Pure Destiny (PureDark Ones #12) - Aja James Page 0,32

protect you both, but should you wish it…”

He wished it.

The warrior concentrated on the difference within him, the part that had Mated with her, Sophia, and commanded his bindings to loosen.

At first, there was nothing. The silken threads with the tensile strength of reinforced steel did not respond to his mental command at all.

But then he felt it. A tickling sensation against his skin, wherever the zhen wrapped around his limbs. Followed by an infinitesimal slide, sluggish at first, as if the sentient needles were confused, as if they knew that even though he was linked with Sophia, who was now their Master, it wasn’t the same.

The warrior concentrated harder, relaxing his body by degrees as he did so. He must fool the shackles with his complacency. He was not a threat, his loosened limbs said. He would not do harm, his modulated heartbeat murmured.

Release me, he willed the zhen, though he kept the mental command light, unforceful. I am Sophia’s Mate. Our bodies are one. Her will is my will. And my will is that you release me.

Now.

The needles of hair slowly unwound from his wrists, forearms, biceps, thighs, calves and ankles. He waited until they lay limp like loose silk upon the thinly-padded table.

Rest now. There is no longer need to remain vigilant, he commanded them for good measure.

A soft rustle fluttered through the cut hair, like a sigh. All at once, the needles lost their luster, fading from a shimmering diamond to a dull silver.

Moving slowly, the warrior sat up, doffed the thin sheet that covered him, and stood.

The zhen no longer moved. A few tendrils drifted to the ground lifelessly.

He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the spacious chamber.

Time was of the essence. He didn’t know how long he had before someone came to check on him. His body vibrated with the knowledge of Sophia. He would sense it when she drew near. At least he would have that as a warning. But he could not be sure of others.

A table nearby was still laden with food. He needed fuel. Though his wounds had mostly healed, his stomach clenched with emptiness, his muscles hungry for nutrients and energy.

Swiftly, he wolfed down as much as he could, methodically chewing and swallowing, so that his starving body could better absorb it. Ever alert for disturbances around him. When he’d eaten enough to pad his stomach lining, not enough to feel full, he searched the chamber for useful things.

No weapons. Nothing he could break or shape into them either. But he did find flowing, drawstring pants that fit him. No shoes. Only shirts with no buttons, open in the front. Those would hinder his movement, so he left his upper body bare.

Now the double doors. Locked. He could not open them from the inside.

After a few minutes trying to find a way around them, pry them open, the warrior’s eyes alighted once again on the needles of hair curled innocently on the table. He gathered enough to form the thickness of a braid and came back to the double doors.

I need your help. Tighten into a flat sheet, insert yourself between the doors, and reshape into a crowbar.

The tendrils stirred to life, but again seemed confused. It probably wasn’t everyday their Master commanded them to force open locked doors.

The warrior gathered patience he didn’t have and concentrated the immense strength of his will on the sentient needles.

Finally, they did exactly as he bid, sliding between the double doors and twisting the section toward him into something shaped like a handle.

He took hold of it and paused.

The moment he forced the doors open, an alarm would be triggered, he knew. Though he was unfamiliar with this particular headquarters, he knew about all the security protocols for the previous Shield. Here, he had a good idea what additional precautions the Pure Ones would take. Because if he’d still been the Paladin, he knew what he would do.

Once the alarm was triggered, if he was lucky, he would have less than a couple of minutes before his enemies found him. If he was unlucky, he could encounter them immediately on the other side of the doors.

He focused his senses and amplified their powers to listen beyond the enclosure’s walls.

He could hear the activities in a kitchen and entertainment area farther to the left, movements and words from private apartments above and below. Fortunately, what he was looking for was right down the hall to the right—the sounds of mock battle, weapons clanging,