I basked in the sweet relief of that thought. My wife was strong. Resilient.
I could ask for nothing more in a partner. She was a goddess through and through.
The folk struggled to cram their bodies into the small space outside of my cell.
There were seven of them—Tommins and his human sidekick Linc, my Ginger, the two vampire mates, the big orc, and the green witch who liked to glare a lot.
My excitement at seeing Ginger was clouded by apprehension.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I drawled as I rose to my feet and tucked my hands behind my back.
Instinctively, I didn’t want them seeing the evidence of my shadow practice on my hands. That was a secret I didn’t wish to share just yet—not until I had figured it out thoroughly myself.
I didn’t need to give them any more reason to fear me. To hate me.
To try to keep me locked up.
“Hello, Shade,” Ginger said, though she didn’t step forward—she remained in line with her friends.
“Lovely to see you, Ginger. You are looking as radiant as ever.”
She flushed, and her cheek twitched, but she didn’t dignify my compliment with a response. “We are here to talk to you,” she said.
I lifted my brows. “More talking? My, you folk have a lot of questions.” I let my eyes drift over the group. I noted their tight expressions, their fidgeting hands, the way the human rested his fingers over the key ring hooked through a loop in his trousers.
I pulled my eyes away from the keys so they wouldn’t notice me staring, but the gears in my mind began to turn.
What if I could convince the shadows to retrieve the key for me? Was that even possible?
Could I escape and disappear into the night without having to harm anyone Ginger cared about?
Could I convince her to come with me?
I could always steal her—force her to come, kicking and screaming. But what I wanted to steal most was her heart, not her freedom to choose, and not her peace of mind.
Perhaps I could convince the idiots to free me. That I was harmless, and this was all a misunderstanding.
I had no knowledge of the King they spoke of. No memories. Not even a hint of a recollection had surfaced. I wasn’t sure if the memories were there, deeply buried, or if they never existed in the first place.
Ginger cleared her throat.
My eyes flitted to her face. She was looking at me expectantly.
“What would you like to know?” I asked with a sigh.
The green witch stepped forward and curled her fingers around the bars. The orc tensed, gritted his teeth, but he didn’t stop her.
I fought a wry smile. She was a brave little woman, and that made him nervous. But he let her make her own choices.
I respected that.
The witch stood her ground, examining me closely. Her eyes dragged from the top of my head, past my filthy clothing, down to my bare feet.
I had the strangest urge to shiver, to fidget, but I resisted. Her knowing gaze unnerved me.
It was as though she knew my mind better than I did.
The witches in this town were a force to be reckoned with.
