Hathbury is by my side in an instant, squatting down to carefully retrieve the book, and gently smooth the pages back into place.
“Oh, I’m so terribly sorry!” I exclaim.
“It’s quite alright,” he says politely, but I can tell by the way his hand is shaking as he tries to straighten a crumpled page, that he is fuming.
I’m such an ass. Hathbury has risked so much to open up his home to harbor a stranger. Just from the kindness of his heart. Just because he wants to save others from what his boyfriend suffered. And here I am trashing his books.
Shamelessly, my gaze flicks down to his pockets and I nearly squeal in delight. The way he is squatting has pulled a ring of keys halfway out of the pocket of his chinos. The keys are attached to a chain on his belt. The whole setup, with the size and shape of the keys, looks medieval, so unless he and Charlie are into kinky stuff, they have to be the keys to the magic binding cuffs.
A moment of doubt washes over me. It would just be my luck to steal the keys to someone’s cock cage. Okay, no. I’m not thinking about that, thank you very much. I’m going to go with the assumption that these are the right keys.
Now I just need to work out how to steal them.
A surge of magic thrums like a shock wave through the library. A second later I hear the bang. What the hell is going on? Hathbury jumps to his feet and stares out of the window. He is distracted, this is perfect. Somehow, I reach out, unclasp the keys and shove them into my own pocket.
Suddenly, Hathbury turns on his heels and flees the library as if the hounds of hell are after him. Are we under attack? Nervously, I creep towards the window.
My mind goes blank as I stare at the sight before me. I cannot be seeing what I think I am seeing? Jem and several of Harry’s staff standing in front of the house with a minivan behind them? As I watch, Jem throws a charm bag down onto the gravel drive and I feel the wards protecting the house start to disintegrate.
Jem has lost his mind. He is just a vessel. Buying some charm bags is not a way to fight two mages. And for all he knows, there may be dozens of mages in the house. But then again, how does he even know Harry is here? Maybe he does have a great plan and access to all the information he needs. And now I have the keys I can help.
I run as fast as I can to the basement and nearly fall down the stairs in my haste. I skid on my knees across the floor to Harry and frantically start trying to unlock the cuffs. I can sense Harry’s astonishment, but I haven’t got time to feel hurt by that.
“Jem is here!” I gasp.
“Where?” demands Harry.
“Out the front, with some of our staff. He is throwing charm bags at the wards and it’s working.”
The cuffs click and then fall away. Harry jumps to his feet and pulls me with him. Then we are running. Up the basement stairs, along hallways and out to the front of the house. Someone flings magic at us but Harry deflects it without breaking his stride.
We’ve reached Jem. I’m trying to catch my breath, but Harry isn’t ruffled at all. Fit as well as good-looking, aren’t I lucky.
“I’m not strong enough to fight Garrington, let alone him and Hathbury,” he tells Jem.
Jem gives him an intense look. “That was before you had a vessel, you are stronger now.”
I feel a surge of pride, but Harry shakes his head. “It’s not worth the risk. We need to flee.”
He moves his hand and I feel his magic surge as he starts to cast. In no time at all a swirling orange portal opens. The heat and wind from it is intense. I feel my mouth drop open in astonishment. I had no idea that Harry was powerful enough to create portals.
“Everyone in!” orders Harry.
I have a moment to think of the minivan being abandoned and then Harry is pulling me into the portal. A few seconds of tumbling through time and space, like being on the world’s most intense roller coaster, and we stumble out into Harry’s study. Back in Stourleat House. Home.
I’ve landed on top of Harry and we are sprawled on the floor, but I can’t move. I don’t want to move. I wrap my arms around him and cling to him. It’s over. He is free. Harry is safe. I’m so relieved. I think I am going to cry. Oh, I am crying.
Harry says something to Jem and climbs to his feet with me in his arms. I snuggle in even more and sob harder. Everything had been so awful, with seemingly no way out, and now like a miracle, everything is perfect. Harry is free, and no one has been hurt. At least, I don’t think anyone has been hurt. I hope Eban and his little band are all okay.
Harry starts to carry me somewhere. My room? I don’t care. Harry can take me anywhere. I am his. He is my everything. I really should stop crying, he was the one that was locked in a basement. I should be comforting him.
He places me in my bed. It’s so very good to be home. I hope he climbs into my bed with me. I can make him forget all about being held captive. Well, have fun trying to, at least.
Jem walks in and I hope he just needs to check his brother is okay before leaving us alone. That would be fair enough. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I need to get control of myself, this is embarrassing.
Harry’s hands stroke my neck, then a loud click echoes around the room. My eyes fly open and my hands fly up to my throat. An iron collar. Harry has put an iron collar around my neck. My gaze tracks the attached chain all the way to the enormous, ancient and very solid radiator. I’m not going anywhere. Unless Harry allows it.
Betrayal claws through me and it fucking hurts. Now I can truly relate to how Harry must have felt. Like his soul was being ripped out. Ripped out, torn to shreds, set on fire and stomped on.
