"I don't recall allowing you to invite a guest," Delana fixed her glare at me. I swallowed, and then Delana's glare moved to Roland. "And you, take your hands off her." She moved inside, setting her shopping bag on the floor carefully.
"We were just leaving," Roland pulled me roughly around the furniture.
"Already? I thought you were going to at least wait for Cedric?" Delana had a mocking tone and I shook my head at her, trying to tell her with my eyes that Roland was not playing.
"I will see Cedric soon enough," Roland's arm went around my waist as he pushed me from behind. I was willing my feet to not move.
"You are correct," Delana said, "you will see him." She whispered a few words and I felt Roland go stiff against my back. He groaned, as if in pain, but recovered. Delana, surprised, barely spoke her next words. "You. What do you have?"
Roland tightened his grip on me. "A little piece of security, so people like you cannot attack me."
"What?" I felt the fury in Roland's body. Looking at Delana, the words came out before I could stop. "You are a sorceress!"
Delana stepped toward us but Roland held firm. "Back away, witch!" Delana met my eyes and she whispered some words. My amulet cooled against my skin. Looking down, it was glowing faintly through my dress.
I panicked. "Roland! She's trying to hurt me!"
Roland shoved me behind him while Delana protested. "No! Sofia, what is that?" she sputtered. She whispered some more words and thrust her hand toward me, but the amulet only grow colder, and brighter, but it did not appear to hurt Delana. Perhaps she was not trying to hurt me.
Roland had pulled a dagger and moved to grapple the older woman but I jumped and pulled his arm from behind, allowing her time to get away. His opposite fist found the side of my head, knocking me to my knees, breathless, and momentarily blind. I reached out, for anything, and found the nearby chair as a crash sounded. When my vision cleared, I saw a table smashed on the floor, and a pitcher flying through the air toward Roland, who easily ducked in his pursuit of Delana.
"Roland, no! Let her be. I'll leave with you, right now. Please!" I begged. I pushed myself to my feet, fighting nausea. "Roland!"
Delana's sparse great room contained only so many objects she could magically hurl in Roland's direction, but she was close to her bedroom door and when she could, she went through and locked it from the inside. Roland beat upon the door, yelling threats and cursing.
"Please, Roland, let's leave now. Let her be! I'll go with you, all right?"
He rounded on me, dagger still in raised hand. "You!" he seethed. "You have magic too!"
"No," I backed up, shaking my head and holding my hands out as if to keep him away. "Just an amulet, to protect me." He lunged forward, grabbed my dress collar and used his dagger to cut my bodice opened as I gasped, thinking he was going to stab me. Light from the amulet burst forth slamming into Roland so that he flew back several feet before falling to the ground.
"Why did you do that?" he snarled getting back to his feet.
"I didn't! I thought you were going to kill me!"
"Is this what really happened that day I was burned?" He looked hysterical but he was between me and every door. I had nowhere to run. "Did Cedric lie for you and say it was the window?"
I shrugged as I backed toward the wall, knowing nothing I said would placate him now. "Roland," I tried, "did you ever truly love me?"
His laugh chilled me. "You are the cause of every problem!" The wall was at my back now, so I could only move to one side or the other, but not far, and Roland held the dagger still.
Reaching up, my fingers gingerly touched the amulet. "Because," I went on, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. And I was not sure if I wanted to be with Cedric." Did he hesitate? "But now, I see that you don't care about me. I don't know what I was to you besides a convenient possession." I was not even sure what I was saying, but I felt if I kept talking maybe he would stop coming toward me. "Roland, you are scaring me and the amulet may kill you if you come any clo-"
He lunged and I winced, screaming with all the breath I had as the dagger came toward my chest. The dagger disappeared into smoke before my eyes, and Roland crashed into me, grasping one arm with his free hand. His eyes widened so that I thought they might pop from their sockets and then he let out a wail which made my soul scream. His hand still had my arm as if he could not let go, but he sank to his knees in front of me, drool coming from his mouth, then blood as his chest heaved.
It was not until Roland was pulled away from me that I saw Cedric and Lachlan had arrived. Cedric wrapped me in his arms so that I could no longer see Roland; my face was buried in Cedric's chest. I felt him pant as he must have run from the docks all the way here. Not a word was said as Roland's breaths became harsher and more like gurgles and then eventually choking and nothing more.
Cedric pulled me away as I cried and clung to him, asking him in my head to forgive me for ever doubting how I felt. He did not let me go as Delana and Lachlan spoke quietly about what to do with Roland's body. Finally, Cedric lifted me and carried me to the kitchen, where he set me on the table and pulled away to look at me. "Sofia?"
I could not speak. I threw my arms around his shoulders and sobbed into the crook of his neck. "I've got you. You are safe," he cooed as he stroked my back. "I'm here. And the amulet did its job." He shuddered against me. "I'm here now and we are going to leave this place, all right?"