“Gee, thanks.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He steps forward, though there’s an invisible barrier between us. “All I know is I canfeelyou, inside me, and it’s not something I could ignore even if I wanted to.”
“I won’t argue with you. I need help, as bitter as those words taste.”
“Sit tight, Rune. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”
I nod, wrapping my arms around myself. “Thank you, Atlas. Whatever happens, I appreciate your efforts.”
Offering a slight smile, he steps forward again. “I…” He pauses, his head twitching. “What the fuck…”
“Atlas? Is something wrong?”
He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out, and his body starts to fade.
“Oh. You have to go now.” I step forward. “Thank you again.”
Then he’s gone, his confused face still faintly visible for several seconds until he disappears completely.
I plop down on my cot again. It’s a relief to know someone is out there looking for me. I feel a little less stuck and lonely. As much as I’d like to find out who did this to me, I’d be very happy to do so from outside of this prison.
Closing my eyes, I lie back and focus all my energy and gratitude on Atlas, hoping wherever he is, he can feel it.
Right now, he’s my only hope. Ugh, needing other people is the worst.
SEVEN
ATLAS
I jerk awake, my skin instinctively hardening to stone in response to a sharp sting on my wrist that my conscious brain barely has time to register.
“Ow,” Cas hisses. “You nearly broke my fang. Do you know what a bitch it is to have to grow one back?”
I’m still groggy, the effects of the sleep potion clinging to me for several long seconds, making me feel like I’m wading through waist-deep sand. The protective stone lingers in place while I struggle to peel my eyes open and claw my way out of the void where I was just face-to-face with Rune.
“Why’d you bite me?” I mumble, my brain finally catching up to Cas’s complaint about his fangs.
“To wake you up like you asked me to. Last favor I do for you if that’s the thanks I’m going to get.” He runs his tongue over his teeth to check that they’re okay.
Now that I’m conscious and my body is aware there’s no danger, the stone starts to turn into soft, malleable flesh again. I’m used to the warm feeling that rushes through me when mybody turns to flesh and bone instead of cold, hard stone, but there’s a tingle in my fingertips that’s new. I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels like Rune.
“How’s your man? Still in one piece?”
“He’s not my man,” I huff. “But they haven’t touched him. That’s weird, right? Why abduct someone if you don’t plan to harm them?”
He shrugs. “They obviously have a reason. That’s what we need to figure out.”
“Speaking of; you didn’t find anything out? I didn’t clarify before I crashed.”
“I dropped in on Emilia, queen of the largest and oldest vampire coven in Europe, and she hasn’t heard any rumblings of war. Not among vampires or anyone else.”
I frown. “That’s what my contact said too, but that doesn’t make any sense. There has to be something we’re missing.” I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up. “Do me a favor and find out if anyone else got anything. I’m going to talk to Kallis.”
“Don’t forget an offering,” Cas shouts just as I slip into the void between the underworld and the human one.
“Thanks,” I call back, my voice getting lost in the darkness. My body is squeezed momentarily, like I’m slipping through a pinhole, before I land with my feet on an uneven street in the middle of an outdoor market in Turkey. The spicy scent of cooked lamb wafting from the nearest street vendor has my mouth watering, reminding me that I haven’t bothered to eat in at least a day or two. Maybe longer. Gargoyles don’t die of hunger, but if I were to go too long—weeks or months, I’m not sure and I’ve never cared to test it—I would eventually revert to my stone form and be unable to shift back without the help of magic or someone to feed me. I should eat though. Keeping up my strength will only help me find and rescue Rune.
A strong sense of purpose pulses in my chest, and I head straight for the vendor selling döner kebabs a few feet away. I hold up one finger to indicate that I just want one, and he tells me the price. I don’t have to understand Turkish to be able to call on one of the helpful powers my contract with Auri has imbued me with. I reach into my pocket and the correct amount in the right currency fills my palm immediately. I pull it out and hand it over, giving him a thankful smile.
