Chapter 64: Dumont Leader

Terror, horror, primal fear, all in the heart of a child who can't bear to be here any longer. My wolf bursts from me, throwing herself at the sides of the cage, while I pant and moan and scream at him, at the past and the horrible, horrible future waiting for me in his care.

He laughs, indulgent. "How perfect you are in any form," he says. "But I prefer the woman to the werewolf." Again, I'm hit by power, his magic smothering my wolf and sending her spiraling down, while the girl in me curls in a corner and whimpers. I collapse on my side, my T-shirt and shorts shredded, the pretty underwear Tallah gave me clinging to me, providing at least some decency in this horror show. I know they won't last long if Andre has his way. He likes to see all of me when he works.

Resignation feels like failure. I have to fight.

The door slams open, a wash of wolf-scent carrying to me, breaking the old pattern into a million pieces. The faint taint of revenant cuts away the girl I was, spins me toward the three figures slinking into the room. Caine grins at me, his wolf in his eyes, while mine recovers to lick her wounds and gather her calm. I'm left with something new to fixate on, weakening Andre's psychological hold on me, hands gripping the bars with a ferocity that shocks me.

Andre doesn't seem quite so confident now as I glare at Caine and his two lackeys. Perhaps he senses his error in judgment. But I'm grateful. Seeing my enemies all together removes the feeling of past mixed with present and allows me to remember I'm not the slave girl I used to be.

Viveca is as hateful as ever, Roman glowering. The pair are so pathetic, I ignore them in favor of Caine and his gloating smile, grinning in return and loving how his smirk fades ever so slightly at the sight of my rebellion.

"There now," Caine says, crouching to look through the bars at me, pushing his power over mine, trying to dominate. "Isn't that better? All safe and sound, little princess?"

I snap my teeth at him, laugh in his face. And shove my own magic at him, magic Andre has lost control of. I'm still in a cage, but that can be rectified. "Come in here with me," I snarl. "I'll show you just what a wereprincess is capable of."

He turns to the glowering werewoman beside him. "You're making Viveca jealous," he says. She looks unhappy with him, turns her head away. Caine ignores her, turns his head to look at Andre. "I hope you plan to share."

The Dumont leader shrugs, standing, cane in one hand, the other brushing imaginary lint from the front of his expensive suit. Is it possible he doesn't sense the loss of control over me? Please, let it be possible. "I might let you have what's left," he says.

Revenge is a dark and dangerous thing. Unless he gives me the means to fulfill it.

"You've been working together all along," I say, hoping to distract Andre, to keep him from thinking of what he might be missing. Of what I now carefully conceal from him. The timing must be perfect. "To capture me. And Sage."

Caine's head whips around. "Clever girl," he says.

"Not so clever," I say. "I figured that out long ago, you moron."

He bares his teeth, but Andre chuckles.

"My dear Charlotte," he says, "don't bait the help."

Caine's hate for Andre shows in his eyes a moment, but he backs off. So this is an unhappy alliance. Even better. Now, how can I use that to my advantage? Because right now, I can use all the advantages I can get.

"Where is Sage?" If they have him already, if they've hurt him...

"We were about to ask you the same question." Andre hits the side of the cage with the silver top of his cane, making me jump. Residual fear remains, but I'll destroy it shortly. And him.

But Andre is second in my thoughts right now. They don't have Sage. Relief floods through me, worries for myself fall away, knowing my love is safe.

"So who is it really pulling your strings, Andre?" If I can keep him talking, he might tell me something important before I tear out his throat. And put off the inevitable. The woman in me wants to end this now. But the girl has uncurled from her place in my heart and her fear is trying to take over again. She doesn't want to think about what will happen when we are alone with him. "Is it Liander Belaisle? Or his little protégé?" Focus, Charlotte.

Andre's eyes narrow. Damn him, I've hit the mark. He's working with the Brotherhood. Wait until Syd finds out. The Dumont family will be no more. That is, if I'm able to reach her. And if there is anything left of him when I'm done. My little girl whimpers, tries to hide again. I have to release her or this will end badly.

I reach out, searching for Syd, but the moment my magic touches the ceiling, it's muffled, suppressed. So I'm being shielded. Which means no messages out, no chance of rescue. But Andre has left me access here, in this room, trusting his power is enough to control me.

We'll see about that. Right before I break out of here. I guess I'm going to have to rescue myself.

Caine snarls at me. "Belaisle abandoned us," he says before Andre can cut him off.

"Shut up, you imbecile," Andre snaps. Caine growls under his breath, his two cronies echoing him, but Andre doesn't pay attention to their threat. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he says. "I merely hired Mr. Caine and his pack as my bodyguards, nothing more."

"Against the will of the wereking," I say.

Caine laughs out loud, like what I've said is funny. "We encouraged him to change his mind."

Why do those words make a chill run down the back of my neck?

"Now you know," I say to Andre, "that Belaisle made Caine and his pack into weres-that they are revenants," the three snarl at me, "you are law-bound to turn them in to the Enforcers."

"Oh, my very dear," Andre says, "but I always knew." He gestures at Caine. "I was the one who recruited them from California, who encouraged their intrepid leader to pursue your hand. Who taught them pack law."

"You did a terrible job," I say.

Andre smirks. "No matter," he says. "I may not have been able to educate them well enough to counter your grandfather, but that part of the equation will take care of itself in short order." What does he mean by that? "Now," he turns to Caine while my mind tries to fight my fear for Oleksander, "if you don't mind, I'd like a moment alone with our darling Charlotte. She's been out of my care for so long," he turns back to me, eyes intense and eager, cane slapping against his free hand, "and is in desperate need of reeducation."

My stomach collapses into my feet, heart skipping a beat. The little girl wails, snarls in savagery, feral and wild and terrified. No, please, don't go, stay with me, save me from him-

Caine grins at me, thumbs his nose, laughs. Roman follows him, but Viveca lunges forward and crouches, her face in mine. "I hope it's agony," she says, licking her lips. "But not too much. I want there to be something left over for me to hurt when he's done."

"Viveca." Caine's sharp voice jerks at her like a leash. She rises from her crouch and turns in a lithe movement, leaving me behind. The door shuts with a solid thunk, a flare of blue light appearing over my cage as Andre wakes a witchlight.

"Now then," he says. "Where did we leave off all those years ago?"



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