Page 147 of Anchor

Yuri looked disappointed, and she actually sighed, pouted, and pretended to wipe a tear.

“Very well. I thought you’d be fun, but everybody is justboring.” She waved those fingernails at Bes. “Put him down. Get them to Hakim. I need a good long bath to unbore myself.”

With that, she turned around and walked out of the door, pissed off that I hadn’t caused trouble.

“Don’t try anything,” Seth whispered, and I didn’t. As much as it cost me, I didn’t.

But I’d take the image of Taland falling to the floor when they unhooked his chains from the wall to my fucking grave.

Chapter 29

Rosabel La Rouge

Alive. He’s alive.

Taland was walking on his own with two guards to his sides, and Bes took us where we came from, to the other door in that square room. Yuri was nowhere to be seen, but her spicy perfume hung in the air like it wanted to remind me that she could materialize in front of me any time she pleased.

My attention was on Taland, and Taland was still walking. I didn’t dare turn my head to look at him because I knew I’d lose it. For now, I just focused my eyes ahead as we walked down the dark corridor to the other end, through a set of wooden doors and behind another that slid to the side and disappeared into the wall.

Finally, we were in what Yuri had calledtheRegahchamber.

Definitely not what I expected.

It was a rectangular room, except half of it was completely dipped in darkness. Not shadows, no—darkness, like someone had carved out a piece of night from the sky and brought it down here in this room.

The darkness just hung there, shielding everything behind it, while the first part was perfectly illuminated.

LED lights all around the corners of the ceiling. There were two paintings on the walls opposite one another—one completely white with a golden frame, the other completely black, its frame silver.

Bes stepped aside to let us through. I didn’t hesitate, both curious to see where they were going to take us and eager to just get this over with sooner rather than later. Nobody was in there—not a single camera in sight like I thought there would be, and the guy Yuri had sent us here to meet was nowhere to be seen.

Just that bright room, and the dark half of it ahead.

Bes pulled the sliding door closed behind us, and he stood on Taland’s side, while the other guy who’d been in that room with him held him by the arm.

So close. He was so fucking close that I felt the heat of him against my back, yet I still didn’t dare turn to look at him. How could I when he was bruised and battered and bleeding all over, and I couldn’t even touch him yet?

No, I had to get this over with first. I had to make sure they let us leave willingly, and I could touch Taland plenty when we were outside.

Silence.

I could hear him breathing; heavier than usual.

“We’re so dead,” Seth whispered, eyes closed, and head lowered.

I took in a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves, and my phone vibrated for possibly the fifth time in my pocket to remind of that text I’d received a few minutes ago, probably from Cassie.

It was. I took it out just to distract myself for a moment while we waited, hopefully not for long. I skimmed through the words of her text—until they actually registered and made sense.

Ok cool. Just act casual & do what they say & don’t piss off Yuri the vampire wannabe because she will kill you,said the first text.

And the second,& DO NOT for any reason go into the Regah chamber!!! xoxoxo

Shivers ran down my back.

Footsteps sounded somewhere far away but very close at the same time. I hadn’t even dropped my phone in my pocket properly before a man simplymaterializedout of the darkness that hung over half the room, and with him several things came alive: a long table, velvet-cushioned chairs around it; black rugs on the floor, white roses in a transparent vase on that long table that seemed to extend into the darkness as well. White furniture with glossy black details, a TV screen and a stand, a mirror that seemed to show a different white wall than the one across from it, a black piano in the corner.

“Welcome to the Regah chamber.”

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