Dangerous Deception (Dangerous Creatures 2)

“You get us inside, and Silas is all yours,” Link said.

A vicious smile spread across Angelique’s lips. “Do we have a deal?”

John stepped between Link and the Cataclyst. “Hold on. How do we know we can trust her?”

“This whole thing could be a setup,” Necro added.

“It doesn’t matter,” Link said. “We can’t turn back now.” He looked at Magnolia Blue. “Mr. Johnson said we could trust you. So if you vouch for her, I’ll take your word for it. Is she tellin’ the truth, ma’am?”

“Link—” Floyd started, but Link held up his hand.

The older woman glanced at Angelique, who seemed amused by the dilemma.

Magnolia Blue shook her head sadly. “I wish I knew. But I can’t predict what’s going to happen. I can only change the way things appear here and now. If you want someone to tell you more than that, you need a Diviner or a—”

Link picked up a folded tarot card from the counter. “Or a Seer.”

CHAPTER 15: NOX

No One Like You

Nox stepped away from the bars.

Ridley stared back at him from the corner of her cell, where she sat hugging her knees and singing “Mockingbird” to herself.

“What did Silas do to you?” he whispered.

“They took her away last night,” a girl with a German accent said from somewhere behind him.

Nox spun around.

An emerald-eyed Light Caster with a braid of brown hair stood inside a cell across from Ridley’s. Chills pricked the back of Nox’s neck at the sight of yet another girl behind bars.

He stepped closer. “Who?”

He heard shuffling in the next cell over, and a golden-eyed blond with Dark Caster tattoos across her knuckles looked back at him. “Silas and his rejects. Who else?”

“Where did they take her?” he asked.

The Dark Caster shook her head almost sadly. “The labs. It’s the only explanation for how crazy she’s acting.”

The German girl nodded in Ridley’s direction. “She has been like that ever since they brought her back. One minute she’s talking to herself, and the next she’s screaming.”

“Or singing that stupid song,” the other girl said. “She’s got it bad. Even worse than Angelique did.”

“Shut up, Drew,” the German girl snapped. “She can’t help it.”

Nox looked at the German girl. “What’s your name?”

“Katarina.”

“Katarina,” Nox repeated. “Have they ever taken either of you to the labs?”

She shook her head, looking terrified. “No. Silas only takes me on jobs. Then they lock me right back up in here afterward.”

Nox examined the girl more closely. She was probably seventeen or eighteen tops. It was hard to tell, because she had the tired expression of someone much older. “What kind of jobs?”

“He rents us out for our powers.” She tugged on the end of her braid nervously. “It could be worse. He sells the girls who aren’t part of the Menagerie.”

Drew shook her head and leaned against the wall inside her cell. “Yeah, we’re the lucky ones. We get to be part of Silas’ little collection and hope he doesn’t drag us off to the labs and lobotomize us next.” She looked back at Ridley. “I wasn’t talking about you. Sorry about that.”

Nox turned back toward Ridley’s cell. The Siren stopped singing and looked up, and for a moment, he thought she was looking at him. But her gaze stopped at the edge of the cell, just short of where he stood.

Ridley’s eyes widened and she scrambled backward across the floor until she hit the wall. “Don’t let them out of the cage!” she screamed.

“Rid, look at me,” Nox called out. “You’re okay. You’re just seeing things.”

She stared up at him without a hint of recognition, her eyes full of terror. Then she winced and pressed her hands against her temples like she was in pain.

“Ridley!”

She blinked over and over as if she couldn’t get her eyes to focus—or maybe her thoughts.

“Shh. Be quiet, Rat Man. They’ll hear you,” she whispered.

Nox glanced around.

Nothing.

He gripped the bars and bent down so he was closer to her eye level. “Who will hear me, Rid?”

Her eyes were fixed on a random spot in front of him again, and she flattened herself against the wall. “The other rats.”

Nox’s heart sank.

She’s still hallucinating.

He remembered the Chemist and wondered if Silas had drugged her. But Nox had seen plenty of high Casters, and none of them had acted like this.

Whatever Silas had done to her was something else, and he had no idea how to undo it.

What if I can’t help her? And she stays like this?

Suddenly, Ridley screamed, pressing her hands against her temples again. Within seconds she was clawing at the wall like a cornered animal.

“Ridley, get on the bed!” Katarina shouted. “The rats can’t get you if you’re on the bed.”

Ridley’s eyes darted frantically toward the hallway, and she scrambled up onto the bed. She pushed herself into the corner and curled into a ball, her eyes still glued to the floor. “They’re coming!” she screamed, covering her head.

“It’s okay, Rid,” Nox said. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

“You need to be more concerned about yourself, kid,” a familiar voice said from behind him.

Silas.

Nox didn’t even have to look

to know it was him.

He didn’t turn around. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ridley. “You’re gonna be okay,” he repeated. It was a lie and Nox knew it, but he couldn’t think of another way to protect her from invisible rats and whatever other tricks her mind was playing on her.

He felt the Darkborn’s hands around his arms before he saw them. Nox remembered Silas’ friend from the vision. His grip felt like a vise, at least twice as strong as any Incubus. The Darkborn jerked him away from the bars and turned Nox until he was face to face with Silas Ravenwood.

Guess I’m lucky he let me stay on my feet, Nox thought. But once again, he didn’t feel particularly lucky. Unless I compare my situation to Rid’s.

“What did you do to her?” Nox asked.

Silas rolled up the sleeves of his custom Italian shirt and lit a Barbadian. Nox kept his eyes away from the flame. The stench of the cigar made his stomach turn. Silas smiled. “I made a few improvements. What do you think?”

Nox tried to stay calm, even though he wanted to rip Silas’ head off. But Nox knew he needed more information if he was going to help Ridley. “What the hell does that mean? Did you shoot her up with something?”

Silas laughed. “That was a few days ago. This”—he pointed in the direction of Ridley’s cell with his cigar—“is something more permanent.”

Ridley let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Nox tried to turn around, thrashing against the Darkborn, but he was too strong.

“Get them off! Get them off! Get them off!” Ridley shrieked.

Silas walked toward her cell, his expression a mixture of amusement and fascination. “And just think, I’m not even finished yet. My great-grandfather would’ve been proud.” He tipped his head to one side, considering it. “Or jealous. The old man never was good at letting someone else be in the spotlight.”

Nox’s jaw clenched at the sound of Ridley’s cries. “I swear, I’ll tear your heart out for this, Silas.”

The Incubus turned around slowly, his amused expression gone. He stepped toward Nox, holding the cigar between them. “When I finish with you, Lennox Gates, you’re gonna wish I’d torn your heart out. You’re also going to wish you had died in that little blaze back at Sirene. You’ve caused me enough problems. At least your Siren is repaying her debt.”