by D. G. Swank
“Don’t even think about it.” Her hand tightened on my arm. Had I started to pull away? “If you run, I’ll be tortured for letting you out. You owe me this.”
“Then why don’t you run with me?” I asked. “Why would you stay with this maniac?” It had to be hell for a healer to spend her days treating torture victims. Whatever else she was, Lisa wasn’t evil.
Her eyes hardened. “I have my reasons, but that’s none of your concern. I risked my life for you—the least you can do is protect me.”
“But Lisa,” I said, starting to get excited over the half-cooked plan forming in my head. “I can make us both invisible. We can get Logan and go.”
She shook her head. “No. We can’t. For one thing, I’m supposed to check on you any minute. If I don’t show up, they’ll go to your room without me and sound the alarm on both of us. What do you think they’ll do to Logan?”
The bottom of my stomach dropped out. She was right, but the fear of what this day might hold tightened my throat. “I can’t face Donall again,” I whispered. “I can’t do it.”
“You can and you will,” she insisted. “And if you cooperate enough to keep him from torturing you again, I’ll try my best to take you to Logan tonight.”
The thought of sleeping with Logan again filled me with hope, but then my heart sank. “I can’t give him what he wants, Lisa.”
“Then figure something out.” She started up the stairwell, dragging me with her, not that I was resisting. I was busy trying to formulate a plan to survive the day. Even if I wanted to read that spell book to Donall, I had no idea how to do it. From the sound of it, stronger witches had tried and failed. What if my father had been wrong about me?
When we reached the third floor, she stopped and put my hand on her shoulder. “I want you to keep your hand there so I know where you are at all times. When we get to your room, I’ll distract the guard for a few seconds so you can get inside and remove the illusion of you in the bed.” Her expression hardened. “If you give me away, the next time Donall lets me heal you, I’ll make it pure hell. Got it?”
So much for Lisa’s sweet side, but then I understood. This place didn’t reward sweetness and light.
“I won’t give you away,” I said softly. “And not because you threatened me, but because you gave me hope. Thank you for that.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you, Lisa.”
Her eyes glistened and her mouth tipped up into a small smile. A genuine one. “Good, because I’ve never hurt anyone intentionally while healing them, and I really didn’t want you to be the first.”
Before I could answer, she opened the stairwell door, holding it wider than necessary, and walked out. She gave me wide berth, leaving me room to get though the doorway without bumping the door, which was a good thing since the guard was watching Lisa walk toward him down the hall.
“Hey, Lisa,” he called out in a moony voice. Apparently, Noah wasn’t the only one who had a soft spot for the pretty witch. “You’re a little behind today.”
Lisa glanced down at her watch, then gave him a teasing grin. “Only by two minutes. The prisoner was giving Noah trouble.”
Two minutes late? Donall must run a tight ship.
His eyes darkened. “I still say we should have killed him at the cemetery and been done with it. He may be a useless human, but he injured five of our guys.”
“And I’ve healed them,” Lisa said in a soothing tone.
“He’s a huge pain in the ass. And for what? She doesn’t even know he’s alive.”
“It’s not up to us to question our lord,” Lisa said decisively. “He always has a plan. He has a purpose for the human.”
The guard gave a stiff nod, not arguing his point. Although the look on his face suggested he had plenty more to say, I was pretty sure Donall didn’t tolerate people questioning his authority, even outside of his earshot.
Using the key attached to his belt with a stretchable cord, the guard unlocked my prison door and pushed it open, waiting for Lisa to enter.
She stopped next to him, leaving a small gap between her back and the open doorway, and said in a hushed tone, “I really don’t understand it either, Eric. Believe me, I’ve tried to figure it out, but it only drives me crazy. I have no say in it anyway, so why stress myself?”
I slipped past her and into the room, having to suck in my stomach to squeeze through. Still, I jostled her slightly, sending her careening toward the guard.
I froze in the middle of the room, holding my breath as I dissolved the glamour on the bed. I moved toward the window, slightly behind the open door, and reappeared.
“You okay, Lisa?” the guard asked, concerned.
“Sorry,” she said, sounding embarrassed. “Not enough sleep.”
“You helped me a couple of nights ago when I was struggling to stay awake. Can’t you do something like that for yourself?”
“It usually doesn’t work on me,” she said, then entered the room. Relief filled her eyes when she saw me gazing out the window. “You look better today.”
I gave her a tight smile, still trying to figure out how to play this. I’d never been particularly belligerent with her, so I saw no reason to start now. “I feel better. A good night’s sleep will do wonders. Thank you for what you did last night.” My throat clogged and my voice was tight. “Truly. Thank you.”
No harm in saying that. I clearly wasn’t the only one she’d helped around here.
She shifted, breaking eye contact. “Just doing my job. Come sit down on the bed and let me look you over. We want you in top shape for today.”
I moved toward the bed, my stomach tightening in fear. “What’s today?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” the guard barked.
“Eric,” Lisa admonished in a gentle tone. “Rowan was cooperative yesterday afternoon. We need to treat her accordingly.” She grabbed my arm and sat on the bed, tugging me down with her.
“Why doesn’t she just read the book already?” His eyes sought out mine, his gaze full of contempt. “Why don’t you read the gods-damned book?”
“Eric!” Lisa cried out.
Eric was pissing me off. I knew I should control my temper, but that had never been my strong suit. “Perhaps you should talk to your lordship, Eric. If he wanted you to know what takes place in our private conversations, then perhaps he’d invite you in to listen to them.” A new thought hit me, and before I could think better of it, I royally screwed myself even more. “Come to think of it, you’ve never guarded me while I’m with Donall. Is it because you didn’t make his guard detail?”
The hate in Eric’s eyes told me I was likely onto something. Unfortunately, that wasn’t necessarily in my favor.
Before I realized what was happening, Eric backhanded my cheek. My vision filled with stars and I struggled to remain upright.
“Eric!” Lisa shouted, diving between the two of us. “What are you doing?”
“She’s out of control!”
“No, you are!” she said, still standing in front of me. “You’re not allowed to use excessive force on her!”
“Unless she’s uncooperative.”
“Guessing the truth about your situation is not being uncooperative. It’s being insightful.”
He flinched, as if her words were a blow, but she didn’t try to cushion it. Instead, she spun around and lifted a hand to my cheek to heal me.
I pushed her hand down, shooting Eric a hateful glare. “No. Leave it.”
She blinked in surprise. “Why?”
“Because I was being mouthy. Let Eric see the results of his temper tantrum.” I lifted a brow as I shot him a withering look. “Maybe that’s why you’re not in the royal guard. Temper. Temper.”
His nostrils flared, and his chest puffed up as though he were about to show me further proof of his temper, but Lisa jumped to her feet and put her hands on his chest, pushing him backward out the door. “Eric, let’s go.”
“I’m going to—”
“You’re not going to do anything,” she insisted, pushing him into the hall, then shot me an exasperated look before she shut the door behind her.
Yeah, probably not my best move.
I stewed in my room for what felt like an eternity but was probably only a couple of hours.
I didn’t recognize the guard who appeared in my doorway, but he took in my bruised cheek before he said, “Come with me, Ms. Whelan. And be forewarned that if you give us any trouble, we will resort to force.”
I couldn’t help wondering what Eric had told them. Had Lisa corroborated his story? It was probably in her best interest to do so. Especially if she planned to break the rules to take me to Logan again.
Two guards grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the room. This time I paid more attention to my surroundings as they led me toward the stairwell. If Logan and I were going to escape, I needed a plan. Most of the doors along this hallway were open or slightly ajar. Only a few of them were closed. What was behind those doors?
As we headed down the stairs to the basement, I snuck a glance out the narrow rectangular window on the first floor landing, catching a glimpse of a parking lot with less than a dozen cars. Lisa seemed to be here at all hours—did all of Donall’s people stay here, or did some of them drive back and forth?
How hard would it be to grab someone’s keys?
As we got closer to the basement, I realized I had a new problem—and it was no small issue. I’d been actively thinking of escape routes, and I was about to face an asshole who could read minds.
I was in serious shit.
I hadn’t learned much about evading mind readers. The ability was rare, for one thing, and those who had it were taught not to look into people’s heads. A lesson that clearly hadn’t stuck with Donall. It struck me that mind reading was no small gift. Why had Donall claimed his mother thought that he was weak? Mind reading was miles above glamouring.
Had he lied? No, there’d been a painful edge of truth to his words.
The guards ushered me into a new room—an office. The scent of coffee and breakfast hit me square in the face. The room was empty but for a wooden desk with two visitors chairs on one side and a worn office chair on the other. A platter of pancakes and bacon sat on the desk, along with a steaming carafe.
The coffee was so distracting, it took me a second to register the presence of a middle-aged man I didn’t recognize. He waited in the corner, giving me a friendly smile that felt completely out of place. “Rowan, welcome. Please come in. You must be hungry.”
He gestured to the guest chairs and moved to the chair behind the desk.
I could only stare at him in disbelief. First Logan, now this. Maybe I was still in that dark, cold closet and this was all one elaborate hallucination.
The man studied me for a moment before turning to the guards. “You are dismissed. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
When the two men hesitated, the stranger looked displeased. “Go.”
The guards shuffled their feet, then finally turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
“Rowan,” the man said, taking his seat, “please, have a seat. Pancakes are always best when they’re warm.”
I took a step closer and he handed me a plate, which I found myself taking as though on autopilot. I sat down and watched the man fork two pancakes onto my plate.
“I’m afraid we don’t have real maple syrup, only the imitation stuff.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust.
When he started to place bacon on my plate, I waved him away. “I’m a vegetarian.”
He studied me, perplexed. “How did I not know that?”
That brought me to my senses. “How would you?”
His brow shot up, his mouth pinching with displeasure, or maybe amusement, as he considered it.
“Very true.” He forked several pieces of bacon onto his own plate. “I’m Arthur, by the way,” he said as he moved on to the coffee, pouring some into both cups.
Gods help me, but I was desperate for some.
I doctored up my cup, then took a long, delicious sip before I risked giving him sass.
“Not worried I’ll fling hot coffee on you to escape?” I asked.
He watched me for a moment, his expression noncommittal as he doctored his own cup. “Should I be?”
In all honesty, I wasn’t sure. At the moment, I was more concerned with eating and getting my caffeine boost than escaping. Which made me a royal bitch. Logan was two flights up, tied to a bed, eating gods-knew-what. Possibly nothing.
Why hadn’t I thought to ask him?
The man smiled and picked up a piece of bacon, taking a satisfying bite as I poured warmed syrup on my pancakes.
“Do you remember the taste of bacon?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
“How do you know I’ve had it before?” I asked. “My parents could have been vegetarians.”
He pursed his lips, then said, “I knew your parents. They weren’t vegetarians. So did you have it?”
“Back when I was a kid,” I conceded, but I was also intrigued. Did he really know my parents or was he just messing with my head?
He took another bite, savoring it, then said, “Don’t you miss it?”
I shoved a bite of pancakes into my mouth. “No. I guess it smells good, but I haven’t had it since I was seventeen. And if I ever got tempted, I’d tell myself that pigs are just as intelligent as most humans.”
A grin stretched his lips as his eyes lit up. “What about as intelligent as mages?”
I couldn’t stop myself from scoffing. “Depends on which mages we’re speaking of.”
He laughed and finished off his piece of bacon, then wiped his fingers on a cloth napkin. “Donall has you pegged all wrong.”
For some reason, the mention of Donall’s name triggered a Pavlovian fear response. I squashed it down as best I could, trying to hide my reaction.
“Not that I’m complaining, mind you,” I said sarcastically, “but what prompted this breakfast feast?”
“Donall had some business to attend to, so I offered to take over. Let’s just say he and I have much different ways of tackling an issue.”
If the breakfast was any indication, we were headed in a very different direction, but I also lost my appetite, freshly reminded of my purpose here.
I took one last sip of coffee and set it down, deciding to get my newest round of torture over with, masochist that I was. “What fun things do you have planned for me today?”
He gave me a look of surprise, then sucked in a breath and sadly shook his head. “I meant it when I said I had a different way of doing things, Rowan. There will be no violence. There will be no torture. Only cooperation.”
I lifted a brow. “And if you don’t think I’m cooperating?”
“Then we’ll address the underlying issue of your noncompliance. Donall is so cocksure you know how to read the book. I have my doubts.”
Humiliation washed through me, catching me by surprise. It stung to be thought of as incapable, even if I had no intention of helping this man.
“So why not just let me go?” I asked. “Why keep me around if I’m worthless?”
He shook his head again, this time watching me with pity. “I never said you were worthless, Rowan. No, I don’t think you know how to read the book, but I truly believe you can. Just not yet.” Keeping his deep, dark eyes pinned on me, he rested his elbows on the metal arms of his office chair and steepled his fingers under his chin. “I think you can be trained. I believe that you are the person to decipher it.”
It was my turn to shake my head. “You’re wrong. I can only glamour things.”
“You’re a Whelan, Rowan. There hasn’t been a weak Whelan in over two hundred years.”
I could have done without that reminder. “What can I say? I love breaking molds.”
“The one with rudimentary fire producing skills? Turns out that particular Whelan wasn’t a Whelan at all. She was adopted and passed off as
a Whelan.” He gave me a confident look. “There is more to you than most people think. I intend to prove it.”
A war waged in my head. On one hand, I wanted him to be right. I ached to prove myself worthy of the Whelan name, not that I’d ever admit it to anyone. Maybe this mage could help me do just that, but I couldn’t work with him. I couldn’t help the Dark Set.
“I know what you’re thinking, Rowan.”
I froze, chastising myself for underestimating him.
He gave me a reassuring glance. “I can’t read your mind, but it’s not hard to figure out what you’re thinking—if I help you, you’re certain that I’ll expect you to help me.” He smiled. “I am hoping to persuade you to see our side of things before this is all said and done—I won’t try to convince you otherwise—but I’m also hoping you’ll want to help. Of your own free will.”
“You’ll be waiting for hell to freeze over.”
I’d expected him to snap, for this façade he’d cultivated to break, but he beamed at me instead. Something about him seemed familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what.
“I’m willing to take the chance,” he said.
“But Donall isn’t,” I countered, a rock forming in the pit of my stomach.
He made a face as he tilted his head in acquiescence. “Donall’s not here right now.”
But how long would he be gone? I wasn’t sure I wanted to press my luck by asking. “Well, sounds like I have nothing to lose.” That was if he was telling the truth, which I wasn’t willing to bet money on. “When do we start?”
His face lit up. “Now.”
Chapter Twelve
Arthur stood and moved to the door with more grace than I’d ever possess. He rapped on the wood and waited, wearing an impatient look. When one of the guards appeared, Arthur said, “Ms. Whelan needs shoes and a coat.”
The guard stared at him as though he’d made his request in Chinese.
