He started to walk to the door, and I had to resist the urge to ask if he was leaving me again. I gripped the seat of my chair as hard as I could to keep the words from flying out and giving Landers more power. He had been watching me like a hawk the entire time, reading every move that I made, and why would he do that if he didn’t want to use it against me later?
Landers ran his hand down the barely-there seam of the door. I felt the magic this time as it ran along the edge. The door swung open, and Landers gestured to someone outside.
Three humans hustled into the room, keeping their eyes down. They all wore plain white uniform with a gray band across the sleeves. I couldn’t see their hair, their eyes, or their faces, so they all looked like duplicates to me. They gathered up the tablecloth, dishes, and cloches all within two seconds, and bustled out of the room again. Another set of three came in, looking just like the first, but they carried trays. They set down plates with pie a la mode, and I got another glass of water.
My hand twitched, but I refused to grab the water, as tempting as it felt. I wanted to drain the entire thing in one big gulp. Instead, I wrapped my hands tighter around the seat of the chair, until the wood started to dig into my hands.
The humans left, and then Landers closed the door again. He ran his hand down the seam once more, and that magic prickling along my skin. The hot and tingly sensation made me want to squirm, but I stayed still.
Landers started to walk over. “My wife loves cherry pie. She can polish an entire one off in one sitting. I’m not much for cherries, though. Nor do I like blueberries, or most kinds of fruit or pie. Apple pie is a different story. Our chefs have to keep a steady supply of both cherries and apples on hand, in case my wife or I want a pie.”
“What if you don’t want a pie and the fruit goes to waste?” I asked.
“Then it goes to waste, I suppose. I’ve never asked the staff what they do with the leftovers. Perhaps they steal from me. Wouldn’t that be fascinating?”
“No,” I said.
“Are you going to eat your pie? I had it specially made for this meal. Or do you not like pie? Are you allergic to it as well?”
I peeled my hands off the seat and took the delicate fork that had been presented with the pie. I took a bite and had to admit that the pie tasted divine. Only some came from being locked in a dark room for three days, too. I normally didn’t care much for pie. More of a cake girl. This one tasted marvelous, with apples that still had some bite, and spices that danced along the tongue. That combined with the perfect softened vanilla ice cream, and I could have died right there.
“It’s the Harris boy, right?”
I almost choked on the crust I had been chewing.
Landers took another delicate spoonful of ice cream and ate it. “You didn’t think I wouldn’t research you? Your name is in our systems, Tomorrow. We know of you, and your friends, and your sister. You, Seanan, and Seamus Nash tried to save him from us about six months ago. You led some of our men on a wild goose chase that ended with Derrick Harris willingly turning himself over, just like they all do eventually.”
I sipped my water to buy some time.
“He wasn’t the first to run, if you want me to be honest,” Landers said. “On occasion we get someone who thinks they can beat the system. It always ends badly when they figure out they can’t. This Derrick? He’s nothing special you see.”
My grip on the fork turned painful.
“Except for the fact that he has the three of you as friends. Most give up after they’re caught. They understand that their life has come to an end. I doubt Derrick was any different, but I didn’t interact with him myself, so I can’t say for sure. But you didn’t give up on him.”
“What’s the point of this?” I asked, staring down at the mostly eaten pie and ice cream soup that I had left. I didn’t want the rest of it, even though my body would’ve welcomed the energy.
“There are several,” Landers said.
“And I don’t get to know them?”
He smiled.
“You get off on this, don’t you? You like cornering people and making them do things that they don’t want to do or say things that they don’t want to say. You like the power that you have over me.”
“Of course, I do.” Landers wiped his mouth and set his spoon down. He’d finished every bite of the food in front of him. “Everyone enjoys having power, even if they don’t think so. It’s the ability to control their own lives, the ability to get whatever they want. People love that, and I’m no different. You came into my house, and that gave me power over you.”
“I suppose you want points for admitting it?”
“I don’t care about that,” Landers said, waving his hand. “You are nothing. A speck in the greater scheme of the world. Your opinion doesn’t matter. What you’ve done, on the other hand, matters quite a bit.”
“To Lochlynn?” I asked, picturing my friend, and wishing that I could see him. That I could touch him again. I also selfishly wondered if our kiss had mattered half as much to him as it had to me. I wondered if he thought about it, and if he enjoyed thinking about it.
I had so many questions, none of which I could think about right then.
“Lochlynn is an interesting boy, and what you’ve done to him does need to be addressed in some way,” Landers said. “I’ve never seen him so infatuated with a girl before. A few years ago, I set him up with Remington. You met her at the party, I believe? Lovely girl. They would make such a wonderful, mated pair, and yet he seemed so bored by her. Even though they stayed together for quite a while. I thought that she would fix him. She did not.”
“Trying to make me jealous now?”
“Is it working?”
“No.”
“Shame.” Landers shook his head. “You’d be easier to manipulate if you had a jealous streak. Anyway, yes, while I’ll need to figure out how to handle this infatuation, that was not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“You broke into my dear friend’s basement, and you let his humans loose. Most of them were recaptured at the party, but there are still almost ten that are the loose. I’m sure he’ll reacquire them soon, but if one gets away, then I have to compensate him for that. You caused that. You and Lochlynn.”
“You going to try and make a deal with me?” I asked.
“I don’t think that would work.”
“You’re probably right. I’ve already seen what you can do, and I’ve already felt what having you messing around with my souls is like.”
“Pain is such a wonderful motivator,” Landers agreed. “Most humans are too stupid to realize what true pain will do to their minds and bodies.”
“Well, I know.”
“You think you know,” Landers said. “Has my son told you some of the things that I’ve done to him.”
I looked away, which answered him just fine.
“That,” Landers continued. “That is true pain. The kind of pain that doesn’t make life so simple.”
“Then if you aren’t going to torture me, you aren’t trying to steal my soul, then what are you going to do? How do you need to pay Nigel back?”
“I’ve already paid him back monetarily, with some interest due to the inconvenience of the situation. I’ve also advised him that he should put a handful of guards down there, to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen a second time. I’ve also provided him with ten more humans, so that he will not be able to claim I didn’t over reparations. The only thing left, the only thing that matters, is punishing you and my son.”
I swallowed.
“I just wanted to talk to you first, to make sure that my plans would accomplish this. I think that they will.” Landers smiled, and he started to rise.
“You like playing these stupid games, huh?”
“Immensely.”
I looked up at him, and I felt the coldness in my eyes.
Landers continued to grin at me, showing off all those even white teeth. “You know, my favorite part about this whole experience? Believe it or not, it was meeting you, Tomorrow. You are a girl of quality, and I’m surprised that any of my children managed to find someone like that. Danette and I, we tried to raise them with taste, with refined opinions. The problem with that is most people who have those opinions are terrible, awful people who deserve what they get. Like Nigel.”
“I thought he was your friend.”
“Oh, my dearest friend. I’d like to stick a knife in his back. I doubt that will happen. I’m happy that my son found you, though. You are truly…interesting.”
I thought about Lochlynn telling me that I shouldn’t be interesting around his father. I’d done my best but had failed at every turn. I could be a cowering simpleton, or I could give him no ammunition against me. I’d tried the former, but the latter proved to be more beneficial.
“Get up.”
“What?”
“Get. Up.” The smile faded, leaving that alien expression behind. The one that I had first seen when he’d been in Lochlynn’s room. The kind of cold presence that sent nerves through my stomach.
I rose from my chair.
Landers smiled again and opened the door. Those identical waiters came back in one by one. They removed the plates, the tablecloth, the chairs, and then the table. They did this all without looking at me, and it had my stomach twisting. It felt so cold, so…mechanical. I wondered how long it had taken them to manage that.
As they left the room, Landers turned toward the door. “Have a good evening, Tomorrow.”
The door closed, sealing tight. I waited for the light to go out, but he left them on this time. Maybe being able to see my environment would make me feel even more trapped this time. I didn’t know.
I went to the corner of the room and sat down.
***
The light didn’t help me much. I could see now, so I didn’t feel like I lived in a dream. However, without a window or a clock, I still lost track of time. Falling asleep only made matters worse. Had I slept for four hours or six? I didn’t think a day had passed, though. Since I’d had to drink two glasses of water, I had to pee. It hadn’t become painful, yet.
Some point, after I had started looking at the opposite corner of the room like it might’ve been a good option, someone opened the door. A demon I didn’t know stepped inside and nodded to me. “Come.”
Even after all these hours spent in this room, hating every second of it, I hesitated.
The demon turned eyes that seemed to burn with fire onto me. “Come.” His voice brooked no room for arguing, and I found myself standing up. I followed him out of the little prison, down a hallway. I recognized the building now, because the halls all looked the same as when I had been in it last.
We turned a corner, and the demon stopped. I almost plowed into him, since he hadn’t given me a warning. The demon pushed open a door and turned to glare at me until I scampered inside. The door slammed shut behind me, but for once, I didn’t feel fear. He had led me into a bathroom.
A change of clothing sat on the counter, the shower had been prepped with little bottles, and the counter filled with things that I might’ve needed. After peeing, I drank straight from the tap at the sink. The water tasted minerally, but that didn’t stop me. When I’d had my fill, jumped in the shower.
Getting all the dirt and dust off my body felt amazing, and it should. I’d gone maybe four days without a shower at that point. I used all the products in all the little bottles. When I smelled like ‘sun-kissed lilies’ I got out of the shower, wrapping myself up in a towel that felt sinfully soft.
They had left me a pair of jeans, one of my oversized sweaters, and under garments. I didn’t want to think about demons rifling through my suitcase…and finding that lingerie that Linda left me. Shaking my head, I changed clothing, and grabbed the toothbrush they had left me.
All in all, I spent over an hour in that bathroom, and it felt amazing. Every single second of it. I would’ve stayed in there for the rest of time if the demon hadn’t slammed his hand against the door. “Are you ready?” he demanded, his voice a deep growl.
I looked at myself in the mirror, at my too wide brown eyes. Black roots had started to show through my pink hair, I looked like a little girl in that sweater, and my skin had paled out some from being stuck in that room.
“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m ready.” I opened the door and looked up at the demon that watched me. His lip lifted in a little sneer. Instead of ordering me to follow him, like he had been doing, the demon just started walking down the hall. I scrambled after him, my eyes darting all over the room.
He brought us out into the main holding area, and I dropped my gaze. All these people who had to suffer, they hurt my heart. I kept my hands balled into fists, trying not to think about those ten that still hadn’t been caught. I wanted them to keep running, to never stop.
I hoped that the five I’d been promised, got away.
The demon walked me all the way back to the main house. The werewolves outside all watched me waling way, their gold shining eyes looking empty. Blank, almost. I felt like prey they wanted to hunt. As we got to the house, the spectators changed from werewolves to humans. The household staff watched me, shaking their heads as I passed them.
My escort didn’t take me up the stairs, but to the right of them. He walked me down a hallway lined with pictures of the family. I looked at all those pictures, frowning to myself. Lochlynn wasn’t in a single one of them, though I saw both his siblings. Danette smiled back from most of them, her eyes as cold as her smile.
At the end of the hall, a door waited. The demon knocked on it, and I heard Landers from inside. “Come in,” he said.
He swung the door open, and I found myself staring at a lavish office. Everything had been done in burgundy and gold. A fireplace in the corner of the office looked out of place, with its stone façade. On the fireplace, more pictures of the family smiled back at me. Even one of Lochlynn this time, looking young. Maybe four years old. He smiled with the kind of openness that hinted his world hadn’t shattered yet.
In front of the fireplace, Landers sat at his desk. It looked to be made of oak, but with a burgundy stain on it. The desk looked so big that I couldn’t fathom how they had even gotten into the room. He had a chair that stretched up behind him, with wings on the sides. It looked almost like a throne. The most pretentious chair that I had ever seen, and it made so much sense that Landers owned it.
Across from the desk, two smaller versions of the chair sat. They looked just as awful as the large chair, but I forgave them for that, because Lochlynn sat in one. His blond hair had been pulled back into a ponytail that looked strange on him. He wore a white t-shirt and black jeans. Based on his ragged expression, I had to assume that he had been put through the ringer the last few days, just like I had.
My legs wanted to run right into that room and launch me at Lochlynn. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and hold on until they stopped working.
I stayed in the doorway.
Landers, who had been writing on something, looked up. Now that I knew him a little bitter, I had to assume that he planned this entire thing so that he looked dramatic. He wore another suit, this one dark gray to counteract his light hair. When he saw us, a smile spread across his face, and leaned back in that velvet chair. “Tomorrow, so good to see you. I was starting to think you were never going to show up.”
Lochlynn whipped around, his eyes locking on me like nothing else existed. My heart jumped into my throat, and I wanted to run to him again. Still, I remained standing. It took every bit of willpower, but I did it.
Landers waved us in, and the demon pushed me forward. I stumbled, and Lochlynn rose up.
“Sit down,” Landers said, shaking his head. “Emile, you are dismissed.”
My escort vanished, closing the door behind him. Which left me locked in a room with Lochlynn and his father. Last time that happened, I ended up with a crack down my soul. I didn’t want to experience that a second time in my life.
“Won’t you join us?” Landers asked me, gesturing to the chair across from his and next to Lochlynn.
I came forward, taking my seat. Lochlynn’s eyes scanned me from head to toe, looking for any injury that he could be furious about. I knew, because I did the same thing with him. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he kept twisting his hands around. Other than that, he looked fine, and I could breathe again.
“Your lack of trust offends me,” Landers said. “As if I would hurt my own son or his girlfriend.”
“You have,” Lochlynn said.
Landers smiled. “I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on, and I’ve got a few more things to collect. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes. Don’t leave the office, and do not, for a second, think that I won’t know if you do.” He rose from his chair, straightening his suit as he did so.
I watched him leave the room, and as the door swung closed, I wanted to cheer. Instead, I jumped up from my seat at the same time that Lochlynn did. We met in the middle, with me throwing my arms around him. Lochlynn lifted me right off my feet, and I didn’t care. I let them dangle, so that I could hold onto him even tighter. “I was so worried about you!” I said.
“I was worried about you too,” Lochlynn said, setting me back down. He brushed my hair out of my face, examining me again. “What did Dad do to you?”
I told him everything, which took about thirty seconds, including the conversation that Landers and I had. When I finished, I said, “But he didn’t really hurt me. What did he do to you?”
Lochlynn brushed his hand across his face. “Mostly? The same thing he did to you.”
“Mostly?”
Lochlynn lifted his shirt up, revealing a four-inch strip of his stomach. Bruises decorated his torso, some of them dark enough to almost be black. My stomach rolled when I saw them. I had wondered if Landers had done something like that, but to see the proof? It made me sick.
I touched one of the bruises gently, but Lochlynn still flinched. He dropped his shirt back down, but the image remained imprinted on my brain. “How much damage is that?” I asked. “Like, do you need a doctor, or something?” I wouldn’t have asked if he’d been human. He’d already be at the doctor, then. Probably strapped to all kinds of machines that monitored his life.
“I’m fine,” Lochlynn said. “These will heal within a week, and then you don’t have to worry about it.”
I would.
My legs lost some of their power, and I lowered myself back to my chair. Lochlynn turned it to face his own, and then did the same thing. He took my hands in his. I stared at that point of contact for a few seconds, trying to will myself not to cry. I felt the urge bubbling up in me.
“I really am fine,” I said, my voice hitching. “It’s just…been a long couple of days.”
“I know,” Lochlynn said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry about all of this. If I hadn’t come back, then I guess you would’ve been fine.”
“No, I’m glad that you showed up,” I said, looking at him through my hair. “Even with all the bad stuff that’s happened. And whatever is going to happen next. Your father said something about punishing us when he brought me dinner…What day is it?”
“The twenty-second,” Lochlynn said.
I breathed out, feeling more anchored for knowing that. “Yesterday, then. When he brought me dinner yesterday.”
“I’m sure that he has something planned, and that we are not going to like it,” Lochlynn said. “But I don’t think it’ll be anything life threatening.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
When I looked up, I saw Lochlynn’s expression. It had hardened, shut down. He had tucked all that vulnerability away again, so that I couldn’t tell what he thought or felt. Which meant that it was a not a good thing, and that I needed to be very, very worried. My stomach started to twist again.
“Do you have any idea about…what he’s going to do?”
“No,” Lochlynn said. “If I did, then I’d try to stop it.”
I shifted in my seat, turning my hands so that I could free one of them. I pushed my hair out of my face.
Lochlynn tilted my chin up. His lips pressed against mine, feeling soft and tasting of that spiciness that I had been thinking of the last few days. I opened my mouth, taking in the scent again. We kissed for a few minutes, neither of us having to talk about it. We could save that for after his father punished us.
Whatever that meant.
Lochlynn brushed one of his thumbs against my cheek and sat back. “It’ll be okay, Tomorrow. It might not feel that way, and I guarantee that you will hate my father even more when this is over, but just keep thinking. It’ll be okay.”
“How many times have you told yourself that?”
“A lot,” Lochlynn admitted. “Because one day, I’ll get the fuck out of this house. He’ll finally be so angry with me, so fed up with my refusal to fall into line, my father will get rid of me. I’m just waiting it out until then.”
“What if he gets rid of you in a violent way?” I asked.
Lochlynn looked at me, and I knew that whatever he said, I would not like the answer.
“Then I’m still free of him.”