“Where’s Sloane now?” Jack inquired.
“She’s down in the makeshift dungeon torturing the vampire-mage hybrid that ran this place,” Briggs said nonchalantly. Jack gave Grim a look that I couldn’t read, and Grim nodded his head in return. I’ve only heard him say one word. He talked less than Stone did.
“Can you show us the way?” Jack’s serious tone was unlike anything I’d heard from him so far.
“Aye, come on then,” I answered uneasily, suspicion taking over my tone.
We took Jack and Grim back to the dungeon entrance. Grim waved his hand, and a robe appeared over his clothes. Jack turned back to us and smiled meekly before speaking. “We’re gonna go down and scare him into talking if she hasn’t already. Vaughn, can you get these two back to wherever you’re staying?”
“Yes. Are you sure we should go, though?” He sounded doubtful about leaving. I felt the same way.
“Go check on the druid. He needs to be warned that he’ll have to give her some space after this. He can’t start talking to her as soon as she walks through the door.” Jack encouraged us with a pleading look.
“He has a friend with him. A human who kept him alive. How should we broach that subject with her?” Vaughn asked apprehensively.
“Ohhh, uhm, how was she when she sent you guys out?” he wondered.
“Royally pissed. Her eyes were completely red, horns popped out of her skull, and she grew a flaming bone tail,” Briggs responded.
“Yep, then he” I pointed to Briggs with my thumb, “told ‘er she looked like a demon Barbie before we walked out.”
“Did she smile or growl at you after that?” Jack teasingly questioned Briggs.
“Smiled.” Cockiness rolled off him in palpable currents, and before it could become contagious I muttered, “Oh yeah, before ‘er teeth turned inta razor blades.”
“Briggs or Stone,” Grim said to Jack.
“Yep,” he replied before facing us. “Here’s what you do; let Briggs and Stone talk to her. She doesn’t often let her demon surface, so she’s gotta be past her anger threshold.” He shrugged. “Briggs, when you get wherever you're going, talk to the guy. Get his story. Work that angle. If she gets pissed, back off and let Stone handle it from there. Demon to demon. She’ll be back to her usual self in a couple hours. Sooner if she gets answers from this guy.”
He shooed us off with a flamboyant flick of his hands. “Now, go. Get showered. Pack your shit back up. She’ll be ready to go once she decides what to do with the human.”
We all nodded our agreement, and Vaughn grabbed Briggs’ elbow. They transformed from looking human to water silhouettes before disappearing completely. I turned my attention back to Jack.
“You’re sure she’s gonna be okay?” I questioned him with concern.
“Yes, honey. She’ll be fine. She’ll never direct that anger towards anyone who doesn’t deserve it. The druid, though; yeah, he’ll catch some of her wrath when you guys get back home. When she knows he’s not injured, she’ll pretty much ignore him until she’s ready to talk rationally. They were together long enough for him to know this, but he’ll still try to push her. Don’t be surprised by the tension. Give them a couple days to work it out.”
Vaughn was back by the time Jack finished talking. It was hard to drag myself away. I didn’t want to leave my mate, but she was angry and I couldn’t solve any of it for her. The best I could do was keep her and York separated until she approached him. Or keep her tied up with distractions until she’s too blissful to be angry. That’s something I could do.
22
Sloane
Monday Early Morning
I was beyond enraged when we reached the inside of the dungeon. It wasn’t a real dungeon. No, it was dug out and bricked up inside. I was here five years ago, and I was about to finish that fight, once I got a little information from Kelvin here. Briggs’ comment about me looking like the demon version of Barbie eased my anger enough for me to see straight. When he left, it all came rushing back tenfold. There was a reason I didn’t want him, Palmer, or Vaughn down here, though. I didn’t think they’d be able to handle what I had in store for Kelvin. Five years ago, I’d have given him a quick, merciful death. That was before he kidnapped and tortured one of my mates.
I called Helios off of Kelvin to give him a chance to stand up. He didn’t take it. I ordered Novak and Stone to put him on the table in the other room. It was the medical table where they did all their power drains. He tucked his knees under his chin and begged me, “No, please! I’ll do anything. I’ll tell you anything!!”
“Good. We’re on the same page now.” I smiled maliciously at him. “Tell me who you give the power to,” I demanded simply.
“I-I-I can’t!” he cried out.
“Wrong answer,” I stated, kneeling next to him. “The next wrong answer will cause bodily harm,” I warned him, and he sobbed into his hands. “Who do you give the power to?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Kelvin said firmly.
“Are you sure? Because that sounded an awful lot like a wrong answer to me.” I tilted my head as I raised my eyebrows. If he wanted to play this game with me, then he needed to know that I’d win. I don’t lose. I snagged a knife from my skirt and rammed it through the top of his boot, into his foot. I heard the tip hit the ground beneath his shoe. His wail made me cringe, my ears ringing loudly as he ended with a sniffle.
“Let’s try this again, shall we? I’ll even give you a minute to think about your answer,” I gushed as I stood and surveyed my surroundings. “Novak, would you please check that room over there — the one with the metal table — for any kind of crystals or artifacts?”
“Sure thing, Trouble.” He giddily zoomed out of the cell while Stone stood stoic behind me.
“Now, about that question.” I continued my conversation with Kelvin after counting in my head to sixty. Quickly. “Don’t tell me that you’ll ‘tell me anything’ and then not answer the one thing I want to know. You gotta give me something Kel, or this is gonna get real painful real quick.” I twisted the hilt of the knife in his foot.
“I can’t tell you his name,” he screamed out as he gulped. “You aren’t understanding me. I CAN'T! Even to save my own life, I can’t tell you.” Well, I could read in between the lines. I guess he was under some sort of blood oath to keep his mouth shut.
“What can you tell me?”
“Nothing, but I could be forced to tell you with compulsion, I believe,” he squealed. A look of regret passed over his pained features.
“You believe. Is that supposed to be reassuring?” I asked as I made focused eye contact with him. Let’s see if it worked. “Answer my questions, Kelvin,” I cooed to him. “What kind of monster is he?”
“He-he’s a f-fae-mage hybrid.” He fought the words as they spilled from his lips.
“Summer or Winter?” I let a seductive tone flow from my mouth as I started my interrogation.