“What did you do, Ethan?” Vickydemanded.
“What is this place?” Maggie ignored Vickyto inquire.
“An old, county prison. It closed aboutfifteen years ago. Ronan recently purchased it to use as a prisonfor any Savages they could catch and interrogate,” Ethan replied,apparently more than willing to ignore Vicky’s continued,alternating glares too. “He had it modified to hold vampires, addedsecurity measures should one break out, and established a place hecould also imprison purebreds, should it become necessary.”
Maggie’s eyes flew back to him. “This is aprison for vampires?”
“Yes.”
“And Aiden ishere?”
“Yes.”
She gritted her teeth as she glanced betweenthe siblings. “You allowed him to belockedup?”
“We had no choice,” Ethan murmured.
“No thanks to you,” Vicky retorted, andMaggie shot her a fierce look.
“Easy, Vicky,” Ethan replied.
“Aiden wouldn’t be here if she truly cared,and where’s her new boyfriend?”
“Heris standing right here!” Maggiesnapped. “And he’s barefoot and cooking dinner in my kitchen, doyou have a problem with that?”
Ethan shot his hand out to hold his sisterback when Vicky stepped toward her. “Enough!” he barked. “This wasall a big misunderstanding.”
“There was no misunderstanding,” Maggiesnorted. “Your brother assumed something he shouldn’t have, andinstead of talking to me about it, he jumped to the wrongconclusions.” Her eyes slid back to Vicky. “It seems to be a shittyfamily trait.”
Vicky glared at her again, but when Vicky’seyes swung back to Ethan, Maggie saw a flash of guilt in them. “Amisunderstanding?” Vicky asked.
“Yes,” Ethan replied. “I’m taking her to seehim.”
“He’s going to lose his mind when herealizes you did exactly what he didn’t want us to do.”
“Or maybe he’ll regain his mind,” Ethanreplied.
“Oh, I hope so,” Vicky breathed.
Ethan nudged Vicky aside, and with a hand onthe small of Maggie’s back, he led her inside the old prison.Maggie glowered at Vicky as she walked past, but Vicky didn’treturn the look. Instead, she tugged at the ends of her disheveledhair.
“Is it really a misunderstanding?” Vickyasked her with a round-eyed stare that would have made Puss inBoots jealous.
Maggie’s anger melted. She’d liked Vickybefore, and she didn’t blame Vicky for being protective of herbrother. “It seems so,” Maggie murmured.
Vicky wiped the tears from her eyes andpushed open a gated door to reveal the entranceway of the prison.Maggie entered and stopped next to the glassed-in reception desk onher left. No one sat in the square room. When she peeked inside,she saw a computer and numerous video monitors. The screensdisplayed changing video feed from the land surrounding the prison.She also saw herself, Vicky, and Ethan and looked up to find acamera pointed directly at her.
Vicky pressed a button and pushed openanother solid, thick steel door when a buzzer sounded. The hair onMaggie’s nape rose when they stepped inside, and the door clangedshut behind them. Overhead, caged lights protected the single bulbwithin those cages. The lights shone down on the dingy, gray tilefloor.
Her sneaker caught and squeaked on one ofthe tiles as they made their way toward the row of concrete wallsmaking up the cells. Arms hung out of the steel bars on the frontof one of the cells; the hands clasped together as if in boredom.She almost ran toward the arms before realizing those fingersdidn’t belong to Aiden.
The man in the cell sniffed the air as theyapproached him. “Fresh meat,” he purred in a voice distorted by hisfangs.
When it sank in she was locked in a prisonwith vampires, she almost turned and bolted.I can’t run. Aidenis here somewhere, and I will at least talk to him.
“It’s okay,” Ethan murmured when her stepfaltered. “He can’t get out.”
The prisoner’s red eyes surveyed her whenthey walked by him. His lips pulled back in a leering grin. “Ripefor the fucking, fresh meat,” the Savage purred.
