Midnight. Christi Whitney J.

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       4. Sebastian

       [17 hours ago]

      Rocking.

      Like a boat – Katie’s boat, out on the lake. Out with her family. Waves lapping the sides. Dipping in and out. Up and down. Sideways. Lulling and sleepy; a lullaby without song. Constantly repeating.

      Repeating …

      Repeating …

      My body awakened with a start. Every sense was flooded – with an overwhelming, pinpoint clarity that still shocked me. Noises and smells exploded inside me full force, and I registered exactly where I was before I even opened my eyes.

      The cage.

      I coughed out a mouthful of hay and pushed up onto my elbows. The paralyzing Vitamin D I’d been injected with was out of my system, freeing me to move again, but the rush of blood to my head made me dizzy. I blinked, using my gargoyle night vision in the darkness. My cage had been loaded into one of the Circe’s equipment trailers. Heavy locks clanged against the bars as we moved at a decent speed down the road.

      ‘Brilliant, Sebastian,’ I muttered. ‘You really thought this one through.’

      It had seemed like the best solution – allowing myself to be taken by Augustine to keep Josephine safe – but now doubts crept along the edges of my vision. The separation from Josephine felt like a constant throbbing ache, a wound that wouldn’t heal.

      The pang intensified as I began to fully realize the deal I’d made with Augustine and what it had cost. This was far from over. Coming up with a decent plan on an empty stomach, however, wasn’t going to be easy. Now that I was conscious again, hunger ate not only at my stomach, but also at my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head to clear it.

      ‘Stay focused,’ I whispered.

      The wheels of the trailer came to a stop, and an engine shut off. My heart thrummed nervously. I was having serious second thoughts about everything. I didn’t regret getting Augustine away from the Romany camp, but I had no idea what to do next.

      The heavy trailer door slid open and clanged into place. Faint light from the highway spilled through the opening, and my eyes instantly adjusted. Cold ice lodged in my chest, and a nasty burning smell singed my nostrils. Quentin Marks walked in. He was still in head-to-toe black, typical Marksmen attire, but his bow and quiver were gone. A snarl played across my lips. He stopped at the door to my cage, and it was at that moment another scent hit me.

      Meat. Dried and spiced.

      My mouth instantly watered. I curled my body into a tense crouch to keep from moving forward. Quentin smiled – thinly tight, like a piece of stretched rope. He pulled out a pouch of jerky and tossed it through the bars to the far side of the cage.

      It took everything inside my head to force myself to stay where I was. My claws, my teeth … everything strained for the meat. The hunger was very close to controlling me completely, and it was disgusting. Utterly and thoroughly disgusting. I hated being under the command of this thing, this dark, murky part of me. I managed to turn my head away.

      ‘No thanks.’

      ‘Oh, you’re going to want to eat,’ said Quentin. ‘We’re still a couple of hours out of Savannah, and from what I hear, you don’t fare well on an empty stomach.’

      I glared at him. ‘So why are you feeding me, then?’

      ‘It’s not my call,’ he answered. ‘I could care less if you starved. But Augustine wants you coherent when we arrive.’

      Coherent.

      Augustine not only knew about my gargoyle weaknesses, but also about my particular appetite as well. The knowledge of that made me feel sick. ‘And if I refuse to eat?’

      Quentin leaned closer to the bars. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to do that.’

      He leapt from the trailer and the door slammed shut again. I waited until we were moving again before I scrambled across the cage and ripped the meat free from the plastic wrapping. My instinctive reaction was embarrassing, and I was thankful no one was here to watch, especially Josephine.

      Josephine.

      Her name was like a punch in the gut.

      I didn’t want to imagine what she thought of me now. I clamped my teeth together and shoved Josephine from my thoughts. But the farther away we drove from the camp, the more off-centered I felt. I didn’t know how I’d function separated from my charge, but I had to find a way to manage. She was safe in Sixes, and that’s what mattered.

      The meat’s tangy scent was overwhelming. I wiped dribble from my chin. Eating would lighten the cloudy brain haze, but the thought of doing anything Quentin told me to was downright revolting. I gripped the package so tightly my knuckles burned. The jerky was probably tainted with something. That would explain why they wanted me to eat. No, I’d keep my head clear – not by eating their food, but by using my own force of will. I was not going to be Augustine’s pet.

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