Chapter 12

Lights flashed, quick pulsing strobes of color. The beat of the music thrummed through her skin, vibrating every atom in her body. The fabric of the short skirt undulated as Emma swayed her hips, her feet planted firmly atop the bar. Mikhail grinned at her while Rafe frowned and mouthed, "Get down." She whirled andÉ

Smoke and heat enveloped her. She coughed into her hand as she crouched low, looking for breathable air, but the acrid fumes burned her eyes, and her lungs ached. She blinked andÉ

A lush planet, overgrown with vegetation of all hues. Trees soared high overhead. In the distance, atop the craggy mountain, she could only gape at the awesome presence of the castle, with hundreds of minarets that rose high into the sky. "OhÉ"

A knife flashed, and she gasped. The hot spray of blood arcing in the air, the fine droplets suspended for a moment before falling were what started the screamÉ