Page 40 of Prey

Torture Chambers & Fireballs

SHASTA

We pull up down the street from the hardware store and a shiver wracks my body. My mates and I are about to gointo a very dangerous situation. Looking at both of them, I see expressions of steel on their faces. They’re used to this kind of thing. I’m a bookstore owner. Granted, I am a powerful witch, but it isn’t often I’ve had to go full on crazy with my powers. So much is at stake here that I can’t see things being any other way this time.

Now, we get to add in my demigod powers. That, in and of itself, is uncharted territory. I wish I had more time to figure these powers out before I got thrown into this, but I have to get my dad out of there. We can worry about the rest later.

Joaquin makes a motion with his hand after we all exit the SUV’s and everyone gets into formation. Ethan and Kadi are at the front and the others in echelon formation. The V shape gives everyone the view they need and also enables them to protect Ethan and Kadi quickly if necessary.

I move to the front and Ethan grabs my arm. “Absolutely not. You are not going in first. What if they’re waiting to grab you?”

“I have to get the barrier down. In order to do that I have to go first. I get that you want to try to protect me, but there are some things only I can do and they can’t be done from behind you,” I say gently. Now that he has gotten over the feelings he had about having a witch mate, he’s becoming quite protective. It makes my belly clench a little in desire, but this is not the time.

Kadi is a golden retriever but also has the touch her and die vibe. Ethan on the other hand? Growly and possessive, but in a way that is so damn sexy. They couldn’t be more similar but also so very different. I’m a very lucky girl.

I put my arms out and close my eyes. There is a barrier, a very complicated one. It’s going to take me a minute to bring it down. Reaching into the new well of power I have, I sift through until I pick up that I can throw a glamour over the top of us. It won’t make us invisible, but it will keep people from noticing us. A look away spell if you will.

“Be as still as you can, I’m putting a glamour up while I work on this barrier. There are several layers I have to bring down so that it doesn’t set anything off, but I think I can manage it,” I say quietly. They all nod. The vampires and the Fae go the most still.

It’s fucking creepy how they can do that.

Turning back to the building, I begin working to pull down the layers. The first comes down pretty easy. Creasing my brow, I realize that this may not take me very long at all with these new powers I have. The next layer is a little more of a challenge but it also comes down much quicker than I had anticipated.

Kadi notices that I’m confused and whispers, “What’s wrong, Shas?”

“They are coming down much quicker than I thought. It could be one of two things. Either my new powers are making this much easier than it normally would be, or this is a trap and they purposely made them easy. When I scanned it, this seemed very complicated though. There are many years and layers of barriers here that have been constantly kept up, so it doesn’t make sense that they would come down this easily. Be on your guard.”

The guys shift nervously behind me but I feel their resolve through the bond. They do not like that I’m in the front right now. The minute I get this barrier down they are not letting me go in first. I resign myself to the high handedness and continue working.

It’s down in less than a minute.What the fuck?I look down at my hands. They have a faint glow that dissipates as I watch. Maybe it is my new powers. Just as I suspected, Ethan shoves me behind him and then boots the door open.

“I could have opened that lock if you had given me a second,” I stage whisper to him.

He chuckles low. “I like to make a statement.”

I’ll just bet he does. Okay, so, my mates are fucking badasses. I mean I already knew that but seeing them in action is a wholeother level. Kadi looks more like a panther than a lion as he stalks in after Ethan, the other guys are all behind me.

It’s dark and quiet in the store. We head towards the back of the store and the only door we see is the one leading to the alley where the deliveries come in. There has to be a secret door we don’t know about. My guess is it’s in the office.

I point toward it and Ethan nods. We walk over and before he can kick this one, I flick my wrist and the lock clicks open. Kadi laughs quietly. Joaquin pokes me in the back and I turn around and see him grinning like a fool. They are having a good time watching me keep Ethan in check I guess.

I really love the friendship these guys have. It reminds me of Emmett and I. They are like a well oiled machine too. Everyone has a job and they stick to it.

Stepping into the office, I look around. Mahogany desk, chair, shelf, huge rug in the middle. It’s pretty bare in here other than that. I walk around feeling on the walls and Kadi checks the shelf for latches and pulls it a bit to see if it opens. Nothing.

Examining the rug, I see that it’s slightly crooked. “Grab that desk please,” I say, pointing to it. Joaquin walks over and lifts the desk easily. Freaking vamp strength. That desk probably weighs several hundred pounds.

I pull the rug back.Bingo. Hidden door. Ethan shoves me behind him and Kadi lifts the door. I feel Ethan stiffen. This must be the same type of door and stairs into the floor that his parents had. I rub his back a little in solidarity.

It’s pitch black going down the stairs, so I grab onto Ethan as we head down. They have shifter vision so they can see better than I can. I don’t want to risk using witch light. We don’t know what or who might be down there.

It’s so very quiet. I can hear little drops of water every now and then as we descend the stairs. It’s a dank dark cellar. My father has been down here for who knows how long. Just the dampnessalone is enough to do someone in after years of captivity down here. He probably lives in a constant state of pneumonia. I make a mental note to tell Jessa that when we get him to her.Ifwe get him to her.

We finally reached the bottom. There is a faint light coming from the large room ahead of us but I still can’t see anything. I hear Kadi gag ahead of us. As we make it to where he is, I understand why. It smells. A horrible awful smell. Blood, excrement, and…body parts maybe? It’s like the smell of dead flesh. Gods, how many people have they tortured and killed down here?

I feel the despair coming from it and it makes my stomach flip with fear for my dad. I push past Ethan. He tries to grab me but I shake him off. I desperately look around and don’t see a cell.

What the fuck? Where is it?

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