“Hey!” a voice called from across the room.
Robin forced herself to look away from the creature and inched forward, to the edge of her bars. She could barely make out the rest of the dungeon, pressing her face against the bars to see a goth woman, chained to a thick, torture-esque chair.
“Robin,” the woman said.
“Who are you?”
She was beautiful, in a strange, mysterious kind of way. Her features were sharp and strong, her hair jet black and short-cropped, falling over in spikes and layers. She had dark eyes, almost indigo. Her skin was pale, nearly translucent, just like hers.
“My name is Lucidia,” she said. Her face was straight, and blank.
Robin’s eyes widened. “You’re…”
Lucidia nodded.
“My sister?”
“Yeah. Sorry about that,” she said tightly.
Robin was out of words. Lucidia was nothing like she expected. From what she’d heard, her blood relative was supposed to be an unfeeling assassin. Looking at the girl across the way from her, Robin knew deep in her heart that she could trust her sister with her life. Robin couldn’t explain it, but it was a feeling so strong, she knew it to be true.
“Where are we?”
Lucidia looked around the dungeon, as though she could tell location from glancing at the decrepit room. Well, maybe she could. Robin wouldn’t have been surprised at anything by this point.
“We’re probably at the New Mexico Demonte house.”
“Oh,” Robin said, pretending she knew what that meant. “Is Magnus here?”
“No. He’s in Louisiana, at House Demonte.”
Robbin nodded, her eyes glancing nervously to the monster, then back to Lucidia. “Are you okay?”
Lucidia made a tight expression that Robin figured was meant to be a smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Thank you, for trying-”
A thick, rusty door creaked open from the dungeon entrance. Robin backed away from her cell door, watching through the bars. Footsteps scuffled down the short walkway and paused for a moment at Lucidia’s cell.
After another pause, they came her way.
She was surprised to see Reykon, looking much different than the last time she’d seen him.
He was showered, clean, and put together. He looked remarkably similar to how she’d seen him in the bar, when she’d first laid eyes on him. Charming and mysterious with humor in his eyes.
Now, though, she knew the truth. He was deadly. A trap, in and of itself.
His eyes trailed over her, looking her up and down. After a moment, he turned back to the door of the dungeon. “Guard!” he yelled, his voice strong and cutting.
Robin watched him cautiously, her brow drawing together. She could feel her jaw setting in a permanently angry expression, like the kind her parents used to tease her about.
A moment later, a man wearing a generic black uniform walked over to Reykon.
“What?” the man asked in an annoyed voice.
Reykon’s eyes hovered on Robin. “Unlock the door.”
“I’m not supposed-”
“Unlock the door,” Reykon hissed.
“Where are you taking her?” the guard countered.
“She’s for Magnus. How happy do you think he’ll be when he finds out she spent the night in a cell, being enjoyed by a half-form?”
The guard paled and unlocked the cell door, walking away quickly.
Robin crossed her arms, making no move to get up.
“Come on,” he said.
She shook her head.
“Robin,” he snapped.
“I’m fine right here. I prefer my sister’s company, actually.”
Reykon took two angry steps across the cell and gripped her by the arm, dragging her out.
“Easy!” Lucidia roared, her eyes obscured in rage. It shocked Robin to see the immediate, explosive anger.
Robin had no choice but to stumble along with him. They passed Lucidia’s cell, and Robin cast a fearful glance back to her, afraid that if she lost sight of the elusive Lucidia, she’d never see her again.
Reykon had lied about her.
She wasn’t hateful. She seemed genuinely concerned about Robin, and not a rock, like he’d described her as. Lucidia was on her side. Reykon, as it stood, was not.
They left the dungeon, the shaken guard opening the door silently for them. As they went up a long, triple wide marble staircase, Robin’s eyes had to adjust to the light, and she winced, bringing her free hand up to block out the sun.
The structure of this building was old Spanish and ornate, luxuriously adorned like a castle in Barcelona. Cream adobe covered the walls of the outdoor hallways, with lighting fixtures to the right and open area balconies overlooking a lush courtyard. Where are we? Robin thought, taking in the regal architecture and carved cornices.
The air was dry and hot and there was a soft, heathery breeze that smelled like red clay. It reminded her of the time her family had visited Arizona.
She was still being dragged roughly away from the dungeon. Robin wrenched her arm, and Reykon let it go. She shielded her eyes from the blaring sun, nearly orange and brighter than she remembered.
“Where are you taking me?” she demanded.
“To my room,” he said simply. “Come on.”
He grabbed her wrist this time, and not as hard as he’d grabbed her in the dungeon.
“I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” she seethed, barely keeping up with him.
He let out a sharp laugh. “Tough cookies, sweetheart.”
Robin bristled, stumbling along as he dragged her around a corner. They nearly ran into somebody.
Reykon froze, and Robin knocked into him, then steadied herself, looking at the figure in front of them.
Nice clothes, would have been her first thought.
If it weren’t for the face.
It wasn’t an ugly face, nor a monstrous one. But as she looked at the person’s features, her skin crawled, and she got the overwhelming, undeniable sense that there was something wrong with its owner.
Pale, creamy skin that almost shined, and thick dark hair. A strong jawline, an aquiline nose, and ruby red eyes, glinting with an evil that she’d never seen before. The skin itself was flawless, but something about the way it fit on the person’s body gave her a deeply rooted fear. Just looking at this man, she felt the undeniable urge to run as fast as she could. It was like staring at a snake.
But
