Inborn (The Birthright Book 1)

Chapter 20

I returned to a relatively safe part of the hallway. The Azmon brother and dog-creature still pounded each other, and I wondered if they'd eventually bring the house down from the amount of dust on the floor. I stepped out into the open. The Azmon brother gripped the dog-creature by the neck. I yelled until my throat hurt before I got his attention.

I tensed when his cold blue eyes zeroed in on me.

"Hey!" I said. "Over here. Come and get me." I didn't sound as enthusiastic about it as I should have, and I could only hope I could pull this off.

The dog-creature's black eyes widened. "What are you doing? Run!"

The Azmon brother hurled the dog-creature down the hall. He slammed into the wall by the stairs, a gilded painting above him crashing over his head.

The Azmon brother smirked, then charged me, his eyes confident of success.

I gave him a few seconds to feel that way, then sprinted toward him, pumping my arms, visualizing what I was about to do. Especially since I'd never even attempted it before.

Right before we collided, I opened a two-sided portal that dropped us into the mansion's secret basement. My positioning had to be perfect, so he landed smack in the center of the containment unit, and I landed in front of the console.

Instead of ramming into him, it was like we ran through each other, coming out of the portal in opposite directions. My feet hit the stone floor of the basement, and metal clanged behind me as he landed on the containment unit. I slammed my palm onto the "Activate" button on the console, and felt sweet relief as the unit buzzed and hissed to life behind me.

I dared to turn and saw the brother's face contort in panic as the laser walls closed in around him. He spun around, the soles of his shoes squeaking on the metal floor, searching every which way for a way out, until finding my eyes. Though I thought my heart might just pump itself to death, I managed a satisfied smile. He went to touch the bluish wall, but hesitated.

"I wouldn't," I said. "It can turn stone to dust."

His face hardened and I wasn't sure if he was about to burst into a fit of rage or sob. Maybe he felt conflicted too, because he just clenched his fists and glared at me.

I folded my arms, swaggering forward. "Call your brother. Tell him if he wants you back, he has to trade my friend for you."

His face was puzzled, and a little wavy through the laser. "What friend?"

"You kidnapped my friend at school the other day. That's why we're here. And you're going to give her back or I will leave you here to rot."

He got as close to the laser wall as he dared. "Look, princess. I don't know what you're talking about. We want the man who's murdered our brothers. We didn't kidnap your friend."

I was on my last nerve at that point and shaking and about to explode when the little door that led there from the bedroom burst open and Lachlan fell through. Blood trickled down the side of his face.

"They didn't do it," Lachlan said, out of breath.

I could barely process that he was standing in front of me. "Where have you been?"

He blinked. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Sure. But...but they had to..."

Lachlan shook his head, his black hair in a sweaty mop around his face. "Think about it. Why would they kidnap Joss only to then kidnap you? It doesn't make sense."

He had a point. Kidnapping Joss had made sense until now. But if they were just going to kidnap me as bait or something, what was the use in taking Joss?