Page 67 of Catastrophe

I replied thoughtlessly as I looked under the bed. “I can’t leave you awake here if you’re going to scream and tell the others.” I bit down on my lip and cursed myself for being so foolish.

Who just tells the victim their evil plan? Is this monologuing? Am I going to be defeated now? That’s how it goes in the movies.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to kill me,” he replied darkly.

I peeked up over the mattress to peer at him. “I’m not a murderer. I’m just going to knock you out and leave you here while I rescue my love.”

“Good luck with that. I’ve got a hard head, and you’re going to end up in the same cage as everyone else.”

“If that’s what happens, I’ll accept my fate. I’d rather have tried and failed than leave him to rot because I was a coward.” I picked up a book and weighed it from hand to hand. “But admittedly, I’d regret that in being captured, I was only helping a great evil gain more power.”

“A book isn’t going to knock me out.” I cut him a sharp glance and continued my search. “Did you see anything else? When you had the vision?”

I turned slowly, curious at this turn in attitude, to see him avoiding my gaze. “No. Just that. Why do you ask?”

“You don’t know if Alani is alive?”

“I don’t. Do you?”

“No.” There were decades of anguish on his face. It oozed from the frown lines on his forehead and the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and lips. He was young, but in that moment, he looked wizened, as if he’d seen things that aged his very soul. That kind of grief couldn’t be faked.

“If we both survive this, I could find her for you? My witch is great at finding things.”

“She’s probably dead. I just …”

“I understand, and I want to help you if you’d let me. I don’t want to hurt you, either. You don’t seem like a bad person, so all I’m asking is for your silence as I save the other half of my soul. I can’t leave him to be drained of blood by your cruel scientists, and I can’t leave him to be drained of magic by Fafnir. I just …” I was at a loss for what to do next.

“Who are you trying to free?” he asked, and despite his lack of emotion, hope leaped into my heart, causing lightheadedness.

Zaide was my priority, but if I saw a way to rescue the other witches and the council, then I wanted to do that too. I wouldn’t tell him that, of course.

I said, “The titan. He’s in a cage, alone. He’s all I want.”

“You love him?”

Just thinking about how much I loved him made me feel full and teary, like I couldn’t contain the amount of emotion I had for him. He adored me in a way no man ever had and wanted me in any and all forms. He was my rock. My safety. I couldn’t wait to feel his arms wrapped around me again or hear him say he loves me or call me “little cat.” This time in person. Being without him was a kind of torture all its own.

Choking back the emotions, I gave him a watery laugh. “Our souls are bonded in a way that goes beyond love. If he dies, so do I. I can feel his pain like an ache under my skin that I can’t soothe.”

He frowned. “Why would you bond with someone if it meant you could die if they did?”

“Because I wouldn’t want to live without him. Because we are stronger together.”

He tilted his head slightly but didn’t acknowledge my words any more than that. Instead, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“Clawdia.”

“I can’t help you, Clawdia.” His expression was blank, but I knew in his heart of hearts he wanted to.

“I didn’t ask for help, Michael. I asked for silence.”

We were at an impasse, and we both knew it. He stared at me for a long time while his fingers twitched, and he fidgeted in his restraints before shaking his head.

“There’s more you aren’t telling me. If you really believe Darren is a dragon, help me protect my people against him. How has he infiltrated us without anyone realizing?”

I glanced at the alarm clock on his side table. It was still morning, I’d only let us sleep for a few hours, but I wasn’t sure when he was expected to be up and around. By explaining, by trying to force him to my side, I was potentially wasting time that could be spent searching for and rescuing Zaide. Each flicker of the red lines on the numbers made my heartbeat stutter.

But it went against all I was to leave a man to his death, especially a death Fafnir delivered. I couldn’t tell him he was supernatural; I didn’t have time to deal with his break in reality. Instead, I told him about Fafnir’s past, as much as I could without giving away my history. I gave him information that could help save him, which made me feel better, and if he understood we were on the same team, he could allow me to rescue Zaide.

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