Devilish Game (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 4)

I pressed a hand to his back. “It’s all right.”

“It’s not.” His voice was firm and restrained, as if he were holding himself back for my sake.

The witches glowered at him, but they nodded.

“Come.” Mary waved a hand for us to follow her into the Witches’ Guild tower. “Let’s go inside and discuss this. I want to know what you’ve found.”

“Of course.” I nodded.

“Are they going to kill her?” Mary asked. “Have you learned that, at least?”

“I don’t think so. Not yet. Not soon.” God, it was all so confusing. “Not until they’ve accomplished their goal, at least.”

“Which is?” Mary asked.

“Inside,” Grey reminded.

“Yeah, yeah.” Mary hurried toward the tower, racing up the rickety steps toward the main door.

We followed, and I shot Grey a grateful look. He was carefully looking ahead, not making eye contact with me, which was for the best.

Jeeves, the staid butler, waited for us at the door. His expression was bland, and his lips pursed as we walked by him. Normally, he might make a snide comment to Mac about not thieving, but he was able to read the room and kept his mouth shut this time.

Mary led us down the narrow, dark hallway toward a room I’d never entered. The entire place was a jungle. As soon as I stepped in, the air grew more humid. Crickets sang through the dim space, their chorus nearly deafening.

In front of me, Mary’s shoulders seemed to relax.

The plant-filled room was clearly her happy place, though I had a hard time understanding why.

The plants that covered the walls all had fangs. They were like crazy magical versions of Venus Fly Traps, or something out of that old movie, the Little Shop of Horrors.

Two massive couches filled the space, facing each other but separated by a dark, gleaming pool of water. A glass table sat over the pool, giving a clear view of the frogs that sat on the huge lily pads.

In the corner, an enormous alligator yawned.

Mary threw herself onto the couch, gripping the bridge of her nose with one hand. “We’ve had no luck tracking Beth. Tell me you’ve found something.”

The other witches joined her on the same couch, and my group took the one that faced them. Grey stayed standing, leaving room for Mac, Eve, and myself. There was technically room for him, but I could tell he was trying to maintain his distance.

It was the only smart thing, even though I wanted to be near him. It was a terrible idea, and our bond was broken, yet the desire was strong.

I leaned forward. “We’ve learned that the kidnappers have taken people with specific magical skills. So they must want them for something, and until that thing is done, they must be alive.”

“Them?” Mary asked. “How many?”

I leaned toward the witches. “There have been four kidnappings in Guild City recently. Five, with Coraline.”

“What?” Shock flashed in Mary’s eyes. “That’s more than we thought.”

As I told them everything we’d learned from Anton, more witches piled into the room. They perched on windowsills and leaned against the walls as the flesh-eating plants stroked their hair. Over a dozen of them sat around the pond, their eyes riveted on me.

“Anton the Deceiver?” Mary nearly spit on the name. “That bastard.”

“He’s not the one behind it all,” I said. “But we don’t know who is.”

“Whoever it is, he’s going after supernaturals with particular gifts, right?” Mary asked.

“And there’s a symbol connected to him,” I said, only now remembering the image that had blasted into my head when I’d shoved the kidnapper. “Could I have pen and paper, please?”