Spell Bound - Kelley Armstrong [56]
Wanted to know where what? I racked my brain to remember all the conversations we’d had. She’d never taken an interest in anything—
No, she had taken an interest. In one person.
I remembered her fan-girl moment when she’d overheard me mention Hope. Asking me if she was in Miami. If she could meet her.
Roni was a member of some unknown supernatural sect that wanted to know the whereabouts of Lucifer’s daughter. And we were investigating a group that wanted to summon Lucifer.
Oh, shit.
“This group,” I said. “They’re—”
The door squeaked open and Althea’s quiet voice cut through the room.
“I think that’s enough, Veronica.”
Roni leapt to her feet. “I was just—”
“Keeping Savannah company. I appreciate that. Right now, though, there are folks waiting to meet her.”
Two people followed Althea in. A guy and a girl, not much older than me. Both brown haired. Both average height. There was nothing to make them stand out—not a scar, not a tattoo, not a piercing. Even their clothing was standard college wear. But I’d seen them before. Starring in the video shot at Walter Alston’s estate.
“This is Severin,” Althea said. “And his twin sister, Sierra.”
My gorge rose, remembering what they’d done to Alston. I looked away.
Sierra laughed. “You didn’t tell us she was shy.”
She slid forward and brushed her fingers across my cheek. I snapped and managed to catch the tip of one in my teeth before she yanked back with a gasp.
Severin laughed. “Not so shy after all, sis. That’ll teach you to keep your hands where they belong.”
“Oh, I’ll teach her where my hands belong. No witch brat—”
“Enough,” Althea said. “Your job is to escort her to the meeting hall. Now untie her.”
eighteen
I knew better than to fight back—I’d only establish myself as a difficult prisoner needing more guards. Instead, just look and learn. Take note of the players. Study their personalities and weaknesses.
As I was being led from my room, my job was to pay attention. Learn the layout. Form an escape route. A worthy plan, one that would have been a lot easier to put into motion had I not been blindfolded the whole fucking time.
Still, I paid attention. How far did we walk? How many turns did we make? What did the floor feel like under my sneakers? Was it concrete? Wood? Carpet? What did I smell? What did I hear?
There was a dampness to the air I associated with basements. Underground then? The hard floor—likely concrete—suggested I was right. That made it tough. When I’d been held captive before, it’d been underground, and I remembered the hellish time Elena had getting out. It had been so difficult that she’d had to return for me later, with Paige and the others.
I shoved down the flare of panic. This wasn’t the same situation. There were no “cells” here. Probably no other captives. Just me. Special. As always.
When they took off the blindfold, I was in a room with ten people, including Roni, Althea, Giles, and the Torture Twins. I filed away the names of the newcomers, storing them until they did something to prove they might be dangerous or useful. For now, they were five more bodies to get past on my way to the exit.
Ten people in the group. That wasn’t bad. Other than Althea and Giles, they were all young—twenties and early thirties. The idealism of youth. Seemed to have skipped me, but I blame that on growing up with Paige and Lucas, whose idealism shines like the noonday sun. I’d learned to start pulling the shades before I went blind.
“Okay, look,” I said when they’d finished introductions. “I’d say I’m pleased to meet all of you, but you know that’s bullshit. I’m your prisoner. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want from me.”
“So now you’re ready to start asking questions?” Althea said.
“If you think holding me in a room for a day or two will make me break down and tell you everything, don’t bother. If you’ve done your research, you’ll know I’ve been kidnapped before. I spent weeks in a cell. I’m not going to snap and betray my friends for warm blankets and a feather pillow.”
“Guess we’ll have