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The scent took him down two flights of steps toward … “Fuck, the basement. We should have fucking guessed she’d plant it in the one place that destroyed her fucking life.” Even if it wasn’t the exact same basement where she’d suffered the abuse.
Knox cursed. “Step aside. I’d sure like to know how she got in here without knowing the code. Then again, it wouldn’t be impossible. I can do it easily enough.” He didn’t punch a code into the keypad near the basement door. Just sent out a brief wave of power that pushed it right open. Inside, he flicked on a switch.
Tanner glanced around. It was nothing whatsoever like Richie’s basement. It had been converted into a clean, bright storage space for hotel supplies—including food, bedsheets, towels, complimentary toiletries, and gift shop stock.
Locking onto Muriel’s scent once more, Tanner advanced further into the basement. The scent took him deeper and deeper into the large space. “I hear a faint beeping.” And the scent was leading him right to it. He hastened his pace, his heart beating fast, his blood still buzzing with—
There was an audible click in the air. A glass wall slammed up in front of them. And on their left. And on their right. And behind them. And above them. It happened in under a millisecond.
And now they were fucking contained by a glass fucking cube.
No, it wasn’t glass. The transparent wall seemed fluid, like water. He touched it. Hissed. The fucker was ice-cold. And it buzzed with power.
Levi hurled balls of hellfire at it, but the water instantly doused them, making them sizzle as they faded to nothing. “The fuck?”
Then a bulky figure stepped out of the shadows. It took a moment for Tanner to place that familiar face. “Foreman.” And if his expression was anything to go by, he wasn’t there to help them. He was there to stop them. No, trap them … like any good ensnarer. Well, fuck.
Muriel spared him, he said to Knox.
Her demon said he never voted for her, the Prime reminded him. She must have convinced him to work with her. As an ensnarer, he could have kept the victims still for her while she hurt them. Shit, I can’t pyroport out of this. Royal has definitely gained in power over the years if he can form traps that block forms of teleportation. That’s not to say we can’t get out of here, just that it’s going to take time.
Which meant they were dead if they didn’t find some way to get out before the bomb detonated. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Jaw hard, Finn followed the newcomer as they headed toward the living room. “We agreed that you should wait in the car.” Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced over his shoulder and frowned. “Jo, what are you—”
“Jo is with me,” said Leticia just as this Jo person closed the door behind her.
Leticia smiled. “Hello, Devon. You’re a hard woman to get alone. Eric let me in the building, gentleman that he is. I’m afraid he won’t be joining us.”
Finn planted his fists on his hips. “I told you I would deal with this, Let—”
“I’m not here to confront her over the accusations she slung at Reena,” Leticia told him. Then she nodded at her friend. “Jo.”
Just like that, a heavy weight clamped around Devon’s body, pinning her still. She tried moving. Failed. Seriously, it was like someone had encased her in steel from her shoulders all the way down to her toes. Fuck.
Panic struck her hard, making bile rise in her throat and causing her breathing to turn quick and shallow. The feeling of being trapped would never be something she handled well. It always took her back to that sweltering hot car.
Her feline went berserk. Wanted freedom so that it could rip Leticia apart limb from fucking limb. The dark power inside Devon’s belly was just as wild, eager to be released; eager to protect and defend. But it, too, was trapped.
Her ribs suddenly seemed too tight, and she felt like she just couldn’t get enough air. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shut down the panic before she hyperventilated. She forced herself to take a deep breath. And another. And another. And another.
“I know you got away from that last incantor, Devon, but I can assure you that Jo is far too powerful for anyone other than another incantor to take on,” said Leticia.
Maybe, thought Devon, opening her eyes. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get free sooner or later. Leticia didn’t need to know that, though. She also didn’t need to know that Devon’s demon intended to rip out her throat. “Tanner will come.”
Smugness glittered in Leticia’s eyes. “No, he won’t. You see, the magick surrounding you won’t just keep you still, it will put a block on whatever psychic link the mark on your palm gives you to him. He has no idea just how badly you need him right now.”
