every junkie in the United States. And as Mateo was equally naked, the cuts and bruises that littered his body were easily seen. Although they were nowhere near as severe as Dafydd’s, they had to be painful.
“I’m fine. Leave it here, though, for later.”
“Okay.” Merlin placed the ampoule safely near the food and water supply. Dracul was smart enough not to try to starve his prisoners, without any coaxing on Merlin’s part.
He took a cold pack out of his bag, cracked the seal to mix the chemicals and placed it against a technicolor patch that had bloomed across Dafydd’s ribs. The man jerked once before falling silent again. “Do you think anything’s broken?” He didn’t dare palpate the area to see if he could tell. Medicine was Demi’s area of expertise, not his. He figured he could only make matters worse in the effort.
“How the hell should I know?” Mateo shifted to sit against the wall, hissed, then moved again to lie on his side. “With the blood Dracul is forcing down his throat each time, I think he’s healing quickly, no matter how badly he’s injured.”
Merlin didn’t say anything to that observation. He certainly didn’t tell the kid that it had also been his idea for the Mad King to feed the changeling. It was just one more way to keep his toy alive for his amusement. It had earned him a smack hard enough to loosen a few teeth and had sent him crashing to the ground. Dracul hated being spoken to out of turn, even if the information was useful. But he’d taken the suggestion and that was all that mattered. Mateo and Dafydd, however, didn’t trust him, so there was no point in trying to convince them of his loyalty. Besides, he still wasn’t sure if the cell was under surveillance. There were no obvious cameras or microphones, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any.
As there was nothing he could say that would help Mateo in the least, Merlin simply sat pressing the cold pack against Dafydd. The guy’s breathing seemed fairly regular, without any noticeable difficulty, so that was probably a good sign. He’d stay until the chemicals reached room temperature, then do more exploring. So far, he’d mapped out about half of the complex—the easiest parts, the ones that served as the general quarters for everyone. But there was one corridor in particular that intrigued him. There were no guards posted to keep him out, yet there was heavy surveillance from visible cameras lining the upper walls every few feet. He figured that was the best bet to find the computer that he needed.
Once he was done there, he intended to suck up his courage and go exploring. The worst-case scenario, he hoped, was a beating. Any risk was worth it, though. Annika was counting on his help. He really had no idea what her ultimate plan was, but oddly, that didn’t matter. Serving her brought him peace, and whenever he felt the least amount of fear, he imagined how happy she would be if he succeeded, and that image drove him on.
“Is Idris really okay?” Mateo’s voice was practically a whisper, undoubtedly so as not to disturb Dafydd.
“Yes, he’s fine.” Merlin kept his voice equally low. “He’s too young to understand what’s going on and Andri is being very careful with him.” He snorted. “Obviously he doesn’t want to risk the Master’s wrath.”
Mateo huffed. “Obviously. God forbid he, or any of you, exercise independent thought.”
“Be grateful,” Merlin snapped, annoyed with the human’s scorn. “Blind adherence to the hierarchy is what keeps Idris safe and you from being torn apart by those very bored mercenaries out there.” He hadn’t intended to engage the boy in any kind of discussion, but it was important for Mateo to appreciate just how precarious his situation was. Not that Merlin cared one way or the other, but Annika had ordered him to do what he could to protect hive members. Like it or not, Mateo counted as such.
The human glared at him. “You think I haven’t noticed? Even the straight ones are looking at me like starved wolves eyeing steak tartare.” He shuddered. “I keep expecting them to mount a coup. With all the valuable stuff lying around this place, I don’t see why they’d stick around in this living tomb.”
“That won’t happen, because the Master is in control. No mere man or men could ever gain the upper hand and defeat him.” He chose his words carefully,