Powerful Magic (53 page)

          
Fiancé?
 
Roger.
 
Dear God, she'd forgotten about Roger.
  
At the beginning of all this, she'd been about to hand him back his ring, the huge diamond that she'd given to Kenric as a form of payment.
 
What had Kenric done with it?
 
She'd never seen it again after she'd given it to him as a sort of token proof.
 
She knew Roger would insist she return it to him.
   
Which she would, as soon as she could.

          
After all, now she wore another's ring.
 
Lifting her hand, she admired its delicate beauty.
 
The tiny crystals reflected the artificial light, shimmering with such a magical glow that it made her heart ache.
 
The ring of her soul mate, her soul half.
 
Kenric, the only man she would ever love, in any place or time.

           
Urgency seized her.
 
She had to do something, get away from this place.
 
She didn't want to see Roger, nor a doctor.
 
She only wanted Kenric and Rhiannon and Edmyg. She wanted Lancelot, the ability to pet his shaggy neck.
 
She wanted to go... home.

          
Home.
 
Tears ran down her cheeks.
 
With a muffled cry, she swung her legs over the side of the hospital bed.
 
Dizziness hit her the instant she did, and she had to hold on to the edge of the rail until her head cleared.
 

          
Only it didn't.
 
Every time she moved, the room moved with her.
 
With a groan, she gave up.
 
She lay back down, fighting the nausea that came with the vertigo.
 
For now she had no choice but to rest, gather her strength, and pray.

    
Roger arrived within thirty minutes of her awakening.
 
In his arms he carried a hugely elaborate bouquet of blood-red roses. Shoving aside the other arrangements, he placed his front and center in the most conspicuous place on the window sill.
 
Once he’d finished setting this up to his satisfaction, he dusted his hands off and turned to face her.

          
Megan considered pretending sleep.
 
But no, she needed to finish this, so she could go to Kenric with a clear conscience.

          
Once she had found Roger terrifying.
 
Now, after all she'd been through since being hit by the lightening, she felt nothing. Not even fear.
 

          
And it helped that she was in a public place, where he couldn’t touch her.

          
She attempted a weak smile.
 
Staring, Roger did not smile back.
 
Something about his pinched expression and narrowed eyes...
 
She stifled a gasp.
 
He looked like Myrddin, though he wore a thousand dollar suit instead of Myrddin's mage's robes.

    
     
And, like Myrddin had been before the final battle,
 
Roger looked furious.
 
Why, she had no idea.

    
     
"Hello."
 
She said softly, swallowing back her fear.

    
           
Casually, Roger glanced around to make sure no one could see.
 
Capturing her hand, he squeezed so hard it brought tears to her eyes.
 

          
"I've been worried about you," he told her, though the hard glint of his gaze belied his words.
 
"At one point they thought you might die."

    
     
She nodded, unsure how to answer.
 
More than anything she wanted to tug her hand free but knew if she did he would find some other inconspicuous way to hurt her.
 
Roger, she had come to learn, delighted in tormenting creatures weaker than he.
 

    
     
"Well, I didn't."
 
Her attempt at pulling off a cheery

response fell flat.
 

    
           
Increasing the pressure, Roger leaned closer.
 
"I checked with my attorney.
 
He said you never came in to have him redo your will."

 
         
Closing her eyes, she tried to breathe slowly.
 
She knew better than to exhibit fear or rebellion.
 
Her only hope of getting through this without him hurting her worse was to somehow remain calm and focused.

  
       
"I didn't have time."
 
It was a lie, but she didn't want

to tell him she had no intention of changing her will.
 
Not

now, not ever.
 
Since she had no living family, her original will left everything to charity, most particularly to shelters for abused and battered women.
  
She meant to keep it that way.
 

          
"You will make time."
 
Increasing the pressure on her hand, he watched with satisfaction gleaming in his eyes as she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  
       
“Let go of me."
 

    
           
Surprise flickered across his face.
 
Then he laughed, a low, chilling sound that made her want to flinch.
 

          
"Certainly." With one final hard squeeze, he released her.
 
Moving back from the bed, he glanced at his watch and smirked.
 
           
"After they called to tell me you were awake, I asked my attorney to come by here and meet with you.
 
He should be here within the hour."

          
She pushed herself up, using her elbows, ignoring her throbbing hand.
 
After all, he couldn't seriously harm her in here.
 
There were too many machines monitoring her condition, too many nurses at the station outside her room.

  
       
"I’ll send him away,” she declared.
 
“You've wasted your time.
 
I won't be changing my will."
 

          
His gaze narrowed.
 
If he'd had a sword in his hand,

Megan had no doubt that he'd lop off her head with it.
 

          
Then his handsome face smoothed.
 
"Obviously they have you on some strong medication.
 
I'd better ask the nurses to discontinue it before your attorney arrives."

    
     
"Don't bother."
 
She thought of facing down Myrddin and felt a surge of boldness.
 
She could do this.
 
She would do this.
 
"I won't be marrying you either, Roger. I need to break off our engagement."

          
She thought she saw a surge of panic flicker across his expression.
 
Then it was gone, replaced with the arrogant determination that he used when engineering a hostile takeover.
 

    
     
"Oh yes you will.
 
You will marry me."
 
His tone told her he believed she would have no choice.
 
Again he glanced around, then leaned close.
 
"You belong to me."
 
He hissed, his cold gaze traveling over her, pausing when he reached her clasped hands.
 

          
Cursing, he grabbed her hand again, staring at her ring finger with an expression of furious disbelief.
 

          
 
"What the hell is this?"
 
He yanked at Kenric's ring,

attempting to take it off.
 
"What have you done with the

diamond I gave you?"

   
      
She curled her hand into a fist and yanked it away from him.
 
The truth, she told herself.
 
She would tell Roger the truth.

          
"I've met someone else."
 
Swallowing, she heard the ring of pride in the simple phrase.
 
"I'm going to marry him instead."

    
     
Mouth twisted, he raised his hand then, a reaction that came naturally to him.
 
Her reaction was equally instinctive, she flinched, anticipating the blow.
 

          
But they were in a hospital, with monitors and nurses and people who would see.
 
Roger was a public person, well known in the upper echelon of Dallas' movers and shakers.
 
Though she had never dared to defy him so boldly before, he’d have to wait to seek his retribution.

          
Forcing a smile, he lowered his hand, the glare he shot her telling her that he would extract his pound of flesh later, when they were alone.
 

          
Another reason, she thought with a shiver, that she'd make certain she was never alone with him again.
 

          
"You don't sound like yourself."
 
Though his eyes were hard, he spoke in a soothing tone that she knew he meant to sound conciliatory.
 
Instead, without realizing it, he sounded patronizing.
 
"I know you don't really mean that."

          
"But I do."
 
She closed her eyes, no longer afraid of him, no longer worried about hurting him either.
 
She'd seen everything she needed in the expression on his face when she'd told him the news.
 
Roger didn't love her, no.
 
He loved her money, the money he could use to boost his company's assets.
 
He loved controlling her, cowing her with fear and threats of retribution.
 
She suspected he also loved inflicting pain, that he was one of those men who secretly enjoyed hurting others,who'd pulled the wings off flies as a child and tormented small, helpless animals.
 

          
"Well," he finally said, standing. "I'd better be going.
 
I think they must have you on some heavy duty drugs.
 
You don't sound like the Megan I know.
 
Maybe I'll check in with you later, see if you've regained your senses yet."
 

          
Patting her shoulder, he turned to leave.
 
His carefully jovial tone rang false to her ears.
 
From past experience she knew he hadn't given up.
 
To the contrary, now he would go and plan a strategy, one that he carefully designed to make certain he was a winner.
 
Like usual.
 
So many things had come easily to him.
 
No doubt he expected to obtain her capitulation with relative ease as well.

          
"Don't bother."
 
She told him, enjoying the surprise she saw in his expression.
 
She didn't sound like the Megan he knew because she wasn't.
 
Before she'd gone to Rune, she'd been a frightened, terrified girl, taking months to summon up the courage to leave an abusive relationship.
 
Now she'd become a woman, bold and confident in Kenric's love.
 
Roger would find she wasn't so easy to intimidate now.

          
Without another word, he spun on his heel and left.

          
She sighed, relief flooding her.
 
That was one hurdle she'd made it over.
 
Though she knew he would be back, in good conscience she had told him the truth and broken things off.
    
 

          
As weariness overcame her, she fought sleep,
 
knowing she had to concentrate on matters of real importance, like figuringhow to get out of here and back to Kenric.