“I see that you are. A pity,” she whispered and kissed his cheek.
Then she was gone, vanished as if she had never been.
It happened so quickly Henry could only blink in response. Then the door opened and Ulrik entered. His gaze landed on Henry before he walked to the chair he had occupied earlier. “It’s morning. Time for a decision.”
Henry couldn’t believe the time had already come. Not that it mattered. His decision was made the moment Ulrik gave him the ultimatum.
“That’s good,” Henry said. “I’m tired of being in this room.”
“Want out, do you?” Ulrik said with a smirk.
“I sure do.”
“The promise you give can be put into your own words. I’ll use my magic to bind your promise.”
Henry chuckled, amazed to find his ribs didn’t hurt as much as they had a few minutes ago. “You’re a piece of work.”
Ulrik’s smile vanished, his gold eyes narrowing on Henry. “Is that some kind of joke?”
“Joke? Not at all. I’ll give you my promise. I vow that I’ll never join you in any endeavor. I pledge that I’ll fight against you from now until the end of my days.”
“Which is imminent,” Ulrik interrupted in a tight voice.
Undeterred, Henry continued. “I promise that I’ll do whatever it takes to bring you down.”
Ulrik stood so fast the chair toppled over. His arm reared back, his palm out. Henry watched it all in slow motion. He lifted his chin and prepared to die.
*
“Isn’t this great?” Denae beamed from the passenger seat of the helicopter.
Lily nodded, though it wasn’t her first time in a chopper. She’d always loved air travel of any kind, but the helicopter was her favorite. So much so, she had her pilot’s license. How she missed flying.
She loved seeing the world from the vantage point of the clouds. There was something that altered a person when they looked down upon the ground from such a lofty height and realized how small things really were.
Lily basked in the pleasure as they soared. For a short time, she was able to forget about Dennis, forget about Kyle being threatened, and forget about betraying her friends. The one thing she couldn’t forget was Rhys.
No matter where she was or what she was doing, he was a constant in her thoughts. His gentle but firm touch, his soft but insistent kisses. Her stomach fluttered remembering how tightly he held her as they kissed. She wondered if Rhys would enjoy flying, or was he afraid of it as so many were? Would he feel the freedom of it as she did? Would he love the exhilaration of going fast?
Time after time, she found herself wishing he were beside her so she could point out something below them, or laugh at how sedately they were flying. It was ridiculous really. She didn’t even know Rhys, and yet, he was part of her world. A part of her.
How sad was she? Thank God no one else knew, lest they pity her. It was bad enough she ran from an abusive relationship, but to set her sights on someone that could never be hers? He made her want to find her lost courage, to break the invisible shackles that linked her to Dennis.
The chopper dipped, signaling that their ride was coming to an end. Lily looked down at her clothes. They weren’t her. Just as her life with Dennis wasn’t her. It was time to do more than just buy a few new items. It was time to erase Dennis from her life entirely. And she was starting today.
When the helicopter landed, Denae opened the door and stepped out. Lily followed, holding her hair in one hand so it didn’t fly everywhere. Denae was all smiles as she waited for Lily. Together they walked to a black Mercedes where two men waited beside it for them.
“I hope all of this doesn’t make you uncomfortable,” Denae said after they were in the car.
Lily looked at her. “This?”
“The helicopter and the car waiting for us. I know I was unaccustomed to such wealth when Kellan and I got together. It’s amazing how quickly I adapted,” she said with a laugh.
For a second, Lily thought about telling Denae who she really was, but then she decided it didn’t matter. “This doesn’t bother me at all. It’s nice that all of this is available to you.”
“Kellan is a bit overprotective, not that I mind.”
Lily looked away when she saw the love shining in Denae’s whisky-colored eyes. “You’re very lucky, you know.”
“You’ll find love yourself. I truly believe that.”
“Of course.” What else could she say?
When they arrived at the first store, Lily was anxious to shop. It felt like eons since she’d bought anything she liked. They walked through the doors of the store, and Lily paused and took a deep breath. She wanted to feel good in clothes again, wanted them to fit her, but more than that she wanted to stop Rhys in his tracks so he looked her up and down.
“I know that look,” Denae said. “I’ve seen it on Shara’s face often enough. That’s a look of a woman who’s ready to shop.”
Lily returned her smile. “Oh, yes.”
“Where shall we begin?”