“Would you believe my brother’s gone off on another bloody mission to avoid me?” Aeron grumbled.

  “I have no trouble believing that.” Jin smirked, using his hydrokinesis to chase the last drips of his custard onto his spoon. “He’s almost as good at avoiding difficult conversations as our girl is.”

  I elbowed him, with an eye roll. “At least I’m working on it.”

  “It does seem very convenient,” Daron mused, scrolling through his tablet. “Especially since Enzo and I hacked into the Resistance database last night and discovered that he is on forced leave after an injury during his last mission. We haven’t gotten access to all of the files, but the ones we’ve seen show he’s not due to be called up for at least another fortnight.”

  “He was injured?” I tried to keep the concern out of my voice as I mentally reviewed all the times I’d seen Bane since the last time he’d disappeared. “He never showed it.”

  “He was healed by Rezinax, but a member of his squad died on the mission. It’s standard procedure for the Resistance to put all members of a squad on leave if one of their number dies.”

  “So, he couldn’t go on a mission even if he turned up?” Kain sounded as incredulous as I felt.

  “No,” Daron confirmed.

  “He’s probably just gone to see Lucinda then.” I shrugged it off even as I clenched my jaw.

  Kain scooped me up as soon as I said it. “I can’t believe that’s it. Remember how I said that, after we mated, I couldn’t even see other girls? I’d bet he’s the same.”

  “He’s strangled our bond,” I reminded him. “I doubt it has any kind of influence on him.”

  “And yet it’s functional enough to make you uncomfortable when you’re apart from him for too long.” Jin reached over and stroked my arm gently.

  “I maintain that it’s illogical for him to have feelings for Lucinda,” Daron huffed, staring determinedly at his tablet. “He’s not acting himself lately, have any of you noticed?”

  “He’s less light-hearted than he used to be,” Jin admitted. “But that could just as easily be the result of having lost one of his squad.”

  “Or living with the guilt of being such an ass to his mate,” Aeron growled.

  I sighed, getting to my feet. “I don’t want to discuss this anymore.” I plucked Onyx from where he was busy trying to sneak the steak from Aeron’s plate and dropped him beside Ivory on my shoulder. “I’m heading back, I see Blaze waiting for me.”

  “I’ll join you later,” Aeron promised, leaning up to steal a possessive kiss.

  “Me too.” Jin’s kiss was longer, stirring the desire I couldn’t help but feel around these men.

  When Kain leaned over and did the same, my knees shook slightly. “Sweet dreams, Sunshine.”

  I stopped beside Daron and pulled his gaze up from his tablet, he blushed sheepishly. “Sorry, I’m making progress on the rest of the files.” He reached up to run his hand through his hair, but I caught his hand before he could finish the motion, interlacing our fingers. “I have our next date planned... keep Monday night free for me?”

  I silenced him with a kiss, pouring a little of the desire the others had woken in me down our bond just to tease him. “I can’t wait. Goodnight.”

  “Sweet dreams,” he whispered, keeping hold of my hand till I was too far away to maintain the contact.

  Onyx and Ivory disappeared together, flying out of the door ahead of me and zooming into the night. I followed them out of the foyer, my eyes locked on Blaze from the instant I saw his distinctive red hair. He followed me out of the castle, but the moment we were alone he swung me up into his arms and descended on my mouth, dominating the kiss and making me melt against him. “Good evening, Sweetness.”

  “Hey.” My unimaginative response and breathy voice made him chuckle.

  “I should apologise for the way I behaved yesterday,” he grimaced. “Bane’s actions were... well they were damned stupid, but that doesn’t excuse my losing my temper with him.”

  I sighed. “It’s not me you should apologise to, but I doubt you’ll find Bane if you go looking for him. Aeron says he’s gone to the Resistance... and it’s not for a mission because he’s been benched.”

  His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. “I will attempt to talk with him.”

  “You and everyone else... Blaze... don’t you think it’s best to just leave him? If Lucinda is who he wants...”

  “It’s not about him,” Blaze objected, taking my hand in his and stroking his thumb against my knuckles thoughtfully. “You’re not thinking about the knock-on effects of this. The Strange God predicted your death if you didn’t mate him, and you have seven protectors for a reason. If one of your seven isn’t focused on you, that lowers our chances against the threats against you. He weakens the group and puts your life at risk and I won’t let that fly.”

  I let out a big sigh. “You always see the bigger picture, but maybe he’d be a better protector as just my friend than if I made him bitter by refusing to allow him to see Lucinda.”

  Blaze shook his head. “You were mated for a reason.”

  Gah, him and his belief in the Strange God’s ‘reasons’ would be the death of me.

  We walked most of the way in silence, it wasn’t until we were in view of the Carnal Tower that Blaze stopped.

  “Blaze?” I looked up to see his gaze unfocused and his body rigid. “Shit, another vision?”

  There wasn’t anyone around us, but I tried to lead him over to a bench anyway. Surprisingly, his body followed my command even though his mind was somewhere else. His temperature had dropped considerably, and I warmed the air around us till it was almost stifling in an attempt to make him more comfortable. Last time it had been twenty minutes, so I settled in for the long haul, snuggling against him.

  Fortunately, this time he was only silent for a few minutes, his arms pulling me against him the moment he came back and recognised his surroundings. “Bane’s in trouble, or he’s going to be.”

  I drew back in shock. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw him in a cell, looking pretty beaten up.” He stood, steadying me when the sudden move made me lose my balance. “Can you ask Enzo and Daron to meet me in my office, maybe Aeron too, since it is his brother?”

  “I want to help.”

  “We’ll get you as soon as we can figure anything out,” Blaze promised, eyes burning with sincerity. “I won’t do anything without telling you, but Daron and Enzo will have to find him and who knows how long that will take. I’m going to get Aeron to contact his parents to see if they can contact the Resistance, see if they know anything.”

  “I have to do something,” I insisted, hating the helpless feeling growing with every passing second.

  “Try and get those imps of yours to see where he is. You said they showed you Enzo before when you asked them to?”

  “Yes, but I knew where Enzo was.”

  “It’s worth a try. Tell me if you see anything at all,” Blaze hesitated as he turned to leave, reluctance and urgency warring on his face. “You’re going straight to the tower?”

  I smiled but it was strained. “I’ll be fine, Bane is the one in trouble.”

  “Stay safe, Sweetness,” he ordered, taking off down the path at a jog.

  I watched him go, sending the messages down my mating bonds before standing and beginning my own hurried walk back to the Tower. I only hoped that Onyx and Ivory were in my room and I didn’t have to call them back from the shadow realm.

  But I didn’t make it very far before I felt something sharp prick my neck. I slapped my hand over the spot, but someone grabbed my arms and forced them behind my back. I’d been drugged, I realised as something hard and thin dug into my wrists. I’d been drugged and now they were capturing me.

  I just had the presence of mind to reach for my mating bonds as a bag was tugged over my head.

  The darkness seemed to trigger whatever drug they’d put in my system and the whole world went black as my stomach twisted with the sensation of being teleported.

  Chapter 27

  It was the drain of power that woke me, dragging me to consciousness as everything in me rebelled against whatever was sucking my energy from me. The first thing I did was vomit. The acrid remains of my dinner sprayed out, sending whoever was draining my power flinching back.

  My vision was blurry, my head was pounding like I had the world's worst hangover, and under the acid taste of vomit, my mouth felt furry and dry. I blinked my lashes a few times, trying to clear the blurriness and see where I was.

  “Did you take enough?” A man’s voice cracked over me like a whip.

  “Yes.” The second voice was a broken whisper. Hoarse and curt as the speaker moved further away from me.

  “Good.” A hand came down on my horn, stroking along it and I flinched back.

  “Don’t touch me!” I wiped my sleeve over my eyes trying to clear them, but I could still only see the vague shape of my tormentor. I couldn’t tell if it was dark or if my vision was dim, and the sensation of being nearly blind made me panic.

  The hand grabbed me by the throat, squeezing and cutting off my air supply. “You don’t make demands, got it?”

  I gasped and choked for air, but he didn’t release the pressure.

  “Let her go!” Bane’s voice barely registered over the pounding of my own blood in my ears.

  “Oh, here I thought our resident rebel didn’t know how to talk. Looks like Lucinda was right about just needing the correct leverage.”

  The hand at my throat lifted me and launched me into the air. I flew for a few seconds, then slammed into a wall, the impact stealing whatever breath I had left and leaving my lungs burning as I hacked and gasped on the floor.

  “Every time you say something other than the names of your fellow rebels, she gets hurt. And the longer you take, the more pieces she’ll be in at the end of it.”

  I wiped my hand across my eyes again, finally blinking things into focus. I was in a cell, its bare stone walls and floor-to-ceiling bars making it look like something from a clichéd medieval movie. The only illumination was a single electric lamp on the floor beyond the bars, and it didn’t provide enough light for me to see much further than the cells either side of mine. In front of me, the heavyset form of a man I recognised from Maddox’s exam last year stared into the cell beside mine. Fraxis’ glower was fixed on Bane as they stood almost chest to chest, separated only by the bars between them. My Greed mate was shirtless and covered in deep purple bruises, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

  Despite the way the tension roared between Fraxis and Bane, the sensation of being watched drew my eyes to the gaunt man in rags hunched close to the open cell door. I’d never seen him before, but he was ignoring Bane and Fraxis in favour of staring at me in a way that never let our eyes meet. He was paler than anyone I’d ever seen, his hair was as white as snow and his skin so translucent I could map the veins in his neck with my eyes.

  The staring match between Bane and Fraxis stopped the instant the sound of high heels on stone began to echo toward us. A grin of anticipation lighted Fraxis’ face as he turned towards the sound.

  “Now, now, Fraxis. I know you’re not about to break my new toys.” Lucinda’s girlish voice preceded her into the halo of light cast by the torch. She walked with a bounce in her step, her clothes ridiculously bright and colourful for the dank, dark corridor. She paused by Bane’s cell and grinned. “How’s my favourite rebel?”

  “If you touch Lilith, I will end you,” he vowed, shrugging off her hand.

  “No flowers today?” She tutted, ignoring his threat. “What a pity, that must mean our game is finally at an end… Oh well, imagine how pleased the Grand Master will be with me when I bring her the Succubus who’s been causing so many problems and the rebel commander who will be the key to stamping out the Resistance.”

  The speed at which the man in rags behind Fraxis snapped his head up was enough to draw every eye in the room to him.

  “Oh yes... Fintan this must be the first time you’ve ever seen another of your kind... I hope you appreciate the opportunity, she won’t be around long.” Lucinda smirked, taking a few more steps towards him as he quickly ducked his gaze back to the floor, eyes flicking up to meet mine every few seconds as though he literally couldn’t help himself. “Such a pity not everyone is so... malleable as you.”

  I tried desperately to lock eyes with the man, pleading with my gaze. If he was an Incubus, and he’d just taken my energy, he should be strong enough to help us out of here.

  But he broke the eye contact, his gaze chained to the ground as Lucinda turned towards Bane and Fraxis reached for me again. I shivered away from his huge, grasping hands but he gave chase, grabbing me by the horns and pulling me up. He didn’t even seem to care when my horns cut his palms but kept dragging me along until I was pressed against the bars, facing him with my back to Bane’s cell. He kept me there with one hand around my throat, leaving bruises from the force.

  I struggled against Fraxis, desperately reaching for my power but I couldn’t touch the place within me where it rested. Even my mating bonds seemed strangely muted and the strange emptiness made me turn my head to try and look at Bane and make sure he was still alive.

  Fraxis was so close I could see the pores on his nose, and I redoubled my efforts to reach my power. He noticed, and grinned displaying a mouth full of chipped teeth. “Trying to seduce me? Won’t work with those cuffs on, bitch.”

  “Let her go!” Bane roared, only to be sent soaring back across his own cell when Lucinda unleashed a PK missile in his direction. He hit the wall with enough force to cause it to crack slightly and I flinched.

  “I know you work for the Syndicate.” I tried to distract them, my eyes frantically raking over Bane’s still form.

  “Smart girl. Who told you about that, hmm?” Fraxis crooned.

  I watched as Bane started to stir on the ground, but a punishing grip on my hair yanked my attention back to Fraxis.

  “The Strange God told me,” I answered honestly, struggling futilely.

  “Nice try,” Fraxis’ growled, his grip becoming more painful by the second and I shivered as his hot breath washed over me.

  He wasn’t going to believe me, whatever I said. My stomach clenched as my nausea rose again, spurred on by my fear as I watched Lucinda draw closer to the bars of Bane’s cell, twirling her hair girlishly around her finger.

  “It’s the truth,” I insisted.

  Fraxis hit me so hard I tasted blood, but my mind blanked out his angry snarling and instead focused on Lucinda’s words, trying to focus on something else to block the pain.

  “You really did make this too easy, Bane. Leaving flowers outside her window with your energy all over them? Even without the security oaf letting slip she’s your mate it didn’t take a genius to work out she was special to you... I expected better from the Wraith.”

  My attention was stolen back as Fraxis slapped me again, leaving the taste of blood in my mouth. “I want a name, Succubus, now.”

  “Let the girl be for now, Fraxis. We have some things to discuss before you get to take your trophy.” Lucinda might have been the smaller of the two, but she was definitely in charge, because I was dropped to the ground, my knees crumpling as I landed, and Fraxis ran another hand along my horns.

  “These are going to be mine soon,” he promised, the almost admiring tone of his voice setting my teeth on edge. “The Grand Master wants your head, but I always get my trophy.”

  “Never.” I spat a glob of spit and blood at his face.

  I didn’t see his leg pull back, but I did feel the impact as his foot drove deep into my abdomen, knocking the wind out of me and leaving me gasping on the ground.

  He left my cell, wiping his face on his sleeve and the Incubus – Fintan – locked the door after him. Lucinda gave both of us a girly wave as she left, blowing Bane a kiss as she let her heels carry her out of the dungeon, Fraxis following like a brooding bodyguard. Fintan trailed several steps behind, and as he disappeared from my view I had the strangest feeling that I was watching something important walk away.

  “Lilith.” Bane’s strength seemed to leave him, and he collapsed to his knees, crawling till he was beside me. Unlike mine, his hands were cuffed in front of him and he reached between the bars to help pull me into a sitting position. “I’m so fucking sorry, I thought I’d done enough that Lucinda would never even suspect...”

  “What do you mean?” I met his eyes for the first time in weeks and the mating bond pulsed between us, no less painful for all that it was muted by the cuffs.