Good point.
I’d forgotten one other thing. Mywolf.
“She’ll be expecting us. You can ride my wolf.”
Gabe wiped his nose on his sleeve again. “I don’t need a ride. I can keep up.”
“You sure?”
“I run cross-country for my community college PE requirement. I’m the sixth fastest in the state for my age.”
“Let’s go.” My wolf spirit rose, and I didn’t try to quash it.
I’m coming for you, Maddy. Hang on.
Chapter9
MADDY
Rika was a succubus and clearly a psychotic bitch, but she had a great sense of style. We arrived at her chalet perched on the slope of Mount Briar. This was supposed to be a sacred place. No mountain climbers or vehicles were allowed. Apparently Rika disregarded this. Her glass lair was straight out of a spy movie.
“How can it be so easy to find?” I asked.
“Because she doesn’t care if you see it,” Max replied, pulling his snowmachine into a massive garage.
He could barely move his legs, they were so stiff with cold. He wasn’t getting any pity from me. I’d have stepped over his frozen body in a heartbeat if it would have helped me escape. When he motioned me through the door into the house, I was glad to leave his sorry ass alone.
The door opened to a staircase that led up without any other exits. The house was built into the side of the mountain, so the lower levels were in the earth and the all-glass upper levels faced the downward slope and Sleepy Briar. I would’ve enjoyed it if I wasn’t a prisoner or if it wasn't owned by Rika. A jail is still a jail, even if it’s a nice one.
The inner main-floor walls displayed Rika’s taxidermy collection. It was disconcerting to see so many animals from our sweet, snowy town on display. Had Gabe unwittingly been doing her taxidermy for years? He’d mentioned a generous anonymous client. I was pretty sure I’d found her.
This was a terrible time to be tired, but I was. I sank down into a fancy midnight-blue armchair. It was surprisingly comfortable. I put my feet up on the coffee table. I might as well rest while I could.
I had no idea whether the baby would be a shifter, but it seemed logical that with two shifter parents we’d have either a kit or a cub shifter at some point. Now I really wished Riyah was around.
A chiming bell startled me awake. I hadn’t realized I’d drifted off. Judging by my stiffness, I’d been asleep for a while. I followed the delicate chime to a long dining table filled with the most delicious-smelling food. I had no idea who worked for Rika. A few times I got a glance at the help, but they faded away like shadows.
“Motherhood agrees with you.” Rika regarded me, taking a seat at the head of the table. She wore a flowing floor-length gown. I couldn’t tell whether it was a fancy bathrobe or a ball gown. She was a ringer for a sweet little old lady, except for that murderous streak. Candlelight and fine dining ware complimented the crystal stemware. I was getting the picture that she didn’t often entertain guests who weren’t glamoured.
“How come I’m not glamoured?”
Rika pushed her food around her plate. “Does anyone tell you anything? Never mind. I’m a succubus, dear. My power is drawn through energy. Ninety-nine percent of the time, my companion is glamoured as a result of our sexual activity. Quite simply, you see me as I am because we’ve not had sex.” She set down her fork.
I swallowed, hoping the revulsion didn’t show on my face.
“What I want from you is the energy of that baby you’re growing inside you. It’s been so long since I’ve had a fresh one.” She rubbed her hands together as if she’d just won the lottery.
This creature had destroyed Sleepy Briar once. She’d broken up the paranormal community long before the Silver Circle had their turn. She’d tried to kill me. Now she wanted my unborn baby. One way or another, she was going down. Although I admit my circumstances at delivering the death blow weren’t promising.
My dinner smelled divine, but it tasted like sawdust. I chewed, unable to think of a single thing to say. How to escape was all that occupied my mind.
“You’re dining for two now. Eat up! You’re going to love the after-dinner entertainment.” Rika didn’t eat anything, but she drank several glasses of red wine—or maybe blood.
Outside, the snow had finally stopped. The clouds cleared away, leaving a starlit sky.
Rika cocked her head as though she was listening to something, but I couldn’t hear anything. “Sounds like the floor show is about to begin.”
For fuck’s sake.This woman was a drama queen on top of everything else.