“And the answer’s still no. Imagine that.”
Tobias grumbled and sprung for my arm.
I grabbed his hand and twisted it back, hard.
He cried out in pain, struggling to pull away before punching with his other hand.
I ducked, landing a punch to his balls, and he doubled over in agony.
I hooked my right leg around his left and pushed him onto his ass by the neck when Viper whipped out her gun.
I prepared to disarm her, but a door of the SUV flew open.
“Joey,” a gruff voice called hastily, “get in the car.” James stared at me from the back of the SUV, his posture rigid. But at least his hands weren’t bound.
“Who are Fezzik and Goliath, James?” I straightened after noticing the slight tic of my mentor’s jaw.
“We’re with the Bureau, Miss Sullivan,” Tobias answered as he pushed himself to his feet. He’d spat out my name like a curse. “Our boss would like to speak with you.”
Viper stepped back as she holstered her gun, creating a path for me to walk through.
The two giants stared at me as if they knew I wouldn’t run now—not after they disclosed who’d sent them… And they were right.
The National Bureau of Supernatural Affairs was an organization whose sole purpose was to police the supernatural. No one rememberedexactlyhow it formed, but rumor had it that a coven of witches and warlocks birthed the damn thing after a surge in vampire fledglings. Now all supernaturals—the vampires, the shapeshifters, the demons, et cetera—were governed by an entity said to possess talismans and spells that could bring even Lucifer to his knees.
I climbed into the rear passenger seat, my gaze never leaving James.
“What the fuck is going on?” I hissed, attempting to keep my breath steady despite the way my heart pounded in my chest.
He shook his head and kept his face emotionless, but when he spoke, the edge in his voice could cut through steel. “Maybe I could’ve given you a heads-up if you’d returned any of my calls.”
Shame forced my gaze to drop, and my eyes landed on the two black hoods between our knees. “Oh, hell no.”
Tobias reached over, his large arm pressing me harder than necessary against the seat as he grabbed a hood. “These are enchanted,” he said, holding it out for me. “It’ll be tempting to take it off… Don’t.” The corners of his mouth rose into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes… as if he secretly wished I’d ignore his warning.
But Iknewwhat curiosity did to that damn cat.
???
The enchanted hood stripped away all my senses. When I cursed out loud, the thick fabric swallowed the sound of my voice. My scalp sweated, and even the smoky scent of my reverting roots was missing.
These fuckers owed me a silk press.
I didn’t know how long we’d been moving. It could’ve been two minutes or two hours.
With the hood still on my head, the only sign we’d stopped was Viper’s hands gripping my wrists. I could tell it was her because she had to carry me and, despite all the muscle, the woman’s breasts were impressive—a lot bigger than my 32B cups.
I kept stumbling, my body not knowing which way was up thanks to the hood’s magic. When someone pulled it from my head, the scent of stale air hit me like a brick, burningmy nostrils. I scrunched up my eyes to block out the blinding fluorescent light, my hands flying to my ears to silence the humming of the bulbs above.
A hand pushed me into a chair. I was still disoriented, trying to will the room to stop spinning. I forced myself to take deep breaths until my heart slowed to its normal rhythm.
“So, they were right about you,” a muffled voice dripped with cruel amusement. “It usually takes our captives twice as long to calm—not that you’re a captive, Miss Sullivan,” she corrected with a quickness that nearly made me chuckle. “You’re our guest, of course.”
I eased open my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. “Next time, send me a fucking E-Invite, won’t you?” I said through clenched teeth.
I placed my open palms on the surface of the steel table in attempt to regain my bearings; the two people who orchestrated my kidnapping were in my sight, and I for damn sure wasn’t letting them out of it.
The old woman staring at me with reproach had annoyingly smooth skin. Wispy dark bangs hung above her almond eyes, the rest of her hair secured atop her head with a gorgeous emerald hairpin.
