Framed by Amber Lynn Natusch Page A

the subtext of what she was telling me. My bond to Sean that he willingly placed upon us was going to get him killed because he didn't believe that death was even on the table for him.
    My initial reaction was to call him and tell him to remove it, but there were two major issues with that. For starters, it would have required Sean to listen to me, and I knew that wasn't going to happen. The other issue was if, for some strange reason, he agreed to do it, it left me marked for death—and the PC would make short work of that for sure.
    “There's no solution to this...he won't undo it,” I told her, wide-eyed with increasing panic. “There's nothing we can do.”
    “I thought about it the whole way over here, Ruby. I can think of only one thing to do,” she said, softly. “You have to convince him to remove it.”
    “It's not going to happen, Sophie. I know you don't want to hear this, but he won't go for it. He loves me...he won't sacrifice me unless it's on his own terms. He's told me as much.”
    “Then I guess you'll have to use your powers of persuasion,” she said, with the slightest undertone of contempt. “Use that love against him somehow.”
    “Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?” I gasped, as I grabbed my stuff to leave. “You're un-fucking-believable, Sophie. Just when I think you've got an ounce of soul in that hotrod body of yours, you show your true cavernous and empty self. I'm not doing shit for you. You probably made this whole fucking thing up just to have your way. You deserve an award and a fucking beating.”
    She snatched me up by the arm and pulled me in close to her perfect face. It was a very different side of Sophie, one that I hadn't seen before. She'd always seemed a victim to me. That night, she was a woman possessed by the thought of losing the man she loved, and that was something I could relate to.
    “I know what you think of me, Ruby. It's written all over that snotty little face of yours every time I see it. You think I'm a whore...that I'm selfish and opportunistic. You look at me like I'm a puddle of mud you have to walk around so your precious little Manolo's don't get ruined,” she quietly snarled, the disdain plain on her face as she pressed it closer to mine. “You have no idea what being me is like, and it's abundantly clear that you don't care, but I need you to get crystal clear on one thing. The Elders are coming, and they're coming for one thing and one thing only. They will not stop until they get what they want, and you may not have a clue who they are or what they're capable of, but I do. So if you want to think I'm full of shit and self-serving, think about this: who do you think will be the first person they take down after Sean is gone?”
    Her question required no answer. My lack of response illustrated my full comprehension.
    “Exactly, Ruby. You ,” she said, regaining her composure. “If you really want me to cut to the chase, here it is—you're going to die either way. The question that remains is are you selfish enough to take Sean with you?”
    She had me dead to rights. I may have hated her and everything she embodied, but if she was correct about the Elders' plans as well as Sean's mortality, I really didn't have a choice.
    “He won't listen to me,” I whispered to her, as Scarlet paced in my mind. She really didn't like the options Sophie had presented us with; she wanted to see what was behind door number three.
    “Nor me,” she added in commiseration. “You'll need to figure out a way to make him want to do it.”
    “Figure out a way to make him want me dead? A way that he'll accept my sacrifice? Oh yeah, that sounds easy enough.”
    “I didn't say it would be easy, only necessary,” she countered. “Just remember, your outcome remains the same whether you convince him to or not.”
    “You've made my fate abundantly clear, thank you very much. I'm starting to think you're getting a deep sense of satisfaction out of constantly reminding