Page 48 of Deadly Alliances

Shea motioned with her fingers for us to follow, but Char and I remained where we stood—me out of stubbornness, but I suspected Char was frozen because of fear. Her fingers trembled in mine.

“Instruct them to come this way,now, or the blonde one doesn’t get to live.”

That kickstarted my feet, and the two of us scrambled toward the doorway leaving the safety of the sunlight, and Arya, behind.

With one last glance at the now-dead vampire slumped behind the armoire, I could see some sort of panic button clutchedbetween her ruined fingers.

And a wicked smile etched onto her face.

Chapter 18

Tobias

I had no way to tell how much time had passed since being thrust into this cliché of a cell. It was dark and dreary and damp, just as one would expect. I wanted to laugh at how comicallymundaneit was. But it was lined with lead, so I couldn’t shift or use my powers. I couldn’t even stave off the stupidly typical cold because the fire within just wouldn’t ignite.

So I couldn’t laugh. I was too weak and toomiserableto laugh at our situation—thrown into the dungeon. And what was worse was having Char huddled next to me, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

It was a small blessing the assholes had put us in the same cell, otherwise one or both of us might’ve frozen to death. Our smart clothing was malfunctioning for some reason—probably another result of whatever also suppressed our powers—but dragons without their fire were more susceptible to cold than humans.

It’s probablywhywe were jailed together. To keep each other alive with only our meager body heat.

But Char shouldn’t have to suffer alongside me. She should’ve gotten out while she could, just like the others. It should’ve been only me, the one who defied orders, and all for nothing. Feeling her trembling frame pressed against me only made me more miserable.

I could barely keep my eyes open. Not because I was exhausted and wanted to fall into a restful sleep, but because the lead that coated my cell drained me like the leeches who built it. It was so effective that I had to be careful not to let even a tiny sliver ofskin contact the walls or floor.

Which meant I couldn’t sleep because I’d wake up with burns—on my hands when they fell to the floor or a cheek that rested against the wall. My palms and fingers on my good arm were already an angry red from gripping the bars when we were first thrown in.

I should’ve known.

I should’ve assumed.

I shouldn’t have let my damned emotions get in the way, and I should’ve used my brain to avoid such a stupid injury.

At least the cold took away the biting pain in my broken arm—a different kind of stupid injury. There was the silver lining.

Loud footsteps warned of someone approaching. Several someones. Char stiffened and sat up straighter, using her hold on my good arm instead of the floor to re-adjust herself. I didn’t bother to do the same. Whoever was coming—and it probably wasn’t Arya or Shea—didn’t deserve such respect from us.

The lead bloodsucker himself came into our line of sight, marching toward our cell with all the arrogance of the ruthless dictator he was. There was a bright light shining from behind him, making Hadrian a tall and dark silhouette. But whoever was holding the light angled it away so that it wasn’t blinding us.

I didn’t move. I was certain the vampire leader could have me killed with the snap of his finger, but I also knew if Hadrian had wanted me dead, it would’ve happened already.

“Get to your feet, Dracul prince,” Hadrian spat when he was only a few steps away from the cell. With the light turned away, my eyes slowly adjusted so I could see Hadrian a little clearer.

I moved only my eyes to scowl at my captor. “Lead weakensavians. Dragons, phoenixes, and harpies. But of course, you knew that because you once pumped me full of it with one of those fancy bombs.”

Hadrian looked impatient. “I’ve been around since before even your father was out of diapers. I’m quite aware of what weakensavians.”He whirled his hand as he spoke, and his tone changed at the end.

I hoped that meant I’d annoyed Hadrian and resisted the urge to smile.

“Why do you think I’ve lined your cell with lead?” Hadrian asked.

I shrugged and pretended not to notice how tightly wound Char was. Hadrian’s presence clearly terrified her, and she probably didn’t like the flippant way I was speaking to the vampire king. ButIwasn’t afraid of him, and I refused to show the bastard any sign of weakness.

“If you knew, then you would know just how difficult it would be toget to my feet,”I ground out.

Hadrian merely glared, his eyes briefly flashing red. But without saying another word, he motioned for someone unseen to come closer. A tall, slender vampire—whose cheeks were sunken-in, making him look almost malnourished—swiftly walked forward with a small device in his hand aimed at the cell.

Char let out a tiny squeak, then gripped my arm tighter. I inclined my head to hers and whispered one word:video.She instantly relaxed her grip. Maybe she assumed it was a torture device. It hurt like hell, but using my broken arm, I gave her a reassuring tap on the hand that gripped me. It was a good thing I knew Charlotte so well. For being a sergeant in the shifter military, I might’ve expected more from her.

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