Page 117 of Lunar Desires
Oh. My. God. He meant serious business.
Rhianna entered next, wearing a black nightgown, waddling, clearly uncomfortable. She winced every step, six shadow witches in red-and-black robes guiding her onto the bed.
Marcus stopped a few feet away from his daughter, lifting his arms, his eyes on the ceiling. “And so it begins.”
Two more witches dressed in black jeans and jumpers entered the room, hauling a tied and gagged man across the floor. My heart paused its beating. For a moment, I thought the man might be Drake or Jake, but he wasn’t. My aura lenses still worked, giving me a yellow human reading.
My heart resumed with a putter, the horror not lessening.
This older guy with thinning hair, his clothes torn and filthy, was doomed if I didn’t do something. Clearly he had suffered under the brutal fist of these arseholes already.
Oh, God. I had to save him.
The man whimpered and struggled, but to no avail. The shadow witches dumped him at Marcus’s feet as another two witches joined the party. They were robed and bald, with the symbol of House Kingwood drawn on their skulls.
One carried a candle, the other a bundle of newspaper dripping with blood. In turn, they bowed to Marcus.
Candle Guy placed the chunky stick of wax at the foot of the bed, while Newspaper Man unwrapped the parcel, revealing a heart.
I gagged, grabbing an oily bar. My hand slid down it, a sickly touch landing on my brain. I pulled back, retching, feeling like I was travel sick.
Oh, God. Was it a human heart?
Newspaper Man placed the heart beside the bound victim at Marcus’s feet. He bowed, taking position behind the bed with Candle Guy, the rest of the witches forming a half circle around Rhianna.
“Are you comfortable?” Marcus asked her.
She glanced at me, sweat beading on her brow. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. Bring them in.”
Two more shadow witches dragged Agent Jake into the room through a different set of doors, and then another pair brought Drake in through the opposite doors.
My lungs worked overtime, my instincts to get to him landing my hands back on the bars.
Damn! Nausea attacked me again.
The witches dumped both men beside the human guy, demanding they stay on their knees. Their hands were bound behind their backs with rope, but not their feet.
Drake lifted his eyes to me, giving me a weak smile.
“Please don’t hurt him,” I rasped.
Without thinking, I grabbed the bars again, receiving the yucky kickback.
Newspaper Guy piped up, giving me a wave. “Silence, Moon. You are privileged to bear witness to a miracle. So keep your mouth shut and show some respect.”
Marcus drew an athame from his robes, holding it to the neck of the human. “The first toll of a human’s heart is paid,” he spoke, his voice a deep, unnerving resonance. “And now for more blood.” He slashed the man’s throat open so quickly I yelped in surprise.
Blood gushed from the victim, spraying Marcus’s robe. Magical energy bloomed in the arsehole’s hands as the human collapsed onto his back, head smacking the floor. He made a horrible gargling sound, twitching his way toward death, blood pooling beneath him.
I stuck my hand through the narrow gap in the bars, reaching for Drake. He wouldn’t be next. He wouldn’t die for their magic.
The oil overwhelmed me, forcing me into a slump. I pushed against it uselessly, my forehead coming to rest on the bars.
“Riley!” Isaac cried.
Marcus chuckled. “Silly Moon. I don’t need the blood of Drake and this agent. They are merely witnesses to a miracle. When this is over, they can go out and spread the word. Tell the world of this wonder, share the might of this house.”
