Her movements were focused and accurate as she danced around me, slicing me with her knife. With each gash inflicted on my skin, my heart sank lower and lower. Finally, it slid between the cracks of the earth below my feet into the denizen of cockroaches.
“Stop! Olivia, stop!” I gripped the iron restraints and pulled my good leg upward, trying to kick her hand away.
She slashed my leg through my leather breeches. I was bleeding everywhere.
If I could reach her heart, the love we shared, maybe I could snap her out of this horrible place.
“Olivia!” I yelled. “Balthazar is controlling you with his darkness. You love me. I love you. And you need to stop—you would never want to hurt me!”
“You can’t stop her,” Balthazar cackled. “She’s found her dark essence, and her true nature shines through. Oh, this is splendid!”
He rubbed his hands together.
His blathering only fueled my desire to stop her. If she knew what she was doing, she’d be devastated.
“Olivia,” I called again. “Remember all the times we’ve been together…everything we’ve shared.”
She hesitated, shook her head, then resumed her attack.
“Remember how we went to war under Severus’ rule? And we confessed our love amid so much pain and destruction?” I tried to summon my loving regard for her, but feeling past the immediate pain was nearly impossible. My ankle hung swollen, and blood steadily oozed from the gashes.
She paused, looking at me quizzically. Then, she lifted her hand, looked at it, and dropped it again.
“That’s right,” I said quickly. “You remember. You canfeelour passion, can’t you, my love?”
I did my best to summon the feeling of kissing her sweet lips, of devouring her with my mouth. In my mind, I claimed her. I kissed her tenderly, kissed her roughly, and kissed her hard. I imagined our shared love blasting through the darkness that possessed her.
Squinting, she looked at me. Then her eyes grew wide with horror. “Roman! Who did this to you?”
She rushed toward me and fingered the places she’d slashed.
“You did, I’m afraid. You were possessed by Balthazar’s spell.” I longed to hold her, to draw her to my chest and embrace her. But all I could manage, hanging like a slab of beef, was an intent look.
“I did? Me?” She glanced at the blade in her hand, covered with my blood, and her expression grew tight with horror.
Balthazar, who had been watching Olivia slice me to bits with an expression of glee, scowled. “Olivia! Don’t trust him. He’s the one who’s trying to deceive you. What you’re feeling, that desire to kill…it’s the truth.”
Olivia took my face between her hands, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed me.
Oh, God, the contact of her soft, pillowy lips! She tasted like sweetness and possibility…hope and passion. I nearly forgot where I was.
The strength of our connection stirred to life. I grew hard beneath my breeches, despite my throbbing pain.
Out of the corner of my eye, I sensed movement.
Balthazar dashed across the room, heading toward us.
I yanked away from the kiss and yelled, “Olivia! Look out!”
She whirled with the knife at the ready in her hand. She violently slashed at Balthazar’s neck, but he arched away from the kill shot.
Crouching, he snarled, “You made a bad mistake, bitch.”
He launched at Olivia like a bullet, seized her neck, and threw her against the wall behind me.
She let out a shriek and crumpled to the ground.
Balthazar grew larger as he stood there, fists balled into weapons, his face an ugly sneer.
