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They aren’t.
“Shall we go see if we can’t get our newest prisoner to clear up a few things for us?”
If Rune and Fintan want to keep watch, I’ll give them something to watch. Then we’ll see if they still feel like challenging my position as King of the French Quarter.
* * *
My private lair is a dimly lit dungeon hidden in the back corner of the hotel basement, its cold stone walls shrouded in eerie shadows. I stretch and stand tall, my eyes gleaming with a mix of malice and excitement as I take my time perusing my collection of instruments hanging along the wall opposite my prisoner.
The witch’s gaze is hot on my back, and I give her a good show, letting her imagination run wild to fill in all the blanks of what is in store for her.
Her heart rate spikes each time I pause and lift my hand to run my fingers along the gleaming metal and supple leather. I smirk at the wall, her fear giving me an addictive rush.
Eventually, I abandon the wall altogether and tower over the trembling Moon Witch.
“How do you feel?” I ask, pressing a finger into the solid metal strip around her neck that is keeping her magic locked down. “Powerless? A bit lightheaded?”
“I’m not your enemy,” she says, her gaze darting around the stone room, searching for an escape that she won’t find. Or perhaps she is trying to convince Rune and Fintan standing by the door.
“Do you think that if you keep repeating it you’ll convince any of us?”
“It’s the truth,” she insists.
Again, I sense no lie from her, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t hiding something. It’s time to get actual answers.
“You’re going to keep telling us the truth, right?”
She nods her head in eager, jerky movements. I may not even need to resort to my wall to get answers out of her.
Disappointing.
“You know where the moonstone amulet is.”
“Not exactly.”
I shake my head at her. “I need yes or no answers from you. Harder to hide the truth that way.” I smile at her, putting my fangs on display. “Not that you’d lie to me, of course, because we’re on the same team. Right?”
The witch’s heart is beating faster than a rabbit who’s gotten its foot stuck in a snare.
“Do you know who possesses the moonstone amulet?”
“No.”
“See, that’s the thing that I don’t understand. Why bother lying when we both know you’re lying?” I turn to Rune as if he’ll have the answer. “All it does is piss me off.”
The witch’s scream reverberates around the room when I use my vampire speed to put myself in her face. I push her head against the wall behind her and lock her in my thrall.
“Where is it, witch?” I growl, my voice dripping with as much menace as I can muster. “You lot are after the amulet as well, aren’t you? Or maybe it’s the Dumont witch you want?”
Her lips tremble as she tries to find her voice, but the fear has tightened its grip around her throat, making only little gasping sounds like she’s gulping air. She knows the stakes are high, knows what I’m capable of.
“Well? Which is it? You have fifteen seconds to answer, and then—” I don’t even get the opportunity to make a threat, let alone begin counting before she starts talking.
It kind of takes the fun out of the whole thing.
“Please,” the witch begs. “We’re on the same team.”
I sigh dramatically, as she only offers more of the same. Now I get to have my fun.
