“What about Danaus?” I demanded, pushing the words past a lump in my throat.
“Shot him.”
Pushing off the wall, I was across the room in a blur, grabbing the naturi by the collar of his shirt and slamming him against the opposite wall. “What do you mean ‘shot him’? Is he dead? Did they kill him? Was he coming after me?”
The smile on Rowe’s face grew as he saw me twisting at his mercy. I was trapped. The walls of the cell felt as if they were closing in on me and the floor was crumbling beneath my feet. I had to get out of there and find Danaus. Pulling Rowe off the wall a little, I slammed his back into it again with more force, causing his smile to slip slightly. “Tell me what you know.”
“Or what? You’ll kill me? Won’t get any information that way,” he mocked.
I narrowed my eyes at him and leaned in so the tip of my nose was nearly touching his. “I can torture you slowly. I’ve gotten very good at it over the long centuries. Trust me, you’ll be screaming answers before I am done.”
Rowe stared at me for a long time, his teeth clenched. “He never got into the hotel. They shot him as they were carrying you out. He may not even know they have you. Don’t know if he’s still alive.”
I released Rowe and walked back over to the other side of the cell. He took the opportunity to put his foot against my butt and shove me away from him. I stumbled into the far wall, catching myself before my face smashed into it. Twisting around, I growled at the naturi, fighting the urge to lunge at him.
“Don’t touch me again!” he snarled.
I chuckled at him as I straightened into a standing position. “I thought you’d like it. You’re the one that kissed me all those years ago.”
The anger slipped from his features and he smiled as well. When I was kidnapped by the naturi centuries ago, Rowe had tried to get me to betray my kind by convincing me he was a poor human about to be executed by the naturi. He kissed me as a last ditch effort to break me. It nearly worked. Even now my lips burned with the ugly memory.
“That was a special circumstance,” he said in a low, amused voice.
Leaning my shoulders against the opposite corner, I took a deep breath and slowly released it. “We need to figure a way out of here.”
“Brilliant grasp of the obvious you have,” Rowe said snidely.
I ignored his comment. If I didn’t, I would be forced to smash his smug face in. “Any suggestions?”
“He was told he would be released unharmed if he would simply kill you for us,” announced a sweet voice from the other side of the door. I crossed the tiny cell and peered through the window in the door to find Sofia standing on the other side in a gauzy pink dress that floated around her like a thin wisp of smoke.
“Get me out of here, Sofia,” I commanded, wrapping my fists around the bars in the window.
“I don’t think so,” she said with a little shake of her head. “You’re too dangerous to be left running around. You’ve already slaughtered the werewolf pack. Who’s on your hit list next?”
“You are if you don’t get the key and get me the hell out of here,” I snarled, rattling the door a little in its frame. The metal groaned and squeaked, but otherwise didn’t budge.
“No, Veyron and the others certainly wouldn’t like that.”
“Set me free and I’ll protect you. I’ll return you to Danaus. I can help you,” I offered.
Peels of laughter fell from her like the tinkling of bells. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and took a step backward to regain her balance as she laughed at me. “Free me? Who do you think led Veyron’s people to you?”
My hands loosened from where they gripped the bars and slid back down to my sides as my mouth fell open. “You tricked us. Convinced Danaus you were some helpless human desperate for his help. You knew he would come after you,” I murmured.
“And you’re an old nightwalker stuck in your old ways. You don’t meddle in the affairs of other nightwalkers, particularly when it comes to their human pets.”
“You tried to separate Danaus and me,” I said, still stunned by their plan.
“Of course.” Sofia took a step closer to the door. “We figured if we couldn’t kill you, the hunter easily could since he was able to get so close to you. When he failed, we thought maybe the naturi could. Unfortunately, he’s proving to be useless. I guess we’ll have to figure something else.”
“Bitch,” I snarled through gritted teeth. Focusing on her, I sent my powers out from my body and wrapped her in flames. I wanted to see her writhing in pain as the fire ate away at every inch of her flesh. She had deceived Danaus, separated us, and now she was trying to kill me.
But the flames never touched her. Sofia spoke a single, inaudible word and the flames swirled around her like a liquid shawl of fire. The flames danced and crackled with energy, but they never touched her. She looked up at me with glowing eyes. Damn it, she was a witch. It had all been an act, an elaborate hoax.
“Sorry, Fire Starter. You can’t kill me, but don’t worry, I’ll be sure that Danaus knows the truth the moment before he dies,” she said, then sauntered back down the dark hallway, leaving me alone with Rowe.
“Get back here, Sofia!” I screamed, pressing my face against the bars. “Get back here so I can kill you!”
“Oh, yeah. That’s going to win her over,” Rowe said sarcastically beside me.
“Shut it, pirate!” I snapped, pushing away from the door to pace the cell. Unfortunately, it was only a few feet wide. “I need to concentrate. We need to make a plan.”
“A plan for getting out of here?”
“And killing all those that put us in here.”
“I would be game for that,” Rowe said, surprising me.
I looked up at him, my brows furrowed over my nose. “A temporary truce?”
“Extremely temporary. Just until we get out of his house.”
I nodded, and returned to my corner in the cell. I lowered my eyelids so I could still partially see Rowe but was able to concentrate on what was going on outside the cell. I could sense Sofia and a scattering of other humans, but she appeared to be the only magic user in the house. I couldn’t sense Clarion. Ferko was also in the house, but there were no nightwalkers about. The hour was still relatively early. I could only guess that they were all out hunting, not expecting me to actually survive the day locked up with Rowe. And in truth, I couldn’t blame them. The only reason I could guess that I was still alive was because Rowe thought he had more use for me as a living entity to barter with.
I took another calming breath and reached out nervously with my powers. Rowe had said Danaus had been shot, and Sofia seemed to think that he was still alive, but I was afraid to find out for sure. My powers crept slowly across Budapest, fanning out in all directions. I could have reached out directly but was afraid he wouldn’t be there.
Mira! Danaus’s voice rang true and clear in my head.
I stifled a half sob at the touch of his powers. He was alive and he felt strong to me. Danaus! You’re alive. Rowe said you were shot.
I was. Where are you? Is Rowe with you?
Ferko and some others grabbed me. I think I’m at Veyron’s. They grabbed Rowe, too. Are you all right?
Fine. Rowe’s there? He’s with you? he demanded.
Yes, we’re both locked together in what looks to be the basement. We’re going to try to break out. Where are you?
Near the hotel. I’m going to grab a taxi and get to Veyron’s. Wait and let me get there first before you strike.
No, stay where you are. I’ll get Stefan to come get you. We’re going to need the help. I paused and took a deep breath. Sofia is a witch.
Mira—
No, listen to me. It was all a plot to separate us. She’s a witch.
Mira, you can’t—
I can’t explain now. Just trust me.
Send me Stefan, Danaus said. He didn’t sound happy, but at least he was willing to come get me out of my prison.
&nb
sp; I looked up at Rowe to find him watching me expectantly. “Almost got the troops rallied,” I said, then turned my attention to Stefan. He was a bit more pliable than Danaus. He didn’t care about Sofia, only where I was and how he was going to set me free. While he preferred to come get me directly, he at last agreed to fetch Danaus before appearing at Veyron’s place.
“Help is on the way,” I said, finally turning my full attention back to the naturi watching me.
“So I would hope. Are they going to break us out of here?”
I walked over to the massive steel door and frowned. “They are going to act as support. I was hoping we could get out of here on our own.”
“And then what?” he asked, not moving from where he stood against the wall. “You’ve summoned up your little soldiers, but there are no other naturi in Budapest to assist me. How far does this truce extend? The cell door? The front door?”
I held onto the tiny bars in the windows and stared down at the rough concrete ground. “I should kill you now for what you did to Valerio,” I muttered, but then shook my head. “But you could have killed me while I slept and you didn’t. That earns you a free ticket out of this house. However, if you strike at me or mine even once while we’re on the property of this house, I won’t hesitate to kill you. The truce extends as long as you behave. That goes for me and mine.”
“Agreed.”
I turned my focus to the door in front of me and the string of problems I had yet to face. I wasn’t ready to contemplate the fact that I had just struck a deal with the worst of my enemies. I’d face that nightmare some night when I was home safe, away from the naturi and the coven.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rowe pressed his hand and cheek against the cold steel door, sensing for any kind of spell that might have been wrapped around the opening. Not only was the naturi well versed in nature-based magic, but in his years of struggling to come up with a way to free his people, he had also become an expert in blood magic—the very thing that got him exiled. His hand slid across the metal in a slow caress, while I stood back from the opening, waiting to see if anything went awry. My skills did not lay with magic spells and other bits of hocus-pocus.
The naturi pushed away from the door and brushed off his hands. “There’s no spell barring our way,” he announced. “In fact, as far as I can tell, there’s no spell in all of this basement area. Apparently, no one thought we would survive to attempt an escape.”
“At least, they didn’t think you’d have the strength to escape alone after you killed me while I slept,” I added. “We should get moving. My companions should be arriving shortly and they’ll need our help.”
I wrapped my hands around one corner of the window in the door, while bracing my left leg against the stone wall. Rowe did the same on the opposite side of the door and we pulled. Alone, we were both stronger than the normal human, but neither of us were capable of pulling loose the steel door that was firmly bolted into the stone wall. However, working together, the door folded like a piece of warm cheese. A loud metallic screeching echoed through the stone basement, announcing our escape attempt. We had to get moving before someone arrived to investigate.
Climbing through the opening, I reached down to my side for my knife, to discover it was missing. I had forgotten that I’d taken off all of my weapons as I collapsed into bed. I was completely unarmed. I glanced over at Rowe, who simply shook his head at me. Apparently, his captors had taken the time to disarm him.
No matter. I’d tear Sofia apart with my bare hands if it came to that. She had caused me enough problems to last a lifetime and now it was time to take her life.
We hurried down the hallway to the entrance of the basement, not making a sound except for the occasional rustling of our clothes. I climbed up the stairs first and poked my head through the trapdoor, to find that we were actually in a subbasement below the real basement. On stone slabs there were an array of wood and metal coffins where Veyron and his companions obviously slept during the daylight hours. A quick count revealed more than a dozen coffins. Apparently, they subscribed to some of the old ways despite their talk of escaping the old-fashioned precepts of our people. I hadn’t seen a grouping of coffins like this except for the underground rooms at the coven meeting hall.
“Can we burn them?” Rowe asked as his eyes scanned them, searching for any that might still be occupied.
“Why bother? We’re going to kill them all eventually,” I said with a shrug. The naturi smiled unexpectedly at me. Of course, he would be pleased with any plan that worked toward the demise of my kind.
“I think you’re starting to come around to my thinking,” Rowe whispered as he led the way to the only door in the vast dark basement.
“Hardly. I just don’t take kindly to creatures that try to kill me,” I replied, following close on his heels.
“I’m still here.”
“You don’t want me dead. Otherwise, you would have completed the task centuries ago,” I said smugly, earning a low growl in response. I ignored it, though as I sensed the distinct presence of Stefan and Danaus close by. They had arrived at Veyron’s and were currently seeking entrance into the house. I fully expected Sofia to invite them in. She needed to see to it that the rest of my party was disposed of properly, which would meet with Macaire’s ultimate plan. He wanted Danaus and me dead. Unfortunately, Stefan was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught up in the cross fire.
“Let’s go. They’re here,” I said, giving him a little shove in the middle of his back to keep him moving up the stairs and through the door, which opened into the main hall. I peered through a small crack that Rowe had opened. The light was nearly blinding after walking around in pitch-darkness since awakening that evening. I couldn’t see anyone, but I could hear Sofia’s soft, desperate voice as she pleaded with Danaus and Stefan to help her escape Veyron’s clutches. She claimed that Veyron’s men had grabbed her again during the day and were threatening to kill her. She was plotting something, ensuring that Danaus and Stefan would be entangled in such a way that their deaths would be imminent.
The sound of approaching footsteps caused Rowe to pull back and soundlessly close the basement door. I threw out my senses to find six nightwalkers and three lycanthropes approaching my companions. Sofia was simply the bait in this trap.
“We need to get in there,” I whispered, trying to get around Rowe so I could escape the dark prison.
“Unarmed? We’ll be slaughtered in minutes,” he snapped. “Your friends are surely armed. Let them whittle down their numbers a bit before we go jumping into the fray.”
“Coward! Surely you’re not afraid of a handful of weak nightwalkers and a few pathetic werewolves?” I goaded.
“No! I’m more concerned with the nightwalker I made a deal with stabbing me in the back because it’s convenient. I would prefer to get the numbers down to something more manageable before I go jumping in.”
Laying my hand on the doorknob over his, I took a step up the stair, crowding him. “Remain, if you like. I’m going. But know this, you may be missing your only chance to strike at your kidnappers.”
A low groan followed behind me as I snuck out of the basement and down the hall in my stocking feet. In the light, I could finally see that I was dirty and splattered with my own blood. I hadn’t had the chance to clean up from the new wounds Rowe inflicted on me while I slept. My palm itched to hit him, but it would do no good now. We had to take care of Ferko and Sofia before we left the house. Veyron and the others would have to be taken care of at another time—I was feeling too weak and we needed time to plan.
Rowe and I came upon the same large room where we had met Veyron for the first time. The garden room was ablaze with light, as if trying to cast away the evil spirits that lurked in all the shadowy corners. The wall of windows was black, reflecting back the furniture and occupants of the room. Sofia clung to Danaus’s arm, pleading with him. The hunter placed one hand over hers, comforting her. I nearly s
et the house on fire. Stefan stood off to the side, looking completely bored.
Nightwalkers and lycanthropes are surrounding you, I warned Stefan. There was no talking to Danaus—his eyes were only on Sofia.
I sense them, he replied blandly.
Then do something useful. Find out where Veyron and Odelia are. She won’t confess to Clarion’s location.
“If we are to help you,” Stefan said to Sofia, not even trying to sound interested, “we need to strike while Veyron is away. Do you know where he has gone?”
“Away. Hunting,” she said in a rushed voice. “But he should be back within the hour. Please, we must hurry before he returns.”
“You’re right. We must hurry,” I said as I walked soundlessly into the room. Rowe stood behind me, capturing Danaus’s dark stare.
“Oh God! She’s escaped!” Sofia cried, tightening her grip on Danaus’s arm. “She came here last night out of her mind. She was trying to kill me, spouting nonsense about evil plots to destroy her. Veyron locked her up in hopes that a good day’s rest would heal her mind. Please, you must protect me!”
Danaus simply stared at me, his face an unreadable mask. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and I was too scared to touch his thoughts. I didn’t want to know if he believed Sofia. In the end it didn’t matter. Danaus and I were already over, and I was going to kill Sofia.
As I took a step toward Sofia, the nightwalkers and lycanthropes that had been patiently waiting in the wings at her disposal entered the room. Ferko brought a low hiss out of Stefan as he eyed the lycanthrope.
“Leave that one to Stefan,” I said as I laid one hand on Rowe’s shoulder. He stared at Ferko for a couple of seconds, frowning, before he finally nodded his agreement that Stefan would get the alpha. Rowe would make do with the nightwalkers.
Angry and frustrated, I was in no mood for a prolonged armed battle. I waved my hand, intending to set the lot of them on fire, but the flames merely swirled through the air and settled in a ball above Sofia’s head before finally winking from existence.
wait for dusk Page 27