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"Zoria? Are you in here?" Anton called.
Zori counted to three and tried to steady her heartbeat. She opened her bedroom door and rubbed at her eyes to explain how red they were.
"Anton? Sorry, I fell asleep after training. What's wrong?" she asked.
Anton smiled at her. "I have good news, but you need to keep a secret, okay?"
Zori forced herself to smile back. Everything was fine. "A secret? Should you be telling me this at all?"
"Probably not. I just want to make sure you don't try running away again. Maxim is coming home the day after tomorrow. He's finished up his work early, so he can spend some extra time with you before his next conference," Anton replied.
"That's great," Zori said, her smile cracking even wider. "It will be so good to have him home again."
"I know you've been lonely without him. He's also asked me to organize a few days of fun tourist things for you both. There's also a very pretty dress headed your way for the ballet," Anton added with a wink.
We need to keep Zoria happy and pampered.
"That sounds… Wow, that's wonderful." Zori forced herself to be happy about it. "It would be great to see the ballet."
"That was my suggestion. All ladies love the ballet," he replied before heading back to the door. "Get some rest. You have a lot of fun in your future, little one."
"Thanks for letting me know, Anton. I appreciate it," Zori said, giving him a small wave. As soon as the door closed, Zori went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She couldn't fall apart. Not yet. She was breaking inside.
Zori…are you okay? I can feel your distress.
The parking area is the easiest way to get in the building,Zori told him, her mind racing.There are two staff rooms—one for men, one for women. They have large supply cupboards that have new scrubs for people to put on as soon as they enter the facility. There are huge, dirty laundry carts that you might be able to use.
Zori, please stop. You're babbling. Tell me what has got you so spooked, puppy.
You have to get Misha out tomorrow night. Maxim is coming home early, and it's your last chance to get him.Zori sent all the photos of what she had discovered in Maxim's office.I'm sorry that's all I could get before Anton turned up. Misha must still be alive.
We need to get you out of there too. You shouldn't have to be there a second longer.
I'll be okay. Maxim is determined to keep me happy and pampered. Zori quickly told him everything else she'd overhead. The anger that poured through the connection left her dizzy.
I will get Misha out tomorrow, and then I'm coming for you. Wherever Maxim takes you, I will follow. I won't stop until you're free.
Zori was crying again and couldn't stop. She hadn't been scared of Maxim before, but she was now. She didn't know the man from the journals at all. She had no idea what he was capable of.
Zori's hands began to burn, the sensation travelling up her arms. She pulled back her long sleeves. The ridges on her skin were even higher. How was she meant to hide them from Maxim? What if he wanted her to wear one of the dresses he'd bought for her? They all showed enough skin that there would be no way to hide the bumps. He would know straight away she'd stopped taking the tablets.
The thought of Misha's busted face flashed in her mind. Would he do that to her for misbehaving? When she stopped being useful to him, would she be harvested for her parts like her mother's dead body had been?
"One more night, Zori. That's all you have to deal with," she told herself. She would find a way out, with or without Vladik's help.
13
Vladik was losing his goddamn mind. He paced his loft, his tail whacking irritably on the floorboards. He only had to wait until midnight, and then he was going to get his brother out of that fucking tower. He'd spent the last day going over his plans, checking and re-checking. Zori had helped, telling him exactly how she had gotten out and what to expect when entering the building.
Vladik only had to get one more piece, and that was the security cards off one of the guards. He knew their schedules from watching the building and knew the one that always walked home from work. He would be easy to pick off in the darkness.
Vladik pulled up the picture of his brother again. His hair and beard were ragged and long from his imprisonment, but there was no mistaking it was Misha. He had aged prematurely, his dark hair streaked with silver.
If Maxim's notes were to be believed, Misha had been holding out from shifting into his true gargoyle form. For fuckingyears. They wouldn't need to try and beat his brother to make him suffer. Not shifting for a few days was a living hell. Misha would be all but dead inside by now.
I'm coming, brother. I'm coming.
Vladik pulled the teleportation charm from its velvet bag. It was a silver pendant carved with sigils. It had arrived unexpectedly on his dining table with a note on how to use it. It was meant for Zoria, but after seeing the state Misha was in, Vladik knew he'd be using it to get him the fuck out of there.
