Jonas (Darkness #7)(14)

“They know where the Mansion is.” Adrenaline was coursing through Jonas’ body. “They know where the shifters are. Probably know where the other clans are around the country, too. If the humans are excited enough, and they are looking, they’ll eventually start noticing us. And then…”

“And then they’ll realize you don’t get diseases. AIDS doesn’t affect you. They might think you have the cure to cancer. Most of you will be killed outright. And the rest will end up in labs. Yeah. Nathanial is thorough. He’s done his homework. I’m pretty sure he knows the outcome, but the powers-that-be wanted to see if the modern age would allow for more open-mindedness. But he’ll totally ruin what you guys have going.”

“The Boss will cut his feet out from under him. He won’t get a chance to set this in motion.”

The female sighed and leaned her head against the wall. “He’s an excellent magic worker, Nathanial. One of the best in the world. Your people will never find this place. They could be standing right on top of it and they wouldn’t see it. That’s why he was elected to head up this project. He’s not the oldest, but he’s the best. And the most ruthless.”

Jonas stared at the female huddled near the wall. “Why are you telling me this? Why have you been so honest with me?”

She shrugged and turned so her back was flat against the wall. She looked away from him. “You’ve been nice to me. You’re a prisoner, whom I’ve beat beyond the tolerance of all but a few, and still you’ve cared about my… issues.”

“Issues.” Jonas snorted. “Such a human word. Sasha uses that all the time.” He sobered and sat back down. He felt the tug of the cuffs on his wrist. Felt the raw skin on his ankles. He needed to get out. He needed to warn his clan—to get Dominicous and Cato active. This Nathanial might be great, but Jonas bet he was nothing compared to Cato. And if so, he was nothing compared to Cato with the help of Sasha and her following of humans.

“Why are you still here if you’re treated how you say you’re treated? And what’s your name? You never said.”

The female glanced over at him. “Emmy. My name is Emmy. And I’ve escaped before. I’m actually pretty good at escaping. And hiding. But I have some sort of magic tag on me, I think. I’m always found. And they always bring me right back.”

“Well, it’s a sad day when I’m the nicest person you know.” Jonas tugged at the chain again. There was no way he was pulling this out of the wall. He glanced back up at the female. “So what do you plan to do? Turn me on some more, not touch me, and then wait for them to kill me and pass you around? That your plan of action? Because if it is, that’s a piss-poor plan of action.”

“I have at least a day to get more answers out of you. They need more information on the Council. You were there—you still have use. And if you have use, I have use. We have a little time.”

Jonas shook his head and yanked at the chains again. Anger pinged through his body. He called the elements and tried to work a pure shot of fire. He directed the stream into the metal at his wrists. A moment later, he felt the bands heat. Next, his skin started to sizzle.

“What the hell are you doing?” Emmy asked as she hurried toward him. He immediately felt cooling relief as Emmy reached over him and laid her hands on his cuffs. She leaned back so she could look down on his face. “I sure hope your mage is better than you at magic.”

“Thanks,” Jonas said gruffly. “I’m not great with spells. Not those kind, anyway. Most of my magic is for fighting.”

Silence descended as she stood over him, looking down. Her heat fell around his body. Her smell, floral and feminine, curled around his senses. He remembered her burning eyes and how she’d handled that whip aggressively. And he remembered how she gently washed the blood from his body. Hard and controlling one minutes, soft and caring the next.

He let his head fall back so he could look up into her beautiful, haunted blue eyes. “It worked.”

“What worked?” she whispered. Her sweet breath dusted his eyelashes.

“Your methods. You’ve succeeded.”

“No. I didn’t. The goal is to make the prisoner attached while remaining unaffected. I failed.”

Her gaze drifted across his face and dipped down to his mouth. “I’ve never had a good experience with men. It’s always only been Nathanial. I’ve never been in control. I think it’s why I’m so good at this job—I get to stay in control. I’m always the master of the room.”

“When things get too wild, and my aggression climbs too high, I often need someone with a firm hand to level me back out. To put me back in line. I need someone to take the control away so I don’t lose myself to violence.”

A ghost of a smile graced her red, full lips. “Yin and Yang.”

“Let me touch you, Emmy. Please. I’ll be gentle. I won’t touch you anywhere you say is forbidden. You can zap me with magic if you get nervous.”

“No, I can’t. I can’t do much with my magic, actually.”

Jonas could hardly think with the pounding in his cock. With the warmth of this beautiful, dainty female above him. With the desire to feel her soft skin on his body. “Why?” he asked in a whimsical voice.

“I told you. I’m an abomination. My magic is human. They wouldn’t train me.”