Hold Me Closer, Necromancer - Lish McBride [95]
Ramon let his shoulders slump. “I understand. I’ve got baby sisters.” He tried to make eye contact with all of them. “But Sammy is family, too. I don’t know what’s up with you guys or your giant, mutant dogs, but I’m willing to swallow some ego if it gets my friend out in one piece.”
Sean rolled his neck from side to side and started shaking out his muscles. He looked like a boxer right before he goes into the ring. “Now that we’re all playing nice, shall we get on with it?”
Bran might have been tough looking, but it was Sean who sent a shiver up Ramon’s spine. He looked way too happy about the prospect of violence.
25
I’m Going to Break My Rusty Cage and Run
When I woke, I couldn’t move. The first thing I saw was concrete. I was still in the basement, though I couldn’t tell if I was relieved by that or not. I doubted that Douglas would move me if he wanted to do something nefarious, but there was some comfort to be found in the familiar surroundings. At least I wasn’t in some shiny new hell.
My arms were bound in worn leather straps that appeared to be stained with things I didn’t want to think about. My legs were bound in the same way. The wooden restraint table I’d been admiring had been pulled away from the wall, and I’d been strapped to it. Not very encouraging. I tugged at the straps, bucking my body as best I could, looking for any kind of give. None. I swore, if I survived this, I’d never sleep again. Each time I’d woken up lately, things had gone from bad to exponentially worse.
“Sam?”
I turned my head, but between the restraints and the table I didn’t have much wiggle room. If I angled it up a little, I could just see Brid standing in the cage. At least she looked all right.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m tied to a table.”
She gave me a stare that could liquefy stone.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess life-threatening situations bring out my inner smart-ass. If you don’t count the table, I’m no worse than I was before.” Except my throat felt sore, but I didn’t tell her that. I didn’t want to add to her worries. And the very fact that I thought telling her that would make things worse for her almost made me laugh out loud. She was in a cage, and I was strapped down to a freaking table. Seriously, how much worse could this get?
“Bad, Sam, this is bad.” Brid chewed on her lip. “Whatever you did scared him. Douglas is unbalanced on a good day.” She shook her head. “He smelled like fear, and I don’t think he likes to be afraid.”
“That does sound bad.” I tugged again on my arm restraints. Solid. “What do you think the chances are that this contraption is a temporary punishment?”
“Zero,” she said. “It reeks of blood and terror. This whole damn room stinks of it, and I’m tired of being in here.”
“I know.” I stopped pulling and relaxed. No sense wasting what little energy I had.
“What the hell happened to you?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” What the hell had happened to me? “It was like I went from zero to sixty in a second.” I had to stop making car analogies. If I survived this, I’d tack it onto my list of resolutions.
“We need to get out of here.” Brid grabbed onto the bars. “You have to try and call Ashley.”
“I don’t have a circle. Besides, I don’t know if I can again. I think last time might have been a fluke.”
“Douglas said the circle was for protection. Ashley isn’t malevolent as far as I can tell. Just picture her in your mind and call her by name.”
I was skeptical, but I closed my eyes and gave it a shot anyway. We could only gain from trying. I conjured her up in my mind, saddle shoes and all. I took my power and aimed it at that image. When I felt it was strong enough, I whispered her name.
She popped into the room almost immediately. “Great Caesar’s ghost!” Ashley looked quickly about the room before she