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moments, everyone just stared at the spot where the two had been.
Out of everything that could have happened, I hadn t expected this,
and I knew my mate hadn t either. Was it truly that selfish that we d
found love in the middle of this entire debacle? Maybe the answer
was yes, but I couldn t truly regret it. I could never regret my mate
bond with Red.
Robin was the one who broke the silence. This is my fault, he
said. All my fault. If I hadn t intervened that day, our parents would
still be alive. Our mother would have completed the ritual a long time
ago, and Mina would be safe.
Now is not the time for self-pity, Red snapped at him. Breathe,
Robin. I won t let Mina or your baby die.
My mate rushed to Vlad s side, and I followed. Thankfully, the
blood donation method seemed to have worked, because Vlad had
regained some color. What happened? he asked, sounding dazed.
He took Mina, Veronica replied with a small sob. He said that
if Red doesn t do what he wants, the baby will die.
That won t happen, Red promised again. We ll find a
solution.
Where in the world were Victor and Larue? They d presumably
gone to contact Anelah, but surely, they must have realized something
was wrong. Then again, even if they had, they wouldn t have been
able to do anything about it. Maybe it was better that they d stayed
away.
Little Red and the Big Black Panther 105
As if on cue, Larue entered the room and froze. Anelah is
coming, he said softly. What happened here?
The Snow King did, Robin replied.
As the vampires recounted the tale of what had occurred to Larue,
I pulled my mate into my arms. Red quietly held me back, and as we
hugged, a thought hit me with great clarity.
The Snow King couldn t get away with this. I couldn t let him
win. For Red s sake, for Mina s, and for everyone the man would ever
hurt, we had to beat him. But how?
106 Scarlet Hyacinth
Chapter Seven:
In Which Fire Fights Ice and Family
Intervenes& Again
The circle was ready. Anelah had brought various rare magical
herbs with her, and we d burned them to make a dust that would keep
my power from running amok like it had back in Grimoire. I stared at
it like it was a trap prepared for the purpose of snaring me and never
again freeing me.
Philippe wrapped his arm around my shoulders, providing the
solid anchor I needed so desperately. Meanwhile, the witch Anelah
faced me with a determined expression. Do you remember what to
do, Blaze?
I nodded. Apparently, we d gone to the right person, because she
knew the ritual I needed to use for the scrying. It wasn t in itself a
spell created for the sole purpose of what my family did. Rather, it
was one meant to allow the caster to commune with his or her true
abilities. As it turned out, Anelah had used it more than once,
although she claimed it was pretty dangerous if not adequately
controlled through the protection circle.
Other than the three of us, the room was empty. Everyone else had
been ushered out to wait and hope. We were all aware of the high
stakes of the ritual, as evidenced by what had happened with Vlad.
The count might have woken up, but he still hadn t recovered
completely from the Snow King s attack. Still very shaken, Vesper
had secluded himself and his mate in Vlad s quarters. That just gave
me further incentive to fix this situation. I only hoped I could do it.
This will work, won t it? I asked Anelah, suddenly uncertain.
Little Red and the Big Black Panther 107
You have the power, Anelah replied. Likely, you ve always
had it, but it must have been muted. But anyway, Frost wouldn t have
come to you if he didn t think you had the ability. That man may be
many things, but he is no fool.
Frost? So that was the Snow King s name. Somehow, it suited
him. He definitely seemed as cold and dangerous as a frosty winter.
That was another thing that kept bothering me. Even if I did find out
the identity of the Snow King s mate, did the man truly deserve such
a gift? My mother had always said that only people who could
appreciate a soul mate should receive a seeing. The Snow King had
indeed saved my life, and maybe I should have never refused to do
this in the first place but even if I had, involving an innocent child
in the matter was a despicable thing to do.
For the moment, though, I had no choice but to go along with it. I
stepped away from my mate and entered the circle of protection. As I
knelt in the middle of it, Anelah joined me. Are you ready? she
asked, sitting down next to me.
As ready as I ll ever be, I replied. She took my hand, and I
almost recoiled, the knowledge of what she had done to my mate
making me uncomfortable with her.
Anelah released an irritated sigh. Look. You called me here to
help. I m taking a huge chance to go against this man. The last thing I
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