Page 96 of Of Blood and Smoke

As my gaze flicked back and forth, the men smiled before my chair shot back forcing me to grip the edge of the table. The men grabbed me by my upper arms, and I was yanked up.

A third man appeared in front of me, waving his hand in my face. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, I was lifted into the air and placed on the center of the table, right where I’d thought the food would go.

The only thing I could move was my head. My hair was caught in some grape clusters, and I could feel strands of ivy rubbing against my legs, tickling me through my dress. My shoes were on the table and besides panicking over my predicament, the thought of how this was completely unsanitary crossed my mind. After a moment, I calmed down and became fixated on the lighting fixture overhead, the gleaming gold and dangling crystals, the sparkle of the light and the granite of the ceiling.

This isn’t so bad, it’s actually kinda funny. I’m lying in the middle of a dinner table.

My body began to relax further and further until it sent me into an almost sleep-like state. Voices weaved in and out around me, lulling me with a coating of comfort. I was adrift, floating in a sea of feathers and cotton, peaceful.

“Does she know?”

“This isn’t going to do what you want it to do.”

“When are we going to eat?”

The voices around me chattered, coming into focus and then dropping out.

“As much as I’m ready to indulge, this feels very rushed.”

“If we do this, he won’t bend. You have to know that.”

He.

The one word started to bring me back and the fog began to clear. Josiah. Where was he? Why am I on a table?

My head twisted back and forth, watching the figures around me speaking for a few moments before I asked, “Why am I on the table?” I’d forgotten I couldn’t move and began fighting the invisible restraints again.

There was one night with Josiah, before we were together as a couple, when I’d broken free of his hold on me and tore off the invisible chains. I couldn’t remember how I’d done it.

Tilting my head back and then forward, I could see no one was really looking at me. Everyone was too busy debating my fate. It’d taken several seconds but I realized dinner was supposed to be me, and a few people weren’t so sure that was the greatest idea.

I had to agree with their assessment.

Somehow, I’d once gotten myself free from Josiah and now I was in a magical realm. It should be even easier to get out of this, if I was in the place of its origin. Plus, I had some practice. Right?

Josiah had told me I had natural guards, some type of barrier that blocked out the things he could detect and see because of what he was. Now, I was in his territory so shouldn’t I be able to see those things myself, make use of them?

You have no magic, Della.

Redoubling my efforts, I told myself to break free, that there was no reason I should be stuck to a table. Magic or no magic, I was strong enough to do this. My mind started to clear of the sedative sensation that kept tempting me to give in to its allure and just let go. As if someone had wiped the steam off a bathroom mirror, clarity hit me, the rest of the magical tranquilizer was gone, and I rolled off the table in a panic.

FORTY-FIVE

Josiah

“She broke free,” Kiam stated, instantly relieving my fear just a little. We were in a small fortress outside of the palace grounds, out in the middle of nowhere. I was chomping at the bit, wanting to go and get her back immediately.

It’d been all Kiam and Micha could do to stop me from storming the collective’s compound and get Della killed, and myself, extinguished.

Kiam had someone on the inside of the palace, just like Micha. The fact surprised me, but it shouldn’t have. The only contact I’d had with him was the one time, during the celebration dinner for Onychinus. I didn’t know the man. He was more resourceful than I’d expected and had made connections everywhere it seemed. Nicholas had told him to come, when we’d requested assistance with our situation and so far, the three of us were getting along. Our initial meeting had suggested a touch of acrimony, but it appeared to have abated.

After some conversation, we decided to send in wraiths to facilitate Della’s return, following Ethan’s hint to make use of them. To do so in the needed manner, it would take the use ofmagic both Micha and I were unschooled in along with a foreign level of cooperation and trust.

We were in was Kiam’s Second Realm residence, a dark, dank pile of stone which, from the outside, appeared empty and in ruin. The inside was dim and foreboding, but as luxurious as one would expect from a vampire.

Soft materials, beautiful artwork, and excellent craftsmanship were displayed throughout the interior of the home, along with highly useful technology.

Currently, Kiam was successfully texting a contact he had in western Canada, working on finding a specific glamour spell. It was mostly impossible for cellular communication to work effectively between the realms, and I knew better than to ask how he managed. Whatever he’d done to enable his phone to work flawlessly was something he’d guard closely due to the edge it provided.

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