Chapter Five #3
They had no idea what they’d find. The spies had tried sneaking in, but the building was protected, including with an anti-shimmering shield. There was no way in for the spies if they wanted to stay discreet, which would be a problem for them, too.
But it was a problem they’d deal with once they reached the building.
That happened sooner than Dermot expected. It couldn’t have been longer than fifteen minutes before the people walking in front of him and Bastien stopped moving. Dermot did the same, holding his breath.
Rowan appeared by their side. “The building is right in front of us,” he murmured. “We have an idea of what it’s like inside, but I want everyone to stick together. We want to take Parrish out, but our main goal is to keep everyone safe.”
“And Celeste,” Bastien grumbled.
Rowan gave him a quick smile. “And Celeste. She’s why we’re here. She’s a priority.”
That seemed to help Bastien calm down. He sucked in a breath and nodded, and squared his shoulders as if he was ready to go to war.
He probably was. They all knew that Parrish wouldn’t go down without a fight, and no one was looking forward to that fight.
Dermot was relieved to know that he wouldn’t have to help with that part of the plan, but he was also nervous and scared.
He didn’t want anything to happen to his mate.
He’d only just found Bastien and had accepted that he was the man he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with.
It was too soon for them to be separated, especially by Parrish.
They took a step back and let the enforcers take the lead.
It was clear that Bastien wasn’t happy about that, but he didn’t complain.
These people knew what they were doing. They’d been fighting fights like these for years.
So had Bastien, but this was too personal for him, which was why he needed to take a step back.
The enforcers were fast. They found an entrance they could use in just a few minutes, and Dermot and the others followed them inside.
Dermot held his breath as he looked around.
He wasn’t quite sure what this building had been before Parrish took it over.
It wasn’t the house they’d found Celeste in the first time, though.
No, this looked more industrial, with the shadows of old machinery still lurking in the corners.
The air smelled of dust and damp, making Dermot’s nose wrinkle.
He wanted out, but for now, they weren’t going anywhere.
The place was completely silent as they started exploring. Dermot was suspicious. There was no way Parrish had left this place without protection. If Celeste was here, so was Parrish, and probably half a dozen other Kudlaks. Were they hiding? Was this a trap?
It was entirely possible, and Dermot wasn’t looking forward to finding out.
“Here,” someone murmured ahead of them.
Bastien moved forward like a man on a mission.
The only thing Dermot could do was go with him, mostly because he wasn’t about to let his mate out of his sight.
Bastien was impulsive when it came to his sister.
He’d do anything to protect her, including sacrificing himself, but that wasn’t something Dermot was willing to live with.
Bastien and Dermot stood to one side next to the door. There was light filtering from under it, but the door was closed, so they couldn’t see what was happening inside. There were no voices or noises.
“I’m going to open it,” a tall enforcer said.
He knelt in front of the door and took out some tools from his pocket.
Dermot was impressed, but most of his attention was on Bastien, who was almost vibrating with anticipation.
As soon as the door was open, he moved, and he might have stepped into the room if both Dermot and Celeste hadn’t stopped him.
“Be careful,” Celeste yelled from inside the room. Dermot grabbed Bastien’s arm and pulled him back. He held his breath, but nothing happened, which was a good thing. Whatever defense Parrish had put in place, Bastien didn’t seem to have triggered it.
Yet.
“He used my magic,” Celeste said.
Dermot leaned inside the room, careful not to trigger anything.
She was sitting on the floor in a corner, on a dirty mattress.
It looked like she’d been sitting with her arms around her knees, but now she was moving, leaning forward as if she wanted to see better.
Her eyes were full of tears, and she reached for Bastien, but she wasn’t going anywhere, not with the chains around her ankles and her wrists.
“What did he do to you?” Bastien asked.
Celeste shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“You’re chained to the wall, Celeste. You’re not fine.”
“I’m better than I thought I would be, considering everything. He didn’t hurt me much.”
Bastien swore. “That’s not enough.”
“Maybe not, but it’s better than the alternative.” Celeste looked at Dermot. She didn’t seem surprised to see Dermot’s hand on her brother’s arm. “Parrish used my magic and Rose’s. There’s a shield around me. No one can touch me except for Parrish.”
Dermot nodded. “I’ll get to work. I’ll find a way around it.”
“Maybe it would be easier with some help,” Rowan said. He stepped aside to let an enforcer in. To Dermot’s surprise, the enforcer wasn’t alone. She was grabbing Rose’s forearm and pulling her forward while Rose tried to resist. Unfortunately for her, it was too late.
* * * *
BASTIEN’S FIRST INSTINCT when he saw Rose was to reach for her.
He was glad when Dermot stopped him. It wouldn’t help anyone if Bastien started a scene, but especially not Celeste, who was watching Rose with wide, damp eyes.
It was clear she’d been betrayed, and Bastien had to resist the urge to grab Rose and demand to know why.
The village had taken Rose in when she needed them to.
Celeste had been incredibly nice to her, welcoming her and trying to be her friend.
Yet Rose had betrayed her as soon as she’d been able to.
She’d dragged her back to Parrish and had apparently helped Parrish restrain Celeste in a way that made it impossible for her to leave.
No one would expect Bastien not to react to all of that.
The problem was that he wasn’t sure how he wanted to react.
Sure, he wanted to demand answers from Rose, but he also wanted to hurt her the way she’d hurt Celeste.
That wasn’t the kind of person he was, though.
It was clear that whatever Rose had done, and whatever the reason she’d done it, she was terrified.
She might just be scared of Rowan and the others, but there might also be more to it.
Why else would a Vila work with someone like Parrish?
Rose wasn’t bonded to Parrish the way Celeste was.
He was nothing to her except a monster. There had to be a good reason, and while it might not be good enough for Bastien, it might explain what was happening.
“Talk,” he ordered, even though he wasn’t the person in charge right now.
Rose swallowed and looked away. “He has my family,” she said, her voice trembling. “My son. I’m really sorry. I never wanted to hurt anyone, let alone Celeste. I wish I could live in the village, but I can’t abandon my son.”
Part of Bastien wondered if she was lying, but another part knew that she wasn’t.
It was obvious in her behavior. Of course, she was a good actress.
She’d managed to fool everyone and be accepted into the village.
She’d dragged Celeste out as soon as she’d had the opportunity to.
As sorry as Bastien felt for her, he wasn’t going to trust her, no matter what came out of her mouth.
“He told me that you’d taken his mate. He wanted her back,” Rose continued. “And when I talked to Celeste, she confirmed that she was his mate. I thought that Parrish had told the truth.”
“He took your son, yet you believed him?” Bastien asked, unable to believe that.
Maybe Rose had wanted to believe Parrish because it was the only way to get her son back.
It was understandable, but she hadn’t had to lie.
It was obvious that she hadn’t expected Parrish to actually keep his word when it came to anything, be it her son or his mate.
He shook his head and turned back to Celeste, who was crying now. He was desperate to pull her into his arms and get her out of this room, and there was only one way for that to happen. “Dermot?” he murmured.
Dermot nodded and stepped forward. “I’m on it.”
Bastien hovered close. He had no idea how Vila magic worked, and he didn’t need to know.
He just had to let Dermot do his thing, and hopefully his mate would get his sister out of those chains quickly.
They all needed to get out of here. Bastien knew that Rowan also wanted to kill Parrish, but as long as Parrish left them alone, he wouldn’t be their priority right now.