Damonq inched closer to the open door. Inside he could see a second female, and this one looked very young, maybe in her early twenties.She was chained to the wall and hadn't fared any better than the other woman, maybe worse. She'd been severely beaten. Her face was swollen and bruised. Streaks of blood were smeared at her rib cage and along her right arm, where there was a large cut.Eugen stomped back to the girl and grabbed her throat, his thumb forcing her face up. "If you don't give Levon the information he wants this time, I'm going to hurt you like you've never been hurt." A malicious smile revealed his spiked, stained teeth. "Or I'll tell him you've deceived him all this time and you don't know how to undo the mage’s spell."Damonq had continued floating, inching his way around Eugen, but that brought him up short. The mage should be Xav. The latter had been one of the most powerful mages ever born. He was wholly evil and had almost succeeded in stamping out the ancient pe

Levon suddenly lifted his head and looked around the chamber, searching inch by inch. He looked up at Elizabeth, who kept her head down. He smiled at her. "You have earned another lesson, my dear. You know you deserve punishment for what you've done." He uttered the words very softly, his white teeth snapping together. Elizabeth shuddered and kept her eyes to the ground.He whirled back to the mage lying on the stone table. He slammed one long talon--spiked like a thick ice pick--right through her throat. Leaving it there, pinning her to the rock with one long dagger, he waved his other hand toward Elizabeth.To Dragomir's horror her body began to dissolve, to become part of the rock her cage rested on. "Keep her alive or you die," Levon said to his servants. "If she lives, the rewards are vast," and then he was gone. That fast. So fast Damonq couldn't see him move. He must have gone under the door of the chamber, or even through it, because he didn't open it. One moment he was t

Damonq held council in the much larger chamber while Gary worked on healing the young female mage. Tensel had joined them, and all agreed the city inside the pipeline had to be destroyed. The humans Darkness had taken there for sustenance were mostly vegetables, incapable of recovery. He left them just enough sanity to feel fear. The undead needed the rush of their victims' fear. It was the drug they craved.The task was distasteful, but they had no choice. They spent some time working out the details and then Damonq returned to the smaller chamber where Gary had worked on the mage and the ancients had supplied him with blood."I was able to repair the damage, but she shouldn't speak for a couple of weeks. If she does, she will cause permanent damage to her vocal cords." Gary directed his attention to Juliet. "I cannot emphasize that enough. You can write down what you need to say, or better yet, someone should take your blood and exchange with yours so you can speak telepathically."

Damonq narrowed his gaze, studying her face, the lines of strain there, the signs of torture. "You could have gotten free at any time, couldn't you?"She shrugged. She told me to leave, to get myself free, but I couldn't leave her. Everyone she ever cared about is dead . . ."That isn't true," Damonq denied. He turned toward the woman in the cage. "Look at me," he commanded her, using his firmest tone. He waited until Elizabeth raised her gaze to his. Again, she didn't look him in the eye directly, instead fixing her gaze just below his eyes."It isn't true that everyone you love is dead. Your brother, Terry, still lives and he has found his lifemate. He searched for you, but there has been no trace. Others have searched. Your gifts are needed now more than ever, Elizabeth. Many warriors have waited centuries for their lifemates and cannot find them. We have no women. It is difficult to continue hanging on. With your gifts, you can bring comfort to those waiting, extend their ability

Damonq shifted his arms, putting one over her head to cage her in. Is that better? Feel the night breeze. Think of the things you saw as a child that you loved so much.It's too much for her, Elina said. She's going to have to start small. I'm with you, Elizabeth. I'm Elina. Darkness took me prisoner for a short time.Elizabeth stilled. I know you. You saved the children. I saw you. I couldn't warn you that Darkness had planned a trap for you. Levon took my voice.Damonq was grateful to Elina as she kept Elizabeth mind off the flight and on her story. Elina told her all about the children and what they were doing. He made it to the compound while Elina was telling her about how the children had tried to fly their dragons when they shouldn't have. Somehow, in the retelling, Damonq found a little humor in the story.Tensel had the soil open, and Damonq took Elizabeth deep in the earth, where the dirt richest in minerals and healing properties had been selected for her.Gary placed Ju