Abandon by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online

she is in there.” He murmured it to her and it stopped the seething fear in her, but didn’t calm her beyond that.
    His voice once again rose to address the assembled men. “Take a scroll from the table and open it. Each has a number on it and that is the order in which you will try the spell on my daughter. You have five minutes.”
    In an orderly fashion, they each took one of the scrolls and began to read, a few cracked smiles as they realized what the spell was for. Arabel felt suspicious. She went up behind Rikard and glanced at the spell.
    Her own mouth twisted up in amusement at the contents. If the males could get this to work, Graylin would have a heckuva time making her choice.
     
    * * * *
     
    Graylin had almost worn a groove in the floor when the door opened. “Mom, what are you doing here, and what is that scarf for?”
    “The next challenge has been set up. The men will come in, one at a time, and try a spell on you. To make sure that you don’t cheat and pick Rikard , we need to blindfold you.”
    “Wait. You are letting these guys cast spells at me?”
    “Yes. It’s to determine their magical competency. They were just given the scrolls and have had five minutes to learn it.” Her mouth twisted, “According to Matthias, as long as you are in this room, you can not be damaged. I would stay in here if I was you.”
    “How about if I just run screaming into Realm?” She perched on a chair and took the blindfold from her mother.
    “Then we would have a flight instead, and the fastest one to mate you would win. I am not a huge fan of rape.”
    That sent a chill down her spine. “Right. When do they come in?”
    “As soon as your blindfold is on, and I am out of here.”
    She tied the black silk across her eyes and tightened it. “Okay. Bring it on.”
    The door shut softly, and when it opened the next time, she knew it was not her mother.
    The whispered words slid over her, bringing a feeling of joy and laughter to her soul. It was relaxing and lightening. The magic distorted the voice, but she didn’t feel anything aside from the cheerful wave that passed over her. Whoever it was left the room a few seconds later.
    The second had much the same effect. A small trill of arousal snaked through her and she began to suspect that the spell was for attraction or something similar.
    By the sixth, she had begun to breathe heavily. Her body feeling a sharp spike of lust that quickly faded. The next few were fairly bland and merely gave her the feeling of well-being imparted by the first.
    At number eleven she rose from the chair and started to walk to the husky masculine tones, only stopping when she stubbed her toe and he stopped the spell. She sighed in disappointment.
    The next one did not stir her, but the final reader tugged at things so deeply buried that she was shaking when he stopped. A voice spoke, “You may remove the blindfold now.”
    Matthias was in the open doorway, a dragon that she didn’t know was facing her with a smug smile on his perfect face. Everything about his body proclaimed him to be a dark angel, from his black hair, silver eyes, and high cheekbones, to the width of his shoulders and the curve of his lips.
    “ Khiron , this is my daughter, Graylin . In case you were wondering.” A satisfied smirk twisted his lips.
    “Pleased to meet you, Lady. I look forward to the final challenge. A woman as fine as you does not appear everyday.” He bowed low and she had a hard time looking away from the breadth of his shoulders as he rose.
    She had no comment to make, which scared the snot out of her. Khiron . Lord, he was pretty.
    “What is the final challenge, Matthias?” Her voice was steady and she simply spoke as if the dark god wasn’t standing a few feet away from her.
    “That is for them to find out.” A ball of light appeared in his hand and he lofted it gently to her. As it burst she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
     
    * * * *
     
    “This is the most surreal