A boss who may or may not be on the way to collect his or her prize.
A boss who may or may not be Elliot Graves.
They couldn’t waste time trying to find the lower entrance. They had to get Jess out of there now, and the best way to do that was to help her help herself. It was to empower her to play hero. He might not be able to draw the magic out of her, but he could draw out her confidence and her faith in herself. He could give her the courage to face her situation. It was what a good alpha did.
Besides, he could not bear to leave her in that cage while he stayed removed, safe. His place was fighting beside her, and he’d be damned if he’d back away because of a little pain.
He licked his lips. He could get to that cage, he knew he could. It would take every ounce of power he had, but he could do it. He could even rip that door open. Then what, though? He couldn’t jump down in human form—the fall would kill him before he could heal. And he couldn’t jump down in animal form because the path was too small. The spikes would kill him before he could heal.
“Do you think that chain could hold the weight of my animal form smashing onto it?” he asked. The chain holding it off the spikes was thick and well made, but the rust signified age. It wasn’t what it used to be. The last thing he wanted to do was make the cage fall—if it did, the path would catch the corner and tilt it so the spikes slid between the bars and impaled the person inside. Maybe Jess could hold the bars on the side of the cage and escape the thrust of the spikes, but she’d be trapped in there.
Damn good deathtrap.
“Even if it could, you’d be unconscious by the time you got to it,” Damarion said, turning to see Austin’s face. He held out blackened fingers, obviously having tried the barrier to get a second opinion. “The pain is excruciating for just a few digits. Putting your whole body through that will kill you. Maybe not right away, but you wouldn’t have long. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t stand in your way. You’re a distraction Jacinta doesn’t need.” He glanced back at the others. “We will search for the other entrance. We know what we are looking for—we have but to find it.”
“They might’ve hidden the entrance,” Mr. Tom said.
“They didn’t hide this one,” Damarion replied.
“Then there might be the same spell on the other, non-hidden, entrance…” Mr. Tom said.
“I won’t black out from the pain,” Austin said, “and Jess will heal me before I’m lost to it. That’s not a concern. What about that chain?”
“Doubt it,” Mr. Tom said, leaning forward and peering through the gloom. “It’s not reinforced where it connects to the cage. That is probably on purpose. Rattle that cage too much and whoopsie daisy, down it goes.”
“You’d need to jump in animal form to clear the spikes,” Niamh said.
“I know,” Austin said.
“But ye would need to change back into human as ye neared the cage, suffer the pain, and grab on to that chain, hoping Jessie remembers how to heal.”
“I know.”
“This is probably a fool’s errand,” she said.
“Probably.”
“This is ridiculous.” Damarion turned and made a circle in the air. “Have fun on those spikes, bear. I’ll save her myself. Come on.” He stalked to the cave entrance, almost all of the gargoyles falling in behind him.
Cedric watched them go, then he turned and faced front, his allegiance clearly to the few members of Ivy House.
Ulric blew out a breath. “I hope to hell you make it, Mr. Steele, because I’m about to burn a bridge by staying here with you all.”
“What are you thinking?” Niamh asked Austin quietly.
“I’m thinking that today is the day Jess learns how to fly.”25Tears of frustration in my eyes, I felt like kicking something. My wings would not pop out. They just wouldn’t. I’d have to wait in this godforsaken cage until that hairy creature came back and tsked at me for lying about my access to magical flowers.
I stamped my foot, then froze when the cage vibrated under me. Best not to mess with my rusty hanging lifeline.
Puffing out a breath, I glanced at the shadowy area, terrified someone would come walking through it at any moment. Terrified they’d take me away, far out of reach of Austin and Niamh and the others. Seeing nothing, I glanced longingly at the other opening, and then widened my eyes.
People stood behind the filmy barrier, and I recognized their statures immediately. The thin, almost wilting frame of Mr. Tom; the comparatively short silhouette of Niamh, hands on hips; the hunching vampire, who looked like he was hugging himself; and the broad form of Austin, standing close, staring at me. If they’d been talking, I hadn’t heard them, that barrier obviously locking me into a sound vacuum.