I had a real talent for hitting nerves with people. I thought of Will. He probably wouldn’t call it a talent.
We soon entered the more inhabited parts of the sewers. It was only my second time visiting the secret shifter underground, but I was less surprised this time to see evidence of an entire city under here. We passed makeshift living spaces, bars, even a little corner store tucked into a stone alcove.
Then we moved through the tunnel manned by Ludolf’s guards. They stood with wands and weapons at the ready and let us into his personal office. The arched double doors swung shut behind us with a heavy thud and cast the cave-like room in even deeper darkness. A few scattered candelabras cast flickering shadows on the black walls.
Ludolf Caterwaul sat behind a dark wooden desk in the center. Beefy guards—I quickly counted ten of them, not including Neo and the boys—stood guard around the room, wands in hands. A bank vault door took up most of the right wall, while a stocked bookcase spanned the left.
The skeletal mob boss scribbled away at a piece of parchment in front of him, his feather quill bobbing in his bony, taloned hand. A heavy silence filled the room until he finished, replaced the quill in its stand, and looked up.
His thin lips spread into a broad smile, revealing small, slightly pointed teeth. “Ah, Jolene.” He steepled his long hands. “Do come in.”
Ludolf’s raspy voice sent shivers up my spine, but I stepped forward, still keeping a distance between us.
He watched me, impossibly still, with those pale eyes of his, the pupils ringed in yellow. He didn’t even blink. I tried to hold his gaze, my chest puffed up, shoulders back, until I couldn’t anymore and looked away.
The only other time I’d been here, he’d coerced me into doing something I didn’t feel too good about by threatening Peter. I gritted my teeth as I waited to hear what terrible thing he wanted from me this time.
I couldn’t take the silence anymore and lifted my gaze to face him again. “Look, if this is about me and Peter, then—”
He held up a long hand, and I stopped speaking. “I understand, Jolene.” He smiled again and cocked his head to the side. It was a sharp movement, and his quickness startled me. “I imagine you’re just stringing the cop along, right?”
I gulped.
“It’s smart. Don’t worry. I approve.”
I shifted on my feet, unease twisting my stomach. I wasn’t even sure if he believed what he was saying. And besides, did I need his approval? I gritted my teeth. “Then why am I here?”
Neo, behind me, let out a quiet grunt of annoyance. I knew I should probably be treading more carefully, but I also knew I couldn’t show him weakness.
Ludolf splayed his hands. “I’d like to present you with a simple scenario.”
My stomach clenched. Why did I feel like this was about to get bad for me?
Ludolf turned to his right and waved one of the beefy guards forward. The guy wore a trench coat that brushed the ground and looked like he could shoulder his way through a stone wall. He stepped closer, and I inched back, in spite of my best efforts to hold my ground.
The mob boss turned to his guard. “Go ahead.”
In a whirl of golden magic, the man shifted. An enormous, shaggy-maned lion now stood before me, his tawny eyes watching me intently. Viktor let out a squeal, and even the rest of the guards pressed their backs up against the walls. The room suddenly didn’t seem big enough.
My heart raced and chest heaved as I looked to Ludolf. What was the son of a witch about to do to me?
The king of shifters calmly met my gaze. “Think of it as a test. Bruno here is going to try to eat you.”
My stomach lurched. I mean, I’d kind of figured, but there was something terrible about it being confirmed.
“If you can avoid this, you’re free to leave.”
My nostrils flared. “Avoid it?” My legs trembled.
“Yes.”
Ludolf was infuriatingly placid. I ground my teeth.
“A simple freeze spell should do. Or, you could create a barrier of some sort, I suppose, or use a binding spell to stop him.” He shrugged his rounded shoulders. “You could also shift and get away from him, if that’s easier.”
I fought for breath, my heart pounding in my throat and temples. It seemed easy enough—anyone could do it. Unless you’d lost your magic like me. Which meant Ludolf knew somehow that I was powerless. My vision blurred. I was about to be torn apart by a lion.
The mob boss turned to the tensed lion. “Alright, Bruno. Proceed.”
11
OUTED
Proceed?! As in, sic her, boy?
I scrambled away from the advancing lion, its shoulders blades gliding below its tawny fur. It looked like furry, stealthy death. My back slammed against the bar of the vault door and I winced. The guards nearest me lurched apart, putting as much distance between me and them as they could.
“Come now, Jolene.” Ludolf still rested his chin on his laced, bony hands and watched me intently. “Use your magic.”
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I wanted to shout a litany of curses at him that’d make even a pirate blush, but the words caught in my throat as I stared down the huffing lion.
Viktor wrung his hands, giggling uncontrollably until Sacha, the enormous bald brute, wrapped him in a tight hug, pinning his arms to his sides. Viktor’s tattooed chest still heaved but his manic energy calmed somewhat. Even Neo looked uncomfortable.
“Come on.” He gritted his teeth. “Jolene—use a spell. Do something.”
I sidled to the right toward Ludolf’s desk, but one of the guards shoved me back toward the middle of the room. I skirted left and pressed my back against the wall. “I don’t have my wand.” It was true—though it wouldn’t
