The Third Circle (Arcane Society Book 04) Read Online Free PDF Page B

A storm was brewing in the heart of the crystal. Instead of moonlight, strange dark currents swirled ominously. Thaddeus was pouring his own power into the crystal, overwhelming her carefully directed waves of energy.
    The storm coalesced, gathering strength. She watched with gathering dread as the disturbing forces surged and flared. She had never encountered anyone who could do what Thaddeus Ware was doing. Because he was so completely in the grip of his dream, she doubted that he even realized what was happening.
    A monstrous insect, its eyes composed of a thousand small mirrors, appeared on the seat beside Thaddeus. The creature’s fangs glistened wetly.
    She froze in horror. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Her fingers and toes tingled painfully with prickles of fear. Perspiration dampened her shirt. She tried to scream, but the sound was locked in her throat.
    “Calm yourself, my sweet,” Thaddeus said. “It will not hurt you. It is my creature to summon. I will protect you.”
    Instinctively she reached for the door handle. She snatched her fingers back just before they closed around the head of a red-eyed viper.
    “You see them now, don’t you?” Thaddeus asked, pleased. “You have entered my world.”
    It dawned on her that he was somehow drawing power from the crystal to make his hallucinations visible, not just to himself but to her as well. If she had not witnessed the astonishing scene with her own eyes she would not have believed it possible for anyone to do such a thing.
    Out of nowhere one of Uncle Edward’s sayings came to her: “Remember, Leona, you must control your audience from the moment you step on the stage. Never allow your audience to control you.”
    She had to regain control of the crystal, or she would be sucked into the dreamscape along with Thaddeus Ware and they would both be lost.
    Calling on every fragment of her willpower, she forced herself to look away from the terrifying insect and focused instead on the raging currents inside the crystal.
    “Look into the stone, sir,” she said, putting all the authority she could muster into the command. “It is your only hope. The hallucinations have taken control. You must fight them.”
    He smiled. “I would far rather you joined me here in my dream. Together we will rule our own little corner of hell.”
    Before she realized his intent, his hands closed around her shoulders. He drew her toward him.
    “Release me at once, Mr. Ware.” She fought to keep the fear out of her voice, but she knew that he sensed it.
    “Now, why would I do that?” Thaddeus asked, voice roughening with a dangerous sensuality. “In this world you are mine. It is past time I tasted your power and let you feel my own.”
    She tried to pull free of his hands, but he tightened his grip. Instantly she stilled, her intuition warning her that resistance would only provoke him. Frantically she considered the few courses of action open to her. If she screamed for help, Adam would surely hear her and come to her assistance. But Adam’s solution to the crisis would likely be to lodge a bullet in Thaddeus Ware’s brain. That not only seemed somewhat excessive but extremely unfair, given the fact that Ware had likely saved her life earlier tonight by rendering the two guards unconscious.
    It was her job to save him now. She must be strong for both of them.
    “You will not force yourself on me, sir,” she said with a calm she was far from feeling. “You saved me tonight. It is not in your nature to do violence to a woman.”
    He pulled her closer. In the light of the stone his eyes gleamed with a dark passion.
    He studied her mouth as though it were some rare and exotic and very ripe fruit. “You know nothing of my nature. Not yet. But soon, my sweet, very soon, you will comprehend the bond that exists between us.”
    “I know that you will not hurt me because you are a man of honor,” she said evenly.
    He responded by unfastening the collar of her