Passion Untamed (Feral Warriors #3)(73)

If only she had the powers of a television witch. She'd blink Paenther and the other Ferals out of there, then send one of Birik's snakes to eat out his heart.

Her gaze caught a flash of white hair on the stairs below, and she knew he was coming for her. Her legs began to shake. She squeezed Paenther's hand tightly, gaining strength from the feel of his warm flesh against hers and his strong, masculine presence, even if there was nothing he could do to protect her.

As Birik neared, Vhyper close behind, part of her, the part of her that had fought him so stubbornly all those years ago, wanted to stare him down and refuse to quake in his presence. But her only chance of freeing these men depended on his believing nothing had changed. That she hadn't changed.

Fortunately, acting fearful around him was all too easy. Unfortunately, it was no act at all.

The two men reached her, Vhyper towering over the smaller man, his bald head gleaming beneath the floating lightwicks.

Birik stopped three steps below her and stared up at her with curiosity and suspicion. "You're back."

Vhyper smiled, a cruel, smug smile. "Paenther might have been tricked once, but he'd never make the same mistake twice. He let you enchant him this time, didn't he, little witch? He wanted back in here."

Skye looked away, her pulse racing. "Yes."

Birik lunged forward two steps and grabbed her jaw, squeezing until pain shot through her skull.

"What is his plan?"

Tears blinded her. "He wanted me to hide him until the enthrallment wore off so that he could find his friends and escape."

She looked up at Vhyper, meeting his gaze. his friends," she added softly, praying Paenther was right and that the Feral's soul still lived behind those eyes.

Vhyper snorted. "Hell of a way to hide him, parading him right through the front door."

Skye looked away before either of them saw the lie in her eyes. "I knew I couldn't hide him. I told him that, but he insisted I try anyway."

Birik scowled. "Fool. Why would he ever think he could beat me?"

Vhyper chuckled. "Ferals are a stubborn lot. I told you he'd be back, didn't I? Out of some misplaced sense of honor and justice, he thinks he owes me his life for my role in saving his years ago."

Without warning, Birik backhanded her across the mouth. "Why did you escape?"

Skye pressed the back of her hand to her throbbing, bleeding lip. "I didn't. He took me against my will." The truth.

"You released him?"

"He came out of the enthrallment before I had him locked down." A lie. He'd come out of the enthrallment buried deep inside her.

"You showed him a way out."

"He forced me. He would have killed me otherwise." Truthfully, it had been Birik, not Paenther, who'd forced her. By unleashing those Daemons on innocent people, he'd forced her to make some hard choices. Choices she would never regret.

Birik stroked her cheek. "Meek little mouse. And he forced you to come back here."

"No. I offered to help him. I had to come back." She allowed her fear to break in her voice. "I just want the punishments to stop. Please, Birik. Please. I never meant to thwart you. He forced me to leave, but I came back. And I brought him to you."

"Who removed his shackles?"

"The Shaman." It wasn't entirely true, but it was close enough. And Vhyper was likely to believe it.

"I don't really care why he's here. Now that I have you both again, that blade will almost certainly open tonight. And nothing will be as it was before."

Birik grabbed Paenther from her and motioned to two sentinels nearby. "Get rope and escort the enchantress into the forest," he told them. "I want four deer, fully grown, tied and delivered to the Hall of Feasts at midnight. Do not let her out of your reach. Where there's one Feral, there are likely to be more. Once she has the deer, lock them all in her cell until midnight with a guard at the door."

He grabbed her jaw one more time until she was seeing stars. "You'll not escape me again, Skye. If you try to thwart me in any way, I'll have you begging me to give you to the Daemons just to end your torment."

A moment later, she stared at Birik's retreating back. His orders rang in her ears. She was to be locked in her cell until midnight. With no chance of finding Paenther. No chance of freeing the Ferals from their shackles until the very last moment.

A moment that might well be too late.

"Welcome to the party. Great rescue, Geronimo."

Paenther fought his way out of the fog of enchantment, following the sound of Jag's caustic voice. Slowly the mist parted, and he found himself in a small alcove in the cavern rock. He was standing upright, at least, but chained with his hands above his head. Beside him, chained in the same manner was Jag. And beside Jag, Foxx.

Foxx frowned at him. "Did you really come back here on purpose?"

Paenther met his gaze. "What do you think?"

"Superman to the rescue," Jag drawled. "Couldn't get the rest of the war party to join you, Cochise?"

Paenther growled low in his throat. "There's only one way in, and that's enthralled. And the only way Skye can enthrall is by opening a man's mind."

Jag grunted. "Couldn't stand the thought of anyone else f**king her, could you?"