“What’s wrong with him?”
Gisela scowled at the Masakage imposter. “I don’t know.” Xaydin seemed to be in a trance. She’d barely been able to guide his massive body to the ground before he’d succumbed to whatever spell had him enthralled.
At least she assumed it was a spell. She could have sworn she saw him take a drink of a potion before he’d gone down. But at this point…
She wasn’t sure of anything other than how large a beast he was. His head was cradled in her lap while she stroked his cheek. Nothing could wake him. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be asleep.
Or dead.
“What did you do?” she whispered, anxious to know if this was planned or not.
He’d given her a knowing look right before he’d gone down. Had she misread it? Maybe it’d been a look begging for help.
She almost laughed out loud at the thought of Xaydin asking for help.
No, he’d never do that. He’d rather die.
So what exactly was happening? Why didn’t she have some of Masakage’s abilities?
Anything?
Instead, she was helpless as she sat on the ground, holding the head of a virtual stranger. She’d laugh if it didn’t hurt so much. She despised this helplessness. It reminded her too much of her childhood. Of having no sovereignty over herself. Of being powerless against others.
It was what had made her such a vicious warrior. That fury that refused to be at the mercy of others.
No more!
But she couldn’t control this.
“Speak to me, X. Say something.”
He took in a deep breath before he opened his eyes and met her gaze.
An unbelievable wave of relief tore through her. She hadn’t realized until then that she’d been holding her breath. Not until she met those gorgeous eyes that captivated her.
“Hello.”
Grimacing, he blinked. “Hi.”
She laughed at his confusion. “You had me worried. Where did you go?”
“No place. I would say I fainted, but I think the potion’s fumes grabbed me.”
“What potion?”
Xaydin cursed as he realized the imposter was standing near them. Damn it!
His attention had been captivated fully by Gisela and the fact that his head rested in her lap. He’d never had so comfortable a pillow before.
But now he had something much less pleasant to contend with.
Growling low in his throat, he rolled out of her lap and stood to face the irritating look-alike. “What have I missed?”
“Nothing.”
Xaydin dusted himself off and sighed. “Well then, let’s get off this damnable island and be about our business. Shall we?”
The imposter nodded. “What’s our first order?”
