Page 117 of Brushed By Moonlight

Leave it to Mina to think about someone else when she was the one locked in a cellar.

Roux grimaced. “Probably not, given the fact that she hasn’t been thrown in here with us. But there’s bound to be security footage of her with me, so it’s only a question of time.”

“That, or Henrik will turn her in,” I muttered.

Mina shook her head sadly. “I can’t believe he turned on us. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, though.”

I rolled my fists so tightly, my knuckles cracked. When I got my hands on that vampire…

“So…getting out of here…” Mina gripped the bars of our cell and shook them.

They didn’t budge. Not even a rattle.

“I don’t suppose you could break them, huh?” she tried.

I loved that she considered that a possibility, but sadly…

I shook my head. “Maybe in dragon form, but there’s no space for me to shift in here.”

Mina moved her hand between two bars, measuring the gap. “Enough space for a tiger to slip through?”

Roux snorted. “Maybe a cub. Not me.”

Mina shook the bars again. “I prefer breaking out to waiting for Baumann or Henrik to come for us.”

Me too, but how?

Mina peered at the lock, one of those old-fashioned, skeleton-key setups. One of Baumann’s private security guards had locked us in, then exited with the key.

“I hate to say it, but I think Bene is our best hope right now,” Roux said.

I huffed. “Bene,best, andhopedo not fit in one sentence together. Not even two of the three.”

Mina rolled her eyes. “You two are as bad as some of my fifth graders.”

I pictured her in a classroom, stern yet caring. My mind clung to that image and stashed it away like treasure. I knew so little about Mina that anything — everything — mattered.

“Well, Bene isn’t completely useless. He can follow instructions,” Roux tried.

I gave him a look, and he corrected himself.

“Okay, he canmostlyfollow instructions. But having him improvise on his own…” He trailed off grimly.

“Maybe you’re underestimating him.” Mina crossed her arms fiercely.

Roux sighed. “Always a safer bet with Bene.”

“Besides, it’s only a question of time before Henrik rats him out too — if he hasn’t already,” I added.

We bounced ideas back and forth for the next ten minutes. Picking the lock didn’t work, nor did heaving at the bars of our cell. That left escaping when someone came for us — the hardest option to plan for. How many men would Baumann send for us? Would Henrik be among them? When would they come, and where would they take us?

We were debating using broken-off bottles as weapons when voices sounded. We rushed to the bars, listening, then fell back when the main door burst open.

I stepped in front of Mina. Whoever that was would have to get through me to get to her, dammit.

Light streamed in, backlighting a tall man who paused in the doorway. He cursed, then glided forward.

“Henrik?” Roux called.