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Which was when it hit me. The white wasn't in my eyes. It was outside-and all around me. I sat up from my small cot and stared in horror at the seven feet by seven feet cube of a room I was in. My hand went immediately to my neck. My necklace, with the iron heart that Lend gave me, was gone.
My heart raced, panic setting in. No, this was wrong. They just brought me in to chew me out, or demand I work for them again, or-
I reached a hand down to my ankle and was immediately sick to my stomach over the small bulk beneath my jeans hem. No, no, no, no, no.
I'd been bagged and tagged. The ankle bracelet I was wearing was as familiar to me as Tasey; I knew exactly how it worked, and even then it was all I could do to keep my fingers from trying to rip it off.
I'd only get electrocuted again.
I stared at the open doorway, tormenting me with a free pass to freedom-or at least, freedom for anyone who hadn't been tagged. And if I had to guess, I'd say I wasn't in Containment or the normal cellblock. If they had any brains, they'd have put me in the Iron Wing.
Which wasn't to say I thought they had any brains at all, because the second one of them came in the room, he was going to get the surprise of a lifetime. I didn't think they knew what I could do besides seeing beneath glamours. They never knew that Viv and I were the same. Raquel wouldn't have told them; I had to believe that.
Which meant that I was armed, and they had absolutely no idea.
Normally I wouldn't even consider using my abilities on a werewolf, much less a human. Their souls were already so fragile, everything about the idea felt wrong. Even Vivian never sucked a normal human dry. But there was no way I was going to sit around in lockup while my boyfriend was being held prisoner. I didn't care what it would take to get out of here.
"HEY," I shouted, walking barefoot right up to the doorway. "HEY. I wanna talk to Raquel. "
No response. I went back to my cot and tried to pry it up to throw out in the hall, but it was bolted to the floor. Figured. I grabbed the scratchy gray blanket and tossed it out into the hall, followed by the thin mattress.
"HELLO! You better get whoever's in charge the bleep in here or you're going to regret it! People know I'm missing! And by people I mean paranormals the likes of which you can only imagine in your worst nightmares!"
Well, that was probably a lie. I'd walked out on them. And why would they think to look for me here? Still, I was going to play every card I could. "You think last April was bad? Wait and see how many of you are left standing if you keep me in here, you bunch of-"
"Evie," a gruff voice said and Bud, my old trainer, came into view. He looked older than the last time I'd seen him, and much sadder.
"Bud! Listen, you have to let me go. This is a huge mistake. "
He shook his head, the heavy creases in his grizzled face deepening. "Sorry, kid. Things have changed around here. " He looked both ways down the hall, then leaned in closer. "And not for the better. "
"Bud. I just-I have to get out of here. " Tears of desperation pooled in my eyes. "My boyfriend, he's been kidnapped by faeries and I'm the only one who can help him. Please, Bud, they're going to hurt him. Help me. Where's Raquel?" I wasn't trying to manipulate him by crying, really I wasn't, but the second I wasn't angry I was overwhelmed with fear and hopelessness.
He looked torn, then shook his head. "I'll tell them you're awake. I wish there was something more I could do for you, I really do. " Frowning, he walked out of my vision.
I cried harder. Then I straightened and wiped my eyes. I was not going to cry in front of anyone else here. Ever. They were screwing with the wrong girl.
I paced my room-one-two-three-four-five-six-seven, turn two-three-four-five-six-seven, turn two-three-four-five-six-seven, turn two-three-four-five-six-seven.
One. Get out of the bleeping Center.
Two. Get to the Faerie Realms.
Three. Kill the Dark Queen.
Four. Save Lend.
Five. Make IPCA pay.
Six. Help the paranormals figure out another way home.
Seven. Finish plans for the Winter Formal.
Simple enough.
One. Get out of the bleeping Center, assuming anyone ever came to talk to me.
Two. Get to the Faerie Realms, assuming I could somehow get a faerie name and then control that faerie even though half the faeries wanted me dead and the other half wanted to use me.
