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and I cannot protect you .

Nicolas felt terror rising, choking him. He swung his head to peer into the corner. The female child was older this time. Maybe four or five. She huddled against the wall, trembling, tears running down her face,

her heart beating so loudly he could hear it above his own steady rhythm.

Dragging footsteps came from behind. Nicolas turned and saw a hideous creature, part skeleton, part man coming toward them. Skin hung in places yet was drawn tight in others. All flesh was decayed and rotting. A few long strands of gray hair tufted from his bald head. A straggly beard hung to his chest, but vermin crawled in and out of the dank hair, moving continually. His nails were yellow and long, curving back on his gnarled hands. Rotted, black teeth flashed in a macabre, evil smirk. His eyes were alive in what was left of his face, a slashing light of glowing, silvery madness.

Fear escalated until Nicolas's own heartbeat began to change, hammering hard in anticipation. His lungs burned for air.

Nicolas! Mikhail's voice became a sharp command, demanding he return to the present. Peace, little sister. You are safe , the prince added, attempting to calm Lara.

Nicolas knew only one way of keeping Lara from her nightmarish memories, the flashbacks recurring with even sharper images in the confines of the room. He caught her up in strong arms, thrust his mind fully into hers, taking complete command. Dragonseeker ran strong in her veins and she certainly was capable of shifting with his help. He dissolved them both and took her out of the room, out of the inn and into the fresh clean air of the night.

Chapter 4

Lara stood in the center of a very warm chamber, deep beneath the earth. Water rushed from the walls of the cave into a deep, steaming pool. Sconces on the walls spilled light from scented, flickering candles, throwing shadows on the crystal walls. The breath left her lungs in a little rush and she spun around in a circle, fingers curling around the hilt of her knife in her belt at her side.

She moistened her lips and turned to confront Nicolas. "Exactly where am I and how did I get here?"

"Before you get all crazy on me and throw that knife you have in your hand," Nicolas drawled, "you are not a prisoner. I left a path in your mind so you can find your way out anytime you need or want to go. This is the safest and most peaceful place I know of. Safeguards are in place for your protection. There is a bed in the next chamber where you can rest."

She searched her memories and found the way out, carefully placed as if she'd actually entered the cave a thousand times and knew every chamber and hallway. "I have a room at the inn." She didn't relax her grip on the knife.

"It is occupied with several men at the moment. I thought perhaps you would enjoy this retreat a little more."

His black hair spilled across his forehead, drawing attention to his very black, eyes. The urge to sweep the silky strands aside was so strong she took a step away from him to keep from reaching out.

"That doesn't explain how I got here or why you didn't consult me."

He shrugged powerful shoulders, causing an intriguing and very sexy rippling effect under his shirt. She tried not to stare.

"I carried you here. We shifted into mist so we could travel undetected and much faster."

Lara nearly choked. "I don't shift."

His eyes gleamed at her, amusement softening the edge of his mouth. "You shifted without even a hint of a problem. I thought you had been doing it every day."

She flashed him her fiercest scowl. "Then why don't I remember?"

"Do you have memory lapses often? Is this something I should be aware of and watch out for?"

"Ha ha ha. You think you're really funny, don't you? I have never shifted in my life and certainly not into mist." And she'd tried, a thousand times, over and over, until she finally believed she had made her childhood up.

"You know how. It is there in your mind."

"It is?" For a moment she forgot she was annoyed with him. She didn't want to revisit memories locked away, to find out, but if she could shift, it would certainly be a useful talent. Her aunts were shifters. They had been trapped in dragon form, but that wasn't their natural form. She