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I couldn't stop the moan of combined pleasure and terror that escaped me, muffled against his chiseled lips. But for once, Dusek didn't immediately run away afraid that he had traumatized me. He let me have my way, tentatively returning my kiss, his hands coming to lightly rest on my hips as if afraid he'd shatter me with a touch.

When the kiss ended, I pulled back just enough to look up at him, to study his face and see the tenderness and desire in his eyes, as he warred with what he wanted and the fact that he probably thought he should move away and spare me his creepy presence.

"Satisfied?" the bubak asked, his deep voice slightly huskier than usual.

I grinned. My imagination immediately turned to lusty thoughts of the time Cicely and I had convinced Dusek to join us in our pleasure out there in the real world. It had been my first time having sex with more than one person in the room, and it had taught me so much about the joy of losing my inhibitions. The way I'd felt, every sense heightened, knowing Dusek was there, watching Cicely have his way with me, even if the bubak had refused to take his own pleasure. I was determined it wouldn't be the last time.

"Hardly," I muttered, redirecting my wayward thoughts. For now. "But Cicely's right. We had plans to talk about some things tonight. And I'm sure you'll make a powerful ally."

He arched a black brow at me as I stepped away and sank down onto one of the sumptuous cushions. "And just what do you require an ally for, my mischievous little trinket?" he asked darkly.

I chuckled. He hadn't called me trinket in quite a while. It was what he had called me when he and the others first liberated me from the pocket world. When they went searching for an amulet or a charm—a magical trinket—and found a person instead.

"Robin," I said succinctly, my gaze locked on his. "We have to figure out a way to contain the damage she's about to do to herself and anyone who has ever had the misfortune of coming into contact with the emperor."

Dusek sighed as he folded his lanky form and sank onto a cushion on the opposite side of the table while Cicely came to join us and pour tea. "You wanted to stop her?" he asked tiredly.

But I just shook my head. "Of course not. I know how important this is to her. And to every paranormal under the syndicate's thumb. I just want to keep her from killing innocents—those who feel they have no choice but to severe the emperor, or people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't think everyone in the emperor's household needs to die."

"And you think enlisting the bubak will help?" Dusek asked dryly. "You do realize, my kind are all about feeding on horror. Maybe I am looking forward to all the fear and carnage. Maybe I want to cause some terror myself."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Bullshit."

Cicely snorted a laugh at my language. Dusek shook his head at me, but one corner of his lips twitched with suppressed amusement.

"You might get something out of causing terror, but I know you. There's no way you're okay with harming innocent people," I insisted.

He relented with a sigh. "I'd prefer to avoid it, honestly. Though, don't get me wrong," he warned darkly, "I will terrorize the emperor and his closest minions, and I will take great joy in their dying of fear. I'm not the sweet, harmless man you seem to have mistaken me for."

I just waved that away. "You'll help though?" I glanced at Cicely. "And you'll lend your calming magic?"

They both nodded.

For the first time in days, I felt an inkling of hope. Robin may very well go on a murderous rampage when we reached the pocket world. But with Dusek and Cicely on my side, we'd have a lot of control over people's emotions. Even our headstrong, stubborn ass of an alpha.

Perhaps this might not be so bad after all.

If only I could manage to escape Robin's wrath when she realized what I had done. But I would worry about that when the time came, I supposed.

Right now, we had countermeasures to plan and plots to scheme.

Chapter 5

Martina

Iwaited impatiently in my place behind a large, spreading tree trunk, cloaked in Sanka's illusion spell. We had arrived at the fae preserve before darkness fully fell, and had been waiting ever since for the vampire queen to arrive so we could use her to get into the pocket world.

I rolled my neck and eased the ache from my shoulders, shifting on my feet to keep my blood flowing. There was a chill in the air, and a tang to the breeze that said we might be in for an early snow. Not unusual for Michigan, but still unwelcome at the moment. With the wild fae magic in the area, and the fluctuations from the pocket world that was anchored here, it really wasn't a surprise that the weather was unpredictable.

We were all decked out in winter gear—Sanka's idea, since the sorcerer predicted that the current weather in the pocket world might be a magnification of what was going on out here. As much as I loathed to admit it, he was usually right about these things. He might act like an idiot sometimes, but Sanka was an extremely talented sorcerer. I glanced around the clearing for the hundredth time, going through the list of backup weapons we had brought, ensuring that everyone was where they should be, and making sure nothing seemed out of place.

My gaze lingered on Ruya, and I wondered yet again if it was wise for her to be here. Not that anyone was ever going to tell our witch no. But although she had very strong and useful magical abilities, she wasn't a fighter. She didn't have a sorcerer's magic, or the strength and resilience of the other paranorms. She also wasn't hardy against the cold and the elements. This long wait had to be wearing on her. Then again, she was currently glued to Robin's side, our alpha refusing to let her get more than arm's length away until she absolutely had to. The dragon constantly put out extra body heat, so Ru probably wasn't in any danger of freezing to death, at least.

For her part, Ruya didn't complain, and she didn't let an ounce of discomfort show in her posture and her bearing as we waited. She really was well-trained by that fucking cult of hers to endure unpleasantness. She simply stood there looking regal and unbothered as darkness fell around us.

When the full moon had climbed halfway to its zenith, the low purr of a car finally reached my ears. The others heard it as well, and we readied ourselves for the ambush. The Bitch Queen and the slimy emperor surely had magic in place to detect interlopers, but Sanka said we would remain undetected until we decided to show ourselves. And I had long ago learned that if Sanka said his magic was better than someone else's, it wasn't just shallow bragging. There was a good reason the syndicate had wanted to get their hands on our sorcerer.

A shiny, too-clean black jeep slowly trundled through the small clearing where the emperor's pocket world was anchored. It stopped and half a dozen vampire guards flowed out of the vehicle and checked the area for threats. They moved like shadows in the darkness, visible only thanks to the bright moon overhead and my sharp chupacabra eyes. Acacia's elite protectors. I tensed, waiting for chaos. But no one sounded the alarm. Sanka flawlessly kept us hidden from the vampires' senses—magical and mundane.

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