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“She did,” I agreed, a tingle of unease testing my faith in the woman who had raised us.

“This does not feel like the path to freedom,” he continued.

“No, it doesn’t,” Drazen added, a matching frown on his face. “Perhaps there’s something we missed.”

Yaga had never led us astray before.

“It’s possible the fates are angry with us,” Kronk grumbled.

“You get anything from the guards?” Drazen asked, his voice a low whisper so the men who drove the wagon couldn’t hear.

“A little.” When a rough-handed guard grabbed my arms before clapping me in manacles, I’d done a bit of mystical recon, stealing images from his mind. “For starters, the captain received an anonymous tip that we’d be at the tavern. From Vex, no doubt.”

“We should have known this pathetic leech wouldn’t be enough to appease his anger,” Drazen snarled, sending Victor a disgusted glare.

“Apologies that my capture and attempted sale was a dismal failure,” Custodis said. His words sliced like daggers, drawing blood.

“Before the ambush, Vex confessed the deity we lost was his former mate,” Kronk added. “He’d intended to resurrect her.”

“Which is why he sold us out,” I groaned. Even among thieves, matters involving mates trumped business deals—most of the time.

Custodis snorted. “Any fool could have spotted that setupfrom a mile away.”

I shot him a glare. “You believe you’re so superior to us, and yet, here you are, captured by the king’s guards. Headed the same place we are.”

“Due to the foolishness of others.” His penetrating stare bore holes into me, leaving no doubt about whom he considered the fool.

“That makes two of us, seeing asyou’rethe reason I’m here,” I snarled through gritted teeth. “Don’t for one second think I’ve forgotten about that little stunt you pulled with the cape.”

“Most women do find me unforgettable,” Custodis intoned.

The audacity of the male. A red haze filled my vision. My head pounded as though it might explode. “You are the most arrogant, insufferable, egotistical—”

“Guys! Guys!” Drazen interrupted my tirade. “Can’t believeI’mthe one saying this, but we need to concentrate. What’s our plan here?”

I closed my eyes, heaving a deep breath. Once my pulse slowed, I shoved my expression into what I hoped was a collected mask. “From what I gleaned from the guard’s mind, when prisoners first arrive, they’re placed in a minimum-security holding cell for processing. There, we’ll receive a torque that will suppress our individual gifts.”

Drazen wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You mean the king has some kind of collar capable of snuffing out my fire?”

“Sounds like it. Good news is we did a job for one of the grunts who works in holding not long ago. Remember the one who had us steal back his mate’s heirloom necklace when the soldiers confiscated it during the last tax collection?”

“I remember.” Drazen snorted. “Thing was butt ugly. Why they’d want it so bad is beyond me.”

“Yeah, well, he never paid us. So, the plan is, after we’re processed, we’ll convince him to deactivate our torques. Thatway, Kronk can break us out before they move us somewhere more secure. Once we’re free, we’ll head for the mountains where we can lay low while things cool off.”

I dared to glance in the vampire’s direction, waiting for his reaction. Ha! Take that for a team of incompetent thieves.

Rather than comment, Custodis rested with his eyes closed and his head pressed back against the wall, a soft smirk on his arrogant face. The bastard almost looked bored.

I kicked his foot, and he cracked one eye open.

“Enjoying the ride?”

“Except for the incessant chatter,” he dared to taunt.

“Why aren’t you more concerned?”

“Because I’m not going to prison like the rest of you.”