Free Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) by Wenona Hulsey Page A

area of the hotel
room before he stopped, speaking over his shoulder, “I’ll leave you to your
thoughts but be forewarned, if you haven’t made your decision by the time Loch
calls,” he paused looking back at Nicole with a mixture of hurt and anger
written on his face.  “I will take you to him and your fate will be sealed.  He
will use you and you will have no choice but to obey him.”
    Nicole watched as he walked out of the
room, shutting the doors behind him.  Is this really what has become of my
life?   She thought, turning to look back outside as she fought to form an
escape route in her head.  But as she stared movement among the green caught
her attention.  A large form materialized out of nowhere, its towering presence
was familiar and unsettling to Nicole.  The warrior that had left the party in
pursuit of Luke last night stood at the edge of the garden, hands locked in
front of him and feet shoulder-width apart.  He raised his chin so he was
looking down at Nicole.  When their eyes locked he shook his head slowly from
side to side, sending her a warning without saying a word.
    “Damn it,” she cursed under her breath
as she slammed the patio door closed and locked it, blocking the chilling glare
of the warrior.  She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor with
her elbows on her knees and her hands gripping the sides of her head.  “Nice
job Nicole, you can’t even keep yourself out of trouble for two days, how in the
world are you going to save a kingdom?  And to top it all off, I chose the only
person in the world that could make my powers completely useless as my friend.”
She sighed deeply as she realized what kind of trouble she was in.  She had cut
ties with the only people who could truly help her: Luke, Sage, and Rhys.  She
thought it would keep them safe but she was more than wrong.  She could see
that now that she was a prisoner and forced to see the truth.  They were sent
to help her put an end to Loch, not only by training her but also by fighting at
her side.
    Nicole rocked her head from side to side
in her hands, frustrated by her own stubbornness.  She didn’t know how to even begin
to fix this mess.  Luke and Sage were somewhere in Ireland but they couldn’t
get close enough to help her; not with all of these warriors who were on Loch's
side.  Plus now there was Slade to deal with.  How could anyone fight someone
who could make everyone’s powers completely useless?
    Leaning her head against the cold glass
of the door, she could feel tears make warm trails down her cheeks as she
closed her eyes tight and prayed.
     

Chapter 7

    The next two days were a blur of
nothingness and self-pity for Nicole.  She believed herself to be a weak,
powerless woman who could do nothing to change becoming Slade's prisoner.  She
spent most of her time locked in her room, lying on her bed and staring at the
ceiling lost in thought.  There were times when she was forced from her bed to
accompany Slade into town when he had business.  Whenever they were out she
looked for any opportunity to escape but the warriors that went with them made
it impossible for her to try anything.
    Several times each day a warrior would
enter her room carrying a tray of food.  The warrior, a new one each time,
would stand against the wall while she ate then after she was done, would
gather everything up and leave but not before asking if she had an answer for
Slade.
    Today she had enough of the questions.
“I have a question for you,” she retorted, “Why do you serve a traitor to his
own people?  Slade isn’t a warrior, he’s a fae, and if you truly want a war
then why do you obey him?” Nicole crossed her feet underneath her as she leaned
back against the headboard of her bed.
    The warrior in her room studied her face
for a moment before moving towards the door.  “Do you have an answer for
Slade,” he asked again with no show of emotion.
    “You’re being controlled by the fae