Chapter 82
Elara's POV
I hit the floor hard. Pain shot through my shoulder where I'd landed.
Four pairs of boots surrounded me. I could smell leather and gun oil.
I rolled onto my side. Pushed myself up into a crouch.
My hand moved toward my waistband. Muscle memory. Reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.
Stupid. The knife was still hidden in my boot. But pulling it now would be suicide.
The man in the suit stood by the window. He didn't move. Just watched me with cold eyes.
"A student from St. George's?" His voice was smooth. Controlled. "How did you track us here?"
I stayed silent. My brain was running calculations.
Four men. All armed. Victoria tied to that chair. One exit. Windows boarded up.
One of the guards grabbed my arm. Yanked me to my feet. His grip was brutal.
"He asked you a question."
I let my body stay loose. Compliant. Like I was terrified.
I was. Just not the way they thought.
"I..." I made my voice shake. "I saw them take Miss Harrington. I was worried. I followed the car."
The lead guard laughed. It wasn't a nice sound.
"You expect us to believe that? A normal student tracks professional security through the city. Climbs a building to spy through windows?" He leaned closer. "Try again."
My mind raced. The story was weak. I knew it.
But before I could answer, Victoria's voice cut through the room.
"Let her go!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
Victoria's face was streaked with tears. Her hair was a mess. But her eyes were fierce.
"She's just a student. She has nothing to do with this!"
The man in the suit turned slowly. Studied Victoria with interest.
"Harrington's art teacher suddenly cares so much about a random student?" He smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "Or is she important to you for another reason?"
Victoria's face went white. "She's innocent. She just happened to see—"
"Happened to see?" He cut her off. "She avoided my guards. Climbed to a second-story window. Listened to a private conversation." He looked back at me. "That doesn't sound like 'just happened' to me."
I felt Victoria's gaze on me. When I glanced at her, I saw shock in her eyes. Suspicion.
But underneath that... something else. Something protective.
It reminded me of how she'd looked at Kael when she'd confronted him at the art building. Before the anger took over.
The man in the suit was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded to his guards.
"Since this girl heard things she shouldn't have, we can't let her leave." He adjusted his cufflinks. "Lock them both up. I'll decide what to do with them later."
Two guards grabbed my arms. Started dragging me toward the door.
Victoria struggled against her restraints. "No! Please! She's just a child!"
I didn't fight. Kept my body loose and scared-looking.
But my eyes were working. Memorizing everything.
Three turns down the hallway. Two iron doors. At least five guards total that I'd seen.
The old mansion's layout was clear in my head now. Windows on the east wing. That drainage pipe I'd climbed. The distance to the tree line.
If I had my full strength. If I had my weapons ready. If this body could do what my mind remembered...
I could take them. All of them.
But not yet. Not while they were alert. Not while Victoria was tied up and vulnerable.
So I let them drag me. Let them think I was helpless.
They shoved us into a small room in the basement. The door was heavy wood with an old mechanical lock.
The space was barely ten feet across. One narrow bed. A sink in the corner. A small window near the ceiling with bars across it.
The door slammed shut. The lock clicked.
Victoria collapsed against the wall. Slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Her whole body was shaking.
I stood by the door. Ran my fingers along the lock mechanism.
Old. Simple. I could pick it if I had something thin and strong enough.
"Why did you follow me?"
Victoria's voice was hoarse. Broken.
I turned to look at her.
Her mascara had run down her cheeks. Her expensive blouse was torn at the shoulder. She looked nothing like the cold, composed woman who'd screamed at Kael in the park.
"I saw them take you," I said quietly. "I couldn't just... not do anything."
Victoria laughed. It sounded painful. "You should have called for help. Gone to the police. Not..." She gestured around the cell. "Not gotten yourself captured too."
I didn't answer. Just moved to the window. Tested the bars.
"I heard what they said." My voice was steady. "About Kael's brother. About some agreement."
Victoria's face went white. "You shouldn't know about that."
"Too late."
She closed her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper.
"It'll get you killed. Knowing about it."
I looked at her. Really looked at her.
This woman who'd denied Kael was her son. Who'd called him a monster. Who'd warned me to stay away from him.
Right now she just looked... broken.
"We're locked in a basement together," I said. "Might as well tell me what's going on."
Victoria was quiet for a long time. Then she started talking.
"Kael had a brother. My first son." Her voice cracked. "He was eight years old when he died. Ten years ago."
I sat down on the edge of the bed. Kept my distance. Let her talk.
"It was the Harrington family. Their own people. Internal politics. Power struggles." She wiped at her eyes. "He was just a child. But in that family, even children are weapons. Or targets."
My chest felt tight. I thought about Kael. About the coldness in his eyes. The way he held himself apart from everyone.
"I was nobody then. Just a human woman who'd gotten involved with the wrong werewolf." Victoria's hands were shaking. "I couldn't protect him. Couldn't stop them."
"So they made you sign something," I said quietly. "To keep you quiet."
She nodded. "An agreement. I'd never speak about what happened. Never investigate. Never cause trouble. And in return..." She laughed bitterly. "In return, they'd let me live."
"You left. Came here. Thought that would be enough."
"Yes." Victoria looked up at me. Her eyes were red. "I was stupid. They don't let go. They never let go."
I stood up. Started examining the room more carefully.
The window was small. But if I removed the bars... someone slim could fit through.
The walls were old stone. One brick near the corner was loose. I could work it free. Use it as a tool.
"I'm sorry," Victoria said. "I'm so sorry you're here. You're just a student. You shouldn't be involved in this."
I didn't respond. Just kept studying the room.
My mind was already working on the problem. The lock could be picked. The window could be an escape route. The guards' patrol patterns were predictable.
I just needed the right moment.
"Elara." Victoria's voice was stronger now. "Why did you really follow me?"
I looked at her. Saw the question in her eyes. The suspicion.
She'd seen me climb that building. Heard me move silently through the dark. Watched me stay calm when I should have been terrified.
I couldn't tell her the truth. Couldn't explain about Lynette. About the Wild Hunt. About everything I was hiding.
"Because you needed help," I said simply. "And I couldn't walk away."
It wasn't the whole truth. But it wasn't a lie either.
Victoria stared at me for a long moment. Then she looked away.
"You're not like other students, are you?"
I didn't answer that.
Instead, I walked to the wall. Tested the loose brick with my fingers.
It would work. It would take time. But it would work.
I just had to wait for the right moment to act.