Aeromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 3)

He left, shutting the door behind him. She lay in the dark, exhausted and weak. She had no idea what Adam’s plans were for her. The monster had saved her life, but for what? Crying silently, she tried to come up with a plan, but her mind was a blank. She’d survived. She’d come this far. She couldn’t give up.

A short while later, Gerda entered and injected her with what she said was a tranquilizer. Too weak to fight, Kat didn’t have a choice but to accept the drugs.

Sometime in the morning, she woke with painful breasts. Her first thought was that she had to escape. She had to get Thomas and get away. She had to get a message to Lann. She was about to get up when Margaret stepped into her room with a tray.

“Breakfast,” she said, handing Kat the tray that was laid with a mug of tea and boiled eggs.

As she left, Adam entered. “You’re looking better.”

“Where’s my son?”

“He’s not your son anymore.”

She flinched at his words. “I just want to see him.”

“It’s better this way.”

“You said you’d let me go.”

“I didn’t.” Adam smiled. “My father did.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Suspense is a wonderful thing.” He stroked her hair. “Eat. You need to regain your strength. Margaret can help you shower.”

“I don’t need her help,” Kat said through clenched teeth.

“That’s what I expected you to say.” His gaze dropped to her breasts. “Sore?”

“What do you think?”

“I’m not going to give you medication to dry up your milk. Your body will do it automatically when it realizes there’s no baby to feed. It will hurt a bit, and I’ll enjoy watching.”

She projected a hateful look at his back as he turned and left.

The day passed with Kat confined to her bed. She was waiting for the dark, praying that Nicolas would come. If he did, she’d ask him about Thomas, and try to work out a way of escaping. After Margaret had served her dinner, she had a quick shower and pulled on a clean nightdress. Her heavy, aching breasts were a constant reminder that her son needed her. She felt stronger, but was still exhausted and fell asleep early.

She woke in the night from noises. Shots. She sat up, her heart in her throat. More shots. Moving quickly, she got out of bed to peer through the window. In the bright light that lit the garden, she saw the guards crouching behind the shrubs, their weapons aimed at the perimeter of the wall. They were under attack.

With her heart hammering in her chest, she hastily pulled on a robe and rushed to the door. When she pulled it open, Nicolas all but fell into the room.

“Nicolasjh scaresjd.”

“It’s all right.” She took his arm. “Come. We have to hide.”

Where was Margaret? Was she hiding too?

Kat steered Nicolas down the hallway toward the examination room. When they reached the kitchen, a small explosion shook the building. The front doors blew outward, glass flying through the air. The force of the explosion threw them to the floor. Disorientated, Kat got back onto her feet. Her ears were ringing from the noise.

She dragged on Nicolas’s arm. “Get up. Come on.”

He whimpered as he obeyed. She glanced over her shoulder as she pushed Nicolas toward the end of the hallway. Men dressed in black gear had infiltrated the garden. She couldn’t distinguish the guards from the attackers. They were all dressed the same. She stopped in front of the door of the examination room.

“Open it,” she said to Nicolas.

He pushed his thumb on the scanner and the door clicked open. Kat pulled him inside and shut the door.

She moved to the door on the other side of the room. “Quickly.”

Nicolas understood what she wanted. He opened the second door. The hallway had to lead to an exit.

A thought hit her. She rushed to the fridge where the serum was kept, jerked the door open, and dropped one of the vials into the pocket of her robe.

“Come,” she said to Nicolas, her breath quickening in fear.

They moved into the dimly lit corridor. She checked that the second door shut securely behind them before she faced Nicolas.

“Can you take us outside?”

He nodded. “Outsidejh.”

“We have to get the baby,” Kat said, praying Thomas was still close.

Nicolas gave a small cry. “Diesj. Kat and Nicolasjh die.”

“No.” She shook him gently. “We’ll live. Where is the baby?” When he didn’t answer, Kat said, “The baby needs his mommy.”

“Mommyshj.”

“Yes,” Kat said. “Quickly. We have to move.”

Nicolas squeezed past her, leading the way. Several doors with plaques stating Lab and a number lined both sides of the corridor.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Your formula for the serum and the dosage—where is it?”

Nicolas’s good eye lit up in alarm. He limped faster to a door marked number four and pushed it open. It looked like a control room. Wall monitors showed the interior and exterior of the building. The cameras. A tray on the desk with a USB key inside was marked as backup. She grabbed the key and slipped it into her other pocket while Nicolas removed the black book he always carried with him during the examinations from a drawer. Clutching the book to his chest, he turned back to face her.