Rya hastily stepped between them, speaking to Levet. "Does your magic work?"

The gargoyle shrugged, pretending he didn't notice the furious dragon half-breed who was glaring at him with murder in his eyes.

"I fear not." His wings drooped. "I attempted to create a portal when we were first captured. There is a dampening spell that is interfering."

"A dampening spell." Rya gave a slow nod. "That would explain why I couldn't use my shadow. Do you think it's Sylvermyst magic?"

"Non. I would guess that it is the spell of an ancient dragon." Levet shot a glance toward Torque. "No doubt your female is responsible."

Torque curled his fingers into tight fists. He was going to kill the gargoyle. It was that simple.

"She's not my female," he snapped. "I've never seen the dragon before today."

"Hmm." The gargoyle allowed a suggestive smile to touch his lips. "She created your lair."

Rya made a strangled sound of warning. "Levet."

Perhaps realizing the danger of poking at an enraged dragon, the gargoyle heaved a small sigh. "Fine." Levet sent him a challenging frown. "Did you ask the dragon how we can leave this place?"

"Of course I did," he snapped.

"And?"

"And..." Torque considered his words. "She's confused."

Of course the annoying pest couldn't just leave it there.

"What do you mean, confused?"

"I'm not entirely certain. Perhaps she's mentally traumatized," he said between clenched teeth.

The idiotic creature gave a small squeak, his tail twitching. "There is a crazy dragon nearby?"

Torque's gaze jerked toward the doorway, half expecting a blast of dragon-fire.

"Perhaps you could call her crazy a little louder?" he snarled. "I'm not sure she heard you."

"Enough." Rya sent them a mutual glare of impatience. "I believe the dragon is trying to protect us."

Levet turned toward Rya, deliberately flicking his tail in Torque's direction.

"Protect us from what?" the tiny demon demanded.

Rya grimaced. "That's the question we're still trying to answer."

Levet muttered something beneath his breath, his claws sc.r.a.ping against the stone floor as he paced toward the fireplace. Abruptly he whirled back around, pointing toward Torque. "You must do something."

"Do what?" Torque snapped.

"Discover who has captured us." The gargoyle sent him a smug smile. "You are a warrior, are you not?"

Torque snorted. "I seem to remember your incessant chatter about being some sort knight in shining armor."

The gargoyle grabbed his tail and busily started to polish the tip. "It is true that I am a hero."

"So why don't you do something to rescue us?"

"I told you," he muttered. "I do not like the cold."

Torque stepped forward, his dragon-fire dancing over his skin. Before he could reach the aggravating pest, however, Rya was once again moving to stand between them.

"The female dragon requested we wait," she said in stern tones. "For now, that's what we'll do."

Levet gave a small sniff. "And then?"

"Then we'll toss you out the door and see if the crazed dragon desires gargoyle for dinner," Torque snarled, pivoting on his heel to storm toward the nearest doorway.

He might as well spend his time lifting weights.

It wasn't like he was going to have an opportunity to relieve his frustration by more pleasurable means.

Finn folded his arms over his chest.

Absently he was aware of the call of a finch, and closer, the rustle of leaves in a nearby tree, but his focus remained locked on the female Sylvermyst who had lowered her head to hide her expressive features.

The movement allowed the sunlight to pick up the copper highlights in her hair that spilled over her shoulders and down her back.

His fingers suddenly itched to reach out and discover if it was as silky soft as it looked.

Muttering a curse at his treacherous fascination with the female, he clenched his hands into tight fists.

Dammit.

The female had just revealed her brothers intended to kill him. The last thing he should be thinking about was threading his fingers in that glorious mane of hair so he could yank her against his body.

"How many entrances are there into the cavern?" he demanded, his voice sharper than necessary.

Adair abruptly jerked her head up to study him with a horrified gaze.

"You can't go there," she protested. "It's too dangerous."

His lips twisted in a humorless smile. "You've just told me I'm a dead sprite regardless of what I do. I'm not going to wait and be led like a lamb to the slaughter."

She stretched her hand toward him, her expression pleading. "I can try to return you to your homeland."

He stiffened, outraged by the mere suggestion he would allow her to take him home while his tribe remained enslaved.

"And leave behind my people?"

She hunched a shoulder. "You would be alive."

"Not for long."

"I don't understand."

He glanced toward the wildflowers that swayed beneath a soft breeze. The illusion truly was remarkable. The pretty view, however, wasn't the reason he'd turned his head from Adair. No. It was the sincere concern shimmering in the platinum eyes that he was trying to avoid.

"If some frost sprite didn't track me down and destroy me for being a coward, I would kill myself," he muttered. "A prince does not abandon his people."

"So you'll die trying to rescue them?"

His answer came without hesitation. "If necessary."

"That makes no sense."

"It does to me."

There was a tense silence before she heaved an audible sigh. "I won't help you if you're determined to get yourself killed."

"Fine." He didn't bother to glance at her as he swiveled around to head toward the narrow crevice that would lead them back to the icy labyrinth. "I'll do it on my own."

"Finn." She muttered a curse as he continued forward, then without warning she was quickly darting around him to stand directly in his path. "Wait," she pleaded.

He scowled. "Wait for what?"

There was another pause, as if she waged some sort of inner battle.

"I can try to create a portal that will open in the cavern," she at last offered, the words a mere whisper that floated on the breeze. "It might allow us to bypa.s.s the magical security system."

A flicker of hope eased the black dread that was lodged in the pit of his stomach. "Now?"

She gave a grudging nod. "Yes, but I can't guarantee that I can hold it open long enough to allow your people to escape."

He waved aside her warning. There was no way in h.e.l.l she was going to be around when it came time for him to bust out of the labyrinth.

"Just get me to them. I'll worry about escaping once I have them unchained."

"This is crazy." An indefinable emotion rippled over her lovely face, but squaring her shoulders, she reached out to grab his hand. "Hold on."

Finn felt the surroundings melt away as she tugged him forward. There was a familiar sensation of traveling through a portal along with a disorienting sense of floating in nothingness. It was almost as if they were standing still and the world was moving around them.

He didn't know if it was because Adair was a Sylvermyst, or as a result of the strange magic in the labyrinth. All he did know was that it was making his stomach lurch. And not in a good way.

Battling the urge to puke, Finn wasn't ready for the weird motion to come to an abrupt halt. Stumbling forward, he would have fallen on his face if Adair hadn't grabbed his arm and held him upright until he regained his balance.

"Thanks," he muttered, pulling free of her grasp.

He was a prince. It was downright embarra.s.sing to lurch around like a drunken dew fairy.

Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Adair turned her attention toward the small, icy cave that surrounded them.

"We're at the backside of the cavern," she murmured. "The gems have all been taken from this area, so there shouldn't be anyone around."

Once again in control as the ground stopped shifting and his stomach settled, Finn moved across the slippery floor. Reaching the ice wall, he peered through a narrow crack.

He easily determined that they were indeed at the bottom of the cavern, but the bulk of his view was blocked by the ma.s.s of ice that bulged from the center of the floor.

He didn't need to see, however, to know that his people were close.

The crisp scent of frost sprites filled the air.

Barely leashing his impulse to rush toward them, he turned his head to watch as Adair moved to join him at the opening.

"Are there guards down here?" he murmured, his voice pitched low enough it wouldn't carry into the cavern.

"At the top," she said, her voice equally soft. "They only come down here when my brothers have the sprites released so they can work."

He grimaced. One day very, very soon he intended to have a chat with the male Sylvermysts. It was a chat that would no doubt lead to death and dismemberment. And not necessarily in that order. In this moment, however, he was hoping to avoid them.

"Where is your charming family?"

A shamed blush touched her cheek at his sneering tone.

"I don't sense them nearby. They've probably returned to our lair in Alaska to hide the latest gems. That's what they usually do when they're forced to allow the sprites to rest, but they won't be gone long." She took a step forward, clearly intending to head through the fissure. "We have to hurry."

"We?" With lightning speed, Finn was grabbing her upper arm. "Hold on," he growled, tugging her backward.

She sent him a startled frown. "What's wrong?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

She looked confused. "To help you release your people, of course."

He shook his head. "There is no 'of course' about it."

"What do you mean?"

He absently loosened his grip on her arm, allowing his fingers to trail up to her shoulder. Her hair brushed the back of his hand. Yep. It was just as soft as he'd imagined.

"Why are you helping me?" he abruptly demanded.

She flinched, as if his words hurt her.

"It's not a trap, if that's what you're thinking," she muttered.

Was that what he was thinking? In truth, he didn't know.