Aeromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 3)

“Hello, Kat. I’m Adam.” He looked beyond her at Vanessa. “Weren’t you leaving?”

“My job isn’t done,” Vanessa bit out.

“Oh, but I think it is. Besides, Father is waiting.”

Vanessa shot him a killer look before saying to Kat as she left the room, “See you around.”

When they were alone, Adam didn’t close the door.

“You won’t have to face her again until the birth,” he said as if he’d bitten into something distasteful. “This is your new habitat. You can move around freely, as long as you don’t try to do anything foolish. If you do, you’ll be locked up in here,” he motioned around the room, “for the next six months. You’ll find everything you need—clothes, toiletries, food. Anything you want, you just have to say the word.”

A bit of the fear that held her body in a tight coil started to give way. It didn’t sound as if they were going to hurt her, at least not straight away.

“If you’re hungry, there’s a warm meal in the oven,” he said. “I advise you to make it an early night. Tomorrow will be a long day. We’ll start working on you straight away.”

“Working on me?” she asked through dry lips.

“Saving you.” He lifted a brow. “Have you forgotten the reason you came?”

She could only stare at him.

“Margaret will take care of you. If you have any emergencies, her room is next door.”

Without offering a greeting, he left, and suddenly she was alone.

A door shut somewhere down the hall. She rushed to the bedroom door and looked around the frame. Big windows framed glass doors at the end of the hallway. She was just in time to see Adam walking outside down a path to a waiting car. Armed guards stood on either side of the front doors. The glass was tinted. She guessed it was the kind that allowed one to see out, but prevented people from looking in.

Left to her own devices, she explored her prison. There was only one level. The inside was stark and cold with white walls and floor tiles. There were no paintings or decorations. Everything seemed to serve a functional purpose only. She found the kitchen and a small lounge farther down the hall. The other four doors were locked. Infrared beams picked up her movement, the green lights on wall-mounted units turning red, and the beep of an alarm sounded in the acoustic space. There were ceiling cameras everywhere. She’d be sure to check her room and bathroom carefully. The only entrance was the one through which Adam had left. It was almost dark outside, but powerful spray lights illuminated a vast garden surrounded by a high wall topped with barbed wire.

Too distressed to think of food, she made her way back to the room. A built-in cupboard was stocked with shoes and maternity clothes ranging from blouses, pants, and skirts to sleepwear and underwear, everything in her size. The bathroom was stocked with her favorite toiletries. Who were these people? How could they know this much about her?

A search didn’t reveal any cameras in the bathroom or bedroom. She was hot and sticky with perspiration. She removed her coat and left it on a hanger in the closet. In the bathroom, she undressed and left her clothes in the hamper. After a quick shower, she put on the pajamas she found in a drawer. She executed the actions automatically, not allowing herself the luxury of thinking. The sheets were cold when she slipped into bed. Ironically, it was that coldness on the empty side of the bed that finally made the numbness fade in the dark, letting life flow back inside her. Hollowness settled in her stomach and a deep ache in her soul.

“Lann,” she whispered, testing the sound in the dark, strange room.

The only reply was her answering sob.

The sound of a man’s roar echoed through the library. Lann didn’t care that the voice belonged to him. He was beside himself with fury.

“She betrayed me,” he said, shaking as he faced Joss.

“Pull yourself together. Vanessa tricked you, but you’re still going to have proof that Kat is fine.”

“This is not what we agreed,” Lann said, stabbing his fingers into his hair. “We agreed to a weekly telephone conversation, not fucking video feeds.”

“It’s better than nothing.”

Lann tried to calm his breathing, but all he could think about was not being able to speak to Katherine for six months. Fifteen minutes ago, Vanessa had called and informed him Kat had arrived safely. She’d said they’d decided he wouldn’t be allowed telephone contact with Kat, but that they’d supply him on a weekly basis with dated video footage of his wife—selected clips—to ensure him of her wellbeing. It was more than what he could take.

“If they hurt her…” Lann said.

“We’ll kill them,” Joss replied.

The knowledge that his team wouldn’t let him down calmed Lann somewhat. The man could bide his time. The animal inside him was impatient for revenge.