Night Study

It took every fiber of my willpower not to react to his comment. Instead, I said in a neutral—I hoped—tone, “Too late, Bruns. We all know not to trust what you say.”

A half smile twisted his lips. “Fine. Believe what you will.” He left, taking the guards with him.

Leif sniffed the food. “Don’t eat it. We can last a couple days without food.”

The enticing scent of warm cinnamon tea drifted to me. My stomach cramped with hunger. It’d been over a day since I’d last eaten. I lifted the mug and cupped it in my cold hands.

“Yelena,” Ari said. He was in the cell across from mine. “Valek’s not caught. I don’t care how many magicians and null shields they have. Bruns does not have him.” Pure conviction vibrated in his tone.

“Have you heard from him?” I asked. If he was close, I could wait.

Ari shook his head, his expression bleak. I calculated the distance to the rendezvous point. If Valek left right now, then it’d take him three days to arrive. Plus he’d need another day or two to figure out a way inside the base. Too long—I’d need to eat by then. I glanced at Leif, looking for guidance. Of all of us, he had the most medical knowledge.

My brother pressed his lips together, clearly unhappy. Then he signaled, It’s your choice. You can probably go another day, but no longer. Think about it. You can save yourself now and have another baby later.

“No,” I said as Ari gasped. He’d been watching Leif. I held up a hand, stopping Ari from voicing his questions about the baby. “I need another option.”

“I don’t have one,” Leif said.

“I do!” Janco jumped to his feet.

The poor man hadn’t said a word or moved since they had dragged Dax in.

Janco’s hands almost blurred as he motioned. Wouldn’t Brother Horror’s power not work on you because of that blocking thing?

That’s just speculation. I can’t risk the baby.

You might not have a choice if we’re here for a few days.

True.

“Can someone tell us what’s going on?” Dax asked.

“It’s better if you don’t know,” Ari said. He sank onto the pallet of straw in his cell. “Did you know about...that before you rushed off to rescue Leif?” he asked me.

“Yes, and don’t yell at me. Leif and Janco already have.”

Ari grunted, but kept quiet. I sipped the cooling tea. It tasted divine, warming me. However, I planned to wait another day before I ate the food. At this point, I didn’t have any other options.

* * *

The following day passed in a slow trickle of nothing. Without a window, we marked time by the guards’ entrance. Trays of hot food arrived, cooled, congealed and were replaced—three per day. I started eating after the fourth delivery. By that time, dizziness made it difficult for me to stand.

Leif made a few obvious gestures to explain to Dax and Hale why I risked being turned into Bruns’s minion.

After two days, the others started drinking the Theobroma-laced water. They didn’t wish to die. No one voiced what we all thought: Where’s Valek? Will he be here soon? Or has he been captured?

Four days into our incarceration, Loris and Bruns accompanied the food. They stood in front of my cell.

“You’re the only one who seems to have an appetite.” Bruns peered at me in suspicion. “Why is that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t have as much willpower as the others.”

“Uh-huh. Loris?”

Instinctively I glanced at Loris, but wished I hadn’t when he captured my gaze. Unable to look away, I fought against a heaviness pressing into my thoughts. I tried to jumble them, keep the answers from his reach like a mental game of keep-away. It worked until he increased his efforts. Then I counted numbers backward as Valek had taught me and recited lists of poisons. It only delayed the inevitable. Eventually, Loris’s magic shone on all the corners of my mind, exposing everything. The blocking thing failed to work. Instead, a powerless humiliation spread throughout my body.

“And?” Bruns asked.

“She’s pregnant.”

While Loris held me, I was unable to see Bruns’s reaction. However, through Loris, I sensed Bruns’s surprise turn into cold calculation.

“Is Valek the father?”

“Yes, and he knows all about the baby. In fact, the two of them have exchanged marriage vows.”

That statement triggered a wave of astonishment throughout the prison.

“Let me be the first to congratulate you, Yelena,” Bruns said. “I’m looking forward to learning more about what you’ve been up to this last year. Is she ready?” he asked Loris.

“Yes. She’s mine.”

“Good.” Bruns gestured to one of the guards. “Unlock her door. We’ll take her to my office, milk all the information from her, then scrub her mind clean.”

Right now I’d like to scrub the floor with Bruns’s face. Loris laughed. “You won’t feel that way for long. In a couple days, you’ll be his new best friend.”

“Gentlemen, say goodbye to Yelena,” Bruns said. “The next time you see her, she won’t remember you.”

The door to my cell swung open.

Loris said, “Come.”

The compulsion to obey pushed on my muscles, and I moved to his side. He broke eye contact and I almost swayed with relief. However, my body now followed his commands. Odd.