Chapter 27
The next thing I was aware of was that I had a killer headache. My head was throbbing so badly I swear my skull had to be cracked. I also noticed my wrists were restrained by something cold and metal.
My eyelids whipped open. I was in an unfamiliar room, and wrapped around each of my wrists was a metal cuff, connected to a chain that extended to hooks secured into a dark green wall behind me.
Crap.
This was bad.
This was very, very bad.
The first thing I did was try to Foresee my way out of this place. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the gas station, but I wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t feeling anything, except worry and fear, and that fact that I was in some serious trouble.
What had that crazy faerie boy done to me? Why couldn’t I use my Foreseer power? I tried again, concentrating harder, willing myself away from this place.
“There’s no use trying.” The taunting voice belonged to Nicholas.
I opened my eyes again and found him standing right in front of me. I scooted back to the wall, dragging the chains with me, the metal clinking against the hardwood floor.
“Where am I?” I asked, aiming to keep my voice steady, but failing miserably.
“My house.” He gestured around the room, which was basically bare except for a table that lined the far wall and a wooden stool perched in the corner.
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked, yanking at the chains.
“Why not?” He asked with a smile that could only be described as dangerous.
This was not good. There were so many things about being here alone with him that could be bad.
Not only because he could be handing me over to Stephan, but also because he was in control.
He squatted down on the floor so that he was eye level with me. “Tug at those chains all you want; you’re not going to get away.”
I jerked my arms again, wanting desperately to prove him wrong. But the chains were secured tightly, and yanking them was making the metal cuffs cut into my wrists.
He laughed at me, and I slid my leg out from underneath me and gave a try at kicking him. He hopped back, a flicker of fury flashing across his face, but he quickly collected himself and smiled again.
“You’re so feisty,” he said, his golden eyes glinting dangerously.
I glared at him. “Let me go.”
“Now, why would I do a stupid thing like that?” He stood up, gesturing at the floor around me. “I could keep you here forever you know—the room is surrounded by praesidium. ”
As I glanced around room, I became aware that trimming the floor were lavender crystal balls about the size of marbles. Now I didn’t know what they were, but I knew they had to be bad.
“What’s praesidium?” I asked, fearing the answer.
He gave a long pause “Well, I guess since you asked… praesidium is another kind of crystal ball Foreseers use. Only instead of channeling energy, it takes it away.”
Oh God. That’s why I couldn’t use my Foreseer power. The bad situation seemed to be getting worse.
“What are you going to do with me?” I asked, my voice cracking.
He grinned deviously. “I think the question is what am I not going to do with you?”
I tried my best to ignore my quivering nerves. “If you give me over to Stephan, you know what he’s going to do to me, right? He’s going to end the world—
everyone will die.”
“I don’t need you to explain what Stephan is planning to do. I understand, even more than you do, what he’s planning to do with you.”
“So you’re just okay with letting him kill everyone,” I said, hoping he would let some of the details slip out.
“Do you even feel anything at all?”
“I think the real question is do you feel anything.” He leaned over me, his eyes nearly glowing. “Which I think is what this whole thing is about.” My stomach rolled. He knew more than I thought he did. “Why are you doing this? Is there a reason? Or are you just plain evil?”
“Am I just plain evil?” He sounded mad. “Before you go opening your mouth and saying things you don’t understand, maybe you should consider how much you know about Stephan. Or about his precious son Alex? You trust him so much, yet he is the son of the man who has ruined your life and many others as well.”
“Did he ruin your life?” The way he said it made me wonder.
He didn’t say anything, and I thought I struck a nerve.
“What did he do to you?” I asked, keeping my voice low and swaying.
He stared at me with a look of intensity and I thought he was going to tell me, but then that playful sparkle returned to his eyes, and he backed away from me with a stupid grin on his face.
“I think I’m going to go take a walk.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his tan cargo pants. “I’d say wait here, but I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere.”
“Nicholas, please,” I begged, jerking on the chains again. “You can’t hand me over to Stephan.” But he already left.
I let out a frustrated scream, tugging on the chains with every ounce of strength I had in me, disregarding the pain of the metal cuffs cutting deeply into my skin. I tried to break free until my wrists were bleeding; until I was so exhausted that I had no strength left in me.
Until all there was left to do was wait.
What I was waiting for, I didn’t know.