wasn't entirely sure he could trust Morrigan to hold up her end of their bargain, hope still leapt in his heart and that hope had grown stronger with each passing moment.
Jacqueline's emotions were coming back to her--without the aid of the charm.
That had been the whole point of wearing it. She needed a taste of what it was like to be human, and hopefully that taste would lead to a need for more. Rage was getting shoved aside to let other elements of her humanity in. There was a small window of opportunity where she could defy the odds.
She could remain human.
The deal, putting the charm that accelerated the baby's growth--everything would be worth it if the next few minutes played out as he and Morrigan gambled they would. The only thing that worried him was that she'd taken the charm off too soon; that her trust in him wasn't strong enough to override whatever lies had been told to her.
"Please," Jacqueline whispered. "May I hold the baby?"
Morrigan smiled and bent over to hand the child to its mother.
But Jacqueline's waiting arms only filled with air as the baby suddenly disappeared.
"Well, aren't you a cute thing," Arwan cooed from the entrance of the pool room. In his arms, lay the baby who began to cry. "Too cute for this world."
"Arwan, what are you doing?" Morrigan demanded, her eyes flashing with anger. "That child belongs to me."
"Not anymore, mother." Gwydion pushed past Arwan and roughly took the child. "It belongs to me."
"No!" Jacqueline screamed and tried to get off of the table. "Give her back!"
"She was never going to be yours. You were just the vessel," Gwydion sneered. "And now I'll make my own deal with you and your wizard."
"We don't make deals with you. Where is Gabe?" Toby stood, peering over Gwydion's shoulder into the other room. His heart thundered with fear at the unexpected twist in their plan. "If you harm my children, I will kill you myself."
"Gabe is in there lying next to that whore he fancies. He wasn't as strong as he thought he was." Gwydion said. "The baby will come with me. I will allow it to live as long as you stay far from me."
"My dear, you are hardly a suitable parent." Morrigan crossed her arms. "Someone like you should never be allowed to breed much less raise children."
"I could say the same for you, mother. And you should know a great deal about being an unsuitable parent."
"Now you're just trying to hurt me," Morrigan mocked, but her tone changed to one of warning. "I don't want to harm you, son, but I will if you don't return the baby to me."
"Not a chance." Gwydion turned to Arwan. "Let's go."
"Morrigan," Toby pleaded. "Do something?"
Before she could respond their attention turned to Jacqueline who moaned in pain. He was shocked to see how pale her face had become. A thin line of sweat dotted her forehead and the smell of decay filled the room.
"She is dying," Morrigan said. "Her time has at last come."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Frustrated, Toby glared at Morrigan who only shrugged her shoulders.
"Even the best laid plans can go wrong, my dear," she said to him.
"I never should have trusted you." Toby's anger rose. Why had he made a deal with her? If only he'd known about the Merlin angle. "You're doing this because Jacqueline is Merlin's daughter? Some sort of revenge thing, right?"
"Wait a moment, Gwydion." Arwan grabbed the wizard's arm, watching Jacqueline struggle. "She's one of mine. I'd like to make sure she makes the transition."
Angela and Gabe staggered into the room. Gabe's hair was standing on end as if he'd plugged his finger in a light socket and his face had a pale, sweaty sheen to it, but other than that, he was alert.
"What's going on?" Angela said, holding a hand to a cut on her forehead. "Where did these people come from?"
"Gabe, get her out of here," Toby ordered.
But Angela rushed past and hurried over to the pool table.
"Oh, god, Jacqueline," she whispered, taking in the sight of her best friend's pale, agonized face. "What's wrong with her, Toby?"
"She's dying."
Tears filled Angela's eyes and she gripped one of Jacqueline's hands.
"Can't you do anything to stop it?" Angela asked. She looked over her shoulder at Gabe. "Can't anything be done?"
Her words echoed the question Toby had been asking himself over and over the last few months. He thought about how he'd hunted everywhere for Jacqueline,