Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(70)

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“He said he was an Enforcer for the Mageri, and he wanted to know where to find you. The security guard doesn’t let anyone down who isn’t authorized, so he must have been telling truth.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That we just work together and I don’t know where you live.”

“Good. Did he say why he was looking for me?”

“No.”

My brows furrowed. Rachel left the premises? She worked with him? He let her leave the house, and she willingly came back? Fletcher must have really done a number on her.

“If they come again, say nothing,” he said. “You’re my apprentice. That means if I work for them, you work for them. They don’t care if I hire an assistant so long as the job gets done. But if they return, I want to know. Don’t make up stories I’m on holiday, or they’ll grow suspicious. Tell them you work when I ask, but that’s all you know. Play dumb. You’re good at that.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hurried footsteps approached, and the door swung open.

“You mind explaining why the Mageri has Enforcers on my arse?” he boomed. Fletcher squatted in front of me, and I didn’t have to look up to see the ugly scowl on his face that made him look like an angry Viking.

“Maybe someone reported your sexual activities with the bodies.”

“You’re a million laughs. Was that auction a setup?”

I stared at a scuff mark on the toe of his brown shoe. The man had always been paranoid. “I thought you worked for them? Isn’t it normal for them to check up on you? Make sure you’re not stealing bodies and keeping slaves chained up in your basement?”

“You’re a proper fool. The only communication I have with the Mageri is a deposit into my bank account. I ring the cleaners when there’s a body to collect.”

“Not all the time.”

He sneered. “I want to know what you’ve been doing all these years, my pet. And what does that mark on your hip mean?”

Fletcher didn’t know about Keystone, and I planned to keep it that way. “In case you didn’t notice the Chitah bite, I found out ink covers up scars pretty well.”

His brows rose. “You were bit by a Chitah and lived to tell the tale?”

“Painful as hell, but I lived. Only two teeth,” I lied, not mentioning the Chitah had bitten me twice with his upper fangs, injecting what should have been a lethal dose of venom. The less Fletcher knew about all my gifts, the better.

I had several advantages this time around—one in particular. During my previous time in captivity, I’d known nothing about my Mage gifts. It was only later that I discovered I could pull core light from a Mage. Since Fletcher didn’t know that about me, it was imperative to plan my attack carefully. I couldn’t attempt it while he was stealing my light. I was still in chains, and he would sever the connection immediately. I needed to be astride him so he couldn’t escape, and I’d wait as long as it took for the right opportunity.

Fletcher smacked me hard on the thigh, leaving a red handprint. “Tell me where you’ve been! Why is the Mageri sniffing around my morgue? Why did they send an Enforcer? Those blokes don’t fuck around. They only show up when they have a search or arrest warrant, and they sure as bloody hell aren’t going to call me in advance to tell me they’re popping in.”

When he struck me the second time, I grimaced. It took everything in me not to asphyxiate him with my legs, but then where would I be? For all I knew, Rachel might kill me for taking her Creator’s life. She had no loyalty to me, and chances were that Fletcher had hidden the key to my shackles. Rachel would probably leave me here to die, too afraid to call anyone for help.

I remained motionless in a fetal position, my hands behind my neck and out of his reach.

He threaded my hair away from my face. Uncertainty flickered in his expression. “Was this part of a plan to steal my money? Have your partner report me and wait here until the Enforcers show up to free you? That’s why I brought you here, Raven.” He chuckled darkly. “I always wondered if you’d have the audacity to come after me. It’s why I moved—why I switched to a new hospital. I knew you’d never report me. They exterminate your kind, you know. Illegally made means you’re unstable—a risk to everything they’ve created.” He narrowed his eyes, hard lines forming on the outside edges. “Such a clever girl. I bet you’re teamed up with that Vamp who sold you, but I’m one step ahead. He might have my money, but you’ll never get your grubby little hands on it. You’re here for good, love. Forever and ever. Think he’ll bother to search for you? Nah. Blokes like him use weaklings like you to get what they want.”

“Your breath still stinks, and it doesn’t help that you talk too much.”

He leaned in tight, the vein in his forehead pulsing. “Whatever you have going on in that head of yours, better not. It’s illegal to kill your Creator. Do you think they’d care why? The Mageri shows no mercy, and even if you get away with it, they’ll find out sooner or later. And you’ll be locked away… if you’re lucky. Want to know what happens to the unlucky ones?” He made a menacing slice of his finger across his neck. “Off with their heads. Doesn’t matter if you’ve made yourself a pillar of society. In fact, that’ll make it much worse. It’ll haunt you for all the days of your life.”