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“Not going to ask?” The tap of her toe against the concrete reverberated down the short hallway. Who wore white high heels and a business suit to an interrogation? Someone trying to intimidate, that’s who. It was Solange’s armor, another layer of intimidation. Like a queen facing a peasant.
The attempt failed miserably. Luna’s mother had the lady-of-the-manor persona down pat. After so many years around it, she had immunity.She wants to brag.The insight was startling, but it was a weakness she could exploit. Shrugging, Luna turned her back and strolled toward the cot.
“Don’t you turn your back on me.” Fury snapped out like a whip. Luna was jerked to a halt, her throat tightening as if there was some binding wrapped around her neck strangling her. She clutched her throat and swung around. Solange’s golden skin was marred by angry red splotches. Her chin was tucked. Her nostrils flared. She was like an angry bull getting ready to charge.
“I own you.” Her hand was fisted around the ruby pendant she wore around her neck so hard her knuckles were white. She made a yanking motion, and Luna stumbled forward, running headfirst into the metal bars. At the last second, she managed to get one hand up to prevent a concussion.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her temple. This was more terrifying than the tracking spell. Whatever the mage was doing, she had total control of Luna’s body, making her no more than a puppet on a string.
“While you were unconscious, I cast another spell. Unlike the last time, I wasn’t rushed. This particular little gift is irremovable. Try it and die.”
The pressure on her neck increased. She was barely getting any air. The edges of her vision darkened. Her knees gave out, and she dropped to the floor, fingers splayed over the concrete to keep her upright.
“That’s right. Kneel at my feet.”
Molten rage raced through her veins. Raising her head, she stared at Solange as she wrapped her fingers around the bars and pulled. Dizziness threatened to send her toppling back to the ground, but she clung as if her life depended on it, because it did. This was more than a test of wills. If she gave in and allowed the other woman to break her, she’d never come back from it. Muscles in her arms and legs screaming, she forced herself upright, leaning on the metal door for support. The world was fading, graying in front of her.
On a roar of frustration, Solange dropped the pendant. The pressure around her throat vanished, and Luna sucked air into her starving lungs, somehow managing to stay on her feet.
“I can kill you any time I wish. Your life belongs to me.”
She shook her head. “Belongs to me,” she gasped.
Reaching through the bars, she grabbed Luna’s chin and raised it. “My girl, you owe everything you are to me. When Kade was barely out of his transition, I obtained a small quantity of his blood and preserved it with the help of magic. I studied and tested it and formulated the most perfect strategy. When the time was right, I found a suitable human couple and set my plan in motion.” Her fingers tightened, digging into Luna’s skin. “You carry a single drop of the gray wolf’s blood. It not only gives you the same coloring, but it also provides a conduit from one to the other.” Solange’s smile made her want to cover her ears so she wouldn’t hear the rest. “I can get to him through you.”
Laughing, she released Luna and patted her cheek. “He’ll come for you. He won’t have a choice. When he does, I’ll be waiting.”
She squared her shoulders. “I won’t allow it.”
“You don’t have a choice. It’s the nature of the wolf to protect what belongs to him. You carry his blood, a piece of him. Oh, he’ll come.”
God, she was going to be sick. There was too much truth in what she was saying. Whether it was due to magic or because he felt responsible for her, Kade wouldn’t stop until he found her.
“I learned from my encounter with the white wolf. I won’t make the same mistakes this time.” Turning on her heel, she strode away without a backward glance. Another heavy metal door slammed in the distance.
Luna stumbled to the cot and fell onto it. What did she mean she wouldn’t make the same mistakes? What had happened with the white wolf? Did Kade even know? She was sweating, but she was icy cold. Dragging the thin blanket over her, she clutched the fabric. There had to be something she could do, some way she could warn him.
She thumped the back of her head against the hard mattress beneath her. Trapped in a cell, there was nothing she could do. Exhaustion pulled at her. Getting shocked and drugged, followed by whatever the hell magic Solange had performed on her and almost choking out was too much for her body. She needed sleep, but how could she rest until—
That’s it!Sleep was the answer. They’d connected in a dream. It had been unintentional. Could they do it again? Could she make it happen?
The new rush of adrenaline left her jacked up, unable to relax. Drawing on past yoga and meditation classes, she slowed her breathing. Relaxing her muscles one at a time, she sank into the bed. Eyes closed, she let herself drift and silently called his name.
…
Kade rubbed his gritty eyes as the sun rose over the city. The trail of magic had dissipated, leaving him with nothing to track. He rubbed his hand over his chest, something he’d done often through the dark hours of the night.
Luna was alive. He wouldn’t believe differently. It was up to him to find her. He hung his head and huffed out a breath.
His bag was ringing. Or rather the phone he’d given Luna was. Her purse was tucked in with the rest of his belongings. It comforted him to have a piece of her with him. He dug it out and looked at the screen—number unknown. “Yes.” He leaned against the wall of the nearest building. It was useless to wander aimlessly. He needed a plan.
“I wish to offer my assistance.” It wasn’t a surprise to hear the broker’s voice. Kade had been expecting to hear from him. “The leak has been plugged. I apologize for the regrettable difficulties my former employee’s indiscretion caused.”
“Regrettable difficulties,” he slowly repeated the words. If the man was in front of him, he’d show him regrettable difficulties.
A huff of breath was the first sign of real emotion Kade had ever heard from the man. “I vet my people carefully. I can’t afford mistakes. When they happen, they’re epic and can have long-lasting repercussions. I failed to anticipate all the possibilities. That’s on me. Charles Armstrong persuaded a computer tech in my employ to reveal your location.”
“I’m going to kill that fucker.” Charles was as much a problem as the mage. He had money and paid killers at his disposal, probably hackers, too.
