I believed her. I didn’t have a choice, really, because if I was dead, I couldn’t make sure she fulfilled the bargain. But all the same, I did think she would try to save Dove.
Patsy looked around the room, her gaze once again falling on Drake. “Are you almost to their chamber?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, that su—” Patsy’s eyes went wide, and then her form started wavering erratically. She sent me a look of regret, and said, “Aw, shit.”
Then she was gone.
For a few seconds I stared at the empty space.
I guess Patsy had no real control over the whole soul journey aspect of her powers. However, I was relieved that the queen was back with Dove. I couldn’t imagine what she was going through, and I was making a promise to myself right now that Karn would pay for hurting her.
I took a breath, tried to gather my thoughts into some kind of workable plan. Okay, all I had to do was find Shamhat and Amahté, steal the ambrosia, kill them, and try to get to Dove before I died from all the blood loss.
Yeah, right. I gnawed my lower lip. That scenario wasn’t under serious consideration. Doing what Karn wanted only meant everyone would die faster. He was too smart to think he could do anything other than kill us all. We were obstacles standing in the way of his goal. And if he let us live, we’d figure out a way to stop him. I mean, the people of Broken Heart could certainly take the phrase “Never say die” really, really far.
I heard a noise, and looked over my shoulder.
Drake the man had returned. My gaze feasted on his naked form. He was still prone, groaning as he rolled over and put a hand against his forehead.
“Are you okay?” I called out.
He sat up slowly and offered me a tired smile. “I will live, Liebling.”
“Glad to hear it.” I moved toward him, relieved that he was conscious, selfishly happy that I would be able to spend a few moments more with him. Granted, we’d consistently been in peril, but it had been a helluva first date.
“Chosen, present thyself to thy fate.”
The booming voice echoed through the chamber, rolling out from the darkened place behind me.
I heard Drake’s strangled cry, but I couldn’t turn to see what had placed that look of shock on his handsome face. I was surrounded by a paralyzing Arctic chill, like a giant icy hand had closed around me. And it was pulling me inside.
“Moira!”
I saw Drake leap to his feet and run toward me.
But it was too late.
I was dragged into the darkness.
Chapter 22
Even preternaturally fast Drake couldn’t get to me quickly enough. I saw raw frustration and worry bleed into his expression, right before the doorway disappeared.
My heart pounded so hard I could hear the beat of it inside my eardrums. My breathing had gone shallow, and fear added to the intense chill caused by my invisible captor.
Being enveloped by darkness so quiet and thick was like I imagined it would feel being tucked into a sarcophagus. I wasn’t claustrophobic, but the feeling of having nothing around me was disconcerting.
Know your beginning . . .
The voice echoed in my head. I knew the feeling by now, the floating sensation that happened right before a vision. This time I found myself suddenly hovering at ceiling level in a room I recognized right away.
• • •
The classroom was typical. A big, solid desk sat in front of a white board and a chalkboard. A series of desks for the students took up the rest of the room, except in the back, where big black supply cabinets stood like sentinels.
Oh, God. I didn’t want to be here.
But wishing wouldn’t make me disappear.
So I had to watch . . .
The little girl wore a blue checkered dress and white shoes. Her red hair was pulled into two ponytails. The little fasteners had white daisies on them. She sat in the first desk in the first row, concentrating on the coloring book page. The unicorn was pink, all except for its horn. That was currently being made into a rainbow. Because unicorns had rainbow horns. Everyone knew that.
The mother sat at the big desk marking her way through a stack of papers. “Almost done, honey,” she said. “You okay?”
“Yes, Mommy. I’m okay dokay!”
Regina smiled.
My heart clenched. I hadn’t remembered her smile. Just the feeling of her love. My grandparents had loved me tremendously, had given me everything. But they couldn’t give me that. A mother’s love was unique, precious.
“Want to see my picture, Mommy?”
“Yes, darling.”
I took the page and skipped to the desk, crawling onto my mother’s lap. I put the drawing on the desk.
“That’s beautiful, Moira!” She gave me a smacking kiss on my cheek, and I giggled.