Page 49 of A Malicious Menagerie
“You are right about that,” Mathis murmurs in agreement. Louder, he continues, “In any case, I would say I am interested. The werewolf for a Grootslang. I assume you can offer proof of the Grootslang’s existence before the trade?”
My vision narrows until it’s like staring down a long tunnel. Maybe a train tunnel, because I can hear the sound of the wheels turning and pistons pumping. It takes a minute to realize that the sound is actually my rapid breaths, and I slap a hand over my mouth before Radha and Mathis realize that they have an audience. Still, tears sting my eyes and flow over the back of my hand in scalding tracks.
Deep in my bones, I knew it. I knew they had to be talking about Chase. Who else would make sense? I saw the way she looked at him at the gala. The greed in her dark eyes. And after all, who wouldn’t want him?
But he’s not hers to buy, and he’s not Mathis’s to trade away.
With that thought, my spine straightens, and the tears fade away. That bleak sadness that threatened to hollow me out turns into something angry. Something snarling. A wolf of my own making.
I’ve let this go on for too long. Let fear stop me from doing the right thing. Went along with this absurd place and its cruel master because I was too scared of losing to even start the fight. But I’ll be damned if I let Radha Gupta buy Chase like a pedigree puppy to put in her Bollywood mansion. Another pretty prison across a whole damn ocean from his home. From me.
No. No more being complicit in kidnapping, captivity, and murder.
I’m done. I’m out.
And I’m taking every prisoner with me.
24
The Ally
…But after I take a minute to calm down, I realize that ‘every prisoner’ might be too ambitious. What am I going to do, drag the sea serpent out by its tail or bargain with the wendigo not to eat me? Maybe I need to concentrate on the residents that will be able to understand what I’m trying to do without turning me into a snack in the process.
Once I’ve decided to plot an escape, I can’t think of anything else. I worry the thought like a sore tooth until I can’t ignore the throb of longing and anxiety. If I do this, there’s no going back to my isolated life in the house I grew up in. I will have to uprooteverythingfor an uncertain future on the run. After all, Mathis made it clear that he would not tolerate anyone threatening his playground.
I’m self-aware enough to know that there’s no way I can stage a jailbreak of this scale without assistance. And so, step one of making a plan to free the residents of the menagerie is recruiting some help.
I’m fairly certain that Colby has been avoiding me since our tentative truce. At least, I haven’t seen more than a passing glimpse of his red hair since that night, and I certainly haven’t seen him in the breakroom again. But there is one place I know he’s likely to turn up, which is how I find myself staking out the kelpie enclosure from behind a thick tree trunk.
I’m checking my watch for the fifth time, about to call it quits so I don’t get behind on my tasks, when the sound of footfalls on the gravel path snagsmy attention. I hold my breath until Colby’s hulking frame comes into view. Steeling myself, I step out of my hiding place and into his path. “Hey there!”
Colby tenses, his bright eyes darting around as if looking for an ambush. “What are you doing?” he grumbles.
“Waiting for you.”
“I thought we had an agreement. You know my secret, and I know yours. We stay out of each other’s way, and everyone is happy.”
“Are you happy?” I ask skeptically. “Is Ciara? Because Chase certainly isn’t happy.”
His brow furrows. “Who’s Chase?”
“The wolf.” I take a deep breath. “Thewerewolf.”
His eyes widen. “I didn’t know.”
“Neither did I, until the night of the gala. But he’s stuck here, just like Ciara is. Doesn’t it bother you? Don’t you want to see her free?”
Colby is silent for a moment, chewing over his next words. “Of course I want to see her free,” he says, and there’s something uncharacteristically wistful in his voice. “But what am I supposed to do? Break her out?”
I shrug, though I feel anything but casual as my heart races behind my ribs. “Why not?”
Colby splutters. “Why… whynot? Maybe because Mathis will sink my body to the bottom of the river?”
“We’ll be careful. We’ll find the right time and a secret place to put them all—”
“Them all?!” Colby stops to take a calming breath, which is probably for the best. I’m concerned a vein in his forehead is about to burst. “What do you mean, ‘them all’? Aren’t Ciara and the werewolf enough?”
“Of course not,” I huff, planting my hands on my hips.Power pose. “What about Fionn? I doubt Ciara is going to leave without her brother. And Rory… even though he could probably leave at any time and chooses not to.”
