The urge to answer brought words to the tip of Zack’s tongue. He tried to swallow them down, but the longer he resisted, the more he was sure he was going to vomit. The best he could do was limit them. “I miss my dad.”
“I’m right here,” Seamus cooed. “Oh, but you mean your mortal father. The one who disowned you.”
“He loves me.”
“It pains me that you still believe that.” Seamus sighed. “I could erase your desire to see him. I could supplant your entire will, if I wanted to. But I have hope that you will still see reason. Of course, what’s happened here can’t go unpunished.”
Don’t you fucking hurt Takashi. Zack felt like he should be crying, but the tears weren’t starting like they were supposed to.
“I won’t,” Seamus said with a malicious smile. “My beloved deserves the chance to redeem himself and to carry on his work. I’m certain Takashi will make a fine addition to his menagerie in our dungeon. Perhaps, if you’re good, I’ll let Takashi out. In a decade or so, assuming he still has his mind.”
I’ll tell him to run. Zack clenched his jaw.
“You will do no such thing,” Seamus said coldly. “Tonight will carry on exactly how it is supposed to. If you breathe a word of this, I will make you rip out his heart and eat it.” He snapped his fingers.
Zack went to his knees. No matter how much he screamed at his muscles to move to his orders, his body stayed put.
Seamus leaned down and murmured in his ear, “Have I made myself clear,son?”
“Yes,” Zack managed.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes,Father.”
Seamus patted his shoulder. As he straightened, his more human-looking guise fell back into place. “There’s my good boy. Now, take a few minutes to compose yourself before you rejoin the party. And do take care not to spill any more secrets. I can conceive of worse punishments than taking away your favorite toy.”
Only after Seamus left the bathroom and shut the door behind himself did the tension forcing Zack to be on his knees cease. Shaking, Zack collapsed against the wall. His dagger was still in his hand, for all the good it had done him.
Takashi’s life was in jeopardy because of himagain. Even if they did try to fight Seamus, Zack would be useless until he broke the bond that connected them. The only way to do that was through time and space, and Seamus wasn’t going to give him that.
He had one thin hope that he didn’t dare put much thought into for fear of ruining whatever was in the works. The name came anyway.
Roger.
CHAPTER 52
Though Roger hated to leave, he managed to slip out of the Chateau a little ahead of his schedule. Seeing Zack and Takashi continued to grant Roger a sense of peace, even as he had to drive away from them. By the end of the night, he would have them back in his life for good.
But first, he had to make certain there were no traitors in his midst.
Rather than following his plan, he made a quick detour. Josefina was leading her own team, and their initial gathering place was in the parking lot of a mega-chain store.
Roger parked beside her car, hopped out of his, and got into hers.
“What are you doing here?” Josefina asked. “Did something go wrong at the Chateau?”
“Things went as well as they could,” Roger replied. “Maybe better than you were hoping.”
“I don’t?—”
“I know Nell wants Zack dead,” Roger interrupted.
Josefina went silent.
“You knew,” Roger said.
“Of course I knew.” Josefina slumped in her seat. “She and I have been fighting about it all week.”
