When Sabine heard the paneled bedroom door creaking open, she quickly cloaked herself in invisibil­ity, then cast an illusion of herself sleeping soundly.
Rydstrom looked in on her, gazing at her sleep­ing form with an unmistakably proud expression. She probed his mind, just a touch.
-My woman . . . in my bed. At last.-
Then his expression changed once more, that line between his brows deepening.
"Oh, my gods, Lanthe. Rydstrom is looking at an illusion of me-and he appears to be ... in love."
"You saw that look?" Lanthe sounded wistful. "Did he have his brows drawn with feeling?"
"Yes. And as he walked out of the room, he kind of rubbed his chest a little." "Like his heart hurt!"
"I've only ever seen that on TV beforel" Sabine said. "Lanthe, I have to tell him-about everything."
"So he can do what exactly?" Lanthe demanded. "And while you're informing him that you are going to a place he will never let you go, I'll be Vrekener bait."
If Sabine explained the poison to Rydstrom, he wouldn't likely allow Sabine just to waltz back to Omort. And if she told him that she would probably die if she didn't make it through this portal, he'd insist that he could find help for her here. But there was no one on this plane who could prevent the morsus from striking.
Even knowing this, Sabine bit her lip, torn about what to do. "Sneaking out of his house seems so wrong."
"You are without a doubt one hundred percent in love, because it's making you stupid! It's not reasonable even to consider this. You can come back in mere days." "I could write him a let-" "Abie, I just heard wings."
Sabine was on her feet in a second. "I'm coming!" She hauled on her boots, then snatched up her clothes. Leaving the illusion on the bed, she kept herself cloaked in invisibility and slipped from the room.
She heard Rydstrom walking the house and eluded him to find her way out of a back door. As she hurried
off the property into the night, she hastily dragged on
her top and skirt.
The demon would follow as soon as he discovered her missing-she could only hope to make it to Lanthe's portal before then.
"Lanthe?"
"Sabine, just follow my voice. I'm in a park somewhere."
The streets all looked the same, like a labyrinth. Rain began to fall, lightly at first, then intensifying. Soon, lightning fractured the skies. Thunder quaked. As though poured from a bucket, rain pounded down.
"Lanthe?"
"I'm here. This weather blows."
Sabine caught sight of a park in the distance. "Talk to me."
"You're close."
"I can see a-" Sabine stumbled when she heard the demon roar her name, the sound echoing like a can­non's boom.
He'd started the chase. And he sounded enraged.
"Lanthe, he's coming for me!" No answer. "Lanthe?Where are you?"
When she answered, her voice was fainter. "Kind of had to make a detour."
"You're getting farther away from me? What are you doing?"
Her voice was a scarce whisper. "Right now I'm running from winged monsters. You?"
"Fleeing a seven-foot-tall rage demon. ..."
38
When Rydstrom had gone to check on her again, he'd reached down to brush her hair.
And found nothing but illusion. He'd stared for long moments, disbelieving.
She tricked me. She'd obviously never intended to stay. Another lie. She'd . .. deserted him.
Why! He'd charged from the house into a storm, bel­lowing her name. Where in the hell is she? He caught her scent from what must be miles away.
He tore off after her, tracking her, following his instinct. He sprinted down sodden streets, rage over­whelming him with every step. The frenzied need to mark her consumed him.
She doesn't carry my mark . . . we're not wed.
He caught sight of her nearing a small park, darting through puddles. He squinted through the rain. In the distance, he saw an area of diffused air-a portal. And she was heading directly for it.
Can't lose her. He pumped his arms for speed until he was on her heels, then lunged for her. Seizing her by the hips, he took her down into the muddy grass.
"You told me you wanted to stay with me!" With his breaths heaving, he tossed her to her back. "You made me believe you. And you were running back to Omortl"
"No . . . yes . . . Rydstrom, you must listen!" She blinked up at him, the pouring rain hitting her face.
He hauled her beneath him, digging his claws into her thighs. "Why? Every word out of your mouth is a lie! How many times will I let you deceive me?"
She'd thought to escape him? The lying sorceress would pay.
His eyes glowed in the night, cruel obsidian. Rain poured down painfully-never had Sabine felt it like this. The drops pelted her eyes so hard, she could barely see, could scarcely hear herself.
'I'd planned to be good to you," he grated. "To make love to you. But no longer."
When he began unbuckling his belt, her eyes went wide. "Not like this!" she cried, raking her nails over his face and chest.
He roared with fury, then seized her wrists, fettering them behind her back with his belt.
"Rydstrom, no! Something has happened! Demon, listen to me. My sister's here-"
"Your sister's not here, she's in Tornin! In my castle! My home!" His horns were dark and flaring. "I don't want to hear any more of your lies!"
"Please, Lanthe's in danger. . . ." Her words tangled on her tongue as she tried to explain to him, while lis­tening for Lanthe's voice or the sound of wings. "And the Vrekeners are everywhere!"
Rydstrom finished her binding and flipped her hack over to face him. He isn't hearing me. "I have to go to her!" she said, trying again, but there was no talking to him, no reasoning. I broke him. The demon who had been so rational, so reasonable. "If anything happens to her." Her heart was about to explode with fear for Lanthe. That fear turned to nausea, then fury. "You have no right to keep me," she cried. "No right to attack me, tackling me into the mud!"
"You lied-you'll pay for it."
"Get off of me, you animal! You have to release me, now!"
"Never, Sabine, Never." He snatched her up into his arms then over his shoulder, storming back to his home.
"No!" she screamed as he forced her away from the portal, away from Lanthe. "Don't take me back." Though the rain was easing, she still couldn't hear her sister.
"I'll keep her any way I have to," Rydstrom muttered to himself. "Chained to the bed if I have to. The demon in me will be satisfied this eve...."