He was ready for pain. He was ready for torture.
At this point, he just wanted to get it over with.
A door opened, and heavy footsteps came down the stairs. He braced himself for whatever came next. But then Elise's scent washed over him. That lilac smell still lingered in his room and followed him into his dreams.
Even if he had suspected her coven, she was the last person he expected to see.
She made it to the bottom of the basement stairs and stopped. Her expression was horrified as she took in the ropes holding him in place and whatever injuries had been inflicted upon him. His face felt swollen, and his muscles were stiff from being tied up for so long. He was pretty sure someone had punched him a time or two while he was unconscious.
She rushed towards him and crossed over a chalk circle drawn on the concrete basement floor that he hadn't paid much attention to before. More magic shit.
"I am going to kill them." Elise dropped to her knees beside him and reached for the rope around his hands. It came free fairly quickly. She ran her fingers over the angry red marks it had left, and he felt her magic in his blood.
It didn't feel like corruption.
No matter what Cole had said about the feeling that lingered in him, this felt natural. It felt right. And truth be told, it didn't feel that much different from when Mark used his own healing abilities on him whenever he hurt himself on pack business.
"I am so sorry." Elise shifted to kneel in front of him, working on the bindings at his feet.
Nico put his hand on her head and ran strands of her hair between his fingers. Getting kidnapped was almost worth it for that feeling alone.
"My coven sisters took things way too far," Elise said. "They never should have taken you. This isbeyondmessed up, and I had nothing to do with it." She sounded desperate. "You have to believe me. I didn't tell them to do this."
He moved his hand, tracing a finger down her jaw and tilting her chin up at him until their eyes met. "I know." His thumb brushed across her cheekbone. "I know this wasn't you. You would never. You and I are …" He trailed off, but she nodded,understanding what he meant, even if he wasn't sure what he would have said.
"I'm getting you out of here." She returned her attention to the knots at his ankles. "It's the least I could do."
"You don't owe me anything." He wanted to spring out of the chair and run up the stairs, but a stronger instinct kept him in place. "Don't get in trouble for me." He leaned close, unable to resist the nearness of her. "Not with your sisters, not with your coven. I don't want you sacrificing yourself for me."
Elise tugged harder on the rope at his feet. It went slack. He had enough room to kick it off. Then she stood up and bent over him, running her hands over his face. He felt that tingle of her magic as she healed whatever bruises and scrapes he was carrying.
"I'm not going to get in trouble," her palms were warm against his jaw, "it doesn't work like that. And frankly,theyare the ones who should be in trouble withmefor pulling this crap." She held out her hand and waggled her fingers. "Come on. Let's go."
He took her hand and laced their fingers together. Then he held it up and kissed the back of her palm. She gave him a soft smile.
He wondered if he could arrange kidnappings like this every so often just so they could have an excuse to see each other. Because staying away from her was killing him inside.
He would undergo a lot more damage if it meant he could be with Elise, even if only for a few minutes.
They walked to the edge of the chalk circle, and he had to struggle to get past it. It felt like walking through liquid rubber. His final step released him with a pop, and he stumbled forward, almost losing his hold on Elise's hand.
"What was that?" He steadied himself against her.
"Magic," she explained like he was slow, tugging him toward the stairs. "It's a holding spell. They didn't really need to tie you up. You couldn't have gotten out of it on your own, no matter how hard you tried." Then she considered, "I guess maybe if you managed to destroy the concrete, but the chalk is more of a construct than a physical thing, so that might not even work." She squeezed his hand. "Only a member of the coven can walk through the circle or guide someone out of it. I think Delainey just wanted to tie you up. She likes rope."
Nico looked back at the discarded ropes and considered that. They were silky and red and didn't look like something you would buy at a hardware store. Interesting.
Elise led him up the stairs and had her hand on the door to push it open when Nico stopped her. "Wait." He placed his free hand against the door frame and took a deep breath, listening intently, trying to figure out if anyone was out there waiting for them.
"The coast is clear," Elise assured him, her shoulder pressing against his arm. "One of my coven members is running interference. I convinced her that we needed to let you go before this whole thing blows up in our faces."
It was nice to know that there was at least one other reasonable member of her coven, and that Elise wasn't completely alone. He wanted her to have allies, friends. He wanted her to have everything.
She guided him through a quaint and surprisingly big kitchen and out the door and onto an empty driveway. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket with her free hand and punched something into it.
"I'm calling an Uber," she said, thumb swiping across the screen. "It'll take you to the edge of the city. You can get in touch with your pack then. Or you can run home or do whatever you need to do."
"And you're sure you won't be in any trouble?" he asked again.
