Matilda was now outright glaring at the two females on the bathroom floor and circlingbothraised index fingers with frankly terrifying emphasis.
“Um—” Gwen began.
“Hugh cares deeply for you. I know that for a fact. I canfeelit with every heartbeat. But…I need to warn you, Gwennie. Even if Hugh believes Dottie, he…” A pained expression creased Eloise’s borrowed face. “He might not stage a rescue. If his attempt failed, he’d be endangering not onlyhislife but also our family’s reputation. And he’s always been very rule bound, with a deep sense of responsibility toward our parents.”
Eloise didn’t need to sound so apologetic. Gwen had already known that her odds of a rescue within the next twenty-four hours were low.Verylow.
“If my brother doesn’t act on Dottie’s information, I’ll…” Bleak worry darkened the demon’s eyes to jet. “I’ll tell my supervisor down here about the encampment.”
Making indirect contact with her brother would be risky enough—but outright admitting to her Realm Below boss that she’d broken her afterlife assignment rules? Gwen didn’t even want to imagine what the consequences of that admission might entail.
She bit her lip until she tasted blood. “I’m so sorry, Eloise.”
“Shut up, you two,” Matilda hissed in an aggravated whisper, having given up on hand signals. “He’scoming.”
She didn’t have to specify whichhe. From her tone, they already knew.
The other oracle vanished from the doorway, while Gwen and Eloise scrambled to their feet. By the time Josiah stormed into the tiny bathroom a few seconds later, Eloise had a firm grip on Gwen’s arm and was lecturing her in the haughty tones of a demon who resented the necessity of addressing her inferior.
Gwen cowered in her hold, grateful for an excuse not to look directly at her fae captor.
“You won’t escape, oracle.” Eloise gave Gwen’s arm a shake. “Even if you did, my son will never spend another minute of his precious time with the likes of a two-bit human seductress like—”
“I thought you’d left long ago, Marlee.” Josiah interrupted the dramatic tableau without apology, his eerily bright green eyes narrowed with distrust. “I didn’t call for you. Why are you in the Realm? And why have you intruded upon my encampment without permission?”
To Eloise’s credit, she didn’t hesitate. “I felt this underpowered fraud”—another shake—“needed another reminder to stay away from Hugh.”
Josiah’s assessing stare only narrowed further. “As you noted, she won’t escape. Why bother issuing threats to someone with no future?”
“I, uh…” The demon faltered. “My outrage over her actions and their consequences for my entire family must have…must have overcome me.”
That halting explanation wouldn’t convince a toddler, much less Josiah.
“Such impulsivity isn’t like you, Marlee.” The statement was freighted with unspoken threat. “Explain to me—”
“I need to go,” Eloise blurted out, and abruptly teleported away.
Well,thatcertainly wasn’t suspicious, Gwen thought in half-hysterical panic.
For a moment, her arm tingled at the spot where Hugh’s sister had gripped her so tightly. Then she staggered toward the sink and sagged against the filthy porcelain, belatedly realizing that Eloise’s hold had been helping to keep her upright.
Josiah’s hand whipped out, and he snatched her braid in his merciless grip. She tried to cringe away from him, but as she’d told Matilda earlier: There was nowhere to go.
Before he could hurt her, one of the guards barged into the bathroom. Josiah turned immediately toward the masked male and began issuing orders.
“Track down the demon. Find out what the fuck is going on.” The fae spat out the words like soured milk. “If you find any evidence that she’s sabotaging our group’s efforts, kill her and her useless human husband.”
At that command, yet more guilt bowed Gwen’s shoulders, and tears of anxiety and terror slipped down her cheeks.
As far as she knew, absolutely no evidence of Marlee working against the conspirators should exist, and Hugh’s mother truly did seem like a terrible being. Timothy, from all accounts, was equally awful. But their loss would still gut Hugh, and Gwen didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths. Even indirectly.
When Josiah returned his attention to her, after the guard had left, he eyed her tears with disgust. After a single, neck-jarring yank, he unwound her braid from around his wrist and tossed itaway from him like trash. “I have no time to interrogate a sniveling, useless human too stupid and powerless to plot against me. I’ll deal with you tomorrow, failed oracle.”
Without another word to her, he strode through the door and into the main room.
Overcome with relief, Gwen clutched the sink with both hands, chin against her chest, and only cried harder.
“The encampment will be moved elsewhere,” Josiah announced to the other oracles. “Immediately.”
