Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

39

A hard but warm pillow supported my head. Lucas held me on his lap, my cheek resting against his chest. Somehow, it didn't feel weird. The warm waves of calm that rolled off him and into me proved that he was trying to help me. His hand rubbed light circles of comfort on my back and it felt like heaven.

With a sigh, I wriggled out of his lap, not really wanting the moment to end. I took in my surroundings with my other senses, as the dark obscured everything. It was cold, damp and smelly. We were in some sort of cave.

Patting the floor around me, I found the remains of the zip-ties. Next I fumbled until I felt the warm, calloused skin of Lucas's hand. I was blind in here, so I was damn well going to stick close to him.

"Did they cut the ties?"

"No, we were still bound when I came round. I broke them."

So whoever had organised our abduction was happy to leave us bound and defenceless. It didn't surprise me. There was only one person I knew who worked with gargoyles – my father, Jonathan Device. And my welfare had never been his concern.

"How's your wound?" I asked, diverting my attention to somebody who was interested in keeping me safe.

"I heal fast."

"Okay..."

It was December, and the severe cold was infused with an evil damp that sunk into my bones, creating a paradoxical level of discomfort that entailed both aching and numbness. I was still wearing my ill-advised princess dress with Lucas's tux jacket draped over my shoulders. I started to shrug it off, it wasn't fair that Lucas suffered because I'd given in to an irrational need to dress like a frilly idiot.

"Get that back on," he said gruffly. "My body temperature runs hot. You really need to keep covered up right now."

"If you're sure?"

He didn't even bother to answer. My eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness now, and I caught a look that sent a different kind of heat flushing through my body. I pulled the jacket tight around me, adjusting the lapels so that it covered the exposed skin of my chest. Why did I have to choose such a low cut gown?

Dread filtered through me when my hand brushed over my skin. Where the hell was my pendant? Scrabbling around on the floor of the cave, Lucas's warm hand on my shoulder stilled my frantic movements.

"What is it, Alice?"

"Where is it? I need it. Oh God no," I muttered, jerking away from his hold. I was totally screwed if I couldn't find that pendant. He'd been ok so far, but who knew how long we were going to be stuck in this confined space. I could feel the fuzzy heat of his magic now, and I was damn sure that my life-force could feel it too.

My searching got more and more panicked, my fingers scrabbling through the loose dirt on the floor. When the grasp of a warm hand stilled my arm for the second time. I turned, certain that I'd be met with the grimace of a mind falling victim to my silver magic.

Instead, Lucas pulled me into his body again, encasing me in his reassuring embrace. For a moment, I stilled, worried that he was losing it. But that wasn't it. Lucas's warmth infiltrated every cell of my being, pushing out all the negative emotions that I'd come to associate with my unruly magic. My life-force purred in appreciation.

"What are you?"

Bright green eyes glowed in response. A low growl filled the space, making the air vibrate to its frequency.

"Wolf," Lucas said, "my pack will be tracking me."

My eyes widened as my tired brain tried to make sense of what he'd said. Sure, werewolf, why not? I should have expected it I suppose, it was only a matter of time. What would be next, fairies, dragons, what about unicorns?