Page 32 of How to Entice a Fiend

CHAPTER TEN

MADS

Dangling from the ceiling is not one of my favorite pastimes. The tip of my bare foot can only slowly skid across the floor. My arms are strung above my head and my ankles are chained together. I’ve tried my hand at swinging this way and that, but it does very little to help when I really have nowhere to go. I’ve also attempted to break the metal that holds me, but I’m so weak from blood loss that I can’t do much against it.

At least I’m not alone, although my current roommate is a bundle of joy as he hangs like he’s dead. How he’snotdead is beyond impressive. I wasn’t even aware that someonecouldlive through being shot with that ammunition unless they’re a true vampire, which I’m pretty certain he’s not.

Buthe’s likely my only way out of this.

I swing a bit, hoping to nudge Ender. When I collide with him instead of nudging him, he jerks awake.

“Fucking hell,” he groans.

“How’s it hanging?” I ask.

He lifts his head and slowly looks over at me just to offer me a glare. Clearly, he didn’t enjoy my joke. Can’t fathom why.

Ender immediately tries to break the binds, but he can’t get them to budge at all. “Fuck.”

“Fuck is right. You going to live?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he grumbles, like I have offended him by asking a pretty reasonable question.

“Well, you got shot with something that would kill most vampires.”

He glances at his shoulder. “Oh.”

“You tried saving my life. That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you,” I say as I give him a smile.

“I’m horribly sorry if that’s what you thought I was doing. Since you’re the most suspicious man I’ve ever met, I assumed you were up to some shit. I planned to sneak into your room and smack you around a bit, not save you.”

“Like… in a fun way?” I ask, a little hopeful.

“And if that didn’t work, I planned to torture you.”

“Like… in a fun way?”

“And if that still didn’t work?—”

“I feel like maybe you’re slightly evil, but I’m hoping there’s just a misunderstanding between us,” I say. “I’m sure that’s the answer. There’s simply a misunderstanding.”

“There’s not. I fully planned to torture information out of you.”

“But why? I’m like a baby council member! I joined around seven months ago! Why wouldn’t you torture someone else who knows more?”

“I didn’t say I’d only torture you. I was just planning onstartingwith you and working my way up to someone more significant.”

“But I’m significant! And I was over here believing that you were saving me out of the goodness of your heart. Are you sure you didn’t and are just shy and embarrassed that it was so romantic?”

“I would never help anyone out of the goodness of my heart,” Ender assures me.

“Well… maybe you’ll learn how to. It looks like we get to be buddies for a bit, so hopefully our bond will grow by leaps and bounds. By the end of this experience, I bet we’ll be willing to die for each other.”

“I would consider offing you to get out,” he declares.

“But why?”

“You’re a council member; I honestly don’t need more reason than that. I’m sure I could find more but I don’tneedmore. Now have you figured a way out of here or did you waste your entire time trying to come up with some joke about us hanging here?”

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