I am in absolute panic mode. My heart is thundering in my chest, loud enough that I can barely hear anything else. I can’t breathe, can’t think, I’m not even sure my lungs are working. My magic is barely a flicker inside me, and even if I did use it, what’s it going to do? Give Solem a papercut? Make the blood around me slightly warmer? I’m doomed. I don’t have a weapon. I don’t have a plan. I don’t have anything except a rapidly growing certainty that I’m going to die here. And all I can think is that Princess is going to be SO pissed off when I don’t come home. She’s going to knock everything off my bookshelf and pretend it’s grief. Laura will definitely blame Lukas. I wonder if they’ll let Julian keep my plants? Why are my thoughts so ridiculous? I need to FOCUS. I should move. I should run, scream. Do something! But I don’t. I guess that whole fight, flight, or freeze thing is legit. Because I am one hundred percent frozen. My body refuses to respond. I’m sitting in a pool of blood, surrounded by corpses and magic circles, with a demon walking toward me and I just… Can’t move. Solem steps closer, and his shadow falls over me like a curtain. He pauses and looks down at me like I’m a spec of dirt on his shoe. There’s a brief moment where he seems to weigh the effort of leaning down to grab me. Like he’s deciding whether I’m worth the energy, or whether my blood would stain his perfectly pristine cuffs. He moves again. And then… Growling. Low and furious.
Solem stops mid step and turns his head toward the sound. Standing only a few feet away, illuminated by the ugly overhead light, are Lukas and Roxy. My breath catches. No. No, no, NO! What the hell is he doing? I don’t even know when they got here. I didn’t hear them approach. I didn’t feel them behind me. But now they’re here, visible, and they NEED to go. Now. Just LEAVE. Damn it, why does Lukas need physical contact to read minds? If he could hear me right now, I would be mentally screaming at him. What does he think he’s doing?! He can’t save me. He can’t fight a demon. And now he’s just put himself, and Roxy, in danger, too. Solem looks mildly intrigued by his arrival. Lukas, to his credit, doesn’t flinch. He just stares Solem down, his jaw tight, posture still.
“Leave her alone.” Lukas says. The words aren’t loud. But they cut through the room like a blade. His tone is cold. Controlled. And his expression… Oh… OH… I’ve never seen Lukas look like this. Not irritated. Not exasperated. Not unimpressed. This isn’t some mild, lawyer-y version of ‘upset.’ No. This is something else entirely. His eyes are ice. His face is set in pure fury. That whole ‘resting poker face’ thing he’s so good at? Gone. What he’s wearing now is full on murder glare. Like if he could kill Solem with sheer loathing, he’d already be sweeping up the ashes. His voice was weirdly calm but that expression… Well it brings new meaning to the phrase ‘if looks could kill.’ I didn’t even know Lukas COULD look like that. It’s kind of terrifying. I’m now realising that every time we’ve argued or disagreed, every time I’ve annoyed him he was just that. Annoyed. But now? He’s angry. Not just angry, he is FURIOUS. If he looked at me like that, I’d start apologising for random things. The weather’s bad? Sorry, it's totally my fault. Traffic on the bridge? Let me fix it real quick. War in another country? Honestly, I’m just as shocked as you are, but please accept this baked good and my eternal remorse. Solem, of course, doesn’t look remotely threatened. If anything, he looks amused.
“Ah, so the girl did have a friend.” He says softly. Solem’s gaze drifts lazily over Lukas.
“Are YOU going to tell me your name?” He asks, voice casual, conversational, as if this is a dinner party and not a literal hell. My stomach drops. Don’t do it, I think. Lukas, don’t you DARE. Lie. Make something up. Say you’re Ted. ANYTHING. But Lukas, damn him, just straightens his shoulders and calmly tells the truth.
“My name is Lukas Hollen.” He responds. I blink. ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?! Why would he do that? Solem already wants him. Already thinks he belongs to him somehow. Why would he endanger himself even MORE? I want to throw something. Or scream. Or slap some sense into him. Solem’s smile grows, just slightly.
“Well…” He says softly.
“Isn’t that interesting.” He comments. Why would Lukas make things worse by telling Solem who he is? There is no way Solem will let him go now!
“The mind reader.” Solem muses, like he’s greeting an old friend over coffee.
“I was wondering where you’d gotten to. Your mother was quite insistent you wouldn’t be difficult to manage. And then, poof. You vanished.” He clicks his tongue.
“I suppose it’s about time you came to fulfil her end of the deal.” Solem pauses, eyes narrowing just slightly.
“You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your father.” He threatens. His tone is maddeningly casual. Like he’s talking about a minor inconvenience, not blackmailing someone with their dead parent. I see something flicker in Lukas’s face. Pain. But it’s gone in a blink, buried beneath steel.
“My father is dead.” He says. His voice is calm but cold. Totally final.
“I don’t care if he’s still walking around right now. There is nothing of him left in there. I will not hand myself over to you for his sake.” Lukas says firmly. Solem raises a brow, clearly intrigued.
“No?” He repeats, as though he didn’t expect that.
“Well, I have to say, it’s refreshing. So many of you cling to sentiment like it’s currency. It’s pleasant to meet someone who doesn’t sign their life away over a warm corpse.” He says conversationally. Solem smirks, and if I didn’t already hate him with every cell of my being then I would now. The asshole. I glance sideways at Wren. He’s moving his eyes with quick, desperate flicks toward the door, then back to me. It takes me a second to realise what he’s doing. He’s telling me to run. But I can’t. I know I should. But Solem’s right here. His people are everywhere. I can see at least four of them blocking the exits, and who knows how many more are outside. Plus, I’d be leaving Lukas. And Wren. And my ankle… I think it’s sprained. Or worse. I try to shift and pain screams up my leg. If I stand up, there’s a solid chance I’ll just collapse again and paint an even bigger target on myself. I shake my head at Wren, just the tiniest bit. No. I’m not leaving you. The movement catches Solem’s attention. His smile grows.
“Or maybe…” He murmurs.
“Maybe you’re more emotional than I gave you credit for.” He comments. Then Solem nudges me lightly with his foot. I flinch. The pain in my ankle spikes, white hot and nauseating.
“You came here for this girl, didn’t you?” Solem says, still addressing Lukas. His tone is almost bored. Lukas hesitates just for a second, then nods. No point denying it. Not now.
“Yes, so let her go.” He says, steady as ever. Solem laughs, a soft, amused sound that makes my skin crawl.
“Now why would I do that?” He asks.
“I caught her fair and square. And look! She’s already been so helpful. I wasn’t sure what kind of bait I needed to catch myself a mind reader, and it turns out the perfect bait just wandered right in.” He sounds almost gleeful. I glare at him. I would hardly call being yanked through a window and thrown across the room ‘wandering in.’ But Lukas stays calm. Grounded. His voice doesn’t waver.
“Because you don’t need her. I’m already here. Just let her go.” He answers, his tone is determined. No. No. Lukas. What are you doing? Solem’s eyes gleam.
“Ohh…” He breathes, delighted.
“Now THAT’S interesting. Are you offering a trade?” He questions as he steps back, folding his hands behind his back.
“I DO love bargains.” He says, savoring the words.
“Your father wasn’t enough to convince you. But this girl… She’s a different story.” His gaze drifts lazily to me and he smirks.
“Fascinating.” He winks at me. OH. HELL. NO.