Page 2 of A Witch Out of Time
Vasilisa
This place reeked of humans. I assumed the lifeless, concrete building Nox and I were being led through was the same Facility my Riders had come from, although how such perfect men emerged from here was a mystery. It was only because Nox seemed desperate for me to follow his lead that I hadn’t reduced the armed ogres on either side of me to ribbons of severed flesh.
I suppose I’ll behave.
I hated to admit it, but another reason I hadn’t attacked anyone was because of how physically depleted I felt. Perhaps it was because my other Riders were out of range, but as soon as Matthew and his men showed up, I started having trouble accessing my elemental energy. Stranger still, the moment we crossed the Facility’s threshold, my connection to source grew even weaker, which deeply concerned me.
What if I need to defend what’s mine?
My gaze caught on Nox’s broad shoulders up ahead, his massive frame towering over the men marching us toward our destination. Although outwardly calm, agitation radiated from him so intensely I could practically taste it. As much as I wanted to fight my way out of here, I begrudgingly trusted that Nox knew how to navigate the rules of this horrid place.
And how best to handle Matthew.
The power Nox’s father exuded was impressive—for a human—and it was clear he ruled his men by fear. However, I was more concerned about his unsupervised underlings and what they might try to do to a creature like me.
What they may have already done to Anthia.
At the thought of my dear friend being held captive, my claws twitched, a primal need to spill human blood viciously flaring up within me. As if he'd picked up on my thoughts, Nox immediately halted—causing the men between us to curse as they sidestepped to avoid a collision—but he didn’t turn around. I stifled a smirk, realizing that Nox’s efforts to appear uninvested in my fate meant he couldn’t openly scowl at me as usual.
“You. Witch,” a guttural voice barked to my right. I slowly turned to glare at the pale-faced guard breathing on me, unimpressed with what I saw. “You’re coming with us.” The man reached for my arm, and I instinctively jerked away, hitting a solid wall of muscle suddenly standing behind me.
Nox.
“She’s not fucking going anywhere with you, Françis,” Nox growled, pulsing with rage in a way that made my blood sing. “Matthew wants to meet with her as well.”
“You don’t know shit, Nox.” A second man stepped up, and I recognized him as the one who’d kept poking my Rider with his silly little gun during our journey. “You rank the same as the rest of us, so stop acting like you speak for the Bossman.” He roughly grabbed my forearm and started pulling me toward him. “Come on, bitch. We’ll show you to your cozy little cage.”
Before I could strike, the man abruptly released me, wheezing uncontrollably, a deliciously panicked expression significantly improving his hideous face. The guard dropped to his knees before me, clawing at his throat, and I coldly watched as his mouth opened to reveal a glimpse of coal-black smoke clogging his airways. Dark magic crackled in the air, causing my skin to prickle and the other men to wisely back away from the scene. However, this attack wasn’t coming from me.
My Darkest Midnight.
I purred in satisfaction as Nox placed a hand on my shoulder. “The witch stays with me, Ethan. Do you copy? Or should I let you fucking die on this shitty floor like the cockroach you are?”
The man—Ethan—desperately nodded as he drew in a shuddering breath. Without waiting for the others to regroup, Nox clutched me to him and started stalking down the hallway, snarling at anyone who got too close.
So much for feigned indifference.
Even without my Rider’s overprotectiveness, it was clear the Facility was a dangerous place for me. I assumed I’d be whisked away at the first opportunity for whatever nefarious experiments they performed here, no matter what Nox said. Matthew had recognized me asYagaat the crater, so he was aware I was the only one of my kind. A man who saw supernatural creatures as possessions to do with as he pleased would undoubtedly consider me a prize.
“Nox…” I began, trying to find the words to express my unease.
“Don’t say a fucking thing,” he gritted out, although I felt a glimmer of concern in our bond. “And letmedo the talking once we get in there.”
Too busy formulating my own plan to argue, I nodded, jogging to keep up with his longer strides. Countless men and women passed us as we marched along, all dressed in tactical gear and all eyeing me with the usual aversion and disgust. I tried to note our surroundings in case we found a chance to escape, but everything looked the same. The Facility’s monotonous interior matched the coldness of its exterior; endless gray concrete interrupted only by the occasional steel door or sharp angle leading to another equally nondescript hallway.
It’s like a beehive.
Ruled by a king instead of a queen.
We veered down a guarded passageway before stopping in front of a pair of large wooden doors. Noticing the polished surface was decorated with what appeared to be Slavic wards against witchcraft, I frowned. Nox had vehemently accused his grandmother of being a witch—had implied that was why she died—and I assumed his prejudice came from Matthew. Before I could broach the subject, the doors swung wide.
“Ah, my only son...come in, come in!” Nox went rigid as Matthew’s voice snaked its way out to us in the hall. Taking a steady breath, My Darkest Midnight placed a palm against the small of my back and guided me into the cavernous space.
In sharp contrast to the barren hallway outside, Matthew’s office reminded me of the unnecessary opulence of the Tsar’s palace. Floor-to-ceiling mahogany shelves held ancient, leather-bound books, and animal skin rugs littered the floor.
The two guards who’d granted us entry stepped aside to let us pass before exiting, closing the doors behind them with a resounding boom. Realizing we were now essentially trapped in the lion's den, I slowly turned to face the predator waiting for us.
Matthew sat behind a monolithic desk on the far side of the room. There was an easy smile on his face that was most likely meant to disarm rather than put Nox and me at ease.
