Page 9 of A Witch Out of Time
I frowned at that, although I wasn’t surprised. Nox had always been a stubborn asshat, but his ongoing refusal to accept his fate was especially inconvenient at the moment. The witch wasn’t much better, but it was Nox I was counting on in this situation. Even at a young age, he’d impressed me with how unafraid he’d been in my presence, and I had hoped that same courage would get them out of the Facility’s range and back within my grasp.
Unfortunately, a set of balls—no matter how large—would not be enough. Nox and Vasi needed to continue feeding each other's powers until they could combat whatever mysterious force was working against us, but that required both of them to stop being so incredibly uncooperative. It was no concern of mine if the two of them formed an actual relationship, but certain things needed to happen, and time was running out…as was my patience.
How hard can it be for two humans to fuck each other?
Chapter 8
Vasilisa
Ishould have allowed Anthia to bite Nox’s dick off when she first met him.
At the thought of my imprisoned friend, my breath caught. Hiding the sound beneath a cough, I calmly laid my fork beside my plate and casually glanced around the room. The ostentatious finery surrounding us was simply masking the suffocating concrete beneath, but I could now feel a glimmer of power at my fingertips where before there was nothing. Despite Nox’s abhorrent behavior, I was relieved his “services”—as reluctantly given as they were—had allowed me to connect with source once again.
Determined to banish the memory of his face between my thighs, I refocused on formulating my own plan. If Matthew would reveal where he was keeping the shifters, I might be able to call upon enough power to free Anthia and escape.
And if my infuriating Rider is left behind in the chaos, so be it.
When the guards had returned, Nox and I were barely looking at each other, much less speaking, which was fine by me. I’d expected to eat in the common area alongside the men who’d captured us, so I was surprised when we were brought to Matthew’s private dining room instead. Similar to his office, the room was richly decorated, with ornate mahogany walls hung with heavy forest-green velvet curtains I assumed were hiding windows beyond.
Or more dead shifters.
The emotions coming off of Nox were almost deafening in their intensity, but so jumbled I couldn’t make sense of them. He kept glancing at me across the table, as if trying to catch my eye, but I was completely uninterested in whatever he was trying to convey.
Deciding to focus my attention on a more worthy adversary, I smiled pleasantly and addressed his father. “Matthew, I’ve tried many tactics over the years to eliminate shifters, but have found they are almost impossible to kill—especially if one wants it to look like an accident. Have you learned anything during your work here that may help me?”
Matthew stared at me from the head of the table, his brown eyes darkening with interest. “Would you like to learn more about what I do, Yaga? I’d be more than happy to take you on a private tour this evening.”
An inhuman growl sounded from Nox’s direction, causing me to glance sharply at my Rider. Matthew looked ready to taunt, but I smoothly interjected, keeping my judgmental gaze fixed on Nox as I replied. “Yes, I would enjoy that immensely.”
“You’re not fucking going anywhere with him, Vasi!” Nox slammed his palm on the table, rage blasting down our bond. He then froze and swallowed hard, gaze shifting warily to where his father sat.
“Vasi,hmm?” Matthew rolled my name over his tongue as if tasting it. “That wouldn’t be short for Vasilisa, would it?” Although posed as a question, he didn’t wait for an answer. Gracefully rising to his feet, he ignored his son and extended a hand to me in invitation.
“Please, Vashka…”
I flinched at the desperation in Nox’s tone, briefly wondering why I hadn’t seen his lips move. Then I reminded myself I owed this man nothing. He’d been given countless chances to take his place at my side as one of my Riders—an opportunity he should have seen as an honor. Instead, he insisted on playing games with me for his own amusement when more important issues were at stake. At this point, I needed to focus on rescuing Anthia and reuniting with my other men, no matter what it took.
With a demure nod, I accepted Matthew’s hand, his unusual ring cold against my skin. Purposefully refusing to meet Nox’s gaze, I allowed his father to lead me from the room through a side door built into the paneled wall.
Although, he shouldn’t believe for one second I trust him.
Leaving my seething Rider in the care of Matthew’s guards, we entered a narrow hallway, dimly lit and faintly smelling of electricity. A handful of twists and turns brought us to an imposing metal door with another glass security panel on the wall beside it. Expecting Matthew to use a card to gain entry, as the guard had for Nox’s room, I was surprised when he instead laid his palm against the glass.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Matthew whispered in my ear, his breath on my neck making me shiver with disgust. “The hand must be attached to my body for this to work.”
Annoyed that he somehow guessed where my thoughts were headed, I scowled up at him. “If I’d wanted a piece of you, I would’ve taken it already,” I growled, trusting that my tone conveyed my displeasure.
He chuckled as the door swung wide with a shrill mechanical beep. “I do hope you change your mind about that, little spitfire.”
Before I could ponder his statement, I blinked rapidly against the harsh light suddenly flooding my vision. Bare lightbulbs illuminated a windowless room packed end-to-end with cages of various sizes, every one filled with a motionless shifter in human form. The smell in the cramped space was atrocious, but I forced myself to step closer to the cages, desperately searching for a glimpse of platinum blonde hair.
I need to get Anthia out of here!
“Your swan friend isn’t in this room,” Matthew sounded amused, which only made me angrier. “She’s proven to be too willful for our standard testing, so we’ve...upgradedher to more advanced trials.”
“She isn’t myfriend,”I spun to face him, scoffing in affected indignation. “But I have taken a liking to her—as one might a favorite pet. I do hope, for your sake, you haven’t damaged her too badly.”
Matthew’s gaze swept over me again with a surprising amount of heat before he gestured for me to follow him. I gladly exited the room, unsure if I would be able to save these other shifters, but more determined than ever to ensure Anthia left the Facility with me.
