<strong>"Come now, <em>belle!</em>"</strong>he mocked sadness, his nondescript accent slipping a little into French.<strong>"That's not the game we're playing today."</strong><br/><br/>He didn't move at all, but his voice hardened, his will pushing against her like the heat from a forest fire. He was<em>not</em>to be defied.<br/><br/><strong>"<em>Here. Now.</em>"</strong>