Desire Me (38 page)

“The queen is an old woman now,” he said. “But she is not daft and trusts none too easily. I bided my time with her. Waited
patiently. Now she trusts me implicitly.”

“Why give the officers the elixir?” Sabine asked. She needed to get him around to the other side of the desk with her. But
how?

“Do you not know our own history?” He tsked with his tongue. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” He sighed and rolled his
eyes as if having to explain something so basic to her truly tried his patience. “The elixir made our
army indestructible.
And we were so close; the army had invaded several countries and we’d secured control over their governments. Now my new army
will be the same,” he said.

“You are Atlantean?” Sabine asked. It made sense, she supposed, but it did surprise her. She’d taken for granted that her
people, the ones who had fled the destruction of Atlantis, would have learned from their mistakes. She stepped backward.

His eyes narrowed, and he followed. “Of course. Some of my ancestors fled with yours, on the ships here. One of them reluctantly.
But he was smart. Knew that someday one from his line would rise up and complete what had been started. He stole the prophecy
from the Seer’s book. For generations, those notes were lost to my family, until my grandfather came upon them. He taught
me the ways of our people, the true Atlanteans, with bravery and courage, and not weakness and fear.

“The prophecy is my destiny.” He touched his chest as he spoke. “I must fulfill it, restore Atlantis to her former glory,
and finish the work of our army. And being the sole owner of all three elixirs will give me immortality.”

Immortality—it was why the guardians were so carefully selected, why they weren’t allowed to be together with other guardians.
The temptation to never grow old was too significant. Now she knew where the rumor about the fountain of youth had started.
“You do realize that Atlantis can never be restored,” she told him. “It sank into the ocean eons ago. There is probably nothing
left of it.” She felt a pang of sadness at the thought. But she did not want to have anything in common with this man. Again
she moved, trying to angle herself in a position to grab the spear.

He frowned. “Not the actual Atlantis; I’m no fool. But rather the ways of the Atlanteans. We were on the brink of domination.
So close to having every ruler, every king, every emperor kneel to our own. I will restore that.”

“And you intend to do so with England’s army?” she asked.

“Yes, I am the Chosen One. Think of it; the elixir fed to an entire army. I will have soldiers who are indestructible. An
army under my control that cannot be defeated.”

He was mad. Utterly and inexcusably mad. “Do you truly think other nations will allow that?” she asked.

“Other armies won’t stand a chance against my own. England already has the strongest military in the world. Now I will make
them indestructible.”

“Other countries will band together to stop you. You will create a state of permanent war. England will be destroyed,” she
said.

His lip curled in a sneer. “England matters naught to me. Perhaps I will rule elsewhere. Greece is probably closest to our
homeland.” He shrugged. “I’ll move my army there.”

Arrogance was never an attractive quality, but it was even less so when the man in question believed he’d one day rule the
world. Her people had planned to do that, and it had literally consumed their continent. Had no one learned from that experience?

“Enough chatter.” He held his hand up to silence her. “You know why I’ve come.”

“I told you, I’m not the guardian; I don’t have the elixir,” she said plainly.

She was very close to the spear. She stood directly behind Max’s desk, and the spear was behind her. Not near enough to allow
her to grasp it, though. If she made a
direct move for it, he would kill her. He would find Agnes eventually, with or without
Sabine alive. It would simply be more convenient for him if she cooperated.

“But you know where she is. Your aunt. Which one is it?” He licked his lips. “I saw them leave in a carriage earlier. Did
they go to the shop, Sabine? Or perhaps back to their village?”

While he was talking, she took two steps backward toward the spear.

“I will find them. And my ring will reveal to me which one guards the remaining elixir.” He smiled—a cruel and heartless grin
that chilled her to her bones. “I will kill you if I have to.” He meant it. She knew that. “Just as I have done with those
who came before you.”

“Perhaps you will. But certainly you didn’t miss the part of the prophecy that details
your
destruction.”

Max had waited patiently in the research library at Solomon’s for over an hour. Perhaps patiently was an exaggeration, but
at least he hadn’t throttled anyone yet. He’d been sent a letter from someone in the club, and Max had assumed it was Marcus.
He hadn’t wanted to leave Sabine alone, but he’d had enough men guarding the house to know she would be safe.

But Marcus was not to be found, and no one at the club had seen him all day.

Max shoved his hand into his pocket as he paced the library. The glass vial of elixir brushed against his fingertips. He’d
brought it along to show Marcus.

The wait gave him a chance to take stock of the current situation. What the hell had he been thinking? Was this foolish quest
so important that he would risk hurting Sabine? He’d betrayed her.

The hell with Marcus and his submersible boat. He stormed from the room and then out the front door of Solomon’s. He had been
so damned focused on his own desires that he might have lost the only woman he’d ever loved.

“Tell me where the elixir is or I’ll kill you. I’ll kill the final guardian eventually, but then perhaps I’ll kill the rest
of your aunts simply for my own amusement. Then I’ll come back here for your lover,” Spencer threatened. “Don’t test me in
this, Sabine. Certainly you’ve seen what I’m capable of.”

She’d be a liar if she said that his threat didn’t give her pause. The niece in her longed to save her aunts at any cost,
and the woman in her burned to save her lover. But her aunts weren’t at the shop. They’d been packed into a carriage and sent
to the home of a member of Max’s club for protection.

She backed up farther. Only a little more and her fingertips could brush the spear.

“I know it’s in this house. I will find it.” He came at her and slammed the back of his hand across her face. His ring slammed
hard into her cheek.

The force of his blow nearly knocked her over. But she kept her footing.

He cocked his head to the side. “Fitting that my ring will probably leave a scar on your perfect skin. If you live long enough
for that welt to heal.” Momentarily he looked down at the ring.

This time she was ready and ducked when he came at her again. He was faster than she was, though, and he managed to strike
her twice more. Her eyes teared up as the pain of his blows rocked through her.

“I don’t enjoy hurting women. You are weaker and less intelligent creatures, bred to rely on men for protection. But I will
make an exception for you, since you are the dove. Tell me where the elixir is,” he said, his voice softer now, “and perhaps
I’ll be lenient with you.”

He wrapped his hand around her throat and squeezed. Pain spiked through her temples, searing her brain as she lost oxygen.
A moment more of this, and she’d be dead. Or ready to tell him everything.

“Or perhaps not. I can search this bloody house, but it will be so much faster if you just tell me,” he yelled.

Images of Madigan and then Phinneas settled on her. They had not given up, and they had died horrible, painful deaths. That
was what waited for Agnes if Sabine did not stop him. With renewed strength, she twisted away from him. She gasped for air.
Her lungs burned as she inhaled a large breath.

Finally close enough, she reached for the spear, but Spencer knocked her out of the way before she could grab it. She stumbled
and fell to the ground, but managed to get to her feet before he was upon her again. Her neck ached and her eye was already
swelling. She knew blood dripped from her face onto her dress.

She was going to die. The thought surged through her, nearly crippling her with fear.

She loved her aunts, and they had been so wonderful to her when she’d lost her mother. She thought of her people, back in
the village, their smiling faces and simple ways. Mostly, though, she thought of Max. Out of all those people, her one regret
was not being able to tell Max that she loved him.

Despite his betrayal, she knew that he, above anyone else, needed to hear those words. He needed to know that
he mattered
to someone. And Agnes needed protection. If Sabine didn’t stop this madman, he would single-handedly destroy everyone Sabine
had ever loved.

Spencer had pinned her in so that she was caught between him and Max’s desk. But she wouldn’t run from her destiny, not anymore.
She could see things clearly now. Agnes had said that Max was her destiny. But what that meant was that it was her destiny
to save him. To save them all.

She charged him, tried to grab his pistol, but of course he was stronger. He captured one of her wrists and held tightly while
she continued to fight him with her other arm. She lashed out, making contact with whatever body part she could reach, and
desperately tried to inflict some measure of pain. But she knew her blows were nothing but whispers to his stronger flesh.

She threw her body against him, and his balance wavered. Behind Spencer, Sabine could see the spear. Suddenly she knew what
she must do. That was her answer. There would be no way for her to escape his clutches to retrieve it herself. But she could
force him back into it. It would require all of her weight to pierce his flesh, and she, too, would be impaled. She would
die, but she was the dove. This was what she was born to do. To protect Agnes and her other aunts. To protect this country.
And to protect Max.

And as if her heart had beckoned him, Max appeared in the doorway.

“Get the hell away from her,” Max yelled before he moved in their direction.

Without another thought, she threw her weight into Spencer with renewed strength, pushing him back onto the spear. His arm
snaked around her waist and pulled
her with him and she felt the blade bite first into the flesh of her abdomen and then come
out her back. Her knees nearly buckled from the intense pain.

Spencer’s eyed widened with his own pain. “You will die before me,” he snarled as he coughed and struggled for breath.

Sabine felt the world around her grow dim. She could vaguely hear Max in the background calling her name. But Spencer’s eyes
were the last image she saw as her world faded to black.

“Sabine? Can you hear me?” Max cradled her head in his lap and called to her. Fear gripped his heart in a vise so tight he
could scarcely breathe.

Her breath was uneven and shallow, her chest barely moving, and the raspy sounds coming from her throat were not promising.
He’d ripped his shirt off and pressed the linen firmly against Sabine’s wound to try to stanch the bleeding, but his efforts
seemed futile.

“Damnation, woman!” he yelled. “What the hell were you thinking? I didn’t need saving, and even if I did, my life wasn’t worth
sacrificing your own.” He talked, not caring who was listening.

About five minutes before, her aunts had burst into the room. They now stood in huddled silence as he smoothed Sabine’s hair
away from her eyes. The lovely brown strands looked just as lustrous even as she lay dying in his lap.

“She’s gone,” Calliope whispered from behind him.

“No, she’s not!” he said. He leaned down and pressed kisses to her forehead and her cheeks. Still she did not move. Then he
felt it, the small bottle in his pocket. He quickly withdrew it and uncorked the vial.

He ripped her dress open, then poured the elixir over her gaping wound. The blood dripped down her skin as it mixed with the
water.

Nothing.

Max parted her lips and dropped some of the elixir into her mouth. Still he heard no breath.

“No, damn you. Not now. You can’t leave me now. Sabine, damn you. Wake up. Don’t you know that I love you?” Max leaned over
her body, laying his face on her chest. He heard nothing—no pulse, no heartbeat, no breath. His own heart seemed to stop,
his breath caught, everything stilled. “I love you,” he said again.

He lay there for several minutes, ignoring the cries of her aunts behind him.

Something ruffled his hair.

“I love you, too,” a soft whisper said.

He leaned up. “Sabine?”

Her eyes fluttered open, and she coughed several times. Then she winced. “Oh, that hurts,” she said.

Max laughed, not caring that he had tears on his cheeks. He looked down at her wound and already the bleeding had stopped.
“You scared the hell out of me.”

“It was the only way.”

“But you heard me?” he asked.

“Of course.” She gave him a weak smile. “A woman always hears when a man tells her he loves her. I would have heard that no
matter where I was,” she said.

“And where were you?” Max asked.

“I was still here. Barely, but still here. You gave me life again.”

“No,” he said.

“The elixir.” She nodded. “I know you took it from me.”

“I was a bastard to betray you like that,” he said.

“Yes, you were.”

“Once I figured that out, I hurried back here.” He squeezed her hand.

“So you didn’t give it to anyone?”

“I gave it to you.” He showed her the empty vial.

“You sacrificed your dream to save me,” she said.

“You’re my dream.” He shook his head. “I was too stupid to realize it, though.”

“But what of your lifelong goal? The ultimate proof of Atlantis?”

“You’re lying here bleeding all over my expensive rug, and you’re going to argue with me?” he said.

She gave him a weak smile. “I just want to make sure you know what you want.”

Her steady breathing and strong heartbeat brought new vitality to him. For the first time in years, he felt truly alive. He
kissed his way across her face. Blood still oozed from the wound on her cheek, but it was beginning to clot. “There is nothing
I want more than for you to be my wife.”