Page 38 of Vengeance and Vipers
And he’s free in the chateau.
Except I know where he is. I snort.
Even in insanity, he’s a creature of habit.
I turn and go back the way I came.
I’m going to need my gun.
* * *
JULES
I’m trying not to feel rattled, but when Maddox burst in, my stomach leaped up into my throat, and I pretty much threw myself across the room away from him as he demoned up, equal parts scared and intrigued by his golden form, the dark, swirling tattoos I glimpsed. I tried to ignore that second feeling, though …
It was pretty obvious that he couldn’t see us because of whatever conjure is on the room, but he knew we were in here, and it didn’t stop him from throwing stuff around.
The way Krase immediately grabbed me and turned me away from the vase Maddox hurled in my general direction made it obvious that it wouldn’t pass right through me.
It was also weirdly protective of him…and confusing.
I glance around the room, my eyes falling on the door for the hundredth time. I’m alone. I’m not sure where Krase went, but after Maddox’s little temper tantrum, he mumbled something and disappeared into a hidden passage behind the wall next to the bed.
A hidden passage.
Yeah, fine. Sounds about right.
I’m trying not to worry, but my eyes just keep going back to the door that leads to the hall. What if they come in again, and theycansee me this time?
What would I even say to Jayce and Axel if I saw them again? My heart aches, and I try not to think about what happened in the Mountain between us. It wasn’t real. They were playing me. It’s so obvious now. I was so stupid and pathetic. An easy mark. I can’t blame them for it, I guess. They wanted to get out. I knew how. It makes sense that they’d get close to me, make me think things that weren’t true.
I mean, yeah, Maddoxseemedto poison them, but was that really what happened, or was it just another ruse for my benefit? With Iron’s shiny new skills and his ability to put stuff in my head, I don’t really know what’s true from pretty much the moment they made that deal with Dante.
But, at the end of the day, what I do know for certain is that Maddox’s clan left me to be tortured, raped, and killed. That’s what’s real, and that’s all I actually need to know. I didn’t escape because of them. I escaped because ofme … and my spider buddy.
But the only one I can rely on ismenow. That’s it, and I need to stop forgetting that.
There’s a click beside me, and the secret door swings open. I let out a small, involuntary sigh of relief. Krase is back. I move to greet him, trying to stifle a ridiculous, happy grin that is somehow plastered to my face. But I freeze as the barrel of a gun is the first thing that emerges from the darkness. The hand is tattooed, as is the corded forearm it’s attached to.
By the time I see his face, I already know who it is, and I’m ashamed that my body freezes, the details of what he did and said to me in our last meetings flashing before my eyes. I stumble back as Iron comes over the threshold into the room, and his eyes find me.
He can see me! I’m stuck in place like somehow he’s not going to see me if I stay completely still. As if that’s going to help.
He halts, looking as shocked as I feel.
Of course, he is. He thought I was dead.
‘Jules? But you … you’re in the …’
I find my voice. ‘In the Mountain?’ I finish for him with a sneer. ‘Please! Like some supe prison can contain me.’
He scowls and takes a step forward. I shuffle back two. I can’t help it. Even my bravado has its limits. His eyes move over me, taking in the red dress. He hasn’t lowered his gun, although I have no idea why he’s brought one.
My eyes widen as it comes to me. I do know why. For Krase. He probably thinks he’s gone incubus psycho killer.
‘How did you escape Dante?’ he asks, his eyes flicking over me as if he’s trying to see what Dante might have done through my clothes.
‘What do you care?’ I mutter. ‘You all left me there to die.’
