But a tall figure stepped through the rift and eyed me from head to toe, his hair Einstein-crazy in a halo around his awful face. “Little mouse, how brave you’ve gotten.”
“I’m tired of this, Rocko,” I said, and put some whine in my voice. Let him think he’d won. “I just want you to leave me alone. Give me back the wolf and we can go our separate ways. Okay?”
“It is most certainly not... ‘okay,’” he said. His attention and sharp black gaze went to first Nola, then Deirdre. “What have you brought me, little mouse?”
My skin crawled at the possessiveness in his tone, in his eyes. He looked like he already thought them his, as if we all three belonged to him. Maybe the son of a bitch wanted a harem. The taste of bile rose in my mouth and I gagged as I tried to swallow it down. Moon help us if he tried anything, because I knew that Henry and Miles wouldn’t stay away, regardless of what Deirdre threatened. “You said you wanted a trade. Deirdre is interested in what you can teach her. What you…taught me.”
“Mmmm,” he said, an oily creeping sound that worked into my brain and would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. “And this other…one?”
Nola wasn’t to his taste, I knew that. She was too confident, too strong, too tall. He wanted short women, women he thought he could easily intimidate and control. I clenched my hands behind my back. “She wants the wolf back. He…owns her. She needs him back.”
“She’s welcome to visit him,” Rocko said. A pleased smile spread across his face as he studied Nola, then Deirdre. “You can all visit. I’m thinking of starting a menagerie. I’ve created the most exciting experiments, you see. Did you know it’s possible for him to be stuck halfway? Half man, half wolf. It’s fascinating.”
Nola recoiled and I thought the game was up. I thought for sure she’d launch at him and rend him limb from limb at the thought, or that Deirdre would karate-kick him to pieces. I lurched forward a step before either of them could move. “Don’t, Rocko. You don’t know the trouble you’re bringing to yourself. I’ve been trying to get away from them since I got stuck, and it’s…it’s damn near impossible. Just give the wolf back to her and…and take Deirdre, and we’ll all be fine. Okay? We’ll all go away and never cross paths again.”
His dark eyes slid to me and lingered, weighing and measuring. “You make it sound so simple, little mouse.”
“He’s not going to let me learn?” Deirdre whispered, her voice broken and afraid. “You said he helped you. I don’t know what I’m going to do if...”
My skin crawled as Rocko practically floated to her side and stroked his hand down her arm, marking her with his clingy, oily magic. “Dear girl, there is plenty of my... experience to go around. You and Ophelia will work so well together, little pigeon.”
My ears started ringing. It was definitely a trap. He never intended for me to go free, even if I brought someone with me. Nola tensed and I hoped she got close enough to Rocko to kill him before he dragged Deirdre away through the gap in the air. I rubbed my hands together and tried to reassure myself with the long, thin scarf I’d balled up in my pocket. I could still bind him.
My magic simmered as my emotions flared up and panic hovered at the edge of my awareness. It was going wrong. Everything was going wrong.
Rocko kept stroking Deirdre’s arm and her eyes started to glaze over. Even Nola watched his hand and the slow movement, as if he worked a spell...
I choked on a warning and stumbled forward, knocking his hands away, and pushed hard at his chest. “Don’t you dare.”
The moment I touched the sorcerer, my magic went spiraling up and up and up. I flew back and the air rent around us in a dozen different rips, showing just as many realities. Rocko laughed and reached for my arm, already holding Deirdre despite that she struggled. “Do you think me stupid, little mouse? Why would I let two such delicious morsels get beyond me? You will pay for your defiance and for making me chase you this far. The sooner you get on your knees and beg forgiveness, the sooner I may allow you to do your penance. Start