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After a day and night of searching, Robin was forced to concede there didn't seem to be a way to break the geas Asher had on her, Ashton and Satine. To make matters worse, Satine had found out through gossip that Roger had come looking for her, and she was very disappointed to find out Robin and Ashton had kept this from her. "We did it to protect you," Robin insisted, steadfast in the face of her friend's anger. "Did you want to die?"
Satine clenched her hands, but conceded the point. "Doesn't make it right," she muttered. "But I got your point. At least now you know why I hate the bastard so much."
"I do," Robin said. "And one day, he'll get his comeuppance in spades. Listen, do you know of any ways to break the geas he has on the three of us?"
"I know one way," Satine allowed. "But it's real risky like."
Robin took a deep breath. "I'm ready," she said.
Satine gave her a lopsided smile. "You gotta let Ashton into your head. And he's got to let you into his. The way I see it, your love might possibly break the geas. And it might wake Asher up from whatever he's doin'. But a small chance is better than none."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Axz3lgO1g
"Can you reach out to Roger in the same way?" Robin asked.
"I can try, but Asher's had me at his will for years," Satine said glumly. "Might not work without Roger here. I sure as hell can't go to him, not without dyin'."
Robin sighed. "We'll work it out," she promised.
"Don't you go worryin' about me," Satine told her firmly. "Work on yourself and Ashton. I've got a life that's halfway decent, for all that my master's a prick, and I'd give my saggy left tit to see you happy girl. So run away with your butler, and give the biggest middle finger in the world to that prick. It'll be a small justice to see him realise the pair o' you have slipped out of his grubby hands for good."
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Robin wasn't sure if Satine had been blowing smoke about running away with Ashton, but as it turned out, he came to her that night with that very proposition. "It's not likely to work," he said, squeezing her hands, "but it feels like the only chance we might have. Asher is still doing whatever he's doing, and the pack doesn't care one way or another what happens to me. So let's run away, and see how far we can get before Asher comes down on us like a ton of bricks."
Try though she might, Robin could no more resist the allure of his plea than could a moth resist the lure of a flame. And she could no longer deny she needed to do something before she lost her mind from hopelessness. Ashton was her chance at life made real, and he was her mate. "Alright," she said, "but there's something I want to try first."
Ashton nodded, and Robin took a deep breath before dropping her barriers. She could feel the black chains of Asher's geas looped around her, but there was one corner that was still her own. Unskilled, but hopeful, she offered that unsullied corner to Ashton, who took the chance like a starving dog on a bone, or a drowing man grasping for a branch. His presence flooded in like golden light, filling up that small corner of her being. She gasped, tightening her grip on his hands, feeling as if she might explode from the sheer caring she felt in his touch. Almost it felt like that small part of her being would break under the weight of Ashton's presence, but she soon noticed the sensation of expanding, as if that part of her was shifting to accomodate. She could vaguely sense Ashton's wonder as her being suffused his at the same time, until she couldn't tell where one person ended and the other began.
Time returned to its flow after what seemed like eternity, and Robin found tears in her eyes as she regained control of her senses. And sure enough, much to her delight, Asher's chain had snapped. She probed her newly freed being to make sure he hadn't left any traps behind, but Ashton's smirk told her the truth; their bonding had broken Asher's hold on them both. "Serves the bastard right," he said.
Robin had to smile. "Now we've just got to get past the wards he's laid on the house," she said. "Can we do it?"
"You and I are a force to be reckoned with," Ashton told her, leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the lips. When no thwarted magical backlash assaulted them, he dared a longer kiss, and Robin happily reciprocated. Her giddy delight at tasting freedom for the first time in five years made her throw caution to the winds, and once she and Ashton were assured they could proceed without reprisal - at least for now - she was more than happy to accomodate when he suggested they do something a bit more ... heavy to celebrate. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys0AvtRuFw
Afterwards, Robin yawned, content as she lay with her head on Ashton's chest. They'd shed all the remaining barriers between them during their passionate romp in the sheets Robin had thought would remain unsullied after Asher had banished her from his room, and as she listened to the reassuring thump of Ashton's heartbeat, she was glad he was the one who'd taught her how to make love, rather than rut like animals in heat. "We are definitely a force to be reckoned with now," she murmured.
Ashton gently stroked her hair. "Asher won't know what hit him when he comes out of that trance," he agreed. "You think his prohibition on leaving New York City is lifted now?"
"Only one way to find out," Robin said, feeling the first stirrings of trepidation rise in her heart. Her entwined state with Ashton was such that she couldn't tell if the trepidation was his or hers, but in the end, she didn't worry. They both had reason to be nervous; so far everything between them had remained unremarked, but Asher was not a man to leave the chicken coop unguarded. He'd have something in place to guard against such a congress as had occurred between his half-brother and his wife tonight, and he was just the type of man to spring that last minute trap when the illicit (in his eyes, at least) lovers dared test the boundaries of his final command before his departure.
But Robin refused to let fear stall her. She had her true love here in her arms, and so far as she was concerned, this one night they'd shared together would be worth whatever heartache came in the morning, as it surely must do. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtbIgvLLED
For now, though, she focused on Ashton, determined to wring as much out of this bittersweet moment as she could, and he, perhaps sensing the same, decided now was as good a time as any to reaffirm their love, and their passionate lovemaking lasted well into the early hours.88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJvdCyFDGd
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Down the hall, Satine lay in bed, tears trickling slowly down her cheeks. She was glad Robin had finally found happiness with a man who loved her unconditionally, but at the same time, her heart broke, knowing she would never find that happiness with her own lost mate. Now she bitterly regretted turning down Robin's offer, and wished she could take her brave words back.
But as she lay there, a faint golden tendril snaked under the door, and wound its way to the suddenly startled housekeeper. It coiled around her, before dissolving in a flurry of golden sparks and sinking into her skin, melting into every nerve and sinew, before fading away altogether. And as the last fragments vanished, she felt something snap inside her mind, causing her to gasp as her enchained spirit broke free of its confinement. New tears slid down her cheeks as she realised that Robin hadn't forgotten her, and she managed a weak smile in the darkness. "Cheeky brat," she chided softly. "You just would not let it go, would you?"
Feeling happier than she had in a long while, Satine began making plans. Clarice was a good, solid worker, and she'd make an excellent housekeeper. Pedro, Ashton's understudy, was about ready to take on a butlering role of his own, and where better than the home his master had learned his craft in?
As for herself, Satine knew where she'd be going, and she sent a questing thought to Roger. She didn't expect a response at this late hour, but his mind was open to hers, as it had always been ever since their separation, and she felt his joy as her being brushed over his. Like a bird coming home to roost, she felt her self twine with her mate's, and soft golden light flooded every corner of her being, until she felt her very sense of identity melt and mesh with Roger's, until they were as inseperable as they could be without consummation.
But that would come. And for the first time in a very long while, Satine found herself looking forward to the morrow.
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