Page 68 of Colton’s Mate

Remy said, “I told you they’d come for us.”

“Yeah, you did. Although to be fair, it probably would have taken more time without Jason.”

“Fine, he’s a hero. Sheesh.”

She hugged Remy’s good arm carefully. “You’re a hero too.”

He grimaced. “Not enough of one, or we wouldn’t be here. Now we just have to hope Cruella doesn’t come for you in the next fifteen or twenty minutes.”

At that moment, they heard the sound of a key in the lock.

Fuck. They’d jinxed it.

Callie and Remy got to their feet, ready to fight, but it didn’t do them any good. There were too many guards, and they grabbed her and flung Remy hard against the wall before they could do anything to defend themselves.

Callie barely saw him slide to the floor before she was being carried away, fighting and screaming at them.

One of the guards raised his gun to hit her, and another one stopped him. “Not until the queen’s done with her.”

And the door clanged shut behind them.

Chapter 29

Callie was bound to a chair in a small stone room, lit by actual fucking torches.

Like Cruella de Crow thought she was in a fantasy movie.

The only other things in the room were Cruella herself, a minion, and a carved wooden table with a tray that held a very modern-looking vial and syringe.

There were also a selection of what looked like quartz crystals, carved in the shape of crow talons.

Callie really, really hoped those were not for the probing.

“So,” Cruella said, walking slowly back and forth in front of Callie’s chair. “You thought to defy me. You insulted my people, when you are nothing but a perverted animal. You have dared to visit the sacred places of my people, and touch our sacred objects. Now is the time for you to tell me what you know, and pay for your insolence.”

“Seriously?” Callie rolled her eyes. “You’re going to stand there and give me the Evil Speech of Evil, where you tell me all the reasons you’re perfectly justified in being an entitled evil douchebag? And how you’re going to do it? I thought people only did that in the movies.”

Rohene spat, “You are so stupid, you do not even know when to be afraid. You continue in your insolence.”

In reality, the talon-probes and the syringe were scaring the fuck out of her. Almost as much as Rohene’s pools-of-hell eyes.

But there was no way she was going to let this bitch know that. She might not ever get to be a Wild Blood, but she was going to make Colt proud anyway.

And herself. But mostly Colt, even if that was reverting to Old Callie. She wanted to make him proud not because she had to scramble for his approval.

But because she respected his opinion.

Because she loved him.

And also, continuing in her insolence was all she could do to piss Rohene off. It had the additional bonus that the longer Callie kept her talking, the more time the crew had to come and rescue them.

She hoped Remy was okay.

Unfortunately, Rohene also realized that time was ticking away. She filled the syringe and held it up dramatically.

“This drug will make her mind more receptive to my probe,” she said to the minion. Still Evil-Speech-of-Evil-ing. “We will soon be able to find out what she knows.” She gave Callie a terrifying smile. “But I think I will make it take a long time. Then, when I toss you out for your leopard lover to find, you will be—how do you say it? A vegetable. Instead of an animal.”

That stopped Callie cold. Could Rohene really destroy her mind?