Page 93 of The Mating Claim

And the fear remained inside her. Were they doomed in this life as much as they had been in thepast?

Chapter 18

Sometime later,sleepy from the sun and the delicious sex in the water, Lacey napped upstairs as Drust returned to hisreading.

He could grow accustomed to this life. Making love with Lacey, then perching on the edge of her bed, watching her drift into a contented sleep. Lazing on the beach,reading…

Each time they made love, he found himself falling harder the faster. Lacey brought out in him a whimsical side he’d forgotten about while spending time in the ShadowLands.

As a wizard, he took his duties seriously. But now with her at his side, he began to realize life, even as an immortal, could befun.

Lots offun.

He had also broken a rule for wizards, one that Tristan urged him tobreak.

A wizard’s seed also contained his power. Drust deliberately left off a condom to fill Lacey with some of his power to push back the darkness he could see already taking hold of her. For now, it worked. But it was a temporarysolution.

He must find a way to dispose of that damnbook.

With a groan, he focused on the book again. Concentration was difficult. This was an exceptionally complex part of the book, talking about the creation of the Book of Shadows and how Caderyn created it for a witch he loved. Seemed the Shadow Wizard was crazy about a powerful witch with access to several spells. They decided to combine forces when he created the book, visiting the purgatory world of the Shadow Lands to gather information from witches who had died. There, he created the book, writing down everything the witches couldremember.

Caderyn knew he possessed something powerful and dangerous. So he added his own spell – the book could be destroyed instantly by tossing it back into the underworld where it wascreated.

Unfortunately, the person tossing it back usually had to die as well. Not only that, but there was little chance for redemption and moving into eternal bliss in Tir Na-nog.

Terrific. Not anoption.

Finally he reached the last page of the book. Nothing had been revealed.But…

Drust sat up, blinking hard. Ah, here was the, as Tristan put it, loophole. The out forLacey!

A sacrifice of tremendous love can free a soul from eternity in the ShadowLands.

Slowly, he pondered on those words. What counted as a sacrifice of tremendouslove?

“You could have made this a little clearer,” he told the sky. “Thanks alot.”

But this was a magick book and words could be concealed. Drust summoned his powers, his energy, and laid a hand upon thepage.

When he lifted his hand, new words appeared. Crystalclear.

Their meaning sent a cold rush through hisbody.

To destroy the book, a wizard may take it himself into the Shadow Lands. The book will bond with him, however and he risks trapping his spirit in the Shadow Lands forever, never freeing himself. He may not shift into his animal form or call upon his powers to leave the underworld. Other wizards may coax him into leaving on his own, but mostly likely, a sacrifice of tremendous love is needed to freehim.

So not the answer he’d hoped tofind.

Ah damn, I’m so screwed.He buried his head into hishands.

Using his powers, he sent the book back to its safe hiding place in the bookshelf cabinet. Thinking about this solution would only sink him further into gloom. He glanced at the sun slowly sinking into the sky. Nearly three o’clock. Perhaps he and Lacey would dine at another fine restaurant tonight. He wanted to cherish every moment withher.

He sat for a few minutes, watching, as a few dragon shifters spotted him. They startled, gave him respectful bows and kept a healthydistance.

Sighing, he remained sitting, suddenly uncomfortable because his people feared him. Fear under the right circumstances could be good, for it kept wayward dragons in line, but in a case like this, it isolatedhim.

Lacey had never truly feared him. Maybe that was one reason he was falling in love withher.

Sex doesn’t equal love. You can’t afford to fall in love with her. What if you can’t find a resolution to all this and she mustdie?