“I sure hope Bayn can bring the titans to our side,” I said with a huff. “If he can’t… even if the angels and demons join us… I fear it won’t be enough.”
“Do not concede the fight in your mind before it is fought,” Svokol advised. It sounded like some old proverb.
He was right, though. Time to return to campus and see how the others had done.
“The titans will not follow me,”Bayn spat. “The fools!” He stomped around the residence he’d taken over in a rage.
I wasn’t happy to hear this either, but Bayn’s fury seemed to extend deeper than this refusal. I guessed it had something to do with his control issues. I remained silent, letting the man rant.
“They’ve sided with my parents, with Valnea. She offers them destruction of the elves and a place of power once they’ve destroyed their mortal enemies.”
I hesitated to question him, but… isn’t that what we’d offered as well?
He quickly went on. “They don’t like the idea ofequalitywith the elves, they seek only their destruction.” Ah… yes, that had been a qualifier for me. “Can’t they see the bigger picture? Valnea will betray them, but they seem blind to that fact!”
He paced to a wall, punched a hole in it — not the first — then turned and paced back.
“They’re betraying themselves! They’re betraying—” He cut himself off.
Ah… sothat’swhy he was so upset. He felt betrayed. It made me wonder if his need for control stemmed from some betrayal.
“I need to convince them, need to save them from themselves, but… Argh!” He’d gone beyond curses to raw sounds of fury.
And I had to admit, when he got like this, the massive man was more than a little scary. Koar was nearby, and I had a feeling, as an elf, I could probably take Bayn, but… I didn’t want to test that theory here and now.
“Didanyof them listen to you?” I tried.
“If they did, they didn’t come forward, bloody cowards!”
“Is there any other way?” I asked. I was pushing him when I probably shouldn’t, but the truth was, without the dwarves and undines we needed the titans.
“Only to challenge my parents, but that will take too long!”
“Perhaps—?”
“No!” He spun and shouted in my face. “It won’t work!”
I slapped him. I’d hoped the sting of pain might startle him back to reality and some sense of calm. It didn’t.
Bayn snarled and moved in on me. One massive hand clamped around my waist and lifted me, pinning me to a wall. Only, unlike last time, there was no arousal mixed with his anger.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” he hissed.
I waved Koar away, the dragon ready to come to my defense. I wasn’t that hurt yet. And if things were ever going to work out with Bayn, he and I needed to sort them out ourselves.
“Get a grip. We need to think, to plan. We can still bring the titans?—”
“Weren’t you listening!” he shouted in my face.
Yeah… I wasn’t taking any more of this.
I grabbed his face in both hands, what looked like soft rounded cheeks weren’t. Every part of him was hard.
I brought his face close, his wild eyes meeting mine.
“I am not your enemy,” I snapped. “Listen to me. Calm. The fuck. Down!”
Magic flowed through me, and I knew it was wrong even as it happened, but the animal-brain part of my mind was terrified of this huge man and his fury. Even knowing I was probably stronger didn’t seem to matter. Power surged through me into him, binding him to my will.
