Page 20

W hen I woke a second time, I was in the same cramped cell, but this time it wasn’t empty.

I was lying on a cot with a brown knit blanket thrown over my legs.

There was a bowl of what appeared to be soup and stale bread propped on a stool in the corner.

A stack of books sat beside it, a lone lit lantern as well.

The warm light filled the cell, and the aroma of the food reached my nose right as my stomach grumbled.

He hadn’t stolen my magic yet, and for that I was thankful.

I could still sense it simmering in my core despite it having nowhere to go due to the ash enchantments.

If I had any hope of escaping him and the rest of the Noctani, I needed to keep up my strength.

And I needed my magic. Even if it was unbound.

I rose to approach the bowl of food, my body protesting and a groan escaping my lips at how sore I was.

A headache still throbbed at my temple, and surely Nik’s suffocating shadows hadn’t helped the situation. What had he meant when he said he was trying to say the right thing? Why couldn’t he speak the words he wanted to? Was it due to his link to Donika that he appeared to be fighting?

He had claimed he would never hurt me… but he had.

Twice now.

The thought had tears stinging the back of my eyes, but I pushed them down as I settled on the floor in front of the stool. I ripped off pieces of the bread, soaking them in the soup to soften them and hopefully prevent any of my teeth from chipping.

As I ate the meal in silence, I perused the books that had been left in my cell. I was surprised to find they were some of the volumes that graced my own shelves back in the mortal realm.

Had Nik brought these for me?

No… it couldn’t have been him. He had captured me.

Hurt me… knocking me out twice now and keeping me prisoner.

He had no reason to be kind to me. It was only a matter of time now before he stole my magic, leaving me entirely mortal before dragging me back before Donika.

Whoever had brought this meal for me had to have brought the books, taking pity on me for being stuck in this cell all alone. But if not Nik… then who?

Corian had seen me in that dream, but he hadn’t initially revealed my presence to Donika. Had he wanted me to see how their army had grown? How hopeless the resistance was now? It was something I had already feared, but the dream had solidified it. In this moment, I truly did feel hopeless .

My bond was broken, and I didn’t have control of my magic. The resistance numbers were scattered across Prins after our last battle. Isaac and Nikolai were Noctani. And I was a prisoner… again. It surely didn’t appear as if we were on the winning side of things.

I finished the soup as I contemplated my next move. The items in my cell could be used as weapons now. Surely the fire from the burning lantern that flickered at my knee could be of use. I pushed the empty tray of food towards the cell door and settled back onto the cot with one of the books.

The door at the end of the hallway creaked open, and I wasn’t surprised when Nikolai appeared. His shock of blond hair was concealed by his hood, which was pulled up over it, concealing part of his face.

“Are your accommodations to your liking?” he asked as he stopped before the cell door, his brow raised.

I met his gaze. “My… accommodations?”

“I brought these things to you in hopes it would add some… comfort… to an uncomfortable situation. You had fallen asleep on the cold concrete floor and… ” his words trailed off as his gaze flickered towards the door at the end of the corridor.

“ You brought me these things?” I asked, my brow furrowed.

“Of course,” he smiled, but the smile never reached his eyes. I couldn’t see the dimple in his right cheek. It was hollow, and my stomach sank at the thought.

“But… why?” I asked, confused.

Why would he want to make me comfortable? I was his prisoner . It didn’t make any sense .

He inclined his head as he examined me. “I care for you, Diana.”

Care for me.

Not love. No… it would never be love again. Not unless we succeeded with the antidote, which I wasn’t sure was even an option at this point.

“I thought Noctani didn’t care for anything.” My words were soft as my gaze fell.

I didn’t have the energy to be angry in this moment, and I didn’t think my heart could break any more than it already had. Tears pricked the back of my eyes and I pinched the bridge of my nose as I fought them back.

Nik didn’t appear to be as mindless as the other Noctani.

He wasn’t as… catatonic. I didn’t think he was under Donika’s complete control the way the Noctani in the dream had been.

He appeared as a darker version of himself…

fighting off his Noctani instincts and compulsion.

This second interaction with him solidified my idea that the bond we shared had to be playing a hand in the version of him that stood before me now.

If I ever got out of here, I would have to ask Zion and Annelise. The bond was strong blood magic—it was entirely possible that it altered whatever Noctani spell Donika had conjured up since the bond came first.

I released a heavy sigh as my hand fell back to my lap.

“Nothing has changed,” he said slowly.

“Nothing has changed?” My voice came out raw. “ Everything has changed, Nik.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be like that. ”

A humorless laugh escaped my lips as I tipped my head back against the wall of the cell. “Doesn’t it? Were you not sent to capture me so that Donika could kill me ?”

“I would never let her—” his words broke off as if he were choking, his hand moving to his throat. “I would never. Let. Her. Kill. You.” He spoke each word separately, as if the strain of speaking them was a physical thing.

My eyes narrowed on him.

“I’m not sure you have a choice in the matter.” My gaze met his once more.

“There is always a choice.” He clenched his teeth together, and a muscle feathered in his jaw as he spoke, the sharp points of his fangs visible amid the glow of the lantern.

“You are Noctani,” I reminded him, placing the book on the cot beside me. “You are devoted to Donika.”

A long moment passed before he answered. “Yes.”

“Then I’m not sure why we are even having this conversation. Donika wants my magic, and she wants me dead . And if she can get you to do it, all the better for her. She takes a sick pleasure out of turning my loved ones against me.”

Nik’s gaze dropped to his boots as he gripped the iron bars before him, hanging his head.

“Everything is so… confusing.” He bit his lip, and I could see his blackened eyes moving back and forth in thought.

He was at war with himself. The Nikolai that stood before me absolutely didn’t reconcile with the Noctani I had encountered previously, and what I knew of the Noctani from dream walking and seeing Corian’s creations .

“What do you mean?” I asked, my gaze intent on him as the wheels spun in my mind.

If our bond was allowing him to fight Donika’s compulsion, I could certainly use that to my advantage.

He lifted his head only enough to peer at me beneath his hood. “My heart tells me one thing, my brain another.”

He pushed back from the iron bars with startling speed and stepped back to the end of the hall. If I had blinked, I would have missed it.

“Where are we?” I asked, moving to stand. “Tell me where we are!”

“Enjoy the books,” he replied as he reached for the iron handle of the door.

“Nikolai, where are we!?” I cried, rushing to the front of the cell and gripping the bars as he had moments ago.

But he didn’t answer, the only sound in response was the heavy wooden door shutting between us.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Nik had last visited the cell, but it had to have been days.

Meals were brought to me on a steady rotation, almost always the same thing.

I wasn’t able to discern where we were or get any information out of the Noctani who came to monitor me.

They were able to hold conversations as Nik was, but their answers were vague and controlled .

But something else wasn’t right. At least a week had to have passed since I was captured, but we hadn’t moved yet. Weren’t his orders to steal my magic and bring me straight to Donika? What was he waiting for? Why were we still here? Did he have something else in mind for me?

I passed the time with the books he had brought me, and when I finished those, more were brought with my meals.

He hadn’t returned, and the Noctani that were sent down to the prison cells were strangers, I recognized none of them.

I hadn’t seen Antonia Finch since that fateful brawl on the training field.

I was hoping she might come down so that I could see if I could appeal to her, having known her in the mortal realm.

I had no idea how long I had been knocked out for when I had been taken here.

I had no idea if we were still in Prins or if we were in Akra.

Wherever we were… it had an underground dungeon.

With no windows or light to break the monotony, I was going stir crazy.

At least the last time I had been held prisoner I had Tess with me.

I hoped she was safe, somewhere far from here. I knew she wasn’t stupid enough to try to track me down and break me out with only Puck at her side. I prayed she stayed on task and completed the antidote, returning to the seaside cabin to regroup from there.

A chill had crept into my bones deep enough that I wasn’t sure I would ever be warm again. My fingers were turning a ghostly shade of white. No matter how hard I tried to warm myself by the lantern with the single blanket I had been given, a shiver racked my bones.

I was almost done counting the marks on the ceiling when the door at the end of the hall opened. My head turned, surprised to find Nikolai there.

“Where have you been?” I asked, teeth chattering.

“Missed me?” he replied, that devilish smirk lifting one corner of his mouth showing off one fang.

A shiver ran down my spine for an entirely different reason. It was a combination of fear and longing. He was right there , but at the same time he was gone . It was all too confusing.

His eyes roamed over my body, taking me in. “Are you cold?” A note of concern entered his tone.

I simply nodded—my hands still tucked beneath the blanket.

“I’ll have someone bring down more blankets,” he replied, his tone serious now. All traces of teasing gone. He was like the old Nik one second, then he was entirely Noctani the next.

“You could let me out of here… ”

The ghost of a smile graced his mouth, but there was no humor in it. “Not sure that’s a good idea, Firecracker.”

That wasn’t a no.

I pushed to a sitting position, wrapping the brown blanket over my shoulders as I approached the bars of the cell. He took an involuntary step backwards away from me, and I arched my brow at him.

“What, are you scared of me Nikolai?” A smile lifted my lips as I narrowed my eyes at him.

If this was my one opportunity to get out of this cell, I was going to take it. If I could prey on his weaknesses, appeal to his softer side that had shown itself these last few days, then I might have a chance.

“Never.” His voice was a challenge.

“Then why not let me out? Surely there is somewhere warmer up there we can go and talk,” I replied, nodding towards the ceiling of the prison.

I was desperate to get above ground.

Nik bit his lip with a fang, stuffing his hands into his pockets. It was such a human gesture, but he wasn’t human at all anymore. Or was he?

“If I don’t get rid of this chill in my bones I’ll die. Not only will you have robbed Donika of the pleasure but my magic will return to the earth. I don’t think Donika would ever forgive that.”

His gaze snapped up to mine, his eyes roaming my face as he warred with himself.

There was a piece of him that was still fighting. Maybe there was a chance to escape this after all.

“You aren’t safe from the others,” his voice was ragged as he ran a hand through his blond hair.

“Then don’t bring me near the others,” I suggested, a wicked smile on my lips. I tried my best to ignore the cold that threatened to rattle my teeth.

I put on my best flirty voice as I gazed at him beneath my eyelashes. “I would kill for a warm bath and some clean clothes. Please, Nikolai. You know you want to.”

“I do.” He swallowed hard, his voice almost… strangled. “Will you try to run? I know you, Firecracker.”

I shook my head. “ I won’t run.”

Not yet, anyway. I needed to find out where we were.

Needed to find some kind of weapon to use against him, then escape without any of the other Noctani noticing.

He was faster and stronger than me, and I wouldn’t make it out alive unless I was armed.

There had to be weapons above ground wherever we were, and I needed to find one. Discreetly.

To do that, I needed out of this cell.

“If you do, I’ll have to punish you.” His voice was all velvet now.

He might be Noctani, but he was still a man. I could surely use his inner primal instincts to my own advantage.

“We wouldn’t want that,” I teased, shuffling the blanket away from my shoulder to reveal my collarbone.

It was so damn cold down in the dungeon, I wouldn’t be surprised if the expanse of skin he saw there had turned blue.

He slowly moved towards the iron door and fished in his pocket for the ring of keys.

My heart almost stopped beating in my chest as he finally pulled them out, finding a long brass key and inserting it into the lock.

My chest tightened as the lock clicked and the door sprang open between us.

I was treading in dangerous territory here. A lick of fear ran up my spine as I walked across the threshold, Nik’s hungry eyes locked on mine. He was glancing at me as if I would be his next meal, and the thought made me swallow hard.

There were two ways that could go.

This plan of mine could easily go wrong, and I needed to be careful.

Nikolai was Noctani, and he was dangerous.

I only needed to find a way to escape, and once I had I wouldn’t look back.

Nik led the way to the door at the end of the corridor.

My heart was beating so fast I thought it might jump right up my throat and out of my mouth.

This was it.

Once I was upstairs, I would have to be careful. I might only get one chance to escape him, and when that opportunity presented itself, I needed to be ready.

Nik held the door open between us as I glanced down the hall on the other side of the door apprehensively.

“After you, Firecracker.”