A/N: We reached our goal last week so here's 2 bunos chapters for today guys! To those who voted, thank you so much. Hoping for your support again this week.

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Evie was completely bewildered. She was so shocked that she simply stood there, looking at him in utter disbelief, mute and dumbfounded.

Those words… how could this man say such words to her? He's not her Gavriel, right? Then why? How? How could those words, spoken so softly, yet she felt it was somewhat cruel and heartless since he was saying all of these heart touching words after making a mention of turning others into his puppets, caused that familiar ripple of heat through her heart which then flowed through and threatened to consume her entire being? She was in such a dilemma. Every fibre of her being was just barely holding back and so close to throwing herself into his arms and accepting the suggestion that he had made – all because he looks and sounds so similar to her Gavriel. However, she told herself to endure. She had to be strong and patient. The truth needed to be found out before she can cave in.

Biting her trembling lips, Evie immediately pushed herself away from him. Only she herself knew how hard that seemingly simple action was, and it sent a pang of pain jolting right into her heart. Now Evie was looking very guarded and more warily at him.

"W-what are you…" she stammered, "I… I don't understand why you are saying this…" at the end of her sentence, she had to avert her eyes from his form. Seeing him was like looking at her own Gavriel himself. But having to steel herself from throwing her body, heart and soul at him was really tough.

His devil-blue eyes narrowed as he took one step toward her, closing the gap that she had made earlier when pushing away from him. He then stretched his hand out to touch her face, but Evie side-stepped it as she took a couple more strides back again, as if he was a plague that she must avoid contact with at all costs. And again, without warning, a wild fury burst forth in his eyes that scared Evie and she could not help but step back even farther away from him.

Her actions caused him to stop in his tracks before he retracted his hand and clenched it. Then suddenly, a wicked smile curved across his lips. "I will never let you go again, Evie. Never." He said as though making her a promise and the next moment she knew, his strong arm was already wrapped around the small of her back and Evie was shocked again upon realizing that they were currently floating in mid-air.

With widened eyes, Evie struggled in his hold. "Let go of me! Right this instant!!" she yelled at him even as she continued struggling, but his grip on her was too strong.

"Don't you want to see your other men?" Evie immediately stopped struggling at his words and tilted her head to up at his face, wondering what he meant by that sentence. "If you don't want them dead, or be turned into my brainless puppets, then behave yourself." He threatened and Evie drew in a sharp breath at his words.

And before Evie could even open her mouth to snap a sharp back reply at him, everything suddenly blurred for a moment, turned dark and then in the blink of an eye, they were already standing in another dark place. Evie was so shocked that she could only gape at the new surroundings this Gavriel had brought her to. Just what on earth had happened? Did they just disappear from mid-air and then materialized in this place?

Evie's eyes fell towards a cell where she could see thick bars that seemed to be reinforced with some strong metal, and she then realized they were probably in an underground prison. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting, she could then make out Zolan's form and also the others who were with him inside the cell. Evie gave a small cry of distress as she pushed away from him, not caring for the moment about the consequences if he got displeased but only worrying about her men.

She ran towards the cell and then held onto the bars as she looked unhappily at her men. They seemed to be looking back at her, but their eyes held that glazed sheen, looking for all the world as though they were dead. It was as if they were no longer themselves and had all been turned into brainless puppets.

Anger rose inside Evie's chest as she whipped around to glare at the man who had brought her here. Her eyes were dazzling and breath taking, he had that thought even as they flashed at him in such anger.

"Turn them back to themselves! Make them normal again!" she hissed at him. But he just leaned his broad shoulder against the wall. His vivid blue eyes, still gleaming in the dimly lit place.

"Tell me Evie…" he uttered, his deep and velvety voice echoing so sinfully in the closed space that despite Evie's anger, she still could not help but admire the familiar and pleasing sound of his voice. That voice of his was the stuff of dreams. It was akin to soaking yourself in a really warm spring that just turns your bones into a puddle. However, Evie mentally shook her head and drew herself back to the current situation that she was facing. "Why do you care about these men so much?" his face showed a slight trace of displeasure even as he quizzed Evie.

"Because without them, I wouldn't be here right now!" Evie answered with much heat in her tone, gritting her teeth as her grip on the bars tightened. "They took care of me… they were there for me when…. When…" Evie bit down hard on her lips to stop herself from continuing on any further. 'When you were not there to care and protect me.' She continued in her mind even as her eyes teared up.