Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(84)

"I don't care," Theo snapped, sounding nothing like the well-mannered man I'd met in the mansion. "He's your problem. Your presence here could jeopardize everything. Go home."

She yanked out of his grip and spun on him, the skin on her face rippling as if the beast inside was fighting to get free. "We're not done talking about this."

He made a frustrated sound. "Fine, but not here."

She jerked her shoulder and preceded him out of the shack. Theo paused before following her, his face turning slightly towards me. "I'll deal with you later."

I bared my fangs at him. "I look forward to it."

He made a derisive sound of amusement, walking over to the wall where there was a switch. He gave me a smile before flipping it. I jerked and screamed as pain darted down my arms, my feet dancing across the bare dirt in a painful arc.

Caroline shouted at him to stop, throwing herself against her cage again and again.

He watched us with a nasty little smile before he flipped the switch again. My unwilling jerking came to a stop, and I stilled, an agonized moan escaping me.

"Next time you back-talk, I'll leave this on while I attend to my business," he told me.

I didn't have time to answer, my breathing painful as I struggled to gain my strength back. He sauntered to the door, pulling it shut behind him. My ears picked up the faint rattling of the chain as he locked the padlock.

"Aileen, are you okay? Aileen?" Caroline's voice rose in panic as I failed to answer.

I managed to say, "I'm fine." My head sagged forward. What was that? Electricity? Whatever it was had made itself felt. My nerves still fired with remembered pain.

"You're not fine," she snapped.

"I'm close enough," I told her, forcing my head back up. She needed me to be strong. I could at least pretend at it to keep her calm.

She sat back and let out a breath of relief, my response having convinced her I wasn't about to kick the bucket right then and there. "We need to get out of here."

"I know. I'm working on it," I assured her.

"No, you don't." She looked at me directly, desperation on her face. The wolf so close to the surface that it felt like there were two beings present in one body. To my other sight, I saw the burnt umber and black that I associated with the wolf flickering around her body like a halo. "Tonight's the full moon. If we're not out of here by then, I won't be able to control myself during the change."

I stilled, memories of the last time her wolf had attacked me rising in my mind. Fear coated my tongue and it took effort to control my breathing. If it was that close to a full moon, she didn't need my panic contributing to her lack of control.

"We're going to get out of here," I promised. Hopefully, before her wolf ate me.

"I hope you're right," she said, leaning her head against her drawn up knees. "Otherwise, I very much fear you're going to have to kill me."

I felt an instant denial form—one that originated from the very core of who I was. In no realm or timeline, not even a parallel one with an evil version of myself, would I ever consider such an act. "That's not happening."

"It will if you have even an ounce of caring left for me," she said. "If I turn, I won't be me. I'll be a monster intent on your flesh. If that's the case, the kindest thing you can do for me is put me out of my misery."

"It's not going to come to that," I said. "We're going to get out of here."

She didn't respond, her silence letting me know just how hopeless she felt.

We were each quiet, consumed by our thoughts as the day deepened and the morning wore on. I fought sleep with every ounce of my being, drawing on the strength of Liam and Thomas’s blood to stay awake. Knowing what tonight might bring, I didn't want to chance falling unconscious, knowing the next time I woke might be to the jaws of Caroline's wolf ripping out my throat. So good to know my fate once again would be decided based on my susceptibility to the sun.

Before long, the shack door opened to reveal Theo. He strolled inside, his face fixed in that affable geniality that had fooled me before. He didn't look like a murderer or a back-stabbing bastard. He appeared to be a regular guy—perhaps a little bland-looking and definitely too nice for his own good. Too bad this nice guy happened to have kidnapped two women and was planning their grisly deaths.

"Have to tell you, I expected you to be out for the day already," Theo said, coming to a stop in front of me. "I'll talk to that charm-maker. She promised that it would keep a vampire of your strength out for an extended period."

A charm. That must be how he got into the Gargoyle with all its protections. I was betting he had more than one—each tailored for a specific purpose. It must have been how he got so close without either Nathan or me knowing.

"Perhaps they'll give you a refund," I said.

He stared at me for a moment, his lips twisted in wry humor. An emotion not reflected in his eyes, which were cold and unfeeling. "What did I tell you about back-talk?"

He moved to the switch, looking at me as if he expected me to protest or beg. I stared back, blank faced. He made a sound of humor and then flicked the switch. I screamed as my back bowed, my muscles seizing so hard I thought I might be in danger of breaking something. The pain stopped, leaving me panting.