Confined (A Tethered Novel, Book 3) (29 page)

I swallowed hard and pressed the palms of my hands against
the cool stone beneath me.

“It’s true—think of the way water can absorb heat,” Admer
continued as though he needed to prove his point further. “With the black
magick found in that old book, I’ve learned how to tap into that absorbing
power without the use of an initiated group.”

My mind froze. There was no way he should be able to do
that. It shouldn’t be possible, unless he were a mixed breed—or, apparently,
tethered to a Conjuror like me long enough to become one.

“Only problem is, it has to be done during a Dark Moon,” he
continued. At this point, I had to wonder if he enjoyed the sound of his own
voice or if he was simply dripping with anticipation for what was about to
happen. “Granted, there is a Dark Moon once every month, but I’m a greedy
person when it comes to magick…and I don’t like to wait.”

“What are you planning to do? Suck the magick out of me?” I
asked. My voice was small and cracked numerous times as I attempted to speak.

“Precisely.” Admer’s eyes brightened. “Water is a nice
element to have, don’t get me wrong, but combined with the others, I could be
invincible. Harnessing all four elements was something I’d only ever read about
in fiction novels and witnessed on TV…until I found that book. Turns out it’s
not something that’s so farfetched after all.”

“If that’s so, then why hasn’t anyone else ever attempted it
before?” I asked, knowing I should at least try to hold a conversation with
him. Maybe it would give me enough time to figure out how in the hell I was
going to get out of here, as well as more time to allow my mobility to creep
back.

He glanced down at the cotton ball in his hand. Then as if
determining he hadn’t gotten enough blood, he returned to wiping the tip of my
pierced index finger with it.

“Good question.” He smiled at me the way a proud father
would when their child had done something worthy. It was an unsettling thing to
see, considering. “The answer is simple—people are lazy. If they can’t Google
it and get an instant answer, then they don’t bother with it. Reading book
after book to learn the old-fashioned way about something has been deemed a
thing of the past and a waste of time by today’s society.”

He was right. People were lazy in that way.

“I see your point,” I said.

He let go of my hand, and it fell limply to my side.

“Before I begin, there’s one thing I’d like to tell you,” he
said. He paused as though he were waiting for me to say something.

“What?” I muttered when he didn’t continue.

Fear rippled through me. I had no idea what was about to
happen or what he was about to say. Locking eyes with him, I wiggled my toes.
They moved without much thought this time. Maybe I was back in business. There
was only one way to find out.

“You are a savior.” The words came from him in such a
mocking way they made my scalp prickle.

“A savior?” I asked.

“Yes. You saved two lives tonight by becoming initiated and
increasing the tether between the Van Rooyen boy and yourself.”

I didn’t understand. “How?”

“I had planned on harvesting all four of your group’s magick
after you were initiated, but since you became tethered to that boy…my plan
changed. The power of an actual blood-born Conjurer is much more valuable in my
eyes than that of all four elements,” he said.

“And how do you figure that?” I asked.

My strategy was to keep him talking for as long as I could,
because the second he started toward the makeshift bar, I was going to make a
run for it. I just needed a little more time to gather my bearings.

“Let’s just say that upon reading this ancient book, I’ve
come to realize I enjoy life on the darker side a little more than I had
originally thought.” He flashed me a wicked smile. “And with the power of a
Conjurer added to your element of fire, I’d become unstoppable. And quite
literally actually.”

I didn’t say anything. What was there to say? Instead, I
continued to focus all of my thoughts on gaining control of my body back.

“Whatever it is you’re thinking, hold that thought and let
me get something that will clear everything up nicely for you.” He turned back
to the ingredients he’d spread about, and I took that moment to see if my legs
would move higher than my hand had before.

I was able to lift my leg up and bend it at the knee with
minimum resistance. Suppressing a squeal, I enjoyed the rejuvenating sense of
adrenaline as it surged through my body. Escape was possible. Admer moved away
from the bar, capturing my attention. I’d thought he was coming back to me and
I’d wasted my chance, but then he did something I wasn’t expecting—he shifted
to the right and headed to the gravel road and away from me.

Had my luck suddenly become so great that he would leave me
here, thinking I was still stationary?

Sitting up slowly, I watched as he continued toward where
he’d parked his vehicle. There was a large dark shape beside it I hadn’t
noticed until now. It took me a second to make out what my eyes were seeing—
Kace’s
car.

Why had Kace’s car been parked out here? What the hell was
going on now?

Torn between wondering if I should make a run for it and
being utterly confused as to why his car would be here, when I’d clearly seen
him left in the tiny room I’d been confined to for so many days, I remained
frozen on the large slab of rock, staring.

The trunk popped open, and the low rumble of Admer’s voice
met with my ears as though he were talking to himself. Intense warmth flooded
me, and I knew exactly what was going on—Theo was in the trunk.

My eyes remained glued to the area where Admer stood. I knew
it was Theo in there; it was the only explanation for the warmth I felt
splashing through my insides. Chewing on my bottom lip, I realized there was no
way I could make a run for it now. Not until I found out if Theo was all right.

I had to form a new plan, one that included getting both of
us out of here.

I prayed Kyra wasn’t in there too. As long as it was just me
and Theo I had to worry about, things seemed like they might be bearable, but
adding a third person made everything seem nearly impossible.

Thankfully, Theo was the only person Admer pulled out of the
trunk.

Shifting into the position I’d been in before, I gazed up at
the star-filled sky above me. A slight breeze blew across my exposed skin, and
I prayed it was Theo’s doing, but from the grunts and moans sounding through
the night as Admer lugged him closer toward me, I was positive it wasn’t.

Shit. What was I going to do now?

Once Admer’s head came into my peripheral vision, I shifted
my eyes to follow him. Theo was at his side, hobbling along on a clearly broken
leg. Blood near his shin had soaked through the tattered blue jeans he wore. My
gaze traveled up the length of him, searching for any other visible wounds he
may have. His right shoulder appeared to be wet with something. It glistened in
the moonlight, and I was positive it was more blood. There was also a trickle
running down his cheek. Our eyes locked, and a more intense heat slid through
me. It became trapped in my throat, and tears swelled in my eyes. It took
everything I had not to let them flow freely.

Don’t cry. We’ll be all right.

Theo’s voice whispered through my head. A certain sense of
calm slithered through me at the sound of it, but doubt and worry of
how
we would make it through this in order to be all right killed the calm
instantly.

I don’t know how, Theo. I was drugged with something and
I’m just now gaining back control over my body. And your leg is clearly
freaking broken.

I sounded frantic, even in mind talk. Jesus, I was going to
lose it any minute now. I could feel my body begin to tremble.

I said we’ll be all right. Trust me. I won’t even have to
move a finger. Just listen to me and do what I say, when I say
.

Swallowing hard, I cringed inside as I heard Theo moan in
pain as Admer shoved him roughly on a second rock slab to my right I hadn’t
noticed before.

Trust me, all right?

Theo’s voice boomed through my mind, penetrating my internal
crying.

I do,
I answered back as I heard him being strapped
into place.

“I really should have prepared for this a little better,”
Admer said. “Initially, I was going to have four rocks here, but that seemed
like an awful lot of work, so I downgraded to none. Then things changed again
and I wound up getting two, but what I really needed was more of the paralyzing
serum,” Admer muttered to himself as he continued to strap Theo in place. “Next
time, I guess.”

Next time? When would there be a next time?

When I say so, I want you to light yourself on fire
exactly like you did at my house
.
Got it?
Theo said, interrupting my
thoughts. His voice was softer, calmer somehow, as though he were focusing on
something with everything in him.

Okay,
I answered back, hoping my nervous emotions
didn’t distract him from whatever it was he was focusing on completely.

I called to my magick, praying it would answer. In my mind,
I remembered what Kyra had told me…how to draw out a wisp of magick here and
there, little by little. I envisioned what I’d seen that day—the red, orange,
and yellow ribbons.

Admer’s voice continued talking in the background. I could
hear him, but I struggled to tune him out as best I could. This made him sound
far away and distorted in a sense. I was glad, because there was no way I would
be able to focus on him and attempt to gain control over my magick at the same
time.

Exhaustion had numbed my mind once I finally caught a grip
on the first wisp. Theo moaned and I lost it. Shifting my head in his
direction, I noticed Admer was now dabbing something near Theo’s wound on his
leg.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I didn’t even have to
prick your finger.” Admer’s lips twisted into a sinister smile. “Now, we can
begin.”

Admer started toward the makeshift bar without a single
glance my way. I watched his back as his hands moved rapidly around the table,
combining ingredients into a large bowl placed in front of him.

Gray clouds moved in front of the moon, taking away what
little light I could see by. This didn’t seem to bother Admer in his movements;
instead, it made him chuckle.

“Your tricks won’t work on me, Hoodoo boy,” Admer said. He
glanced at Theo from over his shoulder. “Clouds and the slight amount of wind
you’re creating won’t stop what I have planned, and I know you don’t have the
energy for much more.”

I flicked my eyes to Theo. He was unmoving and his eyes were
closed. Was he moving the clouds to cover the moon’s light or was he
unconscious?

The chilled fingers of panic crept along my spine. If he was
unconscious, how was I going to get both of us out of here? There was no way I
could carry him, same as there was no way that I would leave without him.