Page 84 of Witch Unbound
I scanned the chamber and located a tiny slot, enough to pass a vial or two through. If the Order needed this fucker, then we had to make sure they didn’t get him.
There was only one thing to do. “Let him out.”
“What?” The man shook his head real fast, eyes like a spooked horse. “No. You don’t understand. He’s dangerous.”
I pushed into the little man’s personal space. “Yeah? And so am I.” I bared my teeth and snapped at him, a low growl emanating from my chest.
“Cora?” Rune asked tentatively. “Are you sure about this?”
I kept my eyes on the lab guy. “I’m sure that we can’t let the Order have him.”
“She’s right.” Ursula returned, somber and paler than before. I didn’t need to ask about the fate of the children, it was written all over her face. “If they want him, then we need to make sure they don’t get to keep him.” Her lip curled. “They’ve taken enough.”
Razor Smile watched our interaction in silence, his icy blue eyes sharp with intelligence.
I approached the chamber. “Listen. I’m gonna let you out. And you’re gonna come with us. You’re not gonna fuck about, or cause any issues, you understand?”
“Truce until we return to the human world,” he offered.
“No. You’re not understanding me. I’m going to let you out and you’re going to come with me and hand yourself over to the Sons of Adam.”
“Like hell,” he snarled.
I shrugged. “Then you can rot in that glass cage.”
He smirked smugly. “You just said you didn’t want to leave me in the Order’s clutches.”
“I don’t. But if it comes down to a choice between whatcouldhappen if we leave you here and whatwillhappen if we set you free in the human realm, I’m choosing what could happen every time.”
His eyes flinched.
I crossed my arms. “So, give me yourwordthat you’ll hand yourself over to the Sons of Adam as soon as we get back to the human world.”
The whole “give me your word” thing was a long shot, but I’d seen how Vlad and his brothers had been about their word being their bond, and I could only hope this original had the same morals. Yeah, it might be a stretch to think he had any moral compass, but my gut told me he had his own messed-up code.
The double flinch of his eyes told me I’d nailed it.
“Well?” I tapped my foot. “Time’s wasting here, buddy.”
He exhaled through his nostrils. “I give you my word I will hand myself over.” His mouth parted in a wicked smile. “But it will be up to them to keep hold of me.”
Yeah, not my problem. Once he was in the Sons of Adam’s vicinity, he would be their issue. “Let him out. Now.”
The man hurried to the control panel and began tapping keys. Razor Smile was out of his seat, eager to be free, not even bothering to play it cool.
Tension radiated throughout my body. What if he was faking the whole “give my word” thing? What if I’d fucked up?
Light flared at the back of the room.
The mirror?
“Oh no.” The man backed away from the control panel. “They’re here.”
My gaze whipped back to the mirror in time to see three warlocks step through the glass and into the room. The one leading the charge had a scar puckering his cheek.
The same guy who’d shoved me off the cliff. But no. He was dead. Rune had killed him.
Rune growled, low and feral, falling into a defensive crouch by my side.
