Page 13 of A Witch Out of Time
We stared at each other in charged silence for a moment until Nox suddenly snapped out of whatever primal state he’d fallen into. Frowning, he started to lift his head, but I snatched his face in my claws, dragging him back to me, capturing his lips with mine. I expected him to angrily pull away, but he melted into my touch, his massive body curling around me until I felt completely protected.
“Fuck, Vasi….I can’t…” he gasped, trying to untangle himself, but I dug my claws in deeper, answering with a possessive growl that made him chuckle.
And then, I felt the presence of my other Riders.
No. I felt Tan and Asakissing—their desire for each other thrumming in my veins—but that made no sense. Tan was in the Nav, and Asa had been taken by Koschei, and I’d never experienced their emotions as if they were my own.
Or have I..?
Nox distracted me by deepening our kiss, nipping at my lips with a surprising amount of gentleness before I bit him hard in response. Smiling against my mouth, he brought a hand down to cup my jaw, quickly shifting it to the nape of my neck and yanking my hair so hard I squeaked.
“When are you going to accept you’re not in charge here, witch?” he growled as my eyes filled with tears, waiting until I stopped struggling before loosening his hold and bringing his lips to mine again. As much as I would say I disliked this game we played, part of me lived for it as well—the push and pull between us that set my nerves on fire.
Although, I wish he’d bow to me for once.
Another burst of intense sensation from Tan and Asa made me shudder, and I gasped as I felt the door unlock beneath me. Nox abruptly straightened at the sound, pulling me closer and shoving me behind him. He squared his shoulders and waited for whomever to enter, but when nothing happened, he reached for the knob and gingerly turned it, grunting when the door unexpectedly swung wide.
“I thinkwedid that.Allof us,” I muttered in amazement. Registering Nox’s confusion, I elaborated, “IfeltTan and Asa just now. Both of them, together. I don’t know how they would be...”
Nox had already sprung into action, grabbing a bag off the floor and shoving clothes and equipment into its depths. “Vasi!” he barked, throwing another bag at me and pointing toward the bureau on Tan and Asa’s side of the room. “Bottom drawer. Grab the packs of water purifying tablets and any ammunition you can find. Throw it in the bag, stat!”
“What’s the plan?!” I hissed in response even as I followed his directions, grabbing extra clothing and personal items for my other Riders while I was at it. “We can’t simply walk out of here. We’reprisoners!”
When I turned back around, I found my answer. Nox was dressed in head-to-toe tactical gear, complete with face covering, making him almost identical to the guards who’d been escorting us since we’d arrived. It wasn’t the worst idea, except for one, not-so-tiny detail.
“A very clever disguise,” I crossed my arms over my chest and coolly observed him. “But what about yoursize?I haven’t noticed many otherenormous ogreswandering these halls.”
Rolling his eyes, Nox stalked over and grabbed my arm, wrenching me in the direction of the door. “Right now, we need to move out. But keep giving me that lip, and Iwillspank your ass again as soon as I get the chance.”
I growled in annoyance, even as his words sent a spark of desire shooting down my spine, but I allowed him to lead me from the room. Once we were out in the hall, he kept his tight grip on my forearm, and I realized it was part of the illusion—a supernatural creature being led to her doom by a mindless minion of the Facility.
“Can you show me where Anthia is being held?” he muttered under his breath as we rounded the corner and entered the main hallway.
I nodded imperceptibly, whispering in return. “Get me to your father’s dining room, and I can lead us from there.”
Despite it being late at night, the building was bustling with the same amount of activity as during the day. I felt a tug on my arm and saw Nox pointedly lift his chin toward a pack of approaching men, each one as massive as him. I glared up at him in reply, claws twitching at the infuriating sparkle in his brown eyes.
Fine. So there are other dumb ogres here—what a surprise.
Pausing outside the door to Matthew’s dining room, Nox’s grip on my arm finally loosened, but he still blocked me from entering, protectively shifting in front of me again before slowly turning the handle.
The room was dark and empty, causing us to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Heading for the paneled door I’d been led through earlier that evening, Nox tried the handle and frowned.
“Locked,” he mumbled before pulling his face mask down and gesturing for me to come closer. I obeyed, only to gasp in surprise as I suddenly found myself flush against the door with his mouth on mine. Our kiss was hungrier than before—probably fueled by the rush of danger we now found ourselves in—and I could feel our tether tightening as wetness bloomed between my thighs.
“Not now, Vashka,” Nox growled, as if sensing my desire. Licking one last path over my lips, he raised his head and tried the door again. “Damn, I thought that would work. Guess we’ll have to use the key card.” I glowered at him as he dug a white card out of his front pack, further incensed by his smirk and casual shrug. “One of thosemudakswe passed in the hall was top-level and distracted by yourbeauty,so I relieved him of his security clearance.”
Unable to stop a smirk from curling my lip in return, I rolled my eyes good-naturedly as Nox opened the door. “Very well,Russki.I’ll forgive you for so desperately wanting to kiss me again.” Then, sweeping past him triumphantly, I led us into the dark.
Chapter 11
Vasilisa
Ihad to steel myself as we passed the windowless room housing cages of bound shifters, but I knew we couldn’t feasibly save them all. Not today, at least. However, once we freed Anthia and got her back to Gerard, another meeting could be arranged between all the shifter clans—to plan an attack on Matthew and the Facility.
But first, we need to get out of here alive.
Once we reached the oddly warded window, I rushed to the glass to confirm my friend was still inside the room. I found her curled up on the bed with her back to the wall. She was shivering in her thin gown, but no new bruises seemed to have appeared since I saw her last.
