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Damn it. I should’ve come alone.
Although I knew them all well enough to know they wouldn’t have let me.
I was just debating the pros and cons of doing a pre-emptive attack when Dru’s shoulders slumped slightly. He turned to the two Custodian leaders at the top of the stairs.
“I was in contact with five of those six students last year. I was aware of their journey into the wilderness of the underworld, and their attempt to find the Temple Stones in order to return Fallen University to earth. They’ve spent more time in the underworld than any of us have, and if they say they know something important, I believe them. You can of course put all of us through the usual lie detection measures, but I suggest you listen to what they have to say.”
Clipboard bristled.
“You what?” He rounded on Dru, gesturing toward us. “First of all, these are no longer students. They are banished fallen, subject to removal or death on sight.”
The woman next to him furrowed her brows, glancing from us to Dru to the man beside her, who was practically quivering with indignation.
“You heard everything that was just said, and that’s what you took away from it, Gregory?” The man opened his mouth to respond, but she lifted a hand, cutting him off. Then she nodded to the Custodians surrounding us, gesturing in our direction. “Bring them. Peacefully. As long as they don’t fight back.”
I nudged Kai beside me, silently reminding him that now was not the time to indulge any of his long-held grievances against the Custodians. I could sympathize with all of his gripes, but if he took it out on our captors right now, it would be like tipping the first domino over. The extremely fragile truce we seemed to have forged would be ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds.
He made a sound in his throat that was almost a growl, but his hand found mine, squeezing once before releasing me. I let out a small sigh of relief as we were herded inside the building.
It was hard to feel too relieved though, and utterly impossible to feel relaxed.
As the large entry doors shut behind us, I couldn’t help the feeling that we might’ve just voluntarily walked into a prison.
Or a tomb.
Chapter Twenty-Five
My four bond-mates surrounded me like we were literally glued together as we were escorted through the halls of the Custodian headquarters. The inside of the building was about as bland and boring as any office space that hadn’t been updated since the late eighties.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as we headed down a wide hallway, our shoes squeaking on the linoleum tile floor.
God, it’s like these guys were trying to be as lame as possible. First, they pick the name Custodians, then they choose an office building that looks like it ought to be filled with accountants?
It was probably a good thing they had a sort of forced recruitment system, where all FU graduates were required to join their ranks. Finding new members might be a little difficult otherwise. Nothing around us made this job look glamorous or exciting.
Any amusement I felt was quickly snuffed out when we were led downstairs into the bowels of the building. Our surroundings gradually changed, becoming more modern and sleek, and by the time we made it two more floors down, I felt like I was in some kind of futuristic sci-fi movie.
Much like Kingston and his team of researchers had, it looked like they’d managed to combine magic with technology in some pretty interesting ways. I was sure my dragon shifter mate would’ve loved to poke around and ask some questions, but we didn’t get a chance to stop.
Instead, we were led into a small antechamber with a large door on one side.
“You will wait here,” the older female Custodian said curtly, casting her gaze on us before shifting her attention to Dru. “You first.”
Without another word, she slipped through the large door. Dru and Clipboard—er, Gregory—followed her.
The rest of us waited in silence, surrounded by the Custodians who had escorted us through the building. I drummed my fingers against my thigh nervously, anxious to get this over with. I knew exactly what was in store for me beyond that door, and I’d rather just bite the bullet and get it done with than stand around forever waiting.
Thankfully, this waiting room seemed to have the same enchantment on it that the one at FU did. After what seemed like only a few minutes, the door opened again and Dru stepped out. He looked a little shaken, and I wondered when the last time was that he’d been subjected to questioning like that—if ever. It wasn’t pleasant at all, considering that the process involved basically stripping down all of your emotional barriers and poking around inside your head and heart.
But whatever he’d told the Custodian officials, it must’ve convinced them that this actually was important, because a moment later, I was ushered inside the room.
My heart squeezed in my chest as I took in the familiar sight.
The siren. The succubus. The empath. The mage.
Together, they would pick me apart and analyze the pieces, determine if my words were true and if I was hiding anything.
I took a seat in front of the table where the two officials sat, trying to project an aura of confidence even though my insides felt like jelly. “You know, I kinda would’ve expected your lie-detector system to be a little more advanced. Maybe use some kind of magic-tech combo?”
