“That would be me.” Winston’s lips twisted into a grimace. “You stumbled into quite a mess.”
I looked around the room for the keys but knew I wouldn’t find them. Vampires weren’t going to keep them close to the cells. They were most likely with the guard who had horns. Demons with horns were beasts, and the thought of trying to steal them without him crushing me into a pulp made me want to vomit.
“Kage, do you think you can get us out of here?” Nico’s voice didn’t hold much hope—it held something worse. It held resignation, as if he’d already accepted that I would fail.
And I probably would.
I wanted to believe I could sneak past vampires and demons and whatever else lurked in the halls. But everyinstinct I had was screaming at me to run and hide. I was a house mage who cleaned floors and hid in shadows. I didn’t belong here.
Winston looked between Nico and the space where he stared at me. But he didn’t comment. It was possible that he thought Nico was hallucinating.
The weaker man reached out a hand toward me. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know how. Maybe it would be easier for me to sneak food. That would help.
Nico sat down, his shoulders slumping. “You have to. There’s no other option. Do it for Sammy.”
Sammy. The name echoed in my mind, and something shifted in my chest. She deserved to have people fight for her.
I could do this. I had to do this. Not because I was brave, but because she needed me.
Winston cleared his throat. “The princess? She’s returned?”
Nico nodded, and Winston started laughing, which quickly turned into a cough. “This keeps getting more and more interesting.”
I was about to ask why it was so funny when the door above opened and a pair of glossy shoes came into view. Winston and the other prisoners tensed, their bodies pressing back against the far walls of their cells.
My blood ran cold as he descended.
Valentino, Val’s father. The one who had orchestrated wars, who had commanded armies, who had made house mages disappear forever.
There was no warmth in his eyes like Val had. There was only cold calculation.
I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. I was invisible. I had the nut paste on. He couldn’t see me.
But as his dark gaze swept across the room, I had theterrible feeling that he knew exactly where I was standing. All it would take was confirmation from Winston, and I’d be a goner.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” His voice was as smooth as the leather of his shoes. His gaze paused on Winston before moving to Nico. “I heard we caught a squirrel.”
He inhaled deeply as he stepped farther into the room. I examined him carefully for any sign that he had the keys on him. Would he be stupid enough to come into the dungeon with them but without his guards? Probably not.
“Your blood smells divine. I think it will pair nicely with my meal later with my son.”
His son? Valentino had only one son.
The realization that Val had deceived Sammy stole the breath from my lungs.
Val was here. In this house. Did that mean Sammy was here too?
I thought of the way Val had looked at Sammy with raw tenderness in his eyes. That was love, wasn’t it? That couldn’t be faked, could it?
Nico’s nostrils flared in anger as he balled his fists at his side. “I will never give you bloodsuckers my blood.”
“Squirrel, don’t,” Winston muttered.
“You speak as though you have a choice in the matter.” Valentino’s fingers traced the bars separating him from Nico, his nails making a grating sound against the metal. “How charming.”
Nico lunged forward, trying to grab Valentino, but he wasn’t fast enough. “Where’s Val?”
Valentino’s laugh was jovial. “My son is recuperating from his... misadventures.”
