Page 103 of Blood Union (Dark Witch Chronicles 3)
Tarnley
It’s dark. Damp. The ground is hard beneath me, and the only other sound is that of the woman breathing beside me. She groans, and I reach for her in the dark. I know it’s Rainey. I sensed her the moment I woke, though since she’s been unconscious, I’m assuming she likely doesn’t realize I’m the one beside her.
The hunter groans, and I gently touch her shoulder. “Easy,” I tell her. Last thing I want is a bloody nose when she discovers she won’t be able to see a damned thing.
“Tarnley?”
“Yes.” Satisfied I’m not going to add broken nose to my list of ailments, I retract my hand and lean back.
“Where the hell are we?” Her hands scrape against the concrete as she feels for a door I spent who the hell knows how long searching for.
“I haven’t a damned clue.” The best I can figure, we’re surrounded by thick concrete. And since when I clench my hands into fists beside me, I get wet sand, I’m going to assume we are not back in Montana.
“I can’t sense anything,” she tells me, her voice wavering ever so slightly from fear. “And what are we sitting on?”
“Sand,” I reply. “And I can’t sense anything, either.”
“Really? You can’t smell anything?”
“Nothing but the two of us.”
“And I’m sure we smell lovely, at this point,” she retorts. “Do you know how long we’ve been down here?”
I shake my head like an idiot. Then, I remember instantly that it’s fucking dark and she can’t see me. “No. I’m not even sure how long ago I woke up.”
“Door?”
“Not one I found.”
“Then how the fuck did we get down here?”
“I have no clue.”
“Do you remember what happened?” she asks.
“I do. We walked into the mansion, surprised there were no guards, and then we were ambushed by the councilman we were there to kill.”
“Me, too. They were fucking waiting for us.”
“They knew we were coming.”
“I’m going to castrate that fucking wizard.”
“You think it was Clarance?” The thought certainly crossed my mind, but it doesn’t make any sense. Why the hell would he risk Bronywyn? Unless he doesn’t actually care and everything he said was a lie.
“Who the hell else would it have been?”
My thoughts travel over everyone we know. Even Deissy and Felix, though I can’t imagine a single reason why they would have been behind the treachery. “I can’t think of anyone.”
“Exactly. Asshat wizard for the win.” She sighs, and I hear her scuffle against the sand moments before a sharp intake of breath.
“Shit, are you injured?”
“Nothing that’s not already healing,” she replies, darkly. “When we get out of here, I’m going to tear him apart piece by piece.”
Above us, something squeaks and scratches, the heavy scraping like nails against a chalkboard.
Soon, a bright light shines down, and I shield my eyes—the sharp contrast giving me an instant fucking headache.