Page 56 of The Mating Claim

His logical self scoffed at theidea.

His emotional selfshuddered.

Now, as Lacey backed away from him, her green eyes wide with fear, her body quivering, he regretted telling thetruth.

“You’ll kill me,” she whispered. “I knew it. You really don’t care. You’re just here like some big wizard enforcer to make me obey all the rules, and then when I make mistakes, the consequencesare…”

Her voice trailedoff.

“No.” Drust wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “You must trust me in this, Lacey. To destroy the book means bringing it into the Shadow Lands, but it does not mean you mustdie.”

“Well then, damnit, how the hell am I supposed to destroy it without dying? The Shadow Lands, that’s the afterworld. Purgatory for Others like me! You don’t exactly get a visitor’s pass so you can return to earth the next day by clicking your heels three times and saying ‘there’s no place likehome!’”

Frowning, he stroked his beard. “Is that a line from a movie? I recall hearingit…”

Drust ducked as Lacey tossed a bottle of dried sage at him. The bottle sailed past his head, smashing into thewall.

He made a tsking sound. “After I just cleaned, now you wish to damage your storeagain?”

She glanced at the jars on the shelves. “My bad. I should have used thetoadstools.”

“You bad?” Hefrowned.

“It’s an expression meaning mymistake.”

“Ah yes, next time use something more noxious when you aim for my head. My head, the only head prevailing sense aroundhere.”

“Will you listen to me, wizard?! This is my life we’re talking about. My life!” Suddenly she backed against the door and sagged, sliding downward tosit.

Lacey crumbled before his eyes, all the fight and spunk drained out of her. “My screwed up life. Maybe it hasn’t been so terrific, but it’s the only one I have. I’m not ready to surrender it justyet.”

Drust sank down beside her. “And you will not, not if I can find a way around it. Iwill.”

As promises went, it was damn feeble. But he had to coax her back to trying, because this bothered him more than all her past misdeeds. Lacey was a vital life force. Seeing her defeated like this made his chest ache and his hearthurt.

As if I have witnessed such actions previously, when I was mortal. Did we share a lifetogether?

Questions he would discover answers for later. His prime concern was this Lacey, here andnow.

She glanced up, her green gaze dull. “How?”

Time for diplomatic answers. The truth was far too complex for mortals. Even he wondered about Caderyn’s line of reasoning. Drust helped her to herfeet.

“First, we need an entrance to the Shadow Lands. I know ofone.”

“And then? What happens? You hurl meinside?”

“I do nothurl.”

“I might,” she muttered. “My stomach is terribly upset enough to hurl rightnow.”

Uncertain if she joked, and unwilling to upset her further, he pressed on. “The timing is of utmost importance, and cannot be judged by mortalstandards.”

He held up a hand to tick off his fingers. “That is one reason why I must accompany you with the book. Two: The entrance to the Shadow Lands is unseen by the mortal eye unless a wizard unveils it. Three: There will be unknown dangers along the way. Four: You need protection. Five: Because you performed a spell from the book, you have now opened a window that should have remainedclosed.”

Drust squeezed his hand into a fist. “And that is the most unpredictable and unknown element of all, for none of the Brehon can say what would happen with a mortal who recited a spell from the book. The consequences may be mild, or they could be… horrific foryou.”

Lacey’s gaze darted around the shop. “Worse than what happened toLucky?”