Page 108 of The Tracker's Revenge

“Well, we’re waiting. Tell us where the elixir is!” Suddenly, the whites of her eyes went totally black as she glared at me, like ink filling an empty well.

Blasted Midnight Witch!

Once more, I said nothing.

“What now?!” she demanded, turning toward Stephen. “Will you continue to ask me not to hurt her? I could’ve gotten the truth out of her ages ago, but you continue to hold on to the stupid little idea that she’ll come to you.”

Stephen lowered his blue gaze to the floor as my eyes flicked in his direction. He looked ashamed for a moment, then his head snapped back up, his expression harsh.

Uh-oh! Not good.

“You can do whatever you want with her,” he said, though there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance, Toni. I didn’t want things to end this way. I would have given you everything, but it seems you prefer to scrape by at your mediocre agency and to beg Jake to look your way.”

“Fuck you,” I said. “When you have something other than scum to offer me, get back with me.”

“Thank the witchlights you’ve seen reason!” Mekare told Stephen, then raised her hands, weaving them in an intricate pattern.

My ears rang as panic took hold. I rammed my shoulder into the invisible barrier and bounced back, pain flaring down the length of my arm. I felt my way all around, fists pounding against the magical cage that surrounded me like a glass cylinder, but there was no way out. I was at the witch’s mercy. I thought of shifting, but what good would that do?

Pain exploded inside my head. My hands flew to my temples as I fell to my knees, screaming in agony. Mekare’s chilled voice rose above the pain, ringing inside my head.

This is nothing compared to the well of pain I can make you feel. But you can spare yourself the entire experience if you just tell me where to find the elixir.

I clenched my teeth, growling, lowering my head to the floor as if to find a position that would relieve the torture, but there was none. There was only pure, unadulterated agony.

I can make it all go away.She snapped her fingers, and the pain stopped immediately.See.

“I can even make you feel better.” Her fingers snapped once more, and a wave of well-being washed over me.

I exhaled, sinking to the floor in relief.

“Now,” she cocked her head to one side, looking at me with near motherly concern, “are you ready to speak?”

Breathing rapidly, I pushed up to my knees and nodded.

Her eyebrows went up, and she turned in Stephen’s direction. “I thought you said she had a strong will?”

He narrowed his eyes. “She’s probably thinking of lying.”

Bastard!I hated him, though I had to give him some credit for knowing me well.

“A lie won’t do, dear,” Mekare said. “I will know if you’re not telling us the truth.”

Would she? Was that something Midnight Witches could do? Sniff out a lie? I had no idea. I’d never met any, and I didn’t think I ever wanted to meet any others—not if they all had the power to turn my brain into a smoothie.

But all I could do was try because I couldn’t let them get hold of Damien’s elixir.

“It’s in Eric Cross’s house,” I said in a halting voice as if it pained me to reveal it.

Pain exploded inside my head once more. I threw my head back, an anguished cry tearing out of my throat. Then my entire body went limp, and I collapsed to the floor with athud. My limbs convulsed. My back arched to a breaking point.

The pain stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

Tears slid out of the corner of my eyes and splattered onto the floor. A string of saliva ran out of my mouth, and my tongue lolled like a limp flag.

White flashes disturbed my vision as I tried to look at my torturer. One of my eyes seemed to wander in the wrong direction. I blinked, feeling disoriented and unable to process a complete thought.

“She won’t be able to tell us anything if you kill her,” Stephen complained.