Page 55 of A Witch Out of Time
“YOU CRAZY FUCKING WITCH!”My concentration was interrupted by Nox’s booming voice in my ear and enormous arms wrapped around my midsection. He unceremoniously tossed me over his shoulder and continued barreling through the mass of sluggish recruits on his way toward the Facility gates, cursing the entire way. “I swear, I am going to bend you over the next available surface and punish you until you act right!”
That doesn’t sound like punishment to me.
Awkwardly bouncing against his back, I lifted my head to find Tan and Asa following close behind, looking equally enraged. Tan wielded his blinding light as a shield against enemy attacks while Asa ran ahead, heat blasting from him to melt a path through the chain-link fence and to the metal door beyond.
The sound of gunshots filled the air again just as we entered the cool confines of the Facility, signaling that my half-completed spell had already worn off. Craning my neck, I vaguely recognized the restricted area we’d escaped from, although my view was limited since my Darkest Midnight didn’t seem inclined to put me down.
As we traveled further into the maze, shifters raced by in human form, hurrying to free their clansmen from captivity. After a dizzying number of twists and turns, we found ourselves back in the dining room where Matthew had first invited me to tour his house of horrors. Luckily, it was currently unoccupied. Nox finally lowered me to the ground so he and the others could adjust their face coverings before helping me with mine.
“Listen up, Vasi!” he barked, obviously still irritated by my offensive attempt to aid the battle. “We’ll be using the common hallways from here on out so you’ll need to remain positioned between us as we go.” He paused before brusquely adding, “That isn’t a suggestion. It's an order.”
I straightened, preparing to remind my Rider I could handle myself when Asa quickly cut in. “Please, sweetness, we need you to stay safe.”
His pleading tone, coupled with the desperation shooting down our bond, made me begrudgingly stand down. I recalled Marena explaining how the connection between the four of us was built not just on emotion but instinct. Our individual survival supposedly depended on the well-being of the group.
I suppose I’ll behave.
For now.
Nodding, I obediently moved behind Nox as Tan and Asa walled me in on either side. Signaling for silence, Nox cautiously opened the dining room door, peering in both directions before leading us out into the eerily quiet hallway.
Something isn’t right.
It was difficult to discern if my inner knowing had genuinely caught on to something, or if the Facility’s mysterious power was causing my senses to go haywire. My mentor had always pushed me to rely on my intuition, but now I questioned myself.
I attempted to transmit my concerns to Nox, but he either didn’t receive the message or stubbornly ignored it as he continued to guide us toward his father’s office. We entered the main hallway to find it packed with armed recruits, all running in different directions in response to our attack. My uneasiness somewhat lessened as I realized no one was paying us any mind, although I was still on edge.
Do my Riders not feel it too?
Tapping into our bond again, I found the only emotions coming from my men were alertness and calculation as they entered the practiced headspace of their training. Feeding off their calm, I focused on gathering our stores of power to compensate for the Facility interfering with my abilities.
Upon arriving at the enormous wooden doors leading into Matthew’s office, we paused. As Nox slowly opened the door, listening for what awaited us on the other side, I again looked at the carvings that decorated its surface. I noticed one side had Veles’ symbol as the central design, while the other featured Perun’s. Unsurprisingly, Mokosh was relegated to adorn the border along with the lesser gods. As if being female made her less important than her consorts.
Typical.
We held a collective breath as the door swung open to reveal Matthew’s desk and deplorable collection of dead shifters. The space was as ornate and immaculate as I remembered, only this time, Matthew’s discomforting presence wasn’t here.
Nox released a breath. “He probably already flew off in his private helicopter, leaving his men behind to die like the shit stain he is.”
Nox and Asa began rifling through files as Tan rifled through our bags, preparing Veles’ magicked bombs for detonation. Meanwhile, I made one last attempt to tune in to whatever my intuition had been trying to tell me. The deeper I went, the more I realized it wasn’t the Facility itself blocking me, but somethingelseadding its own frequency. It didn’t feel unnatural, like the cold concrete surrounding us. It was familiar, yet foreign, like a natural landscape altered by human hands to still appear organic.
What manner of beast am I up against?
“Have you changed your mind about my offer, my beautiful Vasilisa?” Matthew’s commanding voice had me spinning around, claws twitching at the sight of the massive man suddenly filling the doorway. “I could find it in me to forgive your little betrayal if you would simply accept that your destiny lies with me.”
“You don’t get to claim her,” Nox growled, his gun pointed at his father as Tan and Asa circled the older man with weapons drawn. “Vasi belongs with us and you fucking know it.”
Matthew licked his lips, his dark eyes fixed on me alone as he continued. “You must realize you don’t needthesemen specifically. Any man who possesses power you can feed off of will do. And I have more power at my fingertips than you could ever imagine...” Pointedly ignoring my Riders, he calmly walked around the desk and wrapped his hands over the back of his chair. His ornate ring tapped against the wood, drawing my attention to the chunk of quartz at its center.
I furrowed my brow in confusion at his casual demeanor. Matthew didn’t seem the least bit concerned about being shot, although he appeared to be unarmed and was confronting us with none of his guards’ protection.
Something still isn’t right.
Pulsing with an angry, reddish glow, Asa snarled. “Yes, you’re so powerful you felt threatened by a middle-aged woman halfway across the world. So incredibly terrorized you felt the need to blow her up in a car bomb, you fucking piece of shit!”
Matthew’s gaze snapped to Asa, eyes widening as he took in the supernatural glow surrounding my Rider. “Interesting,” he murmured, before frowning at my Beautiful Sun in disgust. “Your mother threatened mewith her political connections, and as it’s myjobto protect the interests of those in charge, I did what needed to be done. Besides, one less uppity woman in the world is no loss.”
Well, that was the wrong thing to say.
