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“I heard you were crying.”
My fists clenched briefly. “How did you know?”
“Zach told me.”
I drummed my fingers against my leg. “I’m sure the entire house was listening to me, except for all your mortal slaves.”
“There’s only Anna,” he explained, “and she’s not a slave.”
No, I was sure she was just a‘“guest” like me. Whatever made the asshole feel better about himself. “That doesn’t make it any better.”
He glanced at the plate. “Is the food not to your liking?”
I pulled my knees together then curled them against my chest. “I’m just not hungry.”
“You need your strength.”
He sounded like my mom. “Please, leave me alone. If I’m aguesthereand you really have no intent on harming me, then prove it. Just leave me be.”
“I only came up here to let you know I’m entertaining some out-of-town guests tonight. We will be in the dining room, so don’t wander.” He gripped his wrist with his other hand and leaned forward.
“Great,” I said, my tone thick with sarcasm. “What’s to stop them from coming in here?”
“Because I told them not to.”
I scoffed. “It’s not like I can do anything about it if they did.” He stood and turned to leave. “Wait,” I called out. He turned back, fixing his collar. “Did you find out anything about my mom or Draven?”
“No.” His stony expression told me he didn’t care either.
“Are you going to tell me why I’m really here?” My voice quivered, and I sat on my hands to stop them from shaking. “Before you say it’s to protect me, I want to knowwhyyou’re protecting me. What is it you want from me? Because you monsters don’t do anything unless it’s for your own gain.”
“Is it not enough that I saved you before they killed you?” His voice deepened. “What makes you think I want anything from you? Be grateful, unless you’d rather I hand you over to the people I’m protecting you from. Then you can see what real monsters look like.”
My heart raced as I clambered back against my nest of pillows. “I just assumed—”
“You assumed wrong. Don’t leave this room tonight if you value your life.”
He was gone before I could say another word. There was no way I could get out of here by going against them, even if I hated them with every fiber of my being. So I stood, walked to the window, and looked down onto a bustling street. Mostly sangaree walked up and down the sunlit road, laughing and chatting.
My mom’s voice sounded in my head.“Sometimes, you need to join them to beat them.”That’s what she used to say when I asked why agents from the guild would go undercover in this world, posing as mortals who wanted to become blood donors. Unfortunately, none returned from Sanmorte, but they knew what they were getting into.
This was like that. I had to play smarter because this wasn’t just about me; this was about my mom and Draven, and until now, I’d been helpless in helping either of them.
Anger thrummed through me when I thought about the bloodsuckers and how they’d come into our home, taken people I’d cared about, and killed hundreds of good people who were only ever protecting us from them.
Sebastian, or whatever mortal name he used to pretend he was anything but a disgusting leech of a creature, claimed some crap about not wanting anything from me, but he was hiding me up here, from the order. There had to be a reason, one which suited him. They weren’t ever going to be honest, and I’d turned into the prisoner they’d wanted by doing nothing.
Zachariah hadn’t said there was a headquarters for Nightshade, but there had to be. If they had one nearby, then my mom was probably there.
I stepped away from the window and placed my hands on my stomach to center myself, drawing in deep breaths. I focused on the surrounding smells of polished wood, old spaghetti sauce, and lavender coming from the bag hanging on the closet door.
If only I could use my magic, I might have a chance of helping them. I willed my powers to come to me, keeping my mind as clear as I could while I searched for a spark of magic, anything to ignite what I knew was inside of me. I’d never concentrated on my lessons before, but now I had nothing else to do.
After half an hour of nothing, I took a break and ran a bath. Perhaps the water would energize me, and I’d have more success there. I plugged the tub and turned on the water. Heat steamed in swirls, and the tap leaked thick droplets when I turned it off. I added a jar of rose salts from the shelf over the white faucet and half a bottle of bubble bath.
After an hour of soaking, I’d only managed to make the water heat a degree. It was something, but not enough to get out of here. My head was pounding, and I called it a night, wrapping a towel around myself.
When I got back into bed, I found a note scrawled in elegant handwriting.
