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“So why set up a trap with a fake painting?” I asked. “If the Crimson Ring already has one, they can surely find the others, right?”
Fuck. I certainly hope not.
Kyler giggled again. The sound raised the hairs on the back of my neck. “To draw the moth to light, dragon. It unfortunately caught a few of our own in the honey pot, but I think we still got what we needed.” His dark, beady eyes jumped between Caleb and me. A cold shiver washed down my spine. “I know two of the paintings have already been recovered by someone. We wanted to bring that someone out to play. We thought setting a trap where the original was supposed to be would be a good idea.”
Caleb perked up at that. “Where the original should have been?”
“But wasn’t,” Kyler answered.
A bead of sweat appeared on Caleb’s forehead. “You said a few of your own got caught.” Caleb wasn’t looking great. He had his hands clenched on his lap, a slight tremble to them. I had to end this. Whatever was going on was clearly affecting him more than he let on. “So you have contact with the outside world, then? You know what’s going on?”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I have eyes everywhere. Maybe I know exactly where the paintings are already.” Kyler cocked his head and appeared to examine Caleb with a new understanding. His sparse eyebrows crept closer together. I tried not to look at the ring of permanently burning flesh on his forehead, but it was all I could focus on. “You seem…”
“Maddox,” Caleb said, turning to me, looking like he was five seconds away from vomiting onto my shirt. “I think we need to go. I’m not feeling too grea?—”
That’s when all hell broke loose. Caleb sucked in a breath, and his eyes rolled back. He slumped in the chair and fell forward. Had this monster done something to him? Two blades of cold ice formed in my hands as I flew to my feet, holding one edge directly against Kyler’s throat. The Enforcers behind them yanked the red threads holding him down even tighter, cutting off his breath. I saw strands of blue mana across Kyler’s eyes suddenly become visible and snap in half. Those black orbs opened wide with recognition as he looked down at the table.
“Caleb!” I yelled.
And so did Kyler.
Chapter 13
Stoke the Flames
Caleb
The moments after I passed out were a complete blur. So was me coming to, looking up at bright fluorescent lights on the ceiling as Maddox’s concerned look came into view. We left the prison and flew back to the Blackthorne Castle, the flight also being a bit of a blur. All I could keep thinking was I fucked up.
I knew I shouldn’t have gone in there. If I had just taken up Maddox’s offer and let him lead the investigation, then none of this would have been happening right now. Then, I started to hate myself for not even being able to maintain a basic illusion weave.
What a fucking waste of a Marvel I was.
At some point in my haze, we had landed, and I slumped off Maddox’s back. He shifted into his human form and helped me into the castle, an arm around my side. I was still weak, but that wasn’t what made my shoulders slump and my knees shake. It was more so the deep sense of dread at what was to come from this.
An explanation.
Maddox led us through the grand foyer, through the domed room with the beautiful painting, and into the living room, with the sunken-in floor and the comfortable couches, two arching windows flooding the large room with light. It bounced off the white walls and exposed wooden beams that crossed the ceiling. I squinted as I sunk back into one of the couches, feeling like this room was much too bright for the shitstorm that clouded my horizon.
“Alright, what’s going on? It’s time I know the full truth.” Maddox crossed his arms, the sapphire blue slash of scales above his brow glittering under the bright light. The castle sounded empty, with no other sounds except for my heavy breathing. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and weighed out my options.
I could lay it all out for him, but had he earned that from me? My past was no one’s but my own. I wasn’t required to share it with anyone. And it wasn’t like I had the purest of pasts either. If I told him what really happened to me as a child—what I was really running from—then it could potentially do more damage than good.
And yet… looking across from me at the brick house of an ice dragon currently pinning me to the couch with a blue-orbed glare, I felt surprisingly calm. The more time I spent with Maddox, the more I could see that he was just a big teddy bear underneath that frosted-over exterior, and his intentions seemed mostly pure. Yes, we got off to a rocky start, but it was all explainable. I understood why Maddox had reacted the way he had. I hadn’t known him for very long, and yet I still felt comfortable in his home. Beyond that, I felt safe.
