Nothing happened. No one moved. I bit back a wave of despair.
“Did you bind her yet?”
“Yes. Of course,” Luciana said. “We’ll start now.”
Someone struck a match. The faint smell of wood burning filled the room.
I could feel the magic before Luciana said anything. Her spell seeped under my skin and my back bowed in pain, and I screamed through the cotton stuffed in my mouth.
I struggled against the bonds, but whatever they were made of was too strong for a Were—or at least this Were—to break.
It was like slime was sliding under my skin. Oily. Dirty.
I screamed again as I struggled. It felt like I was getting bit by a million fire ants all at once.
The chanting started and then it was all I could do to breathe.
I was being sucked dry. All my power was draining away. Separating.
A hand held each of my shoulders. One was bigger, stronger than the other.
I didn’t understand the words, but I could feel my power being absorbed by them. My alpha powers were going to Mr. Hoel. My bruja to Luciana.
The hands let go of me and I thrashed as much as my bonds would allow. I didn’t care as they bit into my skin.
The smell of sulfur choked the room and the chanting got louder.
Tears rolled down my cheeks. Something was burning under my skin. Like I was on fire inside.
I screamed until my voice was hoarse, but it didn’t do any good. The sound was muffled against the cloth. Overrun by the chanting. But I couldn’t stop. So much pain.
Suddenly the room was quiet except for my screams and breathing.
Hands unchained me from the ground, and I was dragged across the floor. A door shut, and I was sobbing. Unable to stop.
My powers were gone. I could feel them missing. Like they’d chopped off my arm. I felt dead inside. Drained. No more.
They’d taken a piece of my soul.
I thought I’d die there. That I would never get to go home. I’d never see my parents again. Never see my brother.
And Dastien.
There were so many things I wished I could do. That I wished I’d done. And now, here I was. Tied up. All my powers drained. In the dark.
It was a while before my harsh gasps slowed. Before I could think clearly. It could’ve been minutes or hours, but when I did, I knew three things.
I was alive.
I had to get out of here.
And I had to stop Mr. Hoel and Luciana. No matter what. Even if I started a war. Even if it outed us all to the humans. Even if it cost me my life and the lives of others.
They were evil.
Somewhere in the dark, I found clarity. Focus.
I remembered Grams’ words from the journal.
…you that even at your darkest hour, when you’re stripped bare, I will be with you. Don’t ever lose faith.
That was how I felt now. Stripped bare. But I didn’t have faith. It was gone. I was broken. They’d already taken my powers. They’d ripped something so vital from me it was like my soul was rent in two.
I wiggled around in the space as I sobbed. Something brushed against my face and I jerked, knocking my head against the wall before I realized it was just a robe. One of the robes I’d seen in here earlier.
Something about the feeling of the cloth against my face made me calm down. I was forgetting something.
I shook as I lay there.
I should never have broken into the craft room. And I should’ve run as soon as I got the vision from that knife—
I sucked in a breath. The knife.
The tiniest spark of hope flared inside me.
It had to be in here. Please, God. Let it still be in here.
My hands were tied behind my back, but I could roll a little and feel the walls. I moved around and found a way to sit up. Sort of.
I frantically searched. Praying. Hoping. Please, let Grams be right. It was here. I knew it was.
I felt along all the walls and still nothing. Exhausted I relaxed against the floorboards.
Come on, Tessa. Keep looking. It’s got to be here.
I needed to sit up more. I wiggled until my back was against the wall, and then rolled until I was sitting. My head clunked into a shelf, and something rattled.
I froze. Was that the knife?
Something else Grams had written came to mind.
The thing that will set you free is just above your head. Don’t be afraid to break through.
I hit my head against the shelf harder, and the rattle came again.
I didn’t want to hurt myself, but I’d heal. I was still a werewolf, even if Mr. Hoel had a hold on my alpha powers. I wasn’t afraid.
I positioned myself just under the shelf, right where I heard the rattle.