Instead, all the color drained out of her face, and she instantly turned white.
The gag Sebastian had carelessly shoved in her mouth muffled her words, but she shouted them loudly enough for Logan and Iz to still make them out.
“Isabelle, behind you!”
*
IZ WHIRLED AROUND.
Sebastian stood at the other end of the tunnel. It was so shadowy that it was hard to make him out, but to her disgust, Iz would know him anywhere. His cruel smile caught the light.
Logan growled, bristling so much that Iz could almost see his hellhound’s hackles lift.
“Down, boy,” Sebastian said. He sounded self-assured and comfortable, totally confident that he had control of the situation.
But he didn’t, she reminded herself. He had felt like that before, and she and Logan had escaped anyway. He didn’t know what they were capable of. He never would, because he was never willing to see anyone else as an equal.
Still, his taunt made her glance over at Logan, worried that it had stung.
But right now, Logan didn’t look like he was concerned about balancing his hellhound side with his human one. He just looked like he wanted to tackle Sebastian into the wall. His eyes glittered, the fire creeping back into them.
Sebastian sauntered towards them, and Iz and Logan moved to position themselves between him and her mother.
If Sebastian noticed that, it certainly didn’t dampen his look of self-congratulatory amusement. If anything, he looked smarmier than ever.
He stopped just at the edge of the tunnel, not coming all the way into the cavern, like he wanted the dramatic effect of still being partly in shadow.
“You’re going down for this,” Iz said. She was pleased to hear that her voice didn’t waver. “The best thing you can do right now is surrender.”
“I don’t think so, my dear.”
Sebastian held up one hand and spread his fingers out.
A small plastic remote rested at the center of his palm. There was only one button on it.
Iz felt her breath freeze in her throat.
“Oh, yes,” Sebastian said calmly. “A detonator, all set to trigger the explosives on the underside of your mother’s chair. She really is a lovely woman, by the way. You have her looks—and your father’s class.”
“Fuck you,” Iz said through her teeth.
“You’re only proving my point, Isabelle. But for some reason, I find your defiance ... interesting.”
“What about her power?” Logan said unexpectedly. “She burned her way out of your last cave. What makes you think this one will hold up?”
Sebastian’s smug smile flattened out a little.
Reflexively, Iz wanted to point out that she would never have been able to do that without Logan’s help, but she bit her tongue. If Logan wanted to needle Sebastian by implying she was a better, more powerful dragon than he was, then she would let him. Anything that got under Sebastian’s skin was fine with her.
“Iwouldlove to know you accomplished that,” Sebastian said, his eyes fixed on Iz. “Maybe someday you’ll tell me.”
“No, I think I’ll just arrest you.”
It unsettled her that that brought the smile back in full force.
He’s gloating over his hoard,her dragon said, in a low snarl.
He was, and that made her realize what was wrong. He didn’t look like he was slavering over a treasure he was just about to snap up. He thought he already had them.