The Viper's Nest (Kit Davenport #4)(83)

My gaze met Wesley’s once more, and I knew what he would say. He was just as bad as me. The clear message in his eyes was “Hell yes, fight!”

But I couldn’t do it. Simon was right. Wes and I hadn’t bonded, so there was no evidence to suggest he’d survive a bullet to the brain. Certainly not enough to even risk it.

Wesley’s eyes pleaded with me not to give in as I gave him a slow, sad headshake.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to him, even though he was across the room. “I can’t lose you.”

Simon made a noise like he was dry retching, then indicated to two more black-armored men to come over and detain me, just as they had Wesley.

Shuddering, I forced myself to stay still as the two towering men crowded me, roughly grabbing my wrists and placing the unusual cuffs around them. When they closed, there was a flare of light, and the seam where they met disappeared, leaving a cool, blue glow in the metal.

“What the hell are these?” I demanded, panic overtaking my body as a quick barrage of grusome images flickered through my mind, all scenes from my nightmares and my life, sometimes both. I’d never dealt well with being restrained… unless it was River on the other end.

“Oh, you’ve never seen these before?” Simon acted innocent, and a wicked smile curved over his blue-gray face. “Try using your magic. Go on, anything. Tell you what, we’ll even take the gun away from your friend’s head.” He snapped his fingers and one of Wesley’s guards lowered his weapon.

Clearly he was taunting me—I wasn’t stupid enough not to know that was what he was doing—but at the same time, I needed to know.

Reaching inside myself, I stretched my mental fingers out for the glowing ball of my own magic and passed straight through it like it was little more than an illusion. Or I was a ghost. Frantically I reached for it again and again, to the same effect. It was there, but I couldn’t access it.

“Uh-oh,” Simon mocked me with a snicker. “Did someone lose all her magic? What a shame... I wonder if that means you can die now? Guess we’ll soon find out, where you’re going.”

“What have you done?” I gasped out, feeling frightened tears pricking at my eyes. The only thing keeping me sane was the feeling of Wesley’s reassuring gaze on me. We’d gotten out of worse before, right? We’d do it again.

“You didn’t think we would capture supernaturals without some way of neutering their magic, did you? Fuck, Kit. We’re evil, not stupid.” Simon snorted and stepped out of the way, allowing my guards to drag me out of the hotel suite.

On instinct I struggled, wrenching my arm from one of the men’s gloved grip and throwing an elbow into the other’s gut. But the sickening crunch of something hard slamming into Wesley’s head made me freeze.

I turned to look back at him, just in time to see his unconscious form crumple between his guards, a line of blood running down his forehead where they’d just slammed him into the wall.

“That’s it, Foxy Girl,” Simon purred. “Always so pliable when there is an innocent to save.”

The fight drained from my limbs, and my vision spotted as I allowed myself to be dragged into the service elevator, all the while praying an employee might see us. Instead, all I heard was the maniacal laughter of the boy I’d once considered family.