Sacrifice: Laid Bare (Laid Bare #4)

Sacrifice: Laid Bare (Laid Bare #4)

S.R. Grey




Lucien and Dahlia… A relationship that was never meant to be. Is that why it seems so destined to fail?

Maybe. But Lucien doesn’t believe that’s the case.

Still, with all the odds stacked against this unlikely couple, Lucien sees only one way out---sacrifice himself in order to save Dahlia.

Will Lucien succeed in destroying himself? Can Dahlia stop him? Or, will their love prove strong enough to save them both?

All the answers are revealed in Sacrifice: Laid Bare, the final installment in the Laid Bare series.





Lucien



The plane ascended, and just like that we were on our way to Canada, to parts unknown…and to an uncertain future.

The plan was to land in Toronto, and from there we’d switch modes of transportation from a private jet to a helicopter. We’d then head farther north, to a cold and harsh wilderness in the middle of nowhere.

The final leg of our trip would have to be traveled via all-terrain vehicle. Still, I knew I’d need to utilize some of my magic to get us where we needed to go. Dunne’s place of residence was not readily accessible to mere mortals.

In some ways, I couldn’t believe what I was about to do. It went against every fiber of my being to sacrifice myself, especially for another. If not for the human part of me being guided by my love for Dahlia, and thusly spurring me forward, I would have turned around by now.

Poor Dahlia, she knew not what was coming.

I permitted myself a single brief glance inside her head, shortly before we reached cruising altitude. She mistakenly believed we had years and years to better understand one another, decades with which to live together and learn to reconcile our differences.

Little did she know, if all went according to plan, in less than twenty-four hours I would be dead, nothing but a memory.

A chill made me shudder as one side of me fought against the other.

Turn around, you fool, my non-human side demanded.

Shut up and do something right for a change, my human side countered.

The human side won, for the moment.

I had to chuckle. Dahlia was slowly turning me into a compassionate being. Who would have thought such a thing was possible? This was precisely what my mother hated. She preferred me cold and vicious, so I’d remain compliant to my destiny.

We’ll just see about that…

Dahlia snatched up my hand, tempering my rising anger.

“Lucien,” she said worriedly, “is something wrong? You shuddered and the most terrible feeling came over me. Is there something about this trip you’re not telling me?”

If only she knew the truth. Dahlia fully believed we were meeting with Dunne so he could help me figure out a way to not be obligated to fulfill my destiny—a process that would involve transferring enough power to my mother and father so they could rule the world through nefarious means.

My mother insisted that if I refused my destiny, both Dahlia and I would meet with horrific ends. Of what sort, she hadn’t elaborated, but I sensed she’d been speaking the truth.

I glanced over at Dahlia and her eyes held mine. Her questioning emerald gaze betrayed her deep concern. “Please, Lucien,” she said. “Tell me what’s going on. I thought we were done keeping secrets from one another?”

I brought our still-clasped hands to my lips and kissed her porcelain skin. I had to take control of this situation quickly.

“We are done with keeping secrets, darling,” I assured her. “Everything is fine.”

Dahlia tore her gaze from mine and drew her lips down in a frown, like some realization was dawning.

Squaring up her shoulders, she yanked her hand from my grasp.

“You’re lying,” she ground out, with so much conviction I had to question whether she’d been able to peek inside my head and see what I was truly up to.

“What do you mean?” I asked, feigning innocence. “Why would you say such a thing?”

She twisted away from me and stared out the small plane window. “Never mind,” she murmured.

Hmm, she absolutely knows something.

I was aware that a tiny bit of the power I’d bestowed on her not so long ago remained. But was it enough for her to see through me? I hoped not, because if she were privy to my plan she would surely find a way to stop it.

Sighing, I prepared to do what I’d been weaning myself away from—popping into Dahlia’s head to find out what she knew.

Suddenly, though, when I tried to ease my way into her mind the oddest thing occurred—Dahlia blocked me!

Some of my power did indeed remain.

And now she was learning to use it against me.

“Damn.” I raked my fingers through my dark hair.

And then, like an echo in my head, I heard Dahlia whisper, “Two can play at this game, Lucien.”





Dahlia



I’d done it—I’d blocked Lucien, simply by using the power he’d given me.

What I feared was disappearing was actually growing stronger. I was becoming more like Lucien, albeit not nearly as powerful.

True, I could see inside his mind that he was hiding something from me, something to do with this visit to Dunne, but I couldn’t ascertain the exact specifics.

What could it be?

Since I was certain the man I loved would never hurt me, I concluded it had to be something else, something to do with him.