strong. Stronger than the others who came before you.”
“Were there many?” I ask. “Before me?”
She nods. “Success eludes him. But he will not give up.”
And even though I’m positive the answer will be terrifying, I can’t help but ask, “What do they want with us?”
“Our magic.” She nods at the cell across from her own where I’m startled to see a sleeping wolf sprawled across the floor. At least I hope it’s only sleeping. “The strength of their beast.” Finally, she nods at the cell next to her own. “And his immortality.”
Someone snorts. “Shit. At this point, he can have it.”
The male voice startles me, and I take a step back as a set of arms appear, dangling between the iron bars of the cell.
“You don’t mean that, Angus.”
“Bah.” He dismisses her words with a wave of his hands. “When you’ve been here a hundred years, you can tell me I’m wrong.”
“A hundred years?” I wander closer, curious to get a look at him.
But he looks no older than my own father would have been.
“That’s not possible,” I say. “You look so young.” His beard makes it hard to gauge for sure, but he can’t be older than fifty.
He winks. “You don’t look so bad yourself, sweetheart.”
My face heats. “That’s not what I—”
“By the goddess, stop hitting on her, Angus, or I’ll hex your foot so that it lodges straight up your ass.”
“Be the most action I’ve had in a century.” He laughs. Though it’s a dark sort of laughter that raises goosebumps along my arms.
Has he really been here a hundred years?
“Angus is ageless,” Maria explains. “His life has no end.”
Her words sink in slowly, disbelief coating the edges of my thoughts, but it’s weaker now. As if the longer I’m here, the easier it is to believe the impossible.
“Are you actually immortal?” I ask him.
“Why? You lookin’ to make a switch?” Another wink.
“Angus, I mean it. If you don’t stop flirting, I’ll—”
“Relax. I’m just having fun.” He looks back at me. “Gotta take what entertainment you can get in here.”
“What do you mean about making a switch?” I ask, still trying to understand even half of what they’re saying.
Power. Draining. Immortality.
I’m losing it.
Or this hallucination is even weirder than the rest.
“Don’t listen to him,” Maria says. “Besides, immortality is overrated.”
“At this point, I’m inclined to agree,” Angus says with a distinct note of sadness as he stares back at me. “Your nightmare will end long before mine.”
I look up just as something flickers down the hall.
Estelle.
Without another word, I hurry towards her.
But she flicks out before I can get far.
A growl sounds, and I leap back just in time to avoid a pair of sharp claws that swipe through the bars and tear at the space where I just stood.
The wolf is awake.
Its eyes are bright with a predatory glint, and its jowls hang open to reveal sharp canines. For a panicked moment, I wonder if this is Declan again, but I dismiss the idea immediately. This wolf is nothing like the one Declan became. Feral. Dangerous. Inhuman. Drool pools along the edges of its lips, and it snarls before throwing itself against the bars as it tries to get to me.
I cry out and leap back again, grateful for the metal separating us.
Again and again, it smashes against its cage, saliva dripping from its mouth as it snarls for me.
My breath catches and panic claws at me with each noise it makes. Surely, someone will hear it and come to investigate. I have no idea what they’ll do if they find me wandering the halls, but it won’t be pleasant.
A cold hand closes around my wrist. I whirl and come face to face with a young boy wearing nothing but rags. Iron bars stand between us but we’re so close now, only a breath from one another.
His eyes are cold and depthless and desperate. His grip on my wrist tightens and he pulls me close.
For a moment, I think he’s going to help me.
To whisper something that will unlock the secret to an escape.
But then his teeth elongate and he bears fangs aimed at my throat.
“I’m so hungry,” he whimpers, a sweet desperation that’s in direct contradiction to the predator he embodies. “I just need one little taste.”
I struggle, but it’s no use. His hand is like a vise drawing me in, and I know I’m not strong enough to pull away. I shut my eyes and wait for the attack that’s sure to come, bracing against