Slave To Love

Chapter 29

"I refuse to accept this."

"You don't have a choice."

"Who are you to tell me I don't have a choice? I have every bloody choice I'd like, and that is not one of them."

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea?"

"Don't get in this, Isabella."

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!"

"Shut it, Blondie."

Blaze ran a hand over his face and let out a breath of exasperation. "I told him this would happen. I told him you'd hate the idea. I told him you'd resist and argue and be your damn stubborn self. But would he listen to me? Nope."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who?"

"My father. You think it was my idea to have two guys following you around everywhere?"

Zeth raised his hand. "Actually, it's three guys."

"Shut it, Blondie." This time Blaze was the one who said it.

He shrugged. "Just saying."

"Wait, this was your father's idea?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Why would he want to protect me?"

"Uh, maybe because you're the key to the spell that is capable of destroying the entire kingdom?" Isabella suggested, speaking up from where she was at Zeth's side with his arm slung over her shoulders.

"I don't need bodyguards," I insisted once again before breaking off in a coughing fit.

All of their eyes softened. Isabella handed me a glass of water, and Blaze ran his hand up and down my back soothingly. It had only been two days since the fire, and my body had taken some serious damage, particularly to my lungs. My voice was hoarse; I'd been told to not talk, if possible. Clearly the debate at hand made not talking not possible.

"You need to rest, Angel," Blaze murmured gently.

"I don't need to do shit," I retorted smartly after taking a deep breath. "What we do need to do is find out who is after me. And I want to know the specifics of this spell."

"What do you mean 'the specifics'?"

"I mean we know that they want the heart of a young child and need the body of a human female that's strong enough to open the portal to the Underworld, but I feel like there has to be more than that," I answered. "This fixation on Rosie and I is a bit too intense for the described situation."

"We can ask Lucinia," Isabella assured me.

"I don't want to talk to Lucinia," I told them. My gaze landed on Blaze as I looked directly into his eyes. "I want to speak with Tylek."

Immediately Blaze shook his head, his eyes hardening at the mere mention of his cousin's name. "Absolutely not."

Zeth looked at his best friend. "Where is he? I haven't seen him in a while."

"Lurking," was the curt response.

"I see him sometimes walking around the castle," Isabella adds quietly. "He's very careful, always looking over his shoulder. He'll disappear into the library for hours and often takes walks into the surrounding woods."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Blaze demanded, staring at her incredulously.

"I did. I told Skye," she responded, nodding to me.

Blaze looked at me. "Is that why you wish to speak with him?"

I nodded. "He knows something, Blaze. I need to know what."