Page 26 of Dark Gambit: The Play

Marcel got up, walked over to Sofia, and offered her his hand.

When he pulled her to him, she swayed on her feet. "I'm so sorry. But every time Tom asks me questions that I'm not allowed to answer, and I attempt it anyway, it feels like I'm trying to pull my brain out through my skull."

Was it an act?

All it would achieve was to drag out the interrogation longer.

Maybe that was her objective?

Was she hoping for a rescue?

"You can rest for a few minutes, and then Tom will continue."

Mia glared at him. "Sofia needs more than a few minutes. It will take at least half an hour for the Motrin to kick in, and then she will need a few hours of shuteye in the dark."

"We don't have time for that," Marcel said as calmly as he could, not only because he didn't want to upset Sofia, but because he needed to be cordial to Mia.

She was only trying to help, but they didn't have the luxury of coddling Sofia. Kian and Turner were waiting for answers.

"We have plenty of time." Mia glared at him. "Tom and I don't plan on going to sleep tonight, and we can continue the interrogation early tomorrow morning."

It was already nearly morning, but one look at Toven made it clear that the god agreed with his mate.

"A couple of hours. That's the most we can afford." Holding on to Sofia's elbow to keep her steady, Marcel followed Mia to the bedroom.

As soon as they neared the bed, Sofia pulled out of his hold and dropped on the bed with a groan, and Mia drove the chair into the open layout bathroom.

She returned a moment later with a bottle of pills and a glass of water. "Here you go, sweetie. Take three at once." She opened the bottle and shook out three pills into Sofia's palm.

"Thank you." She popped the pills into her mouth and followed with the water.

"You're most welcome." Mia turned her chair around. "I'll turn the lights off on my way out."

17

SOFIA

As Mia turned the lights off, Marcel remained standing next to the bed and just looked at Sofia with a frown creasing his forehead.

Was he angry at her for getting a headache?

It wasn't her fault that Igor's compulsion stuck to her like glue. Tom hadn't removed it, he hadn't freed her mind, he'd overpowered it with his own compulsion and added an additional layer on top of the sludge that was already there.

His compulsion hadn't felt as slimy and as heavy-handed as Igor's, but it was still nasty.

"He didn't try to free my mind," she said quietly. "He overpowered the weaker components that were there before. Now I'm a slave to two masters."

Marcel sat on the bed next to her and took her hand. "I'll speak to Tom and ask him if he can change his tactic and free you, or at least get rid of some of it."

His voice was gentle, but it lacked the warmth and mirth that had been there before he'd discovered her duplicity. Did he still care for her?

Lifting her hand, she cupped his cheek. "Do you still want me?"

He let out a shuddering breath. "I never stopped wanting you." He took her hand and removed it from his cheek. "I hoped to learn more about your motives and that it would help me sort out my feelings for you. But getting you to talk is proving to be a more difficult task than we expected." He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Get some rest."

Sofia caught his hand. "Don't go yet. You promised to tell me your paranormal talent."

He sighed. "It's not a very unique talent. I can make people forget things or remember things that didn't happen."