It came as no real surprise to me when I found out a week later that Pearl had done the impossible and escaped again. Henri was furious when he found out. "Is there no jail that can hold her?" he demanded. "It seems to me she has witch's blood as well as werewolf blood to be able to render any holding pointless."
"We've got witch ancestry," I admitted. "Father never liked to talk about it, saying it was a shameful mistake that got our 'pure' blood mixed - and it was one of the reasons he wanted to marry me off. I've got a hefty dose of witch blood from Mother's side of the family, and Father believed if I was married to someone with less 'tainted' blood, my 'impure' blood would be eradicated."
Henri shook his head in disbelief. "Then it is time we fight fire with fire," he said. "Pearl will be coming here first to eradicate you, cheri. Unless she chooses to go after those in the United Kingdom who have testified against her."
"Oh, she'll be coming after me first," I said grimly. "Just let her try; I'll tear her throat out and end her if that's what it takes."
"We hope it will not come to that," Henri cautioned. "Though truth be told, I would not shed a tear if you did so. Still, there are other ways to counter her."
"Let's warn Dakota's family," I said. "I've a feeling Pearl might go after them first."
"We shall do that," Henri promised.
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A few days later, Pearl ambushed me outside the cafe where I regularly stopped to have a coffee. "We need to talk," she said, holding out her arms so I couldn't get past. "I've got a hotel nearby - we can talk there."
There was no way I was going to let her isolate me. "We can talk here just fine," I said firmly. "I'll even buy you a coffee."
Pearl sneered. "No thanks," she said. "We're going back to my hotel room."
I took a deep breath. "If this is to have a go at me for testifying against you, forget it," I said. "I did the right thing in at least TRYING to get you put away."
"I'm INNOCENT," Pearl snapped. "I did NOTHING."
"You killed Ryan, and then you killed two packs," I said. "You then kidnapped an innocent baby and fled here with her. If not for the authorities catching up with you, God alone knows what would have happened to Dakota. Now move; you're blocking my way."
"You're not going ANYWHERE," Pearl said, grabbing my arm in a tight grip. "You're coming with me, even if I have to..."
"Is there a problem here?"
I let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the gendarme. Pearl wasn't having it. "You need to move on," she said coldly. "My cousin doesn't need help."
"I'll let her speak for herself," the gendarme said sternly.
I got no chance to talk; lightning struck out of the clear blue sky, and people screamed as they were hurled aside like ragdollls. I tried yanking my arm free, but Pearl's mind clamped down on mine, and horror filled me as she forced me to stay where I was. "This is all your fault," she hissed in my ear. "If you'd just listened to me in the first place, innocent people wouldn't have died because of you." She gave a short bark of laughter. "Oh, and forget trying to claim innocence; I've already ensured YOU will be the aggressor. Now let's get you out of here before the authorities put two and two together."
She suited words to actions, and though I tried digging my heels in, Pearl's grip on my mind forced me to put one foot in front of the other. There was nothing I could do right now, but I vowed I'd get free and undo whatever sick geas she'd placed on me.
No matter what it took.
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