Page 94 of Polestar
“She thinks she’s going to escape and rescue Bjornson,” he said, in heavily accented English.
“Ridiculous, why would you say that?”Matochkin said, her expression incredulous.
“Her ghost friend said so.”
The tall blond woman approached Ana, eyes narrowed.“Magnus said that you—.”She glanced over her shoulder at her partners before turning her full attention to Ana.Her eyes glittered dangerously; color infused her cheeks as she dropped her voice.“Magnus said you can astral travel.”
Ana hesitated, but nodded.
Matochkin straightened.“Leave us,” she barked at the men.
They moved closer to the women, brows raised at Ulla’s tone.
The three of them towered over Ana’s chair.
“Ulla, darling.She’s my property to do with as I please.You said you had no use for her when you gave her to me.Why the sudden change of mind?”the creepy accountant said, sliding a hand across Ulla’s shoulders.
Ana almost leapt out of her chair at the sight of his hands shifting—separating into tentacles, massaging the woman’s narrow shoulders and neck with intimate familiarity.
Oh gross!
She struggled to control her gagging revulsion.
“Ugh!”Antony echoed the sentiment.
“Besides, we have no secrets between us, right, my love?”Yvan said, caressing her face and kissing her mouth.“Whatever she has to say, we can know, too.”
Ulla immediately relaxed her body.“Just five minutes.Female to female.”
The men exchanged looks, released her, and moved toward the door.
Yvan stopped next to her chair, crouched so he could look her in the eyes and as he placed his large hand on her knee, he said, “If you say anything that upsets our Ulla, I will extinguish your ghost friend into oblivion and snap your neck so you may join him.I don’t care how much money Adolf thinks he can get for you.I will do this.”He gave her knee a single pat, rose, and left.The door closed with a soft click.
Ulla said, “You don’t need to worry about Yvan.If you don’t answer my questions,I’llsnap your neck myself.”
“Charming bunch,” Antony snorted.
Quip all you want, it isn’t your neck on the line, now is it?
“Nope, just oblivion, apparently.”
“What do you want to know?”Ana said to Ulla, wondering if she could use this new situation to her benefit.
Ulla glanced at the door behind Ana.“Magnus said you spoke to Aksel in the astral realm.”
Open desperation replaced the bitter scorn in Ulla’s face.Her gaze flicked between Ana and the door.
Ana nodded.
“He’s alive,” Ulla said with guarded relief.
“He was then.That was days ago.”
“And he had a mark on his throat?And don’t lie to me or I’ll—.”
“Snap my neck, I know.And yes, he did.It prevented him from shifting, so he couldn’t heal.”
Ulla reached for the chair adjacent to Ana, sagging onto it.All the color drained from her face.“So it’s true.He wasn’t lying.”She jumped to her feet, hands shaking as she paced the room.
