Chapter 18

The sound of the lock turning alerted Selene, and she quickly sat down on the bed. She assumed her most regal posture—her back straight, ankles crossed daintily to the side, hands folded in her lap, and her face arranged into a cold, blank mask. She took a deep breath and braced herself for whoever was about to enter.

A man appeared and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

“Maddox,” Selene greeted coolly.

He stared at her in silence for several long moments. Selene refused to betray her unease by even a single bat of an eyelash. Decades of practice hiding her true thoughts and feelings from Gideon were certainly coming in handy now.

He tipped his head. “Ever the ice princess, huh, Selene?”

She ignored his comment. “Why have you brought me here?”

“To marry you.”

She struggled to keep a straight face, struck by the conflicting urges to laugh hysterically and to snort in derision. “Why? You have Zara.”

“Zara is willing to step aside for our cause.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“And what does marrying me have to do with your cause?”

“If we are to continue with Gideon’s reign…” Maddox left the thought open.

“You must marry into the ruling family, or the Vyusher will never accept you as ruler.” Selene finished for him. She looked at her hands in her lap but didn’t really see them. “That makes no sense. You made a strategic mistake by getting me kicked out of the pack. And by trying to discredit me with those murders.”

Maddox gave her a sinister smile so reminiscent of Gideon that her skin crawled. “You let me worry about that.”

Selene rose to her feet, drawing herself up to her full height, chin tipped high. “I will never marry you.”

“We’ll see about that.”

He turned his back on her for a moment to open the door, and Selene wished with all her might for her wolf so she could claw him to pieces. But her power was still off. As she watched, Maddox accepted a tray of food from someone standing outside. He turned, placed it on the floor at his feet, and without so much as a backward glance, left the room.

Selene waited until the clicks of multiple locks being engaged sounded before she sank back on the bed. She had no doubt that Maddox had a specific plan and could do exactly what he’d said. Despair hung over her like a looming storm, one she was trying to hold at bay with sheer will. Without her powers, how was she supposed to get out of this mess?

* * *

As far as Selene could tell, she’d been held captive for a few days, which meant that she’d missed Christmas with the family, but it wasn’t quite New Year’s Eve yet. The only gauge she had to help her assess the passing of time was her meals. She’d been served six so far. That and the fact that the lights would go off for roughly four hours after long stretches of being on. Although, with nothing to do but sit and wait, she wouldn’t have minded more sleep than her people usually needed. She assumed the lights off meant it was nighttime.

Unfortunately, Selene had nothing to occupy her time during the day and was ready to go mad from sheer boredom. Maddox had not returned; in fact, no one had been to see her other than the faceless, speechless meal deliverer who only cracked the door open and slid in the tray before hurriedly locking her back inside as though she was a dangerous animal. She’d spent many hours scouring every single inch of the room. But there was absolutely no way in or out that didn’t involve the heavily locked door.

The faint turn of one of the locks signaled that breakfast was being served. Selene remained on the bed and propped herself up on one elbow as the tray was pushed into the room.

“Hey, you. Whoever you are…” she called.

She listened for a response. She hadn’t tried talking to her jailer yet, figuring it was useless. She didn’t get an answer, but she also didn’t hear them walk away.

“If it’s at all possible, I would very much appreciate a book or magazine. Something to pass the time in here,” she called, feeling a bit like an idiot talking to a door. “And maybe a jacket?”

As all the locks slid back into place, Selene let out a deep sigh. At least the food isn’t half bad, she thought as she sniffed appreciatively. Scrambled eggs and ham today. She fetched her tray and huddled back into the sheets on her bed.

She’d resigned herself to another day of staring at the ceiling and going stir crazy from boredom when the locks started sounding again. She watched the door curiously as it opened wider than normal. Suddenly, a body was roughly shoved inside, and slid along the floor in a limp heap. Selene gasped, jumped off the bed, and hurried over to kneel beside the young, unconscious girl. She had matted brown hair, cracked lips, and was so pale she almost appeared translucent.

“Poor thing,” Selene muttered.

She gingerly lifted the fragile girl in her arms and half-carried, half-dragged her across the room. The tiny thing was skin and bones. Selene worried she might break her. She laid her gently down on the bed headfirst, then swung the girl’s feet up onto it. Then she removed her shoes and tucked her feet under the covers. She brushed the mass of hair out of the girl’s face. Exhaustion was written on her features in the form of shadows under her eyes that almost appeared bruised. The girl appeared young, maybe a hundred years younger than Selene if she had to take a guess, but, of course, it was difficult to tell age with their race.

Selene pulled the blanket over the girl before she sat down on the cold, cement floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. She sat there and waited, her eyes never leaving the face of her visitor, who appeared to be in a dead sleep. She hoped her new roommate wasn’t seriously injured.

* * *

Griffin paced back and forth in Hugh and Lucy’s living room, where all of the family was gathered. The place reminded him of a dorm room with sleeping bags and blankets everywhere. With absolutely no lead to where Selene might be, Hugh and Dexter had suggested they stay together constantly. There was the need to protect themselves from possible kidnapping, as Selene had been taken from the heart of their home without anyone having an inkling of it happening. Also, if somehow Selene managed to contact them, they’d need to act fast.

But it had been five days now. Five excruciatingly long days.

“Griffin, you’re giving me whiplash,” Nate complained, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Then don’t watch me,” Griffin snapped.

Nate settled back against the couch and propped his legs up on the coffee table. “Hey, man, I know you’re worried, but don’t take it out on me.”

Griffin paused and raked a hand through his hair. “Sorry, Nate. I just hate feeling as though we’re being kept in a prison. Reminds me too much of when Ellie and I were on the run.”

“Is that what you’re most worried about?” Ellie thought to him. She was out on patrol in her falcon form. She and Griffin had been trading on and off since Selene had disappeared.

“Now’s not the time,” he thought back with a scowl.

“Now’s the best time,” his stubborn sister insisted. “Why can’t you admit that it’s Selene you’re most concerned about?”

“I’m not really in the mood to analyze and catalog all my concerns right now,” he retorted, more harshly than he’d intended.

“Ellie,” Alex’s voice cut into their mental conversation. “Sorry darlin’. I don’t know what you’re saying to him, but Griffin looks as if he’s ready to choke someone. And since you’re not here to give him a handy target, I highly suggest you give him a break.”

Griffin heard Ellie’s sigh. “Fine,” she muttered. “But don’t think that I’m done with this topic.”

Griffin shot Alex a grateful look and was about to thank him when Oren’s form shimmered into the room.

“Ellie!”

“On my way,” she called.

Oren got right to the point. “Sheila caught a flash.”

“Of Selene?” Lucy asked as she entered the room. She and Adelaide joined Nate on the couch.

“Yes,” Oren confirmed. “It was too fast. Not enough time for Sheila to get a solid location on her, though she’s narrowed it down to the United States.”

“Is she sure?” Alex pressed.

“That it was Selene? Absolutely. Once Sheila has located someone once, she says they have a unique signature that allows her to easily identify them after that. It was definitely Selene.”

“So what now?” Griffin pressed, anxious to be able to finally do something.

Oren bowed his head. “Unfortunately, now we wait.”

Before Griffin could come completely unglued, Lila reached over and laid her hand over his forearm, gripping tightly. A sense of calm oozed through him. It wasn’t peace—he was far too keyed up for her to affect him that much—but he was definitely less agitated.

“This is good news,” Lila reminded him. “It means Selene is alive. It means that whatever she’s doing on her end to try to escape might be working.”

“You’re assuming she’s not the one blocking Sheila,” he reminded her.

Lila nodded, her resolve clear. “Yes, I am.”

Griffin gazed into Lila’s green eyes, took one more deep breath, and relaxed the slightest bit.

“Okay then. We wait.”