“Nyx.” Cali stepped towards them.
If they heard her, Nyx gave no indication of it. Over and over, they rammed the cell bars. I moved to help but halted when Cali held a hand out. It felt like my heart was breaking and I didn’t know how to make it stop. A hand slipped into mine and squeezed. I decided not to overthink how Bastian’s touch managed to soothe my soul. But I almost died of shock when Warrick stepped to my other side.
“They were in Vail’s unit?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” My throat tightened at the admission.
For a long moment, Warrick didn’t say anything. Until recently, Vail had been one of the few Moroi who had been not only welcomed but respected in the Velesian realm. Warrick had no doubt heard at least some of the story that had led to the death of Vail’s unit. Most of them anyway.
“I didn’t know,” he finally said. “That Nyx was the survivor.”
Given that Nyx had only been a part of the unit for a few years, I wasn’t all that surprised.
Whatever Cali was whispering to Nyx was working because their body shuddered before they spun around and walked out of the room.
As much as I wanted to check on them, I suspected they needed their space. Plus, I was too angry to be of much use to them. I moved closer to the cell, trailing my fingers across the bars. “You know you’re going to have a painful death, right?”
A lot of people would claim Lucian’s death before me. Aside from his apparent role in the death of Adrienne and Emil, he’d tortured Draven for years. Samara was likely going to claim first blood, and we’d all be lucky if Lucian was still breathing by the time she was done.
Lucian glanced at me. “Ah. The unwanted Velesian. Enjoying those rumors, Rynn?”
My fingers kept sweeping the bars as I pondered his words and the situation in general. He was clearly imprisoned, but he didn’t seem all that unhappy about it. My gaze swept over his cell. There was a bed in addition to the settee and some shelves in the back with liquor bottles stacked on them. Next to that was a writing desk with a bookcase containing books and scrolls. The only thing missing was a bathing chamber, but he looked clean. His hair wasn’t greasy, and he smelled of sandlewood. Someone was taking him to a washroom regularly then.
I didn’t smell any urine or fecal matter either. So multiple times a day.
“If I were being hunted by Vail and Draven, I probably would have made a deal with people who hated me too,” I said lightly. “Maybe sell them on the idea of spreading rumors to destabilize a new regime I wasn’t particularly fond of.”
Lucian chuckled. “That’s what I always liked about you, Rynn. You’re perceptive. Samara is beautiful and smart. Calypso is hot and lethal. You’re just . . . there.”
“Your words. Oh how they wound me,” I said dryly. This wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before.
“That’s just it though.” Lucian leaned back, extending his arms across the top of the settee. “You’re just as clever as Samara, and while you might not have our dear Calypso’s magic, I have no doubt that you’re a strong fighter.” He scrutinized my face. “And you’re pretty enough, I suppose.”
“Do you have a point?” Bastian cut in. “Because I’m curious if you’ll be so bold when we open your cage and let Nyx in there.”
Lucian’s gaze flicked to Warrick and Bastian before returning to me. “Are you sleeping with any of them yet? That one seems a bit protective.”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” I muttered.
“Can’t imagine,” Bastian scoffed.
I turned to glare at him only for Warrick to growl, “Enough. Let’s get him out of there so we can take him and be on our way.”
He moved closer to the cell, examining it. There was no visible door, which meant magic was involved in getting it open. Bastian gently grabbed my arm and guided me back a few steps before joining Warrick in his search. I took a quick look into the middle room where I’d found the crest, but there were no signs of Nyx.
Concern nipped at me. They’d been trained by Vail and had been traveling with Cali. I knew they’d be okay, but I still hated the idea of them out there alone.
“And what makes you think you’ll be taking him anywhere?” Cali asked lightly. “He’s Moroi. That makes him Moroi business.”
“I’m sorry.” Bastian turned to face her. “But you’re a Furie, are you not? I mean, I know your own people hate you and they would probably send us a nice thank you letter if we were to end your miserable existence, but last I checked, you didn’t speak for the Moroi.”
The room was instantly drowned in darkness, and something prodded sharply in my mind. I gasped as a wave of fear rushed through me, tinged with a fury that wasn’t mine.
Twin pulls flared in my chest, helping to ground me enough to say one word. “Cali,” I rasped. The darkness vanished.
“Control problems, Furie?” Warrick’s golden eyes were locked on Cali. Despite the darkness and mental assault, he’d managed to draw his weapons again and place himself between her and Bastian.
Cali looked at me, her usually wild eyes looking sad . . . and scared.
