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.It wasriskier than hell; the kick might break his neck if it landed, but if she missed, she'd be vulnerable.He jerked his head back.His hand blurred up.She twisted, but his fingers closed brutally hardover her ankle.Ansgar jerked her out of the air so hard her neck whiplashed painfully.Diana yelped."Impressive move," the Sidhe said."Stupid, but impressive."Then, with an offhand jerk, he smashed her face first into the granite wall.Pain detonated in herhead, and she went limp, stunned.Distantly, Diana felt herself slam into the cold stone floor as he dropped her.Cloth ripped awayfrom her legs.Her bra dug into her back as he grabbed it between her breasts and jerked.Weakly,she swung a fist at his nose, but he backhanded her.She saw stars and tasted blood."Fucker."His looming face grinned down at her."Yes, thank you, I intend to."Grimly, Diana fought to focus her swimming wits.She damn well wouldn't just go down like this.She lay still, trying to project stunned submission as she waited for her chance.Not moving feltmuch too good to her aching, battered body, but she fought the animal instinct to submit and hopehe'd be satisfied with raping her.She knew he wouldn't.Ansgar rocked back on his heels to look down at her, his cold gaze appraising her naked body."Oh, you are lovely," he said."Not as busty as I prefer, but rather lithe and charming.Perhaps Iwon't kill you after all."A chance.Diana mustered a seductive smile, hoping the calculation didn't show in her eyes."Please.You don't have to hurt me.I can make it good for you." Blood trickled from her swellinglip.Ansgar snorted."What kind of fool do you think I am?" He reached for her."Are you fool enough to waste the opportunity to have a willing werewolf in her Burning Moon?"He hesitated, interest stirring in his eyes."Burning Moon?"Diana licked the blood from her lips with a slow pass of her tongue.She watched excitement flare in his eyes."Take a deep breath, Ansgar.I know you feel it.No male is immune to the scentof a werewolf female in heat not even Sidhe.How do you think I had Llyr so enthralled?"His pale gaze flicked down her body."I can think of any number of ways."She forced a smile."Flattering."Suspicion darkened the heat in his stare."You fought hard, for a willing woman or whatever itis you are."Diana shrugged."No she-wolf yields easily.How else can one be sure a male is worthy?"Ansgar sneered."Oh, I'm more than worthy of you."Not even on your best day."Prove it."She had him.She could see it in the leap of speculation on his face.The fact she might be tryingto play him only made the temptation greater; it wouldn't even occur to Ansgar she could be aserious threat to him.His lips curling into a taunting smile, he reached for her breast.She fought to keep the revulsionfrom her eyes as he touched her.The knife plunged viciously into his side, forcing Llyr to clench his teeth against a scream."Ahhhh," the vampire purred, her green eyes bright with sick excitement."That was good.Let'sdo that again."He spat in her face.Her head snapped back in fury."Oh, you are a fool!" Slowly, she wiped the spittle away."It was worth it." Llyr laughed, knowing the mockery would drive her into a frenzy.His onlychance now was to goad her into killing him quickly."Bold words.Let's see if you "Fire ! A searing explosion of heat and light detonated in his chest, so white-hot he thought for amoment she'd induced a heart attack.Until he felt the vast, shining intelligence invading his mind.What?It does burn, I fear.Cachamwri said in his mind.But then, it is the Dragon's Breath.That waswhen Llyr recognized the power that poured in behind the pain.Magic.He had magic again.Cachamwri had answered his prayer after all.I thought you'd decided I wasn't worthy , he thought, dazed by the sudden onslaught of hope. I needed to make sure of you , Cachamwri said.But you were willing to sacrifice yourself foryour woman and your people.That is no coward's act, nor is the love in you a sham.It burns asbright as my power.Llyr felt the Dragon fill him, flooding him with strength and magic such as he'd never known inhis long life.When the dazzle faded from his eyes, he saw the vampire staring at him, her mouthgaping."What the hell was that?" she demanded, backing up a pace."You lit up like a firefly.""No." Llyr bared his teeth at her."Like the Dragon's Breath."The spell blazed out of him in a boiling wave of power, rupturing the enchantment that bound himon its way to her.She screamed and threw up a shield.The blast poured against it, sending sparksbouncing into the night.The vampire yelped as some of them tunneled through to scorch her skin.Llyr jerked away from the tree, grinning in furious pleasure.Yet even in his euphoria, he could feel lead weighing his legs.Blood ran hot from the dozenknife wounds scoring his flesh.He gathered the power and sent it swirling through his body.Thegouges burned and tingled as they healed.The vampire backed away, her eyes wide."Where did you get all that power?"Llyr bared his teeth at her."From a god." Quick as thought, he sent his magic to summon a swordfrom the palace armory.Wary that his powers might disappear again, he drew the first nonmagicalblade he found; it wouldn't vanish no matter what happened.He grinned in sheer ironic pleasure asit appeared in his hand.It was Galatyn the First's own blade that filled his palm with its massive,welcome weight.But there wasn't time to find nonmagical armor, so he generated some with aspell.The vampire's gaze flickered as she saw the enchanted plate form around him, but she managed asneer."A god.Yeah, right.Big deal, baby gods die.And so will you." A red glow surroundedher, leaving her armor behind when it retreated.The knife in her hand became a sword.Baring his teeth, Llyr leaped for her, bringing the sword down in a savage two-handed swipe,using his magic to boost his stroke's power.She brought her blade up to parry, but the force of hisblow drove her to one knee.The pleasure of it spread a grin across his face, broad and feral.Until her sword burst into a blaze of power that lifted him off his feet and threw him.He landed rolling, shaking off the blast as he surged to his feet.She threw up a hand and shot alightning bolt at the tree next to him.A massive rolling crack! split the air.Llyr ducked aside as the tree fell with a thunderous boom."Missed," he taunted."I won't next time."They began to circle, stalking one another, blades lifted. Llyr watched her, calculating the power she was burning.How much had she bought by killingMiller?Not enough, he'd wager.Llyr dropped his guard to lob a power blast at her with lethal force.She shielded.Sparksshowered as the attack hit, but he didn't even pause, following the strike up with another and stillanother, hammering at her shield, driving her to retreat.He followed, refusing to let up thepressure, forcing her to use more and still more of her magic."Bastard!" she screamed, realizing what he was doing."No." His lip curled
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