Free Betrayals of Spring by L.P. Dover

when he
     did get a little rough during our intimate moments, but telling him that would
     just send him over the edge. I don’t want to hurt him like that.
    “No, Finn. You never hurt me,” I whisper
     back.
    We need to find the magical object and
     get rid of it. That way the dark sorcerer can never take over his body again.
     The dark sorcerer can imitate him, but with all of our powers combined in one
     place, I don’t think he’ll be able to fool us. Being around my sister feels
     like it’s magnified my power to a whole other level.
    I could feel the dark sorcerer’s
     presence more when Calista was around. I’m starting to think that we’re more
     powerful together than apart. This concept is definitely something we need to
     discuss.
    Finn gently pulls away and turns around
     to face me. He looks down at me with his sensual amber eyes and draws me tight
     against his body. I wrap my arms around his waist and I lay my head on his
     chest.
    I can hear the deep rumble of his voice
     when he asks Calista, “What could I possibly have on my body that would have
     been spelled by the dark sorcerer?” He lifts the arm that has his golden band
     circling his bicep and continues, “I’m not wearing anything other than my
     clothes and this golden band I received as a gift from Durin, the dwarf leader
     when Mel’s arrows were deliver-ed.”
    I stand back abruptly to take a look at
     his gold cuff. It was supposed to be a gift from Durin, but Durin didn’t
     deliver it, one of his people did. I knew I found it odd that Finn would
     receive such a gift. It never made sense, but now that can only mean one
     thing...there’s a traitor in the dwarf kingdom!
    “It’s the cuff! Finn, take the cuff
     off!” I yell appre-hensively. As long as he has it on his body, the dark
     sorcerer can take him over. He slides it off quickly and it falls to the floor
     with a heavy thump. We all freeze in place and stare at the gold band lying
     helplessly on the floor. I want to take it and rip it to shreds, but I have no
     idea how to destroy it.
    “Finn, would you mind getting me
     something to wrap it in?” Calista asks.
    “Yes, Your Highness,” he says and
     quickly sets off in search of something to use. When he’s out of sight Calista
     grabs both my arms in desperation.
    “Mel, this is really bad news. He’s
     played games with you for five years now. He could have taken you multiple
     times. Why would he do that?” she asks, confused.
    “I don’t know, but I could tell earlier
     that Kalen could feel that something was wrong around us, and when you came in sight the feelings intensified. I think with us together it makes us
     stronger. You felt how fast the evil disappeared when you looked at Finn the
     way you did. I’m beginning to believe the dark sorcerer wasn’t expecting us to
     be stronger together,” I state.
    At my mention of Kalen, she furrows her
     brows and purses her lips.
    “Speaking of Kalen, what happened
     between you two? I thought things were going great for you at the wedding. One
     minute you look like you’re in love and the next you turn into Xena the warrior
     princess with a heart of ice.” She pauses and then continues to look at me
     skeptically when she continues, “The reason why I’m asking is because I’m
     concerned for you, and Kalen has wanted to know for years why you denied him.”
    What? Kalen wants to know why I denied
     him?That doesn’t make any sense. He’s the one that turned me down.
    “When did you talk to Kalen?” I snap.
    “Right before you arrived he told me he
     came to visit you and you denied his visit. Why would you do that when you were
     obviously in love with him and him with you?” she retorts back.
    I guess I can’t keep the past hidden
     forever. I didn’t want to have to tell anyone of that horrid visit, but I know
     Calista will understand. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open my
     eyes Calista’s gaze is filled with