Night's Captive (13 page)

“Good.” Dawson’s voice came from inside the room and Loni’s belly sickened. The butler moved out of the way and she saw the sorcerer sitting behind a desk, waving them in, a smile on his face.

The sight of the man who had tried to kill her made her knees weak. Memories of how the metal Dumpster had melted came to her and she had the horrible feeling that he could and would do that to her.

“That will be all, Timmons,” Dawson said and the butler gave a bow and retreated. The sorcerer turned to Richmond. “Excellent job.”

Richmond gave a little bow. “I’ve left her wrists tied. The rope will subdue any powers she may have obtained.”

Dawson nodded and gestured toward the pair of chairs in front of the desk he was sitting behind. He stroked his goatee and leaned back in his chair as Richmond forced her to sit. She sat down hard.

“So what is your purpose in all this, Miss Stanfield?” the sorcerer said as he looked at Loni and continued to stroke his goatee. By the way he asked the question, she knew he didn’t expect an answer. “I think perhaps you might come in handy.”

Loni bit the inside of her lip, holding back from begging Dawson to let her go. But she couldn’t hold back the one question that kept pulling at her. “Is Alec dead?” She looked at Richmond accusingly. “Did you kill him?”

“I told you I would seal your mouth if you spoke without permission,” Richmond said. “But Page is still quite alive.”

“Excellent,” the sorcerer said. “That is an important part of the plan.”

“What plan?” she wanted to ask but held it in as Richmond narrowed his eyes at her.

Dawson turned his gaze on Richmond. “Did you get the product?”

“All of it.” Richmond gave a deep nod. “Fifty-two bottles.”

The sorcerer’s expression darkened. “There were fifty-three.”

“That was what we found.” Richmond didn’t sound concerned. “Perhaps Samuel finished a bottle on some of his human clients.”

“Perhaps.” Dawson didn’t look convinced. “You need to make certain that one did not fall into the hands of the Enforcers. If one has been used completely, I want the empty bottle.” Dawson gestured toward the door. “Leave us and have someone take care of it.”

“Of course.” Richmond rose and he gave a slight bow before leaving the room, never looking at Loni.

The sorcerer turned his attention back to her. “Have you come into any powers since you came through that door and into the alleyway the first day we met?”

A wash of cold swept over her skin. She hesitated only a fraction before she shook her head.

“Hmmm.” He studied her. “Are you lying to me?”

She shook her head again. “No.” The word came out clear and almost defiantly.

“I do not believe you.” He touched his goatee, looking thoughtful.

Loni said nothing. She wasn’t sure if it was to her benefit to admit it or not. Would he kill her if he believed that she didn’t have newfound powers? Would he kill her if he believed that she did have them?

“Why did Selena bring you here?” He leaned forward and put his elbows on this desk and steepled his fingers. “Unless it was simply part of her interfering in lives by matchmaking.”

Matchmaking?
Loni held back a frown. Was this what it was all about? Her and Alec? The idea didn’t sit well at all. She wasn’t a puppet for Selena to play with, especially when it came to her emotions. Of course Selena had been pulling her strings ever since that day in the bookstore when she’d first met the woman.

“So you are not aware of Selena’s tendency toward manipulating lives in that way?” He laughed. “Do not lie to me about your relations with Page. For I have visioned it.”

The thought of Dawson seeing her and Alec together in a vision turned her stomach, but she couldn’t think of that right now. Instead of answering his question she asked one of her own. “Why did you bring me here?”

He smiled, the same sinister smile that he’d given before he’d tried to kill her that day she’d first stepped into this underworld. “I believe you can be of some use to me now that Page has a particular interest in you. Now that he has developed feelings for you.”

She was about to tell the sorcerer that despite what he may have seen in his vision, Alec had no real interest in her that way, but something made her keep her mouth shut.

“You are very much human.” He leaned back in his chair again. “I am not certain you have come into any kind of paranormal powers. Whatever the case, you will be interesting to experiment on.”

Experiment? She tried not to show any emotion but she knew her eyes had widened slightly with her surprise and another bout of fear. “How are you going to experiment on me?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“It will be quite interesting.” He gave a slow smile that caused a creeping sensation along her spine. He stood. “Come, Miss Stanfield.”

She didn’t want to obey but something compelled her to get up as if she couldn’t help herself. When she stood, he studied her body in a way that made her feel as if he was stripping her bare. The leather halter-top she wore was tight enough and low enough that generous cleavage showed and her midriff was bare. The leather pants fit snugly along her curves.

“I can see what males find attractive in you.” He let his gaze linger on her breasts. “There is something about you…some kind of pull.” His eyes met hers. “Perhaps we can explore that further once we are finished with our little experiment.”

Instead of embarrassing her, she felt her cheeks go hot with anger.

An amused expression crossed his features. “Come,” he said and started toward the doorway.

Again she felt compelled to obey and she followed him out of the drawing room and into the wide hall, her wrists still bound in front of her. He took her through the house and to a set of stairs that led downward. She remained behind him as he descended. When they reached the bottom, they were in a large basement with concrete walls and floors.

At the far end of the room was a chair that looked like a dentist chair but with straps on the armrests and straps for the legs as well.

Her heart beat faster when she saw a small clear bottle and a syringe on a table beside one of the chairs. They were going to shoot her up with a drug, maybe the same one that they’d been using on humans to give them powers.

“Welcome to the control room.” Dawson smiled at her. “It is here where we will experiment on you, Selena’s latest pet.” Loni stopped, refusing to budge when Dawson reached the chair. He scowled and said, “Come here, Miss Stanfield.”

When she didn’t move, he extended his hand and she felt a sudden pull that jerked her toward him. She stumbled and nearly fell as she was dragged forward. She fought against the pull but it was useless. The chair loomed before her and then she was beside it.

“Get in the chair,” the sorcerer said in a cold, hard voice.

She set her jaw and glared at him. He raised his hand again, but this time he backhanded her hard and fast.

Her head snapped to the side and stars sparked in her mind. She felt blood trickling from her nose onto her lip. He placed his hand on her chest and shoved. The backs of her legs hit the chair and she fell into it.

The next thing she knew, she was pinned to the chair by an invisible force. The magic ropes that had bound her wrists together vanished. She had no chance to react as straps magically secured her arms and legs so that she couldn’t move no matter how hard she struggled.

Her heart pounded harder and her throat grew dry. Dawson pulled up a swivel stool positioned at the height of the chair she was in. He dabbed blood from her nose and upper lip with a tissue before he tossed it.

“Propara is a mixture of a drug made from the pituitary gland of a paranorm and an additive that makes a human extremely loyal to me.”

Her eyes widened. “You’ve been the one murdering paranorms and drilling into their skulls?”

“Yes.” The sorcerer smiled. “The drug made from the gland is quite addictive once the human gets a taste of it.” He added, “In addition, the additive that I have put into the drug is designed to make it even more addictive as well as create an unbreakable bond between myself and the human subjects. Like a dog to the person who feeds it and trains it.”

“This version of Propara was created from the pituitary of a paranorm who had the ability to perform telekinesis, telepathy, and was clairvoyant.” He picked up the syringe. “You will be loyal to me regardless of the results of the drug once it is in your system.”

Her breathing grew harsher and faster as he inserted the needle into the bottle and filled the syringe with the drug. She felt light-headed as she watched him. The thought of having a drug inserted into her system was horrifying as was the threat that it would make her loyal to Dawson. The fact that it was made from a murdered paranorm made her beyond sick inside.

“Samuel was useful at administering Propara,” the sorcerer said. “It is unfortunate he had to be killed, but quite necessary.”

Loni swallowed, trying to force down her panic.

“Do not pretend there is no effect from the drug,” he said. “Because I promise you, I will know.”

“Please don’t.” Her voice shook as she begged him. “Please don’t do this.”

“Do not beg, Ms. Stanfield. It is unbecoming of you.” His hands felt cold as he touched her. He focused on her inner elbow and searched until he found a large vein to shoot the drug into.

She bit her lip, wanting to beg him again, but knew it was useless.

Tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She winced from the pain as he slid the needle into her vein.

The fluid burned as it entered her system and she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out as she watched him inject the drug. She was shaking so badly she wondered if the needle could snap off in her arm.

The burn traveled through her body and her skin started to prickle. She felt something change inside of her. Something so fundamental that she knew she’d never be the same.

Her gaze met Dawson’s and he smiled.

Chapter 16

Disgusted with himself, Alec left the drug dealer’s home, his boots thumping down the front stairs as task force emergency vehicle lights flashed red and blue over the scene. The rain had stopped but clouds still obliterated the moon.

Damn.
If Dawson’s men hadn’t gotten to them, Samuel might not be dead and they’d have him at task force headquarters, prying whatever information they could out of him.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and stood on the walkway now lined with trampled flowers and he closed his eyes for a moment. More importantly, Loni wouldn’t be missing and Lyle wouldn’t be dead.

“You doing okay?” Rider came up beside him and Alec opened his eyes.

With his thumb and forefinger, Alec rubbed his temples. “We’ve got to find Loni.”

Rider gave a nod in the direction of the street. “Big Boss is here.”

Alec turned, letting his hand fall away from his temples and watched Max walk through the front gate toward them. When Max reached them he paused to spit tobacco onto the perfectly manicured grass on the side of the walkway.

Max eyed Alec. “What the hell happened here?”

Alec explained what had happened and Max just listened.

“I think we might have a bead on the sorcerer’s location,” Max said when Alec finished.

“Where the hell is he?” A surge of hope shot through Alec. “How did you find him?”

“I’ve had a couple of task force detectives on Dawson’s trail for months now.” Max adjusted his John Deere cap. “They believe that after a lucky break they found his place. It’s in the desert just north of Fountain Hills off of 87. Pretty remote. He lives off grid and has a generator up there.” The Chief Enforcer’s southern accent seemed stronger. “His little compound is gated and locked up pretty damned tight from the information I’ve received.”

“We’ll get in,” Alec said with determination. “Nothing and no one is holding us back or keeping us out. We’ll get Loni and we’ll take out Dawson.”

“Need you to bring in Dawson alive.” Max held up his hand before Alec could protest. “I know he killed your daddy along with a hell of a lot of other paranorms and humans. But he’s got a lot to answer to, and the justice system will make sure he does.”

Heat crawled up Alec’s neck. “You know that’s a bunch of bullshit.” He shook his head. “There’s no bringing Dawson in.”

“That’s the word from the higher-ups.” Max hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “Of course if he puts up a fight and tries to kill one of my Enforcers, then all bets are off.”

“Understood.” Alec gave a sharp nod. “Now tell me where I can find him and Loni.”

Rider stood beside Alec as Max gave him the details. When the Chief Enforcer walked away, Rider said, “When do we leave?”

Alec shook his head. “I’m going this one alone.”

Rider snorted. “There’s no way in hell that any one of us is going to let you do that.”

“You don’t have a choice.” Alec clenched his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I call the shots.”

“Afraid not this time.” Rider slapped Alec on the shoulder. “Don’t forget I just got directions from Max, same as you. If you try to leave us behind, we’ll just follow.”