Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,152
if I was secretly speaking to my warden.
Instead, I clenched my teeth and pushed down my anger. Sure, I was the one being unjustifiably hunted and had a right to be pissed, but Gideon’s fate was largely tied to my own. If I fell tonight, there was a good chance Gideon would fall as well. Against my better judgment, I was starting to like the asshole and didn’t want to be the reason he was roasted.
“I think many who came knocking on your door felt their arrival was justified since you most likely supplied the information about the Towers’ locations,” Henry Fox said blandly.
I smiled at Fox, but it was little more than a baring of my teeth, like a dog guarding a bone against an unwelcome guest. “I may have not wanted to be a part of your club, Master Fox, but we all know that I wouldn’t betray the secrets of the Towers. That would help no one.”
Fox grinned back, a cold, evil thing. “I don’t think anyone would put betrayal past you following the death of Master Thorn.”
“When I left, I retained the right to defend myself against attack. Simon Thorn came hunting for me when he wasn’t supposed to know where I was. The bastard got what he deserved. I struggle to believe you’re mourning his death considering that he kicked your magical ass on more than one occasion.”
A low wave of noise crashed behind me, a mix of gasps, chuckles, and angry words that rippled through the room. Gideon even swore under his breath and I knew he was longing to punch me, but he held it in. Henry Fox jumped to his feet, the orb on the end of his staff glowing bright red in his rage. Everything in me screamed to gather up some energy for a defensive shield, but I was afraid that if I tried to do this, the council wouldn’t look too kindly on it. I had a right to defend myself, but I was already skating on thin ice, no reason to punch through to a frigid death.
“Master Fox!” snapped the black witch, causing his head to jerk around and look down the row to her. The orb on her staff glowed an icy, bluish white. Her slender body was extremely rigid as she stared down at him. “Sit,” she said with a hiss that silenced everyone in the chamber. Henry glared at her for several seconds before resuming his seat. The red glow dimmed at the end of his staff, but didn’t completely fade.
I won’t do that again. Curb your tongue or I’ll cut it out myself. The words drifted through my brain, cold and sharp as if someone had shoved a knife through my temple. The witch who was glaring at Fox never looked directly at me when she sent the message, but I knew she was the one who sent it.
My gut told me that she was part of the same movement as Gideon and Peter, but I wasn’t willing to bet my life on it. She may have just been concerned about determining the source of the information leak and would have been happy to see me impaled on my own wand at a later time.
“Back to the issue at hand,” Pregnant drawled as if bored by the whole affair, but I had seen his smile at my dig at Fox. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that he was on my side. He was only amused at Fox’s embarrassment. “I’m assuming this thing that has been dragged before us is the one who located the Towers. Do you even know how he managed it?”
“Gage did it!” Reave shouted. He had been silent for so long that I had forgotten that he had the power of speech. “He told me where to find the Towers. Sent me to each location. He forced me!”
I lunged at Reave, hammering my fist into the side of his face with enough force to make him slump against the binding spell. He wasn’t unconscious, but he was close. “You fucking liar!” I snarled. “You brought this on yourself. I won’t let you drag me down with you.”
Reave’s mouth moved as if he were trying to smile. “I won’t be the only one to die today.”
I raised my fist to hit him again, but energy wrapped around me and I slid across the floor as Gideon drew me away from Reave. I wasn’t helping my case.