They hadn’t made it that far when the grunting garble of an ogre voice echoed off the walls. The oversized shadow stretched across the hall in front of them, and it was only a matter of moments before the ogre rounded the corner and spotted them.

With nowhere to hide, Wick opened the door closest to her. She ran inside, dragging Lily with her, and slammed the door shut behind them.

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise.”

As soon as she heard the voice, Wick’s heart stopped in her chest. She’d never heard him speak, but she knew who he was instantly. She turned around slowly to see Valefor sitting at the end of a long black table. A large bronze goblet was in his hand, and when he took a drink of it, it stained his lips blood red before he licked them.

“Have you changed your mind about my offer already?” Valefor asked Lily.

“Run,” Wick whispered.

She stood in front of Lily, and Lily tried to open the door to escape. As soon as she grabbed the handle, Valefor appeared next to her. He leaned almost casually against the door between Wick, and Lily.

Wick blinked, not understanding how he had disappeared in a split second, and whirled around to see him smiling down at Lily.

“What happened to your lovely face?” Valefor asked, doing his best to look concerned. He reached up and ran his fingers along the scratches the sonneillon had left on her cheek.

“Don’t you touch her!” Wick shrieked. She grabbed his arm to pull him back, and Valefor turned around. His blazed with fury, and he smacked her hard enough to send her flying across the room.

“Wick!” Lily shouted and reached out for her, but Valefor stood between them.

Wick lay on the floor and didn’t move for a second, but finally she opened her eyes. Blood streamed down from her lip, and while she was alive, she appeared disoriented.

“Now, where were we?” Valefor turned back to Lily, smiling widely. “Ah, yes, you’re face.” When he reached for her again, she twisted away from his touch.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I know you’re frightened, but hear me out.” Valefor held up his hands, palms out. He took a step towards her, and every time he did, she took a step back. “I can heal that. I can heal all your wounds. I can make all your pain go away.”

“I can handle it,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I’m sure you can.” His tone went patronizing, like he was talking to a small child rather than his intended bride. “You’re a very brave girl. Defying me like this takes some gall, I understand that. In fact, I even admire your spunk. But don’t mistake that for anything more. I will get what I want, Lily.”

“No, you won’t.” Lily shook her head. “I have to give you my allegiance. It’s not something you can take from me, not by force or by trickery. And I will never, ever serve you.”

“You say that now,” Valefor sighed. “I’ll admit, that does disappoint me. It’s so much simpler when you just agree in the beginning. But you will. Everyone bows before me in the end.”

He stepped toward her, and this time she didn’t step back. She held her ground and glared up at him.

“Remember what I said earlier?” Valefor asked. “I can take your pain away, but I can give it just as easily.”

He raised his hand, like he meant to smack her. Lily winced and turned her head, preparing for the blow, but it never came. Instead, he ran the back of his hand down her face, almost caressing her. Hot tingles ran through her flesh, like a pleasant flame, and she pulled her head back.

“What did you do?” Lily put her hand to her face, and instead of the jagged cuts, she felt only smooth skin. “You healed my scratches?”

“I took your pain away,” Valefor explained. “And that is the last time I will do that until you agree to be my wife, to love me, obey me, and bend to my will.”

“You know my answer.”

“That I do. And I also know your weakness.” He stepped away from Lily, walking backward across the room. “And it’s not pain. It’s your heart.”

“My heart?” Lily asked, and her eyes widened as she realized he was moving toward Wick. “No! Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!”

“Sure she does.” Valefor bent down and picked Wick up by her throat. She clawed at his hands and made guttural noises. “She’s what’s going to make you accept my offer.”

Lily ran at him. Wick shook her head, and Lily halted. She stood in the middle of the room, watching as Valefor strangled her friend, and she had no idea what to do.

“Please, Valefor, I beg of you.” Her eyes scanned the room, looking for anything to attack him with. But other than the chairs – which appeared much too heavy for her to lift – there was nothing. She had nothing.

“There is one way to stop this, my darling, and you know what it is,” Valefor said. “Hell, if you accept now, I’ll heal your friend. I’ll let her go free, and I’ll even order my minions to leave her alone. She’ll live a long happy life. And all you have to do is say yes.”

“I can’t.” With tears in her eyes, Lily shook her head and looked at Wick. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t.”

“You leave me now choice then,” Valefor sighed. “I’m going to have to kill her.”

23

Lux ran down the hall, going on instinct more than anything else. He’d seen which direction Lily and Wick went, but he’d been too distracted by fighting with Ira to tell them they were going the wrong way. They were heading straight towards Valefor’s chamber.

His worst fears were confirmed when he heard Lily screaming. Her terrified words were coming from behind Valefor’s chamber door. He raced down the hall and threw open the door not knowing what he would do when he got there.

“Stop!” Lily wailed when Lux came into the room.

Valefor held Wick up by her throat, her feet churning the air below her. In attempt to save her friend, Lily had grabbed onto Valefor’s arm. She was pulling with all her might, and it wasn’t doing anything.

Lux had pulled the unicorn horn from Ira’s eye, and since it was the only weapon he had, Lux threw it at Valefor. The wand sailed toward him like a spear. It hit Valefor in the shoulder, piercing his skin, and Valefor leaned back his head and howled.