Oh, God, Roarke. He’d told me he knew I was hiding in the air duct with the Scar. He’d tried to protect us.
Jasmine’s finger pressed harder into my cheek and her nail broke the skin as she dragged it down to my jawbone. “That’s why he wasn’t there when Kilter came back for you. I kept him for weeks like you are now.” She dropped her hand from my face and walked to the bay window, parting the heavy blue curtains. “He’s a lot like Waleron, except I had to allow him a human every week to keep him alive. Stupid Grit wouldn’t kill them though. He’d suck just enough air to keep himself alive. Pathetic Grit. I planned on keeping him for myself if you hadn’t escaped.” She shrugged. “But I knew he’d come after you and I used that.”
Shivers coursed down my spine. Tears teetered on the rims of my eyes, and if I blinked, they’d fall and Jasmine would win. I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction.
“Leave her alone.” Liam stopped pacing the hardwood floors.
“Soft spot for the girl?”
“No, sick of hearing your voice,” Liam shot back. “We need to make plans.”
“Don’t be such a—”
The door burst open.
I jerked and the spikes cut into my neck. My eyes widened and my heart pounded when I saw Waleron standing in the doorway.
“Release her, Jasmine,” he said, striding into the room, his face a mask of stone.
I waited for more Scars to follow in after him, but he was alone.
No, he couldn’t be.
His eyes flicked briefly to me then back to Jasmine and Liam.
She put her hand on my neck. “Well, this is a surprise. I didn’t expect you to find us so quickly. Let me guess—Roarke? He is resourceful. Did you kill him after you got the information?”
Waleron ignored her and spoke to Liam. “Abby is with us. You’ll have her, but Rayne is to be released first.”
Jasmine flicked her hand in the air and four of her followers took off through the house. She strolled back to me and put her hand on the back of my neck just above the collar.
“Abby first,” Liam said.
“No.” Waleron walked further into the room to stand twenty feet from Jasmine with the wall at his back. “This is what you want, isn’t it, Jasmine? Me.” I heard her breath quicken with anticipation. “Once Rayne is free of your toy,” he nodded to the contraption, “I will bring Abby in.”
Jasmine laughed, and goose bumps popped along my skin. “That’s not how this works,” Jasmine said. “I don’t trust your word, Waleron. First we will make certain you cannot escape me—again.”
Waleron didn’t say anything; he merely nodded and walked toward me and Jasmine.
“No, Waleron, don’t.”
“This is how it’s supposed to be.”
“No. No, please she’ll kill you.”
“No.” He paused. “No, Rayne, Jasmine will never kill me.”
“But you don’t negotiate. You said that.”
“True,” he stated.
His eyes briefly went to mine and there was nothing in him that suggested he was submitting. I saw in his cold eyes that held discernible power.
He stopped in front of us.
“Turn around. Hands behind your back,” Jasmine said.
He did without hesitation.
Jasmine let me go and pointed her fingers at Waleron as the white webs wrapped around his wrists. Then she grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around to face her, a slow, sensual smile on her lips. “Mmmm, finally. You, my love, are in for a treat.”
My stomach cramped as I thought of what could only be Jasmine’s idea of a treat.
She slithered up to him, her lips a breath away from his mouth. “I have a new place for us. One you’ll never be able to escape.”
The snake tattoo’s eyes blazed bright red and slithered up over his ear then disappeared behind his neck. “Release her from the collar,” Waleron ordered.
Jasmine sighed. “I could get you to do anything if I keep her.”
Liam strode across the room. “And they won’t give me Abby without releasing her.” He grabbed the necklace around Jasmine’s neck and yanked. The leather snapped and he pulled the key from the locket and slid it into the prong collar’s latch at the front of my neck. It clicked and the collar released. He tossed it to the floor.
I sagged against the chains, every muscle straining from remaining paralyzed for over an hour. God, Roarke had been kept like this for days. No, weeks.
Liam glared at Waleron. “Where’s Abigail?”
Balen appeared in the open doorway, Abby beside him with what looked like a tiger guarding her. There was a thin string of light connecting Balen and the tiger.
He dropped his hand from Abby’s shoulder and she hissed and sneered at him. The tiger swiped at her with his paw and she darted out of his way.
“Abigail, come,” Liam ordered.
She walked across the room toward Liam, but there was a shift in the emotions, the sudden alert of danger as heartbeats escalated. I didn’t know what was happening, but I felt it all around me.
Waleron stiffened and his gaze went from the girl to the staircase.