Page 43 of Druid Dreams

“Summer or winter?” I let a seductive tone flow from my mouth as I started my interrogation.

“S-s-summer,” he stuttered.

“And you know him how?” Maybe we could knock out the basics and narrow our suspect pool down.

“I c-c-can’t tell you.” He tried to break my hold by looking away, so I wrapped my hand around his jaw.

“Do you share mage blood?” I hardened my tone to keep his attention.

“Yes.” He ground out.

“What’s your father's name?”

“Alric.”

“Alric who?”

“Alric Moore.” He silently wept into his hands. Now we’re getting somewhere.

“When does your brother visit you next?”

“He-he doesn’t.”

That’s interesting. He didn’t do his own pickups, so clearly he didn’t travel from his base much. I twirled another knife in my hand as I proceeded with my line of questioning. “Who does he send?”

“Kadence.” Who the fuck is that?

“Kadence Moore?” Novak spoke up from behind me, disbelief ringing clear in his words.

“Yes,” Kelvin angrily bit out before a sobbing hiccup.

“What does she have to do with this?” Novak dangled four glowing crystals in front of Kelvin’s face. Fae crystals. He didn’t answer so I repeated it to him while maintaining the dizzying connection.

“She’s doing the same thing,” hiccup, “Just on a smaller scale.” Hiccup, “I don’t know what she does with,” hiccup, “Them after she visits.” Hiccup.

The man was a mess. I’d barely touched him! I snatched the knife from the top of his foot. As he shrieked out his pain, I let go of his jaw. I adjusted the angle of my body to face him head on. “Do you have anything else you can tell us, Kelvin?”

“They’re using the power for a magic mixed drug.” He stammered out before another hiccup. “They’ve been testing it on the shifters,” hiccup, “For months, but they started trials,” hiccup, “On the Vampires a couple weeks ago,” he rushed out before he could hiccup yet again. He tried to calm his breathing, and those fucking hiccups finally started to fade away.

“Is that all you know?”

“Yes! That’s it!!” He screamed before lowering his voice, “That’s more than they told me. I had to search they’re minds for some of that information.”

“Thank you, Kelvin. I think you’ve extended your usefulness.” I released the compulsion as I smiled awkwardly at him, showing more teeth than necessary. They were retracting more with each word, but they wouldn’t fully recede until I let go of my partial demon shift. I sliced open the inside of my cheeks every time I spoke, and they knitted back together before my teeth tore through them again. The minimal discomfort is nothing compared to what York went through down here.

“You’re going to kill me!?” He bleated.

“Let me tell you something,” I faked happiness that I didn't feel, kneeling down before him again. I reached out and stroked his head lovingly a few times while I continued to battle my rage. “The Druid you were draining, you know him right?” He flinched. “He’s one of my mates, and though I’m pretty angry with him right now, it doesn’t make him any less my mate.” He looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes as I stroked soothingly through his hair.

“You see those marks on the wall over there? That’s a mark for every day he was here. In this very cell. 858 marks.” I was losing the battle inside myself. It got harder and harder to fight with each calm word that rolled off my tongue. I petted his head rougher. “My original plan was to mark you as many times as he did the wall, and then paint this dingy cell red with your blood. That’s why I sent my other mates out. But… you were so helpful, Kelvin,” I praised him after my honesty. “It’s not nice to return your favor like that. Even though the Devil is one of my parents, I was raised with manners. The High Coven Master taught me those manners. The Supreme Alpha, however; he taught me how to get what I want,” I admitted with a snotty attitude.

I stopped running my hand over his head as I summed up my mood swing. “So, I changed my mind. I mean, I’m still going to kill you, but first I’m going to drain your power so I can make sure my Druid is nice and healthy. Then I’m going to give you the quick death I had planned against. Sounds like a good deal, right?” I inquired sweetly. He didn’t say a word.

“Now, the last thing I need from you,” I paused to make sure I still had his attention. “Is for you to tell me how to release the power in these crystals. You think you can explain that to me?” I coaxed.

“No! You crazy fucking bitch! I’m not telling you a godsdamn thing,” he raged at me.

“Got it.” Novak whispered in my mind.