Movement to her left dragged her attention. Standing at the open doors were four more Sin Eaters.
“What the…” She squinted. “Did Mother Stone send you down here?” Were they there to help? Hope flared. With this many hands, she’d get the work done in three days no problem.
“Mina Knox?” A gruff voice asked, one of the figures shifted to the right, while another shifted to the left.
Mina had the feeling she was being corralled and she suddenly realized that the cloaks weren’t the normal Sin Eater garb. They were ratty and dirty, faded in places and hung awkwardly, like they weren’t made for these wearers. “Who are you?”
“You’ve taken what was ours,” the one closest to her said.
“What?”
Mina’s heart ramped up, her hackles rose. These were definitely not Sin Eaters. “You’ll need to leave now.” She reached for her security card and realized she didn’t have it. It was lying on the floor with her scrubs.
She took a step toward her suite while at the same time reaching for her blade.
One of the cloaked figures lifted a hand, then with a flick, sent her flying. She tried to deflect but without a powerful spell at the ready, she was defenceless. She slammed into the cupboard behind her with a heavy thud that stung her back and jarred her elbows. Her breath whooshed out of her. Her whole body spasmed as the spell raced over her spine, electrical pulses that had her nerves screaming. Fuckfuckfuckfuck.
“Bind her quickly before she gets up.”
Mina tried to rise, pushing past the pain and fighting the magic that still zapped her muscles. “Stop—”
Two of the cloaked figures rushed her, power pulsing with such intensity that she struggled to stand. “It’s better not to resist, Mina Knox.” He launched his spell full force, knocking her down again, her arms latched to her sides like an invisible rope was binding her.
She tried to counter it. She muttered a binding break curse, desperate for release, but her emotions were too ragged…her heart pumping too furiously. Nothing was working properly.
“What do you want?” she growled.
The one who’d bound her flipped his hood off. He was pretty rough around the edges. His head was unevenly shaved, dark stubble painted his jaw, his eyes were frosty and dark. He assessed her with a hard once over. “You sure this is her? She doesn’t look that special.”
“Walker said she’s a Knox.”
Ms. Walker? The dog abuser? And then Mina pieced it together. “My family won’t pay, if that’s what you’re after. They don’t negotiate with abductors.” And they certainly wouldn’t give a shit about her.
The rest of the assailants lifted their hoods. Three men, all looking about as dark and dirty as the one who’d attacked her, and two women who weren’t much better.
“You know everyone says that?” One of the women laughed. “But when we start sending body parts, they always pay up.”
Mina didn’t flinch, she didn’t look away, even though she knew the woman wasn’t joking.
“So where are the cats?” the woman asked, her eyes flicking away from Mina.
“What cats?”
One of the men scoffed. “Walker told us about your cats.”
Mina’s head swam all of a sudden, her vision blurry. She lowered herself to the ground, trying to collect her strength. Her back hurt like hell and the residual power of the spell they’d used to throw her was zapping every nerve. “The cats?”
“You’ve got feral felines here. And since you targeted our operation, we’re in need of some new breed animals and some start up capital. That’s where you come in.”
Oh fuck! These were the Breeders. No wonder there’d been so few guarding the animals that Croft and the team had picked up. “Where’s Ms. Walker?”
“Dead. Betrayal is not tolerated. But before she died, she told us all about your set up here and all about you, Mina Knox.”
Three more Breeders came in, no cloaks, dressed in army fatigues. A floating cart loaded with cages trailing behind them.
“How did you get on the grounds?” How in the world were they going about undetected?
“We have our ways.” The dark haired Breeder motioned to the others. “Someone gag her. She talks too much.”
Mina darted her eyes around the room. She had to notify someone before they—too late. Another spell hit her with such force her head slammed backward. She tried to open her mouth, to scream, but she couldn’t. These witches were powerful. Too powerful for her to handle alone.
She watched the women go into the back room. She wanted to scream at them not to open the cages. Telly would for sure—ah, fuck! There was a scream and then sure enough, the monkey was loose, racing out of the back room, not even a glance in her direction—fucking monkey—before he bolted out the doors.
“What the fuck, Kass?” the dark haired Breeder yelled.
“He was whimpering in there!” Kass said as she stumbled out from the back room. “What are you doing to these animals? Maybe she’s abusing them.” She glared at Mina.
“Enough! She cares for them well, that much is obvious,” one of the men said as he exited the sanctuary area. “The cats are in there. You guys need to check it out—it’s quite the set up for the beasts. It’s protected by a spell but Sandy can figure out a workaround.” He walked over to the dark haired Breeder who seemed to be Mina’s guard. “If her family won’t pay, maybe we could use her as a vet.”
Oh hell no! Mina tried to struggle against her bonds, the sticky gag on her lips making it impossible for her to speak. Being kidnapped was one thing but there was no way she’d work for the Breeders.
“There are a few more ferals in the back room,” Kass said. “Not cats, but they smell of power. Should we get them, Merrick?”
“Yeah, but be more careful this time. Have a capture spell ready so we don’t lose any more,” Merrick said. “I’m going to keep an eye out here. The spells are holding, as promised. No one has been alerted to our presence and the guards are distracted according to plan. We gotta be out of here in fifteen, tops, so the rest of you need to get the cats.”
There was no argument from anyone. They all just fell into line and got to work.
Was someone at the hospital working with them? Mina wondered where they’d gotten the cloaks. Even ratty, Sin Eater cloaks were not something you could get on the open market. Old ones were destroyed and new ones made to order.
Either way, she was stuck and didn’t have a clue how to break the spell holding her. Mina really didn’t see a way out of this. She struggled against the bonds one more time and managed to roll onto her side. That got a whistle from her guard.
“You don’t look like much but you’re a powerful little thing, aren’t you?” Merrick said with a chuckle. “You’re going to fit right in.”
Mina grunted. Not powerful enough to avoid being captured.
Merrick winked. “I’ll unbind your mouth if you promise not to scream.”
He didn’t wait for a reaction. Instead, he crouched down so close to her that his nasty breath whipped up her nose.
She gagged.
“I do like screaming though…just so you know.” He winked. “Later, baby.”
She gagged again.
He pressed his hand over her mouth, covering her nose as well and blocking her breathing while muttering his spell. Panic began to rise, her eyes tearing. He could suffocate her and she wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Her thoughts raced through all the spells she knew, trying to pluck one out that she could use but she couldn’t latch on.
Stay calm, Mina. Pull it together. You’re going to have one shot at this.
Her mother’s grimoire opened in her mind. She knew that thing like she knew her own body. What spell…what spell?
He clenched his hand, squeezing the sides of her cheek, dirty nails digging into her flesh. “If your family won’t pay, I promise not to disfigure you too badly. You are a pretty little thing.” He was laughing as he released her mouth.
Her memory latched on to a dark spell. She’d need blood.
She leaned forward and bit his hand…hard.
“Son of a bitch!” He roared, then slapped her mouth, whipping her head to the side with brutal force.
She tasted blood and smiled. He hauled her up by her collar, his face in her face.
“What are you smiling at, girl?”
She sucked in a deep breath, a mumble of sound rolling up her throat.
“You got something to say to me?”
As she released her breath, she spoke her spell so it sounded like a groaned whisper, so fast that it was almost incomprehensible.
“I-curse-you-with-three-fold-law-to-feel-the-brunt-of-your-actions.”
He slumped back on his ass, his eyes wide for a moment before he burst out laughing again. “You didn’t think that would actually work, did you?” He let her go, he was laughing so hard.
“Oh well, aren’t you a majestic beast?” one of the female Breeders said from across the room as she exited with a small cage in her hands.
Mina swivelled her eyes away from Merrick to see that Zeus sat on top of a shelf watching intently. If Zeus was there then maybe Bas was, too. Maybe he’d come back.
The Breeder tried to reach up and pet Zeus but he jumped over her head, soaring in an arc to land at her feet. She laughed at the display then bent down to pet him.
Merrick tried to push himself up, scrambling to move. “Don’t touch that ca—”
Too late. Zeus’s back went up, his fangs gleamed, and an instant later, the Breeder was screeching. Zeus’s fangs were embedded deeply into the meat of her palm. Merrick thumped back down on his ass, like he was glued in place.
Mina watched as his muscles strained, his jaw clenched so tight she thought it might crack from the pressure.
“What did you do?” Merrick growled.
Another screech echoed from behind, then a bellow and suddenly there were more cats coming out of the sanctuary with Breeders chasing after them. Taking Zeus’s lead, the cats all turned, then descended on the Breeders, hissing and growling with fangs bared.
Merrick was still trying to rise, grunting and cursing when he rolled to the side. Mina was actually surprised by how well the counter curse worked. Maybe she was more powerful than she thought. She winced. Well, except for the fact that she couldn’t get herself out of the binding spell that was holding her down.
A squawk sounded from behind.
“Telly!”
The monkey was jumping from counter to counter, running along the top before hopping up onto the highest shelf. The chaos around them was stirring his feral blood, exciting him like sugar would. Flares of power shot haphazardly across the room. The Breeders were casting with emotion, trying to defend against the familiars’ attack but the cats were organized. Hunting and attacking with ease.
“Telly, go get help!”
She struggled to roll to her side but barely moved her body.
“Telly, go!”
“Mina, hold still,” whispered words echoed in her head, stilling her struggles.
Angel.
She appeared at Mina’s side, her cloak in place, seemingly invisible to the Breeders who were preoccupied with the cats. Angel was trying to free Mina, unravelling the binding spell thread by thread while Zeus and his pack created havoc around them.
Telly jumped down, watching intently as Angel cast and recast.
“Almost there,” Angel huffed.
“Stop her! Kass, Rick, get over here and stop her!”
Angel managed to get the spell to unlock and Mina’s hands were free. She raised them, pulling her blade as she did, ready to fight when Kass launched a curse, a black and throbbing thing that had teeth. It would have hit Mina, was headed right for her chest. But Angel stepped in the way.
“No!” Mina screamed.
Angel’s arms flew outward as she took the brunt of the spell, then she slumped down like she was melting to the ground. Mina stood, fury in her movements. She drew blood on her palm, pooled her reserves, then cast, shooting a blinding light of pure rage.
23
Bas wasn’t entirely sure how things went from really fucking great to really fucking horrible in a matter of minutes. His head was spinning.
How could he not know that Mina was human? It seemed so damn obvious now.
He punched the wall in front of him, earning a split knuckle and a wickedly painful vibration up his arm. “Fuck!”
Tate poked his head into Bas’s room. “What’s up, buddy?”
Bas flashed him an angry glare as he grabbed an old shirt to wrap his hand up with.
“You know the walls are made of twelve inch thick stone, right?” Tate ignored Bas’s growl and motioned for Bas to follow him out of his room. “Come on then, let me take a look in the kitchen. I’ve got food cooking.” Then he left.
Bas stared after him, his knuckles throbbing. He needed ice. And probably a few witch stitches. He followed Tate.
The big guy was busy at the stove. The smell of bacon and eggs made Bas’s stomach grumble. “It’s midnight. Why are you cooking that shit?”
“It’s morning for me. Been working a split shift in the psych ward.” Tate shifted around the scrambled eggs then set the spatula down. “Let me take a look at your hand.”
As Tate washed his hands, Bas grabbed a beer from the fridge. He used the edge of his fist and the corner of the counter to pop the top off…and regretted it instantly. “Fuuuuuck!”
“Yeah, you did a number on your knuckles,” Tate said as he unwrapped the shirt to get a better look. “Musta been pretty mad at that wall.”
Bas grumbled then took a long drink from his beer.
“You want witch stitches or human ones?”
Bas growled.
Tate cocked an eyebrow. “Right, forgot how much you hate the humans.” He shrugged. “Just didn’t know if you wanted scars or not… You know, for your street cred.”
“Just get to it, will yeah? Not like this isn’t killing me.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’ll catch more flies with honey?” Tate zapped Bas with a painkiller. He pinched the broken skin together and infused it with power. His Elemental skills made his stitches spark a bit with electricity. It didn’t hurt but it did send jolts and vibrations up Bas’s arm.
It took less than five minutes and Bas’s hand looked beaten and bloody but no longer broken. “Thanks,” he grumbled, then moved to the sink to clean up.
“How’s things going down in the Dungeon?” Tate pulled out some plates. “Hungry?”
Bas waved him off. “Just beer.” He dried his hands with a towel then slumped on a stool at the island. “I’m done with the Dungeon.”
“Ouch, not working out down there? Chanda told us that Mother Stone put you down there indefinitely.”
“Yeah, well, I’m getting out.”
“Oh yeah? That’s great! We missed you up here.” Tate’s face got red. “Er, I mean, it’s quieter with just Chanda here. Hazel’s been spending more time with Duke, wherever they go. Mahdyia has been working one mission after another.” He shrugged. “It’ll be good to have another guy around anyway.”
Bas grunted. It should have made him happy to be back, too. He was getting what he wanted and yet…
Tate handed him another beer.
“Got into a fight with my supervisor down there.”
“Uh oh,” Tate bunched his shoulders and cringed. “What kind of fight? You hit someone with a spell again?”
“No,” Bas scoffed. “Just found out that I was being lied to.”
“Who was lying to you?” Hazel came in just then, Duke trailing behind her.
“Bas, Tate,” Duke said. “You got eggs going there?” Duke didn’t wait for a response; he just moved over to Tate and inspected the pan.
“Yeah, made lots. You hungry?”
“Hell yes! Babe, you want some of this?”
Hazel waved her hand. “No thanks, I’m exhausted. Just g
oing to get some cereal and go to bed.”
With Duke taking over the eggs and bacon, Tate motioned for Hazel to have a seat while he got her some cereal and a tea.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with the love spell suspicions of yours, does it?” Hazel sat on the stool opposite him, her eyes locked on his.
Bas wanted to tell her to mind her own business but with Duke and Tate there, he decided it was better to play nice. No sense in getting the whole team up on him. “Yeah, it does. You could have warned me that Mina Knox was human.”
Hazel smirked. “I tried to. Thanks, Tate.” Tate slid a bowl of cereal in front of her along with a cup of tea. “But you said, and I quote, ‘I’m not interested in a lecture.’” She air quoted with her fingers.
“So you did know?”
“Mina Knox?” Duke turned with a plate full of food and set himself up next to Hazel. “Oh hell, man. Doesn’t everyone know that?”
“Not me apparently.” Bas finished his beer then rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I should have though.”
“Her dad was an intern with my dad,” Duke said in between heaping mouthfuls. “Some big time controversy when he left.”
“He was asked to leave,” Hazel said. “It was before Mother’s time but I remember her talking about it a lot.”
“What happened?” Tate asked. He positioned himself against the counter, leaning with his plate in his hand and forking food into his mouth.
“He fell in love with a human,” Hazel’s voice was wistful. “From the village.”
“Ah,” Tate said, his mouth full.
“Back in the day interracial relationships were punishable by witch law. No mingling the bloodlines and all that,” Duke said. “They ignored the law.”
“Did they get sent to the Scrub?” Tate asked.
“Nah, they were exiled in a way,” Duke said. “Ostracized. Disowned by family. Mina’s father wasn’t allowed to continue his formal Healer training. I heard they moved far west. Things were less turbulent there when it came to race relations.”
“So it’s pretty cool that Mina works here now, right?” Tate said, then he looked at Bas. “Er, I mean—”
“Once again, Bas mixed business with pleasure,” Hazel said. “Didn’t quite work out for ya again, did it?”
Feral Heart: A Witch Hospital Romance (The Witches of White Willow Book 2) Page 19