Embracing Winter (Lords of Discord 4)

To make matters worse, he was convinced that if there really was a prophecy, they had the wrong guy. Harry Potter could go suck a big fat one, because there were no cute little schools with fun houses, color-coded scarves, and plants trying to kill you. And most importantly, no classes to learn this magic shit in.

Witches were seriously old-school. They took on apprentices. Or a witch tried to teach himself, which was a damn good way to get blown up.

Fox hadn’t met a lot of witches in his relatively short life, but the few he knew were total assholes. They didn’t want apprentices, didn’t trust him, and a couple had even threatened to kill him simply because he existed in the first place.

Vampires didn’t seem to be much better when it came to their own kind, but they at least gathered together in clans. New vampires could learn from other vampires in their clans. The werewolves had their packs and taught their knowledge to the next generation.

But witches? It was a big “Fuck you! You’re on your own, buddy.”

How could you treat kids that way? Why weren’t other witches invested in handing down their knowledge? Why wasn’t there any kind of pride in their race overall? No, the few witches he knew all kept to themselves and didn’t give a shit if anyone learned anything.

If just one of them had taken a little time, given him a little training, Fox was sure he could have used magic to escape Damon’s place. Hell, he might have escaped the initial kidnapping attempt completely. The old rage and feelings of injustice bubbled up, and Fox rubbed his eyes before pressing his fingers into his temples to massage the emotions. They weren’t going to help him now.

He’d tried to tell his first captors that he had no magical skills, but they’d completely ignored him. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Big Sexy behind the wheel, but the vamp looked like he was about to drop. Definitely not the best time to have that conversation. The man wasn’t likely to listen to him right now. Maybe after the fanger got some sleep, they could have a civilized conversation. Of course, he really doubted he’d listen to him at all. That was why he needed to have his escape plan in place.

The sun was starting to lighten the sky when they pulled into the parking lot of a nice hotel. Along the highway, they’d passed enough signs for Fox to figure out they were now in Maryland and heading northeast. There was no point in asking where they were going. He had no intention of being around long enough to reach their ultimate destination.

Turning off the engine, the vampire sat for a second, rubbing his watering eyes. The sun was likely getting to him already. They’d cut this escape pretty damn close, but at least he felt sure they hadn’t been followed. It gave Fox a better chance of escaping completely.

“Let’s go,” the vamp muttered before sliding out of the SUV.

Fox hesitated, his eyes darting around the parking lot, taking in the other cars and collection of businesses close by. Could he make it? If he just jumped out of the car and starting running, could he make it somewhere he could at least call for help? His heart sped up as he weighed his options. They’d left his sneakers back at Damon’s. His sock-covered feet weren’t going to provide much in the way of protection. But the vampire looked exhausted and daybreak was so very close. If he—

His new captor stepped in front of his door, a dark look on his face as he jerked it open, effectively ending Fox’s internal debate. He’d hesitated way too long. He wasn’t just useless. He was also a fucking coward.

Fox took a deep breath as the vampire grabbed his arm and marched him through the automatic doors and to the elevator just past the oppressively silent lobby. He thought he’d smelled it earlier in their mad escape from Damon’s, but some kind of mint drifted from the vampire.

Not that he wanted to lean too close, because he was pretty sure he reeked of eau de rotten ass. His former captors hadn’t let him shower in a few days. He was lucky they’d let him empty his bladder a few times a day. Big Sexy didn’t need to get more of a whiff of him than necessary. Of course, smelling like ass might keep the vampire from using him as a snack.

Halfway through the winding hall on the fifth floor, the vampire swiped a little card and let them into an average hotel room with the most beautiful king-sized bed Fox had ever seen. Days on that stupid thin mattress had left most of his body aching. But that great big beauty with its fluffy pillow and goose down comforter looked like a wet dream. If he was trapped for a little bit longer, he could at least appreciate the improvement in comfort.