
He pushed his hands through his hair. "Did you touch the man in your office?"
"Not willingly. He grabbed me." She didn't care for the way Darian's face blanched.
"How did he react?"
She closed her eyes, not understanding, but trying to cooperate. "He shouted. Called me a fool I think." She opened her eyes. "Why?"
"Did he act injured? In any way?"
She nodded. "He acted as if I'd burned him. There was a rash on his arm."
Darian swore. "We have to get you out of here."
"What? Hold on. Why? Did he contaminate me or something?" She wanted answers, but Camille's security expert was pacing rather than talking.
"The opposite, actually. You've described marking an unwilling participant. He'll now be consumed with finding his mate or hunting you for vengeance."
"Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Can I take it back?" Wasn't there some sort of escape clause for ignorance? It's not like anyone had told her what the hell was going on.
"He's in jail at the moment." Dare sighed. "I'll tell you what I know." His eyes narrowed, turning an impossible, mesmerizing silvery green. "After you text your friend and tell her we will come pick up your things."
Amy understood the value of compromise. She sent the text, assuring Maeve she was all right. Turning off the phone, she studied Dare. He looked worn and weary, the shadows under his eyes worse than they'd been yesterday. "You're really an elf?" He nodded. The implications were mind boggling. "And you're sure the guy in the office was a werewolf?" He nodded again. "Oh, my word!" She pressed her fingers to her lips. "So that means the troll client was a real troll?"
Dare closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is going to take a while."
~*~
"You still look pale," Cade observed when Lily came downstairs, dressed in jeans and a soft, feminine purple twinset that covered the ever-irritating mark on her
"Know what?"
She needed to get out of here. Amy shoved at his chest, a useless move that got her no closer to her escape. "Your nickname. I know your nickname: Dare. Your family. Your past." Her vision blurred and tunneled. She fought to stay conscious, to stay upright. "Stop it. I'm not hysterical," she groused, when he made soothing noises and rubbed her arm. But blackness crept around the edges of her vision, threatening to take her under again. Were the words even coming out of her mouth anymore? She slapped blindly at his hands. "I said stop whatever you are doing."
Slowly her vision cleared, but she was in a chair near the table, with no memory of getting there. "What was that?" She saw him hesitate. "Tell me everything," she growled.
He sighed and handed over her phone. "Will you listen?"
She nodded. She had no choice, needing the information and explanations.
"And will you believe?" He glared down at her, arms crossed, feet planted. The stormy temper in his eyes was unmistakable, but oddly, she wasn't afraid.
Not of him.
With the riot of information and visions currently running through her head belief wasn't going to be an issue. Acceptance, maybe. Where moments ago she was focused on commitments, now she was worried about being committed to an institution. She nodded. "Please tell me how I know so much more than your name," she said with all the superiority she'd use to subdue an off-track discussion group.
He rolled his eyes and muttered words that sounded like soft rain on a forest floor. "I suppose it's a hand-me-down."
She waited, her eyes locked on his face.
He blinked first. "Knowledge from one Matchmaker to the other. I can't know for sure as I'm not allowed to read the book, but it makes sense that there would be magic to ease the transition."
"Transition?"
He pushed his hands through his hair. "Did you touch the man in your office?"
"Not willingly. He grabbed me." She didn't care for the way Darian's face blanched.
"How did he react?"
She closed her eyes, not understanding, but trying to cooperate. "He shouted. Called me a fool I think." She opened her eyes. "Why?"
"Did he act injured? In any way?"
She nodded. "He acted as if I'd burned him. There was a rash on his arm."
Darian swore. "We have to get you out of here."
"What? Hold on. Why? Did he contaminate me or something?" She wanted answers, but Camille's security expert was pacing rather than talking.
"The opposite, actually. You've described marking an unwilling participant. He'll now be consumed with finding his mate or hunting you for vengeance."
"Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Can I take it back?" Wasn't there some sort of escape clause for ignorance? It's not like anyone had told her what the hell was going on.
"He's in jail at the moment." Dare sighed. "I'll tell you what I know." His eyes narrowed, turning an impossible, mesmerizing silvery green. "After you text your friend and tell her we will come pick up your things."
Amy understood the value of compromise. She sent the text, assuring Maeve she was all right. Turning off the phone, she studied Dare. He looked worn and weary, the shadows under his eyes worse than they'd been yesterday. "You're really an elf?" He nodded. The implications were mind boggling. "And you're sure the guy in the office was a werewolf?" He nodded again. "Oh, my word!" She pressed her fingers to her lips. "So that means the troll client was a real troll?"
Dare closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is going to take a while."
~*~
"You still look pale," Cade observed when Lily came downstairs, dressed in jeans and a soft, feminine purple twinset that covered the ever-irritating mark on her
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