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screamed at her to spring into action, but she couldn t. She wouldn t be any help to
Lena if she was dead.
 What do you want? she asked, so softly she knew he d have difficulty pinning
down her location.
 That s a girl. Down to details. Tarin released the pressure of the knife on Lena.
 The same thing I sent you in for that fucking stone.
 Why?
His head whipped around and he glared into the bushes close to where she was
actually hiding.
 Not that it s any of your fucking business, but I have some very powerful friends
who want it. If you want your friend to live, you ll bring me that stone by the time the
moon is full in the sky.
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Lena began to struggle, her cries muffled by the gag. Tarin took the butt of his knife
and hit her on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.
 Full moon rise, Callie. If you re late, your friend here is dead. If you tell anyone, I ll
know and she s dead. Come alone and with the stone.
Before she could say anything else, the wind picked up directly behind Tarin and a
dark void seemed to appear. Slipping an arm around Lena s limp body, he pulled her
backward into the void and, with a flash, disappeared.
Callie was left alone, her heart pounding in her throat. Looking up at the setting
sun, she knew they d call off the search soon. That wouldn t give her a lot of time to get
the stone and get back here in time to save Lena.
Knowing she no longer needed to keep quiet, Callie stood and jogged as best she
could out of the forest. Stepping out onto the road, she looked over and unerringly
found Raine s gaze. Even at this distance she could feel him, the silent connection that
pulled between them. She could see he was frowning.
Ty was beside him, his frantic gaze scanning the forest. When he saw Callie, he
strode toward her.
 Did you find her?
The mix of panic and hope made her feel guilty for lying to him. But if she were
going to get Lena back in one piece, she needed to keep Ty far away.
 No. The trail disappeared deep in the words. I couldn t pick it up again.
 Fuck, Ty said and ran his hands down his face.
Raine squeezed his friend s shoulder.  It will be dark soon. I suggest we head back
to the Warren and rest. We can look again at first light.
 I m not leaving her alone out there! Ty jerked his arm away and pushed past
Callie.  Lena! Lena!
Raine started to go after him, but Callie stopped him with a hand on his chest.
 Leave him. He needs to do this.
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Hesitating, Raine stopped and instead focused on Callie.  You look tired.
 I am. At least that much wasn t a lie.
 It s not your fault you didn t find her. If the Magi are involved, then I doubt any of
us will be able to track her down.
She wanted to tell him everything. It was killing her not to share what she knew,
knowing when he did find out that Raine would never forgive her. That realization
made her slump against him, the pressure on her shoulders suddenly more than she
could manage.
 Let me take you back to the Warren so you can rest, he said and placed a kiss on
the top of her head.
The temptation was great. But she needed to be alone to do what she needed to
save Lena.  No. You stay with Ty. I ll be fine.
 Callie& 
 Please, Raine. He needs you right now. I ll head directly back. Promise.
She could see the silent war he was battling inside and felt guilty for what she was
putting him through. Finally, he nodded.
 I ll be back soon.
When he tried to turn away, she grabbed him by the face and kissed him hard.
When he opened his mouth to accept her searching tongue, Callie sighed. Then, just as
quickly, she broke it off and made her way back to the Warren, praying she was doing
the right thing.
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Chapter Nine
Stepping into the stone s room, Callie felt a sense a déjà vu. It amazed her how
much her life had changed in the short time since she d first arrived in the Warren, and
yet, how nothing was different.
She was still a thief stealing a powerful stone. But the reasons were far different.
Unlike her first time here, the protection spell no longer slowed her progress. She
didn t even need her lock picking tools, having retrieved the key from Raine s room.
But she hadn t moved to take the faintly glowing purple amethyst from its dark case.
 What the hell am I doing? she muttered.
 I assume you re trying to save your friend.
Callie spun around to see Ulric standing in the doorway. He had a slight smile on
his face, his hands clasped behind his back. Moving away from the stone, Callie
suddenly felt the weight of what she was about to do crash over her. She almost ran to
Ulric and felt relief when he came to her instead and embraced her in a hug.
 I m so sorry. I didn t know what else to do.
 You didn t betray us, if that s what you re thinking. Tell me what happened.
It all spilled out of her, every detail. From how she d come to be here in the first
place to meeting Tarin and Lena in the woods. Ulric listened, never interrupting. When
she d finished, Callie sighed and wished Raine was here.
 What should I do? she whispered.
Ulric set her an arms length away, and walked around her. When he picked up the
stone and brought it back to her, Callie couldn t believe it.
 Take it, he said, placing the warm stone in her hands.
 What?
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 Your instincts were right. You need to go alone or else Lena will die.
 But if Tarin is working for the Magi, won t this give them power over you?
Ulric didn t respond. Panic rose inside her and Callie didn t know what to do.
 I know you ll do the right thing. Ulric gave her arm a light squeeze and left her
alone.
Callie wasn t so sure she could. She slipped the binding stone into a leather pouch
and fastened it to her belt. With no time to lose, she bolted from the room and headed
for the forest.
* * * * *
Raine was exhausted. They d continued the search until the sun was completely
gone from the sky. Ty refused to give up and it took two of them to drag him back to
the Warren. He couldn t blame his friend. If it had been Callie out there, alone, Raine
would have gone insane. He couldn t wait to get back to her now. Knowing she was
safe at the Warren had made the last few hours of the searching easier.
As they approached the heavy gate that protected the Warren from outsiders, Raine [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]