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“Yeah, it is,” Matt said, looking up with reverence at the wall. There were other pictures hanging on the wall, and as I looked more closely I saw that they depicted the club through different eras. When it began in a bleached photo from another era there were dozens of them, and over time that had dwindled down to today, where there was just a handful. “There used to be so many of us,” he said.

“What happened?”

Matt’s head dropped and he pursed his lips. “It’s just the way of life. A lot of people don’t have much time for it anymore. Sometimes I think we’re a relic of a bygone age but, hopefully our time will come again.”

“I’m sure it will, I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a part of a group that kidnaps innocent people?” I snapped, and then swallowed a mouthful of juice. Unlike Jack, I didn’t get the sense that Matt was as confident or as domineering, but I wanted to test it. By his reaction, I knew that I was right.

“I’m sorry about all that,” he mumbled, averting his gaze because he couldn’t dare look at me. The corners of my lips twitched. It seemed as though I had found the weak link, although I was still on my guard and wasn’t going to get ahead of myself. But I hoped that he at least might give me some answers.

“Are you? Really? My mother always said that if you were truly sorry about something then you wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

“I am,” Matt said, “but I didn’t have a choice.”

I let out a dry laugh. “That’s the excuse you’re going to use? Okay…I can see the type of people I’m dealing with here. Of course you had no choice other than to kidnap me. I guess I’m just the most important woman in the world,” I threw up my hands in frustration and rolled my eyes. It worried me that Matt didn’t say anything. He had a strange expression on his face and seemed afraid to look at me, and yet he couldn’t stop. Whenever I lifted my gaze he alway

s averted his. There was something sweet about it, really. I finished the sandwich and wiped the crumbs away from my mouth. I felt the tang of cold juice as I finished up the drink and set them on the couch beside me. I pushed myself up from the couch and dipped my head, swaying my hips in a way that always got the attention of men. I played with the ends of my hair, twirling it around my fingers and walked up to him.

When he noticed, he stepped back, until he was pressed against the wall. He smelled of the earth and of the forest. I looked up at him with alluring eyes. I wasn’t at my best, but given the surroundings and the way he looked at me I doubted very much if he had many women acting this way around him.

There were barely inches between us as I lifted my bright eyes and pressed my hand against his chest.

“Is that true Matt? Am I the most important woman in the world?” I asked softly, the words dripping off my tongue like honey. I could feel Matt’s body grow rigid with tension and his heart quickened. His breath came out in short bursts and still he could not look at me directly, as though I was the sun and he avoided looking at me for his own safety.

“No…this…it isn’t time,” he muttered, and then pushed me away. He ran his hand through his hair and turned his back on me. “You’re tired, you need to rest. You should sit down. You’ve been through a lot,” he said quickly. I arched an eyebrow, surprised at his reaction. Evidently not every member of the Howlers was aggressive, but I was intrigued by his words. I decided to return to the couch and folded my legs underneath me. I kept my voice low and soft, and spoke slowly. I remembered what Jack had said about songs being a spell able to enchant people, and while I didn’t want to give anything he said any credence, I did try and think about the way I could use my voice and body language to manipulate Matt.

“What did you mean by ‘it isn’t time’? Time for what exactly?”

Matt licked his lips and chewed the bottom one nervously. He paced the floor before me.

“How was your walk with Jack last night?” he asked.

“It was fine. Although he’s somewhat mysterious and a little frightening, and his grip is hard,” I said, rubbing my arm. A little fear crept into my voice as I remembered the way he held me. Matt looked at me with concern and walked over. He pulled my sleeve up and looked at my arm and then cursed under his breath.

“Was this Jack?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a long breath. “I’m sorry for all of this.”

“Then at least you can tell me what it’s about. I’ve been going stir crazy not knowing what you’re going to do to me, just waiting for the worst to happen. I don’t like being at the mercy of dangerous men, Matt, and if you’re going to do something awful then I wish you would just get on with it already. It’s bad enough that you had to bring me here against my will, but then you’re cruel enough to leave me to stew in my own worry. I’m losing my mind, Matt. It’s only been one night and I’m already going crazy.” I reached out and placed my hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. “Please tell me,” I begged.

I could feel his resolve weakening, like a dam that burst under a torrent of water. He tried to resist. He stood up and walked away, putting distance between us, but I could tell that, against all odds, he had a good heart. His regret was genuine and I could sense that he really wanted to help me, that he really believed he’d had no choice, and if that was the case then I could try and turn it to my advantage.

“What did Jack tell you?” he asked.

“Not much really. He told me some story about the moon and then complimented me on my singing, said something about how magic did exist in the world and singing was an example of that. Frankly it didn’t make much sense.”

“I see.”

“Do you? Because I don’t.”

Matt exhaled deeply. “I can’t tell you anything until Jack decides it’s time. I’m sorry.”

My eyes darkened. “Matt, please, I’m going out of my mind with worry. All I want is something to hold onto, something that might make a little sense out of all of this. There’s so much that I don’t understand. Why did you kidnap me in the first place? Why me out of all the others? Just tell me, please, and if you don’t, then just give me one of those magic potions you come up with and knock me out again. I’d rather be asleep than have to deal with all of this.”

Matt smiled wryly. “They’re not magic potions, they’re just blends of natural herbs and flowers that have different effects. It’s a skill that was passed down to me from my mother,” he said. I nodded, acting interested even though I didn’t really care all that much.

“So can you make me another one to knock me out so I can be at peace? I can see there’s no point in me fighting. I might as well just sleep and you can do whatever you want with me. I know I’m going to end up dead anyway…I just wish you would all get it over with,” my voice trailed away as I got to the end of the sentence and pure sadness came through. This whole situation was so difficult and there were moments when there was nothing in my mind but bleak despair. I was certain there was no way out for me; they might as well just have drugged me up and used me like some kind of doll. At least if I was out of my mind I wouldn’t have to deal with any of it.

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