Chapter 19: Bianca - Echo - Change

Bianca
Echo

* * *

“Excuse me,” I began, my breath light with excitement. “What am I looking for exactly?”

There was really no need to whisper, but it felt necessary to fit the mood. As far as ghost hunters went, we weren’t the most picturesque example. Gloria was wrapped in a red cloak as she sat on a folding beach chair beside a barely legible tombstone. Her eyes were closed as she leaned back into her seat, and I was pretty certain she was asleep.

Meanwhile, Ada was muttering under her breath as she paced the space between us, not at all phased by the mud staining the red bottom of her Louboutin heels.

For once, I was glad for my intuition. Nothing suited these sorts of wayward activities more than a black skater dress, a leather jacket, and thigh-high boots. It was fashionable, deadly, and perfect for blending into my surroundings.

“A ghost,” was Ada’s short reply.

I frowned, running a finger over the edge of my binoculars. I’d only snatched them out of habit, of course, because when Finn and I investigated the football team, they had been quite useful. However, binoculars were not at all helpful for seeing spirits.

Not that I expected to see any; perhaps I should have mentioned earlier that ghosts didn’t hang out in graveyards.

Maybe we’d luck out. Although with how things were looking now, Ada’s sources—whatever they were—were probably wrong. It was after ten, and they were late, in any case.

“Why am I looking for a ghost?”

Ada stopped and shot me a stern look. “Do you feel anything?”

My mouth went dry as a familiar current of alarm shot up my spine. “No.”

“Then we’ll keep waiting.” She resumed her pacing.

I watched her a moment longer before sitting on my ankles and setting the binoculars on the dirt beside me. After all, I’d be able to feel a ghost long before seeing it. With that in mind, I pulled my purse into my lap.

There was no use suffering for no reason. I was hungry, and I’d cancelled my dinner with Miles for this.

“What is that?” Ada stopped mid step and looked at me once more.

I froze, the candy bar halfway to my mouth, and blinked up at her. “Chocolate?”

Weren’t shifters supposed to have enhanced senses? The smell of chocolate should have been pretty distinguishable.

“I am aware!” she snapped. “But who eats at a stakeout?”

This was a stakeout?

I thought we were looking for a ghost and meeting someone. Besides, I was still a mentee. Why should I be held to the same standard of ethics as the professionals?

I glanced back to my food—the bar of chocolatey goodness was already softening under the heat of my fingers.

“It’s real German chocolate?” For some reason my statement came out as a question, as if the purity of the chocolate to milk ratio would make a difference, and I broke off a piece, holding it toward the angry woman.

Perhaps she just needed a healthy dosage of tryptophan. “Here,” I offered.

She reached for it, lips pursing as her nostrils flared, and her fingers were inches away before I recalled one very important detail.

“Wait—” My pulse skipped, and I pulled my hand back, ignoring the flash of annoyance in her eyes.

Let her be annoyed; I refused to have her die on my watch. “Can hyenas eat chocolate?”

Instead of getting angry, her expression softened slightly. “Are you worried about me?” she asked.

Was this a trick question—something to catch me off-guard before she ripped off my head? “You’re important to Titus, which means you’re important to me too.” Something stirred in my chest as I spoke the words, and, suddenly, I realized I’d meant them completely.

But I hardly knew the woman, and I generally tried to stay out of other people’s business, with the occasional exception. However, despite meaning to do so, my circle of people to protect just kept growing larger. How could this be?

“Who are you? What is your relationship with Titus?” She seemed genuinely curious, and her forehead wrinkled in concern. “And don’t tell me it has anything to do with Bryce. You two are not couple material.”

Now I really liked her. This was a woman who understood reality.

That didn’t mean I could tell her about me being Titus’s mate. If the others hadn’t already, there was probably a reason. “I…”

“Be quiet.” Gloria’s order cut through our conversation, and we jumped as she sat up suddenly in her seat, her faux blanket falling into her lap. “Do you hear that?”

Ada stood tall, her attention mimicking Gloria’s, focused on some point above my head. “Yes,” her voice was a hiss. “There’s multiple people out there. This is not what we agreed on.”

My trepidation grew, and I dug my fingers into the dirt.

“It’s not a ghost,” I offered. The hair on my arms stood straight up, and the back of my neck itched. Reflectively, I pressed myself closer to the ground, hiding low behind the tombstone.

“There’s more than one rogue.” Ada spared me a quick glance, frowning deeply before she whispered to Gloria. “They’re not supposed to be here.”

“And an onmyoji too, maybe two.” Gloria had gotten to her feet, more alert than I’d ever seen her, and a little bit taller than I remembered. She tilted her face up as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “There’s at least one shikigami already. They don’t smell friendly.”

“It’s too late to run, they’re headed our direction.” Ada pulled at her jacket, crimson falling to the dirt beside her discarded shoes. “I’m going to shift.”

“Don’t!” Gloria was no longer hobbling. In fact, she moved rather quickly for being so frail, as if adrenaline was giving her extra strength. She grabbed Ada’s arm—her usual walking stick forgotten—as she shook the younger woman once. “These are wolves—they’ll attack you right away if you approach them as a hyena.”

“Well then you do it.” Ada stepped closer to me, picking up Gloria’s fallen cloak and tossing it around my shoulders. “You’re Alpha to most wolves anyway. Even if they’re rogues, they’ll be hardwired to listen to you. Maybe they won’t notice her.”

Gloria bit her bottom lip, watching me with a look that caused my blood to chill.

Why were the two of them suddenly so worried about me?

“It’s too late. It won’t matter what I do,” she said finally. “They’ll know she’s here already—the scent of a fae is hard to miss.”

“Goddamn it. We’re going to be killed for this.” Ada crouched in front of me, keeping me trapped against the headstone. She pulled out her phone, typing something quickly on the screen as she whispered in a barely discernible voice. “You just had to bring along his mate, didn’t you?”

Gloria moved to stand beside her. “You could tell?”

“Of course I could tell!” Ada snapped, putting the phone back into her pocket. “Do you think I’m a complete idiot? He’s my boss!”

My eyes dropped to the ground, and my teeth chattered. “Sorry.”

“Don’t let them hear you speak—it’ll only make a rogue want you more.” The hyena’s jaw locked. “Just try to stay as unnoticed as possible.”

Unnoticed by hiding under a bright red garment?

Still, I didn’t argue. I couldn’t speak if I’d wanted. My throat was already closed from fear as the chill in the air dipped further.

They were here.

“Ada Sartore and Gloria Protean.” A man in a dark suit stepped through a gap between two large monuments. He was casually touching the cuff of his sleeves, and gold earrings reflected from the light of our tiny electric lantern. He smiled at Ada before brushing his slick ponytail over his shoulder. “What a pleasant surprise.” As he spoke, the shapes of countless others stepped out of the shadows, surrounding the three of us in all directions.

“Jameson Duff.” Ada’s voice was low, and her shoulders stiffened. “You’re not surprised at all! You’re not who I was supposed to meet tonight. What did Albert tell you?”

I was pressed pathetically against the tombstone, fighting to keep my rising nausea at bay. But being surrounded by shifters wasn’t exactly helpful, especially combined with Gloria and Ada’s obvious tension.

I could feel their curious eyes on me—could almost feel their hungry breath on my neck.

Jameson didn’t answer Ada’s question. Instead, his dark eyes landed on me, and his mouth thinned as he took another step forward. “And who is this?” He didn’t make much progress before both Ada and Gloria moved between us, hiding me from his line of sight.

“She’s my protégé,” Gloria replied shortly.

“She’s fae,” someone interjected. “That’s amazing. I’ve never seen a female in person. I thought they were endangered.”

“Yes, she’s fae.” Gloria brushed at her skirt. “And her family knows where she is too. You know what’ll happen if she’s caught up in this. Let’s just put this behind us and move on with our meeting.”

“You know, for a shifter, you’re most peculiar,” Jameson said slowly. “What is it about the fae that fascinates you so much? No other shifter would have been entangled with fae brothers, and now you’re on your second fae protégé.”

Gloria growled low under her breath, fists clenching at her sides. “I happen to like the fae. They keep their word, and their blunt honesty is refreshing. Why do you hate them?”

“Oh, we don’t hate them at all,” another voice cut in. “In fact, we like them quite a bit. But not for the same reasons as you.”

“Enough,” Jameson continued thoughtfully. “I’d thought you’d learned your lesson with your last protégé. Whatever happened to her: Alyssa Stephens, was it?”

“You know damn well what happened to Alyssa,” Gloria snapped. “Her husband is in your quintet.”

Ada stood up, crossing her arms. “What about Albert? What did you do to him?”

I was doing my best to stay as small and unobtrusive as possible. Albert—the person who she was supposed to meet?

Well, considering this outcome, he might very well be dead.

“Don’t worry,” Jameson’s lips curled up into a smile. “You’ll be joining him soon enough. That’s what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

And with that, the tense atmosphere shattered.

Ada leaned toward me, whispering in my ear. “Run!” At the same moment her hands wrapped around my arm, pulling me to my feet and shoving me away.

My pulse soared and my head spun, and I tried to obey—but only made it two strides before something wrapped around me in a tight, bruising force, trapping my arms to my side and causing me to topple face-first into the ground.

Snarls and growls echoed throughout the cemetery, and by the time the black dots faded from my eyes, the clearing was filled with flashes of fur and teeth. A grey hyena stood near me, head lowered as it watched the circling wolves, and only two men—Jameson and one other—remained unshifted.

Well, them, me, and Gloria.

“Still scared of shikigami, Gloria?” Jameson smirked, tilting his head. As he spoke, a falcon flew from the trees, landing on his outstretched arm.

Gloria, in the meantime, stood some feet from me. Her attention riveted to the shikigami.

I tried to roll onto my back. My ears were still ringing from the force that’d knocked me over. Thick leather ropes were twisted around me, and heavy weights pulled me to the ground. But I still had enough awareness to capture bits and pieces of the surrounding conversation.

“We’ve been looking for a chance to meet with you,” he said, brushing his finger over the falcon’s head. “The legendary Gloria Protean. Why don’t you shift? I’m almost certain you’d outrank any wolf here. How does that work again?”

“Not in the way you’d think,” Ms. Protean said. “What do you want with me?”

“The organization I am with has a few questions for you,” Jameson replied. “Regarding the council.”

“Too bad.” Gloria was frowning at him as she inched closer to me. “I’m not in the council anymore.”

Jameson didn’t appear to be perturbed. “Well your information will still be useful. I have a feeling it’s easier to get you to talk than Gregory Stephens.”

Gloria narrowed her eyes. “You’d be surprised.” She crossed her arms, now a statue between me and the onmyoji. “Gregory has a history of running his mouth when it’s not warranted.”

He gave her a look that indicated that, clearly, he did not believe a word she said. “In any case,” he said, “neither of you interests me, but there’s no use looking a gift horse in the mouth.” He released the falcon, which promptly disappeared in a jump of smoke and light, and he turned from us. They instantly attacked. Gloria was quickly overwhelmed by the wolf shifters encircling her, and Ada was pinned to the ground in a flurry of snarls.

I’d made it to my stomach and was in the process of moving onto my knees when the hair on my arms stood up. I didn’t even have time to move—to look behind me. My vision darkened as the rough, dark cloth pressed against my nose, and I clawed at the hands tying the bag at my neck.

“Let’s go,” a low voice commanded, and I struggled as my captor pulled my arms behind my back. “Someone is going to notice if we stay here any longer.”

An arm wrapped around my neck, pulling me back into a too-warm frame, and my breathing began to quicken.

No. My panic swelled, and my skin tingled. We couldn’t be taken. This was supposed to be my first official case! I’d fought Uncle Gregory for this! How pathetic would it look if we couldn’t even manage that?

But as I was dragged through the darkness, my attempts at digging my heels into the ground useless, there was no stopping it.

* * *

When we first arrived, I’d been pushed roughly onto a cold, wet floor, burning shackles snapping around my wrists and ankles, as the sounds of struggle faded into the distance. The bag remained over my head, and I was dizzy, disoriented, as I forced myself to breathe slowly in order not to pass out.

Forever passed—or at least it felt like it, and my muscles were tight by the time the sounds of footsteps and murmured cursing returned. I rolled to my knees as a door slammed and a loud metal screeching caused my teeth to chatter.

“Useless!”

A low grunt, and the sound of a body slamming against stone.

“I told you,” the slow voice replied. “I don’t have anything to say.”

More grunting and a movement brushed against me. My senses snapped to alertness, but I barely had time to recoil as the bag was jerked off my head and my attacker stepped away. Even though it wasn’t bright, my eyes still hurt, and it took a moment for the sight of Gloria being chained to the wall by a second man to register.

Her hair was loose around her, and her arms and face scratched and bruised. She growled at the man as he finished closing the chain around her wrist. When he didn’t move away quickly enough, she spat blood at him. “You might as well give up.”

“Gloria, Gloria.” Jameson stood in the open cell doorway, inspecting his fingernails. “Didn’t you know that beating up on an old woman leaves such a bad aftertaste? Why can’t you just cooperate, and we’ll all be happy?”

Gloria glared at him. “I haven’t been involved in the dealings of the council in decades. So I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish.”

“They’re simple questions.” Jameson held out his hands out in front of him, as if his request was perfectly logical. “You could bypass so much of this drama.”

Gloria spat in his general direction.

Jameson sighed, finally looking at me. “What do you think the fae knows?” he asked mildly.

Gloria’s mouth slammed shut as her attention moved to me.

As the cloud continued to lift from my thoughts, my surroundings began to grow into focus. We were in a basement of dirt, stone, and bars. The basement part was obvious by the very small opening high against the tall ceilings, where the darkness of night and the sprinkling of stars were only somewhat visible.

Gloria shared a space with me, and it was small, no larger than twelve by twelve. Outside of the single doorway behind Jameson and two of his lackies was a short hallway, no wider than two people standing side-by-side, with another similar room along the other side.

A hyena—Ada—was pacing alongside the bars, panting heavily as she glared at Jameson’s back.

“Would you know anything?” the onmyoji mused. His eyes raked over me, making my skin chill even though he hadn’t even come close to touching. “Probably not,” he said finally. “This might even be your first foray out of the house.”

His eyes held mine—seemingly bottomless pits of darkness—and my chest tightened. I tried to move to my hands and knees, to back away, but it was then I realized that I, too, was in chains—trapped between the corner and exit with not much leeway at all.

“It is.” Gloria’s voice sounded distant. “She’s only now learning about our world.”

Jameson’s slow progress stopped, and he glanced at one of the people beside him.

The bespectacled man touched his glasses, glancing nervously between the wolf shifter and the onmyoji. “She’s telling the truth.”

Jameson seemed to contemplate their words, but continued to frown at me. My body ached, and I shivered despite the warm—but slightly damp—cloak from Gloria that I still wore. And there was something in his gaze that caused my breathing to slow and my heart to race in fear.

“I don’t know,” he mused, the first echoes of frustration leaking into his expression. “I could have sworn I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“I think you’re delusional,” Gloria said sharply. “Just like if you think you’re going to get any information out of me.”

Jameson shot Gloria a strange look, then closed the distance between the two of us. I had nowhere to go, and so couldn’t do more than silently gasp as his arm shot down to me, and he grasped my still-bruised jaw.

His fingers felt like a white-hot iron against my skin, and my thoughts seized in terror.

“Hm…” he murmured, eyes roaming over my face. “I’m certain I know you.”

Across the room, a light flickered from the corner of my vision. Radiating from the black mirror hung beside our prison door. But despite it briefly capturing my attention, I couldn’t focus on the distraction.

The way Jameson watched me caused dread to pool in my stomach.

My mouth was numb and my skin cold. A slow haze was moving over my thoughts. Some distant part of me knew I was going into shock.

And it wasn’t anything to do with the man in front of me, as intimidating as he was. But rather, from the feel of the shifters watching me in the background with their hungry eyes. Whatever Jameson might do—nothing would compare to that.

“Which family do you belong to?” The tone of his question briefly caused my ire to rise—I didn’t, after all, belong to anyone. But as Jameson’s fingers dug into my jaw, I couldn’t respond; my speech had been stolen from me.

“Answer me,” he prompted, shaking my head slightly.

I wanted to. The promise of pain was urging me to speak. If only to stave off what might happen next.

But my tongue wouldn’t listen—my mouth refused to form the words.

Fire and pain bore down on me, a promise of more to come. And in the background, there was no respite. Only hungry eyes ready to throw me back into darkness.

I couldn’t talk, no matter how much I wanted.

“Dubois,” Gloria answered, her voice a thread of respite pulling my thoughts from the darkness.

Jameson’s attention tore from me, burning into the older woman.

Her expression was carefully blank as her eyes met mine. “And she can’t answer you; she’s mute.”

Tears filled my vision as the harsh reality of my situation slammed into me. Of course, Gloria was playing to something that she and Ada had thrown out in a panic: that I couldn’t speak at all. But the fact remained that at the moment, this was completely real.

“Dubois?” Jameson’s grip loosened somewhat as the fierce intensity of his expression slackened. “Who?”

I had no idea what he was asking, but apparently Gloria did.

“She’s Bryce Dubois’s wife,” Gloria said.

“Impossible.” Jameson frowned. “I’ve known Declan and his family my entire life. It’s always been obvious that Bryce Dubois is gay.”

“They’re fae—they’re fluid in these matters.” Gloria shrugged. “And they’re also a high-ranking family. This could be a political marriage. I don’t know.”

“Political?” He scrutinized me again and his fingers tightened, but it was still Gloria he addressed. “What’s her maiden name?”

“Brosnan.”

I fell as he suddenly dropped me, backing up and staring at me with wide eyes.

“You would be afraid of that name; you’ve always been a little punk.” Gloria’s goading voice sounded over my heavy breath, and I hoped for a quick repose.

I needed to pull myself together, and quickly.

“Even now, the threat of him still makes you check yourself,” she continued.

“Fuck Kieran.” Jameson shook his head, snapping himself out of his stupor. He inched closer, and the fury seemed to encompass the room. But he didn’t reach for me again.

This was a pivotal clue. Jameson was someone who clearly knew Kieran, and even my biological family. Which made sense, considering that earlier, Gloria had mentioned that he was in the same quintet as my birth father.

But it didn’t seem like the connection was entirely positive.

However, it would be better to focus on that later. Right now, I couldn’t even pretend to be holding it together, let alone think clearly.

“I…” Jameson began, then stopped. I peeked up at him through the shelter of my arms. His dark expression hardened into annoyance as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His attention remained on the device for one long moment, and then he scowled, turning off the screen and shoving it back into his jacket.

“I have another matter to attend to,” he was speaking to the guards now, moving back to the mirror and placing his palm on the surface. “Leave her alone for now.”

“But…” The second lacky glanced at me, disappointment causing his heavy shoulders to slump.

Jameson glared at him. “I said don’t touch her.”

Instead of feeling reassured at his command, the uneasy feeling in my stomach intensified. Something was wrong—and it had nothing to do with the fear he’d shown at the mention of Kieran.

My senses, which had been fading more and more before, were now growing sharper. The echo of footsteps pounded under my ears from somewhere distant outside of this room, and a nausea began to coat the back of my throat.

Gloria and Ada had also snapped to alert as they focused on the basement door. It was impossible to read the hyena’s expression, but Gloria was obviously tethering on the edge of panic and fury.

Considering that they—unlike me—could hear far past the confines of this prison, and were now reacting in this way… My sense of unease grew.

What was this ‘other matter’ that was now so important?

“Then what are we supposed to do?” the werewolf asked.

“Guard them, obviously.” He rolled his eyes, his voice chipped. Then, his haughty expression dropped and his attention returned to his hand—and the dark surface slightly shimmering under it. “Or better yet…”

“Jameson?” the other man tentatively ventured.

“Later, maybe,” he said. “First and foremost, we have to focus on subduing this dragon.”

“You hope to overpower him?” Gloria laughed. “There is no chance you’ll succeed. What in the world are you trying to accomplish?”

“Subduing him is only a short-term solution, and there’ll be no need to worry after we kill him.” Jameson shrugged, unperturbed by Gloria’s warning.

The men with the onmyoji froze and stared at the man, and the air in the room itself stilled.

“Kill him?” Gloria’s pale face shone white. She was looking at the man as if he was a stranger. “No matter what nonsense you’re involved with in the background, you’re still an officer first and foremost.”

“Or maybe there’s a better way,” Jameson replied. “Maybe we shouldn’t keep following this ridiculous tradition where we live at the whims of ancient fools and a handful of shadowed overseers.”

Gloria narrowed her eyes, and Ada suddenly shifted from hyena back to a woman but remained on all fours as she stared at the onmyoji in shock.

“You’ve joined the Gens Humana guild,” Gloria said, no question in her voice. “So they’re recruiting from within now? How could you be so stupid? They want to kill us.”

“That’s just the thing.” Jameson backed up a step and snapped his fingers. While a moment before, his men had been frozen at the revelation that their boss planned on killing Titus, the onmyoji’s unspoken order was enough to pull them from their stupor. “Would that really be so bad?”

“You’ve lost your mind.” Ada’s face was pressed close to the bars as she stared at Jameson. “That’s why you’re targeting Titus? Are you the one who’s infiltrated Jinshu?”

Jameson shrugged. “He’s the general.” His tone was light, but there was a tremor of apprehension in his voice. “Their first line of defense. If he’s gone, they’re weaker.”

“You can’t hope to stop him,” Ada warned. “Many onmyoji have already tried and failed. The only one with any chance of holding Titus back is Damen Abernathy.”

Jameson hummed, surveying me with a critical expression that caused a shiver to shoot down my spine. He addressed his nervous underling. “Get the glasses.”

The man’s hand shook as he touched his nose one more, glancing nervously between me and Jameson. I knew from the apprehension and tension in his face this wouldn’t bode well for me. “We haven’t had a chance to test out the spell yet,” he said to the onmyoji. “In theory, it should work but—”

“Well, we also didn’t plan on picking off Ducharme today either,” Jameson snapped. “But it just happened to be convenient, so I’m making the call to move forward. With his help, we’re in a better place than we were, and we can certainly handle a dragon with this.” He gestured vaguely in my direction. “Just do it.”

The two subordinates glanced at each other once—with the more confident one sneering once in my direction—before both left the room.

“What are you planning on doing exactly?” Gloria had been silent for a short time but chose that moment to speak up. Her eyes basically shone a pale gold, and her hair was falling over her left eye, as she warily watched the onmyoji.

I didn’t expect him to answer—but like most stupid villains, he did anyway.

“Well, the two of you have brought up some valid points,” he said. “If Ducharme manages to get away, there’s no way we’re coming out of this alive. And no matter how well prepared we are, it’s almost a guarantee that someone will slip up, somewhere.”

“What’s your point?” Ada asked.

“Well, the solution is right in front of me.” Jameson eyed roamed over me at this statement, his expression disturbingly critical. “I had other things in mind for the fae, but this would work just as well. A fae with noble blood is bound to have copious amounts of energy to spare.”

A thread of terror shot right down my spine, but before I could even do more than lift my head, Gloria leaned forward, arms straining against her restraints, and her voice was loud over Ada’s sudden snarling.

“That would be a grave mistake.” Gloria’s voice was a low warning. “Titus might be willing to overlook anything you do to him—he’s done it before, so long as you earn your way back to his good graces. But if you even attempt to use her against him in that way, you’ll have absolutely zero chance of making it out of this alive. He will do whatever it takes to get at you.”

Jameson shot Gloria the strangest look, but I couldn’t hope to decipher it before the two men from earlier came back into the basement room—followed closely by someone new. It was impossible to tell if they were male or female, or to even make out their features. The person was short, and hunched forward, entirely hidden by a dark tan cloak.

“A witch?” Ada’s tone was incredulous. “Just how many people have joined the guild?”

Jameson ignored her, pointing at the large, empty space on the floor between Gloria and me. “Make it there,” he said. “I don’t want to take this too far—more chance of something going wrong.”

Make what?

I wanted to ask. Since this involved me, I probably had more of a right than anyone to know.

But I didn’t have long left to wonder. The witch moved quickly forward, pulling out a thick white piece of chalk from under their coverings before kneeling on the ground to draw lines and shapes in the dirt.

The antsy man from earlier hovered behind him, occasionally reaching into his pockets and pulling out small items that I couldn’t distinguish and handing them to the witch.

“What is that?” Gloria asked as a short eternity passed and the two were finished. They’d moved back, allowing Jameson to walk the parameter with a serious look on his face.

My hands were flat against the floor, and I could feel the ground humming with the dangerous thrill of magic. It was different and deep—but there was also a quiet similarity to a magic I’d faced once before: Daniel Cole.

My skin tingled, and my blood raced, and even though I knew I was seeing things, it almost looked as though the pale thin lines of unbroken sigils were glowing. The ground shimmered with the added protection of whatever it was that had been set to the floor.

“A magic circle,” he said, not even glancing at her. His tone was filled with a bored mockery as he added, “obviously.”

“Obviously,” Gloria mocked. “But if you’re looking to just use her as something to source your powers from in order to contain Titus—which, I’m assuming, is your plan—there is no need for a magic circle. What’s this smell?”

The feeling of dread was growing stronger as I realized that she’d phrased her question in such a way so that I—who had less of an idea than anyone what was going on—would at least sort-of know what to expect.

Evil magic circle. Strange feelings. Bad smells.

Probably nothing good and might likely hurt and be quite deadly, if Gloria’s trepidation was anything to go by.

They were in an argument, but the words couldn’t reach past the pounding in my ears. The shackles around my wrist burned like a flame. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the somewhat pretty—but definitely imposing—circle.

I didn’t even have to wonder if it was the same as what’d imprisoned me when I’d been taken by the Cole family. I already knew.

Still, I couldn’t hold back my slow, tight breaths. Nervous guy stopped fidgeting, and I could feel his eyes on me, same with the stoic lacky and the witch—but Jameson remained in a monologue, unsuccessfully preaching the merits of spiritual freedom to Ada and Gloria’s unreceptive ears.

The ground vibrated under my knees, and the now-warm air brushed across my cheek.

“Um…” Glasses ventured, moving closer to the onmyoji. “Jameson?”

No.

As Jameson paused in his speech, turning to protest being interrupted, the ground fell out from under me, and the weight lifted from my wrists. Colors bled together as the pressing need to get away—to get help—filled my thoughts. I had to get out of here, I had to—

White hot flames exploded across my face and torso, and I fell back, sliding across the floor until I was flat against a hard surface, with a squeak of protest and pain as my arms moved to cover my head.

“Well, that was interesting.” And Jameson really did sound intrigued. “Even most higher ranking fae wouldn’t be able to blink out of those restraints.”

His words sounded foreign and jumbled, but were still distinguishable. However, my head was still reeling, and I couldn’t make out anything from the spots in my eyes.

“What was that?” Gloria sounded shocked.

“A barrier,” Jameson said simply. “It prevents anything from escaping unless physically ushered in and out of these doors.”

I rolled onto my stomach, my vision finally clearing, to see the four staring at me in discernment.

“Now I’m beginning to see why the Dubois family wanted you,” he said, stroking his chin. “But no fae or spirit will be crossing in and out of this room today. However, this is a good omen.”

“She made a noise,” Glasses said. “She’s not physically mute. Be careful.”

I could almost feel the sudden tension radiating from Gloria and Ada. His every footstep sounded loud as Jameson closed in on me before finally kneeling to the ground in front of me.

Before I could even move away, he grabbed the back of my neck, holding my face upwards to his. The world paused, and I stared at him. The strangest feeling brushed along the back of my mind. A cold tickle as his deep eyes bore into mine.

“She’s not going to be casting any enchantments today,” he said finally, speaking to the others. “Her inability to speak is not from something physical.”

His sidekicks watched him with wariness and Gloria and Ada in surprise. The mood of the room dropped further.

“If you say so.” Glasses adjusted his frames once more. “You’re the specialist.”

“I am.” Jameson’s grip loosened from the back of my neck and he stood. “Now let’s get with it. We need to reinforce the room before Ducharme arrives.”

Get with it.

I stared at the chalk-outlined circle again, and my pulse raced. The others avoided it as they moved to me, and I knew I had to do whatever it took to not be dragged into that circle. My chest swelled with a feeling of urgency as I moved to my feet, my thoughts still swaying from the events only moments prior.

It was almost there, a—at the moment, welcome—sensation brushed against the back of my neck. I didn’t care what happened or who we had to kill.

I needed Mu. There was no way I could get us out of this on my own.

As the thought crossed my mind, the feeling faded and my breath hitched in a panic as the possibility of becoming kick-ass within the next second drifted further and further away.

Why?

My mind reeled as a sense of angry betrayal filled me.

Any other time I could do this! Why not now?

But I didn’t have any time to panic before two sets of hands grabbed at my arms. Despite the shouted protests ringing throughout the room, I was pulled forward and thrown, unceremoniously, into the circle.

My breath seized as the ground rushed up to meet me. My hands and knees crashed into the floor, and all resistance faded as I fell, down, down onto the stone. My hearing grew muffled and light and space vanished as a heavy lethargy weighed in on me from all directions.

A bright light flickered in the corner of my vision, and it took a monumental effort to turn my face toward it. Distantly, I became aware that I was now laying on my back, but I’d no idea how I’d managed to turn over, or why I couldn’t seem to feel the cold, rough floor against my skin. This was maybe okay, but even if it weren’t, it’d have to be.

I couldn’t muster the energy to move even if I’d wanted.

Another flash, clawing at my attention, but I was only dimly aware of it.

The deep sound of laughter ricocheted through my fuzzy thoughts, words that should have held meaning.

Then, as the object grew brighter, the pain that had only been a distant memory in my head shot through my skull with a vengeance. My arms and legs seized in pain as the feeling of a thousand teeth pulling at my skin pierced through me.

And the ever-distant, but always-present shadow that lingered in the back of my thoughts, began to fade further away.