the necklace off and flung it on the floor.
Focusing all her energy, she glared at Arwan.
His dazzling smile disappeared as she flung him through the bar wall. Bright sunlight burst through the newly gaping hole, irritating her eyes. She moved to what remained of the wall and stared at Arwan, who lie on the hard ground of the parking lot.
Slowly, he sat up, brushing himself off. Annoyance rippled across his face as he looked up at her.
"Why take your anger out on me?" Arwan asked. "I'm not the cause of your problems. I'm not the one who bargained away your baby. The moment there's even a hint of your labor starting, Morrigan will come to claim it. Or Gwydion. It's always like mother, like son with those two."
As if to emphasize his words, pain rolled through her womb, climbing up her lower back. She gasped and clutched her stomach, barely able to comprehend what he'd just said.
"Whoa," Angela voiced the same shocked thoughts. "Did you just say that Morrigan and that creep Gwydion are mother and son?"
"Didn't you know? That's why I was so shocked to see that charm around your neck, my dear," Arwan said. "It seemed a risk since you’re a daughter of Merlin, and if there is one person Morrigan can't stand, it's the father of her own child."
Merlin was Gwydion's father, too? Jacqueline's thoughts spun as she tried to sort this new information out. Dizziness threatened to make her sit back down and she gasped for air.
From within her, she heard Death's anxious voice.
There isn't much time till the baby comes. Protect it while you can!
"But who am I protecting it from? You or Morrigan?" Jacqueline gritted her teeth as another wave of pain ripped through her.
Morrigan, of course. I'm no fool! If the plan is to rip the child apart and bathe in its blood, than I certainly will not be hitching a ride come birthing time. I can live inside your head quite happily for a long time to come.
"Morrigan will not have my baby!"
"Jackie, what are you going to do?" Angela's alarmed voice annoyed her. "Put that charm back on. I can tell you're starting to change again."
All the feelings of warmth Jacqueline had experienced throughout the day fled, replaced by the cold hard edge of anger.
"This is who I am," she hissed at Angela before sending a wave of power that tossed her friend across the room like a rag doll.
Angela landed against the far wall. She slumped on the ground, unmoving.
Jacqueline shut her eyes, and focused on finding the one person who had betrayed her again and again.
Toby.
Chapter 11
Gabe hummed to himself and then frowned when he caught himself doing it.
He'd never expected to feel this good about a woman. Hell, he'd even sworn to himself and Angela that all their relationship would be about was sex. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
Something about Angela caught him off guard though. She was feisty and said what was on her mind--a refreshing quality. He'd been impressed with her easy acceptance of his strange world and deep down Gabe knew he'd made the right decision in not taking away her memories. Angela could handle the truth of things--even if his father couldn't.
Seeing her text earlier had both amused and concerned him.
It gave him a light feeling to receive any kind of communication from her at all, but the small joy disappeared as he read the contents of the message.
Jackie at bar.
Considering Toby had just indicated Jacqueline was at her house resting, it seemed an odd message. He'd texted that he was on the way, and immediately transported himself. To his surprise he found a barrier spell in place which prevented him from doing no more than circle the perimeter.
This couldn’t be good.
The sight of a big man being thrown through the front wall of the bar did nothing to calm his worries. The man brushed himself off and appeared to talk to someone just inside the building, but Gabe couldn't quite see who it was.
Again and again, the young wizard tried to break down the barrier to no avail.
To further add to his confusion, his father had suddenly materialized in the parking lot.
He'd been about to call out and get Toby's attention when he'd noticed Jacqueline appear at the hole in the bar’s wall. Her hair streamed wild and free around her and there was a look of such malevolence in her features that Gabe was chilled to the bone. Even