nightstand holding a glass of water. I started to reach for it, stopped, and gave Nathan a sideways glance. He nodded and I grabbed the glass and downed the water in one gulp. It burned as it went down.
If I was in the Den, I was in a part of the old library I’d never seen before. I knew most of the Cultists, if not all of them, lived in the Den, but it really hadn’t occurred to me they would have bedrooms like this. Of course, Nathan’s bedroom might be special, since he was a werewolf. The Purebloods might only have cots in overly crowded rooms for all I knew.
I groaned and tried to stand. I staggered back and sat down heavily. My head was pounding and I was sick to my stomach.
“Where’s Jonathan?”
“Downstairs with Adrian and our ... guest.” He didn’t sound too thrilled with the last. “I’m to take you down as soon as you are able to walk.”
I tried to rise again but fell back. My legs just wouldn’t work. “What did she do to me?”
Nathan rose and crossed the room to stand over me, fingers flexing at his side. I wasn’t sure if he was concerned about my health or if he was upset about something else. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d considered killing me while I was unconscious. If I had been him, I might have considered the same.
“Thanks,” I said. I licked my lips. Even after the water, both my tongue and lips were dry.
Nathan gave me a funny look, his ever-present frown deepening.
“For not killing me while I was out.” I rubbed my temples. “And for letting me use your room to sleep it off.” Whatever “it” was.
A bitter smile rose to his lips. “It’s not my room. It’s Jonathan’s.”
Looking around once more, I realized that made much more sense. The room was a little too flamboyant for Nathan. The sheets were silky smooth, the lamp subdued and artful. Nathan’s room was probably militaristic and bland.
“Ready?”
I nodded and stood. My legs were wobbly, but I didn’t fall down this time. Points for me.
Nathan led the way out of the room and into the sitting room where we had our meeting with Adrian a few nights before. The room was empty of people. I glanced back as the door closed behind us, hiding the entrance. I knew it had been there, but I’d never imagined a bedroom was tucked away behind the hidden door.
We crossed the sitting room as fast as my legs would allow. Nathan opened the gilded doors for me, staring at me with as much disdain as he could muster. Pablo was standing outside, guarding the entrance. He glowered at me as we stepped through but didn’t say anything. I could tell he wanted to. The tattoo on his forehead nearly burned with his desire to say something nasty.
I did my best to smile at him, though I wasn’t so sure it reached my face. I felt numb all over. As far as I knew, I was glowering just as hard as he was.
Nathan headed for the stairs and I followed him. There were a few other Cultists milling about as we headed toward the office. None of them really paid me much mind. I had a feeling Jonathan had told them not to bother me when they saw me. He probably figured I wouldn’t take well to sympathy of any kind.
We entered the office. I immediately leaned against the wall as Nathan shut the door and headed across the room to press the button behind the desk. The secret door opened and he headed for the yawning darkness.
“Come on,” he said.
I hesitated. I really didn’t want to go down there. I knew what was behind bars down in the Cult’s basement. I didn’t want to see the mixed-blood creature again. Once was enough.
Nathan stared at me, seemingly indifferent to my discomfort. He motioned toward the opening and I finally started forward. I hated feeling so weak. I shouldn’t be afraid of anything, yet here I was tentative about going downstairs where everything dangerous was behind bars.
That thought straightened my back. I was fooling myself if I thought the only thing dangerous down there was locked away. I kept forgetting Jonathan and Nathan were wolves. I couldn’t make that mistake too often or one of them would end up taking advantage of it.
Nathan led the way down into the basement. I used the wall for support, taking each