Page 31 of Her Magic Light

“Your accommodation. You need to sleep.” It was one of the longest strings of words he’d said to me.

“I am tired,” I agreed then snapped my mouth shut. I hadn’t meant to be compliant to this degree.

When the elevator finally stopped, the door swooshed open to a hallway so shrouded in gloom, I could barely see the end of it. I automatically rubbed at the lenses of the sunglasses again.

“Damn things. I can’t see in them.”

“Take them off.” Coop sounded so casual I hesitated.

“Really?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

I lifted them from my eyes. There was so little light down here it was like I was still wearing them. The whole place weighed on me, oppressive and heavy. “How far underground are we?”

He shrugged again, and the loose, casual movement suited him. “Far enough.”

“No windows,” I murmured as I looked around.

He swung his head toward me, and I couldn’t see his whole expression, but my guess was that it saidduh.“This way,” he said as he left the elevator, his pace quickening.

We walked down the corridor, lights flickering off rather than on as we passed by them, keeping me in constant shadow.

“What’s the deal with the lights?”

If he heard me, he didn’t answer.

And I didn’t bother asking again.

His footsteps echoed as we walked. Everywhere was bare and sterile. There was no furniture in this corridor, nothing soft.

He took such a random left turn that I nearly walked right past the opening until he reached back and grabbed my arm, almost yanking me after him. I stumbled, and he caught me again, briefly holding me against his chest.

“Sorry,” he murmured as he released me. “It’s this way to the accommodation.”

Accommodationmade prison so fancy, and I rolled my eyes. “When’s my trial?”

His step faltered, but then the moment was gone, almost like I’d imagined his moment of hesitation.

“What am I charged with?”

Again, there was the briefest of pauses.

“Am I charged with anything at all?” But my questions were useless and I already knew he wouldn’t reply.

We passed by a large window, and I glanced at the room beyond, then leaped back as a shape rushed at me and raked its claws down the inside of the glass.

“Shit,” I ground out. “What is this place? A zoo? What are you keeping down here? Are you putting me somewhere dangerous?”

His mouth pressed into a flat line, but he shook his head. “You’ll be perfectly safe.”

We passed another window and it looked into another room like the one before. A spotlight shone in the corner, but no one was visible. It was set up like a sitting room, and there was a curtain at one end hiding… Hiding what? A bedroom? Bathroom?

“Whatarethese? Cells?” I touched my palm to the glass and bent my fingers a little so the movement made a squeaking sound as my skin dragged on the smooth surface.

He barely even paused or glanced at me. “Accommodation.”

I blew out a sigh. “But for what, Coop? Forwho?”

---