Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
T he sound of an argument broke through the darkness surrounding Ilya, and he woke, confused for several moments about what was going on. He was lying on a cold, hard surface, and he could feel that he was bound tightly, arms behind his back and legs together at his ankles. He would have opened his eyes, but when he recognized one of the voices, he knew it was in his best interest to keep still and not make a sound.
“How much did you give him? He shouldn’t have been out this long! We’re running out of time!”
Gordon fucking Everley! It was all Ilya could do not to snarl. He’d known the scumbag had to be involved in this somehow!
“You said to dose him good, so I did. We sure as hell didn’t want some werewolf or big ass cat shifter waking up and hulking out in the ambulance! That damned snake woman nearly took Charlie’s head off with her tail before we got her down.”
Ilya didn’t recognize the second voice, but he knew there was a Charlie who worked as one of the EMTs for Circo. No doubt that also explained the ambulance, if Gordon had bought himself a team who had been kidnapping Mario’s friends. He was certain the same fate had befallen him, though the audacity of taking him right off the stage was breathtaking.
“That was your own sloppy work,” Gordon snarled. “I told you she was dangerous, but you just see a pretty face and think you can take her own because you’re a big, strong man. Fools!”
Ilya felt a toe prod hard against his hip. “Whatever. We took your mystery boy out, didn’t we? He was the easiest of them all. Didn’t even sprout claws or fangs like the others before he was out cold.”
It was then Ilya realized that his brain must really be running slow from whatever they’d drugged him with, or he would have realized sooner that they thought they had grabbed Mario, not him. It wasn’t too surprising they’d made a mistake, given the darkness of the theater and the way they were both dressed. But what they would do when they discovered the mistake wasn’t something he wanted to think about. Or at least not until he figured out if he could manage to get himself out of this predicament.
“Lucky for you that you didn’t kill him,” Gordon shot back. Ilya heard him moving around, the expensive leather shoes he favored tapping on a floor that might be stone. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, put him in a chair. I need answers before the boss arrives. Where is Alia? Get that useless elf in here! When I think of the risk I took sending her out tonight, only to get nothing in return….”
The sound of Gordon’s shoes indicated he was walking away, and suddenly Ilya was lifted by two rough sets of hands, then deposited in a cushioned chair. It was marginally better than being on the floor, and while he had to hunch uncomfortably to one side as he feigned unconsciousness, at least his hands were hidden from view behind him. That was perfect, and what he could feel now around his wrists were plastic zip ties. Not as stretchable as rope, but not as difficult as metal chains or handcuffs. His captors obviously hadn’t considered the fact that an aerialist would have very strong wrists indeed.
After a few moments of quiet, he risked cracking one eye open the barest bit. He couldn’t see much from the angle he was at, but whatever room he was in was lushly paneled in rich, dark wood, and the bit of the floor he could see appeared to be marble. They could be in one of the high roller suites of a hotel, though he doubted it. As much as the ultra rich could get away with in Vegas, he thought carrying an unconscious, costumed man through the building and up an elevator would have attracted attention.
That meant they were probably in some mansion away from the Strip, though whether it was close to the city or hundreds of miles away, he couldn’t even begin to guess. He reached for the bond with Mario, which was distressingly faint. Wherever he was, Mario was nowhere nearby.
He hadn’t made much progress with the ties when he heard Gordon coming back, along with a softer set of steps that must belong to Alia. He went still again, hoping he’d learn something to help him escape.
“All right, you claimed being in the same room with him didn’t tell you anything, so go touch him! For a seer, you’re pretty useless.”
“I told you the vision might come, or it might not,” a feminine voice replied. “There is something protecting him that I can’t get through. I told you he’s special, and apparently Errante Ame protects him somehow, even now. The Galliers always were his favored pets.”
“You also said he was my opportunity,” Gordon snapped. “I’ve risked everything to get him and the others. But the Master will be here soon, and we have to know exactly what he is in order to make the spell work. We have the Naga for water, the coyote for fire, the deer for earth… he must be an aerial being. That’s why he’s my opportunity to become a vampire at last!”
Before Mario, Ilya would have chalked up Gordon’s words to being the ravings of a lunatic. But now he could almost understand what was happening. Mario had said something about so many paranormals being used for something other than satisfying the hunger of a greedy vampire — for making a new one. Apparently that was supposed to be Gordon, perhaps as a reward for being the vampire’s eyes, ears, and hands at Circo.
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Alia answered him. “I said he was an opportunity. I didn’t say he was yours .”
Ilya could almost feel the tension in the room, even though he couldn’t see. For a moment, he thought Gordon might hit the young woman, but then he heard the asshole growl in obvious frustration.
“I’ll make you regret that smug attitude, you arrogant bitch! I’m making this my opportunity. Now touch him and tell me what I want to know!”
Ilya heard soft steps approaching him, and then a cool, gentle hand was laid against his neck. He wondered what he could do to defend himself once she revealed the truth. Or would the amulet protect his identity, even when she touched him? Whatever happened, he was going to fight it to his last breath.
But when she spoke, lies rolled glibly from her lips.
“Turns out you were right, Gordon. He is the fourth you need. An eagle shifter. You’ll get the reward you so richly deserve.”
“I knew it!” Gordon’s tone was full of satisfaction. “Take him and put him in with the others. It would have been nice to toy with him for a while, but at this point, I don’t care if he never wakes up. It will be a mercy for him if he doesn’t.”
Ilya didn’t know what Alia was playing at. Perhaps she knew he wasn’t Mario and that it would mess up Gordon’s attempt to become a vampire. Or maybe she didn’t know, but had suspected Mario wasn’t the right kind of shifter, and that would end up producing the same result. Whatever the reason, he still couldn’t be certain she was on any side but her own.
“I’ll miss him. He was such a bright child when I knew him,” she said. Her hand was still against his neck, and then she leaned down, and he felt warm lips near his cheek. Then her voice came to him in so low a murmur that no one else could have possibly heard it. “Don’t worry, Mario will come.”
No! Ilya wanted to protest, but then the goons lifted him roughly from the chair. He kept his body limp, and they dragged him away as his mind raced frantically.
She knew, and she hadn’t outed him — but what would happen now? Ilya wanted to thrash and rage against his helplessness to stop whatever was going to happen. He hoped she was wrong, but then he remembered the blood bond. He focused on Mario again, and knew she’d spoken the truth. He could feel Mario, still faint, but definitely growing closer.
Stay away, Mario! He sent the silent plea out into the ether, knowing Mario wouldn’t hear it and wouldn’t obey even if he had. Ilya had to do something, anything, but the thought of Mario fighting a vampire and the rest of whoever was on Gordon’s payroll made his blood run cold. He didn’t care as much about dying as he did about being the one who survived once again — and he knew as surely as his own name that living without Mario would destroy him.
Stay away, Mario. Stay far away so that at least one of us will survive this night.