The words formed themselves before she could stop them.
Do I love him?
Is that what this is?
Do I want that?
But it didn’t matter. Ridley gripped the bars tighter, focusing her wrath—and her power—on the Darkborns dragging Nox out of his cell.
You’ll let him go. One way or another.
The walls in the dungeon began to move—at least they looked like they were moving. Ridley knew it was only an illusion, but even she had never seen one that looked so real.
Silas looked around, as if he wasn’t sure he could trust his own eyes.
The four walls that formed the cellblock drew in toward the middle of the room.
“What’s going on?” the Darkborn holding Nox by the neck called out, her eyes darting around the small space.
Silas smiled. “Ignore it. The Siren’s creating an illusion. It’s just a reaction to how I juiced her up. For an Illusionist, it’s perfectly natural, not all that much different from a tantrum.” He turned to Ridley. “Though we might have to find something else to call you after this little display. You aren’t exactly a Siren or an Illusionist anymore, are you?”
Ridley didn’t answer.
Her mind was elsewhere.
She pictured the walls crushing the Darkborns—and the moment she did, the back wall of Nox’s cell burst through the barred doors on that side of the room. The Darkborns threw themselves—along with Nox—toward Ridley’s cell, narrowly escaping the falling metal bars. But the wall didn’t stop moving. And the ones at either end of the dungeon were coming closer, too, now.
Ridley fixed her violet eyes on Silas. “One more chance, little man.”
“Excuse me?” Silas looked at her, raging.
“I said … Let. Him. Go.”
You want to let him go, Ridley thought, focusing every ounce of her Power of Persuasion in Silas’ direction. Tell your men now, before I kill you all.
Silas rubbed his hands over his face, looking confused. He was one of the strongest Blood Incubuses in existence. Ridley knew he wouldn’t be that easy to take down, but she didn’t care.
“Silas, make her stop,” one of the Darkborns called out as the back wall pushed him closer to Ridley’s cell—and to being crushed.
“This isn’t an illusion!” the other shouted. “I can’t breathe.”
“Shut the bitch down,” called the first.
But Silas didn’t. He was too confused to do much of anything. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again without a word.
It was true.
She wasn’t just one thing. Not since Silas had given her the transfusions.
Idiot.
He was the one who had set her free without even knowing it.
There was no limit to what she could do—at least, it didn’t feel like there was.
Here they’d been, trapped in these little rat cages, when all she had to do was force them open in her mind.
Ridley felt a surge of heat and a wave of dizziness as she summoned whatever power she had left.
Let Nox go, she thought, her eyes drilling into Silas like she was reaching into his mind. And while you’re at it, unlock my cell.
The Darkborns who weren’t holding Nox had their palms flat against the shifting walls now, pressing against them.
Screaming.
“Let the boy go,” Silas said.
The Darkborns moved toward Nox, their shocked expressions only fueling Ridley’s power—and the incredible high it gave her.
Not enough, she thought.
She closed her eyes again, and the walls shuddered. Plaster fell from the ceiling.
“I said let him go!” Silas shouted, looking even more confused. He seemed even more surprised by the words coming out of his own mouth than his thugs were.
The Darkborns released Nox, and he fell to his knees, in the center of what was slowly turning into a shoe box of a room.
The walls in the room stopped moving all at once.
“Ridley, you can stop.” Nox choked out the words. “I’m okay.”
I’m not finished yet. I want Silas Ravenwood to know that no one controls me.
Her eyes darted back to Silas. You want to open my cell, Silas. More than you’ve ever wanted anything in your pathetic life.
Silas marched toward Ridley’s cell, as if he were a little puppet on a string.
My puppet. My string.
When he reached the door, he held out his hand to one of the guards. “Keys.”
The Darkborn dropped them in his palm.
Silas looked back at Ridley.
Do it, she thought. Do it now.
The Incubus raised a shaky arm. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, I am.” Ridley smiled. “It’s about time for the princess to rescue herself from the dungeon. And maybe burn down the castle while she’s at it. You know how these things go. It’s nothing personal.”
Ridley looked at Nox. “The prince is welcome to come.” Then she looked back at Silas. “The dragon, not so much.” She nodded, and Silas moved the key, slowly, as if he was fighting for control of his own body.
“This is a mistake,” he said as the key slid into the lock.
“I like to think of it as more of an upgrade,” Ridley said as she pushed the door open and stepped across the threshold.
“Ridley 3.0.”
CHAPTER 23: LINK
Queen of the Reich
Angelique smiled when Sampson mentioned the meaning of Chloe Boucher’s last name, but Link had a completely different reaction.
The Butcher? That can’t be good. Like slasher-movie-Stephen-King not good.
“So what’s the game plan?” Link asked. “You know, besides you gotta kill ’em all?”
No one laughed, not even Link.
“Any thoughts, ladies?” Angelique asked, addressing Necro and Floyd, the other Dark Casters.
“I might be able to deal with the Incubuses,” Floyd said. “But the Darkborns are out of my league.”
“They must have a weakness,” Liv reasoned, turning to Sam. “We just have to figure out what it is.”
He held up his hands. ?
?Don’t look at me. If we have one, I don’t know what it is.”
“Humility?” Necro asked innocently.
“How many Darkborns did you say there were out there?” Angelique asked Floyd.
“I’m not sure. At least two, plus Chloe the Butcher.”
Angelique pushed up her sleeves and moved toward the Outer Door. “I love a challenge. Not to mention a butcher.”
Link stepped in front of her. “Hold up a minute.”
Angelique stared at him with an expression that said Move it or lose it.
He took the hint and stepped aside. “Sorry. I just missed the part about what the rest of us are supposed to do.”
Angelique pointed her finger at the door, and without a word, it flew open. “Try to stay out of the way.” She stalked out of the protection of the Tunnel and into a sea of grass and trees behind the plantation’s main house. “I wouldn’t want to kill you accidentally.”
Link scrambled after her with his friends as the Cataclyst shook out her red curls and cracked her knuckles like a thug getting ready to fight. The bloodlust propelling her reminded him of the only other Cataclyst he’d ever met, and Sarafine had been a complete psycho.
Sampson fell into step next to Link. “She’s crazy,” he said, keeping his voice low. “And she’s going to get herself killed before she makes it into the building.”
“I’m not so sure,” John said.
“You’ll have to pass notes later, children,” Angelique said. “We have company.”
Two Incubuses emerged from the trees. Neither one was paying attention, until they spotted Angelique marching toward them. The Incubuses’ black eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on what they probably considered their next victim.
This is either gonna be really good or really bad, dependin’ on which side you’re on, Link thought.
Angelique raised her hand, but Floyd jogged up beside her and pushed her out of the way. “Don’t be a ball hog. I’ll take care of these two.”
Angelique backed off, intrigued.
The trees around the Incubuses began to change, the massive oaks transforming into towering mirrors. Within seconds, they formed a maze, like the House of Mirrors at the Gatlin County Fair. The Incubuses waved their arms in front of them to avoid crashing into one of the huge trunks.