by Cali Mann
There were so many things wrong with this whole situation. Hailey needed her mates, and they were far away. Here I was pleasuring her—my brothers’ mate! She was a spirit shifter, already on the edge of losing it. I was on trial for a murder she was responsible for. Yet, her blood sated me, and I longed to find fulfillment in her arms.
19
Brenton
I met Adrian’s eyes across the old barn they’d locked us up in. Each of us had our own cell with iron bars surrounding us. With some time and effort, I could melt the iron. The outside of the barn was made of wood, so I could easily burn through it. I eyed the guards, each of their guns focused on us. The humans didn’t trust us. They knew we were shifters.
But they didn’t know I was a dragon.
Strolling over toward the bars closest to Adrian’s cell, I watched the red dots flicker across my chest. I leaned against the metal, and the humans winced. I chuckled low in my throat. We weren’t bloody fairies to be repelled by iron.
“Hey, Adrian,” I said casually.
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I’m awfully hungry,” I said, and the humans leaped back from the bars. Guns or not, they were terrified of us and had no way to tell one kind of shifter from another.
“Yeah, lunch was a while ago. Hey,” he called to one of the guards, flashing a smile. “Any chance you all will bring us grub?”
“No—” the guard began, but one of the others shoved him and he quieted.
“Do you think they really intend to keep those things aimed at us forever?” Terrin asked, leaning against the front of his cage. His topaz eyes studied the guards intently, and despite their training, they flinched under his inspection. “It’s gotta be tiring.”
Mom shrieked, and all the guards swung in her direction.
“I’ll distract. Stuff your ears,” Adrian hissed. “Fire the bars. Can you do it?”
I nodded.
“Oh,” Mom squeaked. “I thought I saw a mouse.”
Grumbles rolled through the ten or so human guards as they swung back to their posts.
I motioned to Terrin and Mom to close their ears, and I hoped they understood my pantomime. Tearing a strip of cloth off the bottom of my shirt, I stuffed a piece in each ear.
“What are you doing?” one of the guards asked.
“Nothing,” I said, shrugging, my eyes on the ground.
His gun focused on my chest. I tended the fire that burned within me, feeding it my anger and my rage. My mate was back at Thornbriar, and I couldn’t be there to help her because these idiots were holding me back.
Adrian opened his mouth, and I wasn’t sure what came out, but the humans’ jaws dropped, their eyes widening. Their guns dropped to the floor, and they clustered around the front of his cage.
Even though I couldn’t hear his siren’s song, I stared, a little slack-jawed myself. With a shake, I turned toward the lock on the door and focused my fire on it. Funneling my emotions through it, the lock heated rapidly.
Terrin and Mom watched me, not Adrian, so I guessed they’d gotten the message.
I didn’t know how long Adrian could keep it up so I worked as fast as I could, heating the edges of the lock until it melted enough to give way. As soon as it did, I shoved open the door and stepped out. After knocking one of the guards over the head, I searched his pockets for keys and came up empty-handed. I glanced around. I didn’t think I had time to knock out each one or melt each lock. What the hell were we going to do?
“That one,” Terrin hissed, pointing to a taller guard father along the corridor. “He’s the leader.”
I ducked through the crowd, and the guards glanced at me, puzzled, as I passed, as if wondering why I jostled them. I grabbed the keys off the leader’s belt, wondering why I hadn’t noticed them there earlier, and ran back to the other cells. I released Terrin and Mom.
Terrin went around knocking out each of the guards with a pressure point on the neck like some crazy ninja move I’d never seen before outside of the movies. Once they were down, Adrian closed his mouth, cutting off the sound. We opened his cage and clustered together.
This time we wouldn’t run off haphazardly. We needed a plan.
“There will be a way in through the main house. Someone has to take the women their meals,” Mom said.
Terrin nodded in agreement. “All we have to do is threaten the right servant in the right way.”
“They’ll be loyal to Kaiden,” Adrian said.
“Of course they will,” Mom said. “But we haven’t many other options. Kaiden will have been alerted to our presence and might even be on his way back here.”
Unfortunately, I agreed.
Terrin gathered up the guards’ guns and put them in one of the cells. I helped him, and we locked it when we were done. There was one barrier between the humans and their guns at least.
One by one, we slipped out the door and crossed the lawn toward the house. There were other guards to avoid, their flashlights swinging and their footsteps marking the new snow. But we could see in the dark, and Terrin’s training held us in good stead. He knew how to observe the guards’ patterns and find a way through.
The main house was quiet without the master at home, but we kept our eyes open anyway as we slipped in the side door anyway. Terrin said that the kitchens were least likely to have cameras but most likely to have people, but it still seemed to be our best bet. We headed down the short hall, listening for voices. So far, no alarms had been tripped that we knew of. Surely the servants walked around the complex at all times of the day and night.
“Goodnight, Lacey,” someone called, and we ducked into a doorway as another door opened at the end of the hall.
A young, petite maid stepped out, waving at her companions. “‘Night, all.”
“You sure you don’t want me to walk you?” a male voice asked.
Lacey laughed. “Naw, the intruders are locked up tight, and it’s only a few steps to my room. I’ll be fine.”
She closed the door and turned down the hall toward us. The entrance we’d come in must have been the way the servants took to their separate quarters. As she crossed our doorway, Terrin stepped out and did his thing. She fainted into his arms.
Mom opened the door behind us, and we all marched into the laundry. Several industrial washers and dryers lined the room, and big baskets of white linens waited to be washed. Even in our big old house, we’d never needed this much service. But I guessed because the servants lived in and Kaiden invited guests to stay, the laundry needs built up.
Terrin carried the unconscious maid over his shoulder. He grabbed some towels and, after tearing them into strips, bound her to a chair.
“Now what do we do?” Adrian asked, pacing across the empty room.
“We wait for her to wake up,” Terrin said, squatting in front of the girl. “It shouldn’t be long.”
“And if she doesn’t have information that we need?” Adrian asked. “We keep catching different servants until we’re caught?”
Mom sighed. “There’s not much else we can do. We need some guidance to get through this labyrinth of a house.”
“And a servant is our best chance,” Terrin said. “The guards are trained to resist torture.”
“We’re going to torture her?” Mom screeched.
“Shh,” I muttered, touching her arm. “I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
“We need to save Abigail and get back to Hailey,” Terrin said, his eyes meeting mine. “And I am willing to do whatever is necessary to make that happen.”
I nodded. We needed to do this for Hailey. No matter who stood in our way.
The girl stirred, her eyes blinking open. She was cute. A short haircut framed her face. Big eyes and pale pink lips made her look even younger than I suspected she was.
“Lacey,” Terrin said softly.
She started, staring at him. “Who are you?”
His lips twitched. “We need your help.”
Real
izing she was bound, Lacey struggled against the cloth ropes. “Let me go.”
“I can’t do that, Lacey. Not until you tell me what I need to know.”
Her eyes darted back to him. “You’re the intruders.”
Terrin nodded. “I’m afraid we are.”
“We aren’t going to hurt you,” Mom started, but she bit her lip when we glared at her.
Adrian and I were willing to stand back and let Terrin do his thing. He knew more about interrogation than we could dream of. But Mom didn’t know that.
Terrin sighed. “She’s right, Lacey. We don’t want to hurt you.” His hand closed upon the girl’s arm.
He squeezed lightly. I’m sure it didn’t even hurt, but Lacey stared at him as if he’d stabbed her. Walking around behind her, I tried to see what she saw. He looked mild and almost disinterested. What did she see there that frightened her so much?
20
Terrin
“We are looking for some women,” I said, twisting the skin on Lacey’s arm. I had to give the girl credit. As young as she looked, she hadn’t screamed or freaked out. I’d had grown men do more when confronted with my questioning. Of course, they had my reputation to back up their fear. No one knew my name here.
“Who?” Lacey asked.
I smiled. “Some women who travel with your master.”
She tried to shrug, but the ropes were too tight. “Lots of women travel with him.”
“Remember what I said about not wanting to hurt you?” I asked, squatting down and placing my hands on her knees.
Lacey met my eyes, and a shiver ran through her. “Yes.”
“If you avoid my questions or give me inane answers, I will be forced to . . .” I let my voice trail off. Aileen started, and Brenton pulled her back behind Lacey. Good. This was between me and the girl. “Do you understand?”
She nodded.
I met her eyes. “His mates travel with him everywhere.”
“Yes.” Lacey swallowed, unable to look away.
“Where does he keep them here?” I squeezed her knees, placing pressure just where I knew it would hurt.
Strain lines crisscrossed her face as she tried to control her reaction. With a gasp, she answered, “In the basement. He always keeps them in the basement.”
I let my lips curl up although I hated this. Lacey wasn’t the bad guy. She was only doing what she was told. But she had let something slip. Had she been to other estates of Kaiden’s? How did she know that he always kept them in the basement? I shook myself. It wasn’t vital to today’s mission. “How do we get to the basement?”
“I don’t know,” Lacey blurted.
And I smiled. Of course, she did know. In fact, from her reaction, I expected that she went there quite often. I squeezed her knees again, and she moaned.
Pushing myself to my feet, I turned away as if I was debating the information.
Lacey squirmed. “Please let me go. I don’t know anything.”
“Who’s your favorite?” I asked, spinning back to her.
“What?” she asked, her brow furrowing.
Leaning closer, I tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear and murmured, “Which mate is your favorite?”
“I told you. I don’t know . . .”
My gaze held hers as I slid my fist along her jaw, and her words trailed off. “There are many ways I can hurt you, Lacey. It’s best to just give me the information that I want.”
“He’ll hurt me worse,” she whispered.
I let my claws extend and slashed them across her chest. Her dress shredded and blood welled up.
Her mouth dropped open as she stared at herself, wanting to scream but knowing she shouldn’t. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She really was very strong for such a little thing. I hated myself a bit more for what I was about to do.
“If there’s anything left of you to hurt,” I said, forcing steel into my voice. I watched her thoughts rage across her face. She was considering her options, and she didn’t have any. No matter how strong she was, she was still a fragile human. I watched silently until the moment she gave up the fight. She knew there was nothing else she could do.
She gasped, her shaking hands pulling at the sides of her dress. “I’ll take you.”
The others started forward, and I shook my head. They froze, waiting. “Are you sure?” I asked, tapping a claw against my chin. “I don’t want to put you in danger.”
Lacey closed her eyes and took a breath. “No, sir, it’s no trouble.”
Using my claw, I sliced across her ropes, freeing her. She wrapped her torn dress across her bloody chest.
Brenton’s mom clucked her tongue and lifted a towel from the laundry, gesturing to the girl.
I narrowed my eyes, but I allowed it. I hated myself enough for what I’d done. No need to make it worse. “How do we get around the cameras?”
“There’s no need to go through the main house. There are servant passages through the walls,” Lacey said, playing with the edge of her towel.
“Like a castle?” Brenton snorted. “He thinks himself king.”
Lacey shrugged. We followed her across the laundry to what appeared to be a plain white wall. She pressed a section, and the wall slid open, showing a corridor.
Adrian stepped inside, looking up and down it. “King or not, this is pretty awesome.”
Ducking inside, Brenton nodded.
With a grin, Adrian smacked him on the arm, and Brenton shoved him back.
“Quit it,” I growled. Sometimes I felt a million years old. I had just tortured a chick right in front of them, and now they were jostling and playing like ten-year-olds. “And get out of the way.”
The guys came out, watching me warily.
Grasping Lacey’s elbow, I let her lead me inside, and the others followed behind. We passed by several rooms; the doors visible only on our side. The silence told me they were empty, and I hoped that Lacey had been honest about the lack of cameras in here. My jaguar paced within me, annoyed by the cramped hallway. It would be too easy to be ambushed here.
“Goodnight, Luis,” a voice said and someone else answered, “Goodnight.”
Lacey tensed under my hand. I let my claw slide along her arm to remind her of her promise. She stayed silent. Strong and smart. My jaguar approved of her, even if she was on the wrong side in the current battle.
The hall split, and Lacey turned down the left path. I could feel the earth around us, closing us in. Earth was my element though, so it didn’t feel as stifling as it must to the others. My cat purred within. Before we’d gone twenty feet, the hall turned again and there was another descent. We followed it until we came to a small door at the end. It was set in the wall in the same way those upstairs had been, but this door had a lock on it.
“Do you have the key?” I asked Lacey, gripping her arm.
“No,” she hissed. “Only the butler has one and I didn’t suppose you wanted me to wake him?”
I frowned.
Brenton pushed forward. “Is it metal?”
With a nod, I pushed Lacey back behind me, and Brenton set to work on the lock. This one was thicker than the one in the cells, and it took more time. We waited in silence. None of us knew what to expect on the other side of this door. How would Hailey’s mom be? After years underground?
Finally, the lock broke and clanked as it fell, and Brenton pushed open the door. Looking around, we stepped out into a circular, windowless room, and four women in flimsy dressing gowns stared at us.
Lacey turned to bolt, but I held her tight. “Not so fast.”
“So,” Adrian said charmingly. “Which one of you ladies is Abigail?” As if we didn’t know by her dark locks and her fiery green eyes just like Hailey’s.
“I am,” Abigail said stepping forward. She looked as regal as a queen, not bowed by her circumstances at all.
“Abigail,” Aileen gasped, running forward and pulling Hailey’s mom into her arms. “How I’ve missed you.”
Abigai
l was stiff, and she extricated herself none too gently. “Why are you here? Is this some new torture of Kaiden’s?”
“No,” Aileen said, shaking her head. “We’re here to rescue you.”
Abigail snorted.
“On behalf of your daughter,” Brenton said. “She sent us for you.”
“My daughter’s dead,” Abigail replied, her voice flat. “Stillborn.”
We all shook our heads.
“No, Ma’am,” Adrian said. “She is most certainly alive and well.”
Abigail rounded on him, glaring. “How do you know?”
“Because we’re her mates,” Brenton said softly. “And you look just like her.”
21
Hailey
The rose pattern of the wallpaper had burned itself into the inside of my eyelids. Even though I was on better terms with Monica, I stayed in my room most of the time. I couldn’t tolerate the gossip and whininess of the other girls. I’d spent too long locked up with a bunch of females at Hasting’s House. I’d rather be alone.
Within the first few days, I’d figured out that my window opened, and I could climb up onto the sill and stare out over the lawn. Birds cawed to each other in a steady rhythm down near the fence. I wondered if they were real birds or shifters. Surely the guard used whatever means at their disposal to keep us safe. But what about students who shifted—could they fly free?
Still, I hadn’t managed to change into a bird or a wolf or even a dragon, for that matter. Only water and spirit forms seemed to come easily to me. Was it because I hadn’t practiced those other forms? How long would this magical puberty last? I chewed on my lip. I’d be dead before I figured those out, I was sure.
Part of me wished that my window looked out over the quad, so I could see the students being taken to testing. When would they get to me? Should I just give myself up and put this whole charade to rest? I couldn’t though. Not if there was a chance of seeing my mom before I died. A chance to free Sciro. And how would the guys survive? Without access to the library, I’d had no chance to research unwinding the spiral and it wasn’t like I was going to find it on the internet.