louder. “He’ll simply be relocated to where he can’t cause you any temptation and then you can be set free. I think a nice coven party to celebrate your return from a holiday is a good idea, don’t you think?”
“I think you’d better start packing your bags,” Kirill growled. “Because when I get out, and I will get out, it’s your head I’m coming for first.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Yakov had the audacity to laugh. “You’re still under that wolf’s thrall. As soon as he’s removed from the city limits, you’ll be back to your old self again. In fact, I think I deserve a bonus once you realize how close you came to making the biggest mistake of your life, and you finally understand it was only my quick thinking that saved you from yourself. I don’t know what was so special about that mutt, but he’ll be nothing but an unpleasant memory after tomorrow.”
Kirill growled again, frustrated beyond measure he was restrained. His beloved was out there, probably waiting for him, tugged by a feeling he didn’t understand. Kirill has seen him, tasted a drop of his blood after the poor wolf had been hurt. Kirill needed to get to him, help him, bond with him… Removing the wolf from the city limits would just mean he would take longer for Kirill to find.
“Anyhow, there’s no point in my being down here listening to you growling. I must be off.” Yakov checked his watch again. “The mercenaries have promised to update me the moment our little issue has been resolved. I should be down in the morning, with a fresh set of clothes for you and the keys to your chains. Aren’t you glad you devised the only set of restraints a vampire can’t get out of? I know I am.”
Yakov had the audacity to come closer, patting Kirill on his chest like he was a favored pet. Kirill lunged, his teeth snapping, his chains digging into his wrists and ankles as they held him tight. Yakov laughed as he neatly stepped just out of reach.
“Honestly, Kirill, what were you thinking wanting to bring a wolf into our precious coven? How could you even think for a second that mangy mutt is fit to be a coven master’s beloved. You’re not held in the thrall that comes from meeting your beloved; you’ve been zapped with a spell, probably dark magic from a crazy mage or worse. You’ll thank me when your head clears, you just wait and see. Now, get some sleep. You’re supposed to be looking like you’ve been on holiday when you greet the coven tomorrow.”
I’m going to kill him, Kirill promised himself. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to rip his head from his puny neck and tear his heart out of his chest. His intestines will be his necktie. I’m going to… Kirill’s thoughts continued on those gruesome lines until Yakov was gone and the cell door was once again firmly locked.
Then he grinned in the dim light, because yes, Kirill did design the cuffs holding him and Yakov probably should’ve kept that reminder to himself. Kirill also designed the door to his cell, and with everything he’d ever designed, there was always a failsafe way out of them. If he hadn’t been so worried about his precious wolf and so angry at Yakov’s disrespect Kirill would’ve remembered that himself. Now, I just have to remember is it the third screw from the left that will get me out of these chains, or the fourth from the right? Just knowing mercenaries were on his beloved’s tail was enough to make him think quickly.
/~/~/~/~/
“Is this all of them?” Ra glanced around at the six strewn bodies on the ground. “They’re all completely inebriated.”
“Which makes questioning them more difficult.” Cass dumped the last two bodies in a heap with the others. “I think this was all of them.”
“Except the alpha.” Wes was leaning casually on a wall, a gun pointed at the pile of bodies. “I did tell you these guys are not his pack. If they were, he’d be here, and I doubt they’d be this pissed. They had to have gotten some heavy-duty booze to be affected this badly. Can you read anything off them, babe?”
“What have I said about calling me babe when we’re on a mission, sweetheart?”
Ra thought the endearment was rather cute given Cass was in his demon form, and babe wouldn’t have been the first word to come to Ra’s