Page 95 of Ravaged Devotion

Right, and with the power still out, that was going to make moving around and avoiding the creature a hell of a lot more difficult. Right now, there was still some light coming from the windows, though they’d pulled the blinds over them, so it wasn’t providing much. Enough to still see everything, in any case.

The billiards room had three tables set in a row, a leather couch and two armchairs at the far end, and the bar. None of the furniture was light enough, or near enough, for them to move to block the door, which was probably why he and Ryker had been able to walk in so easily. There wasn’t even a lock.

It didn’t seem all that safe, but at the same time…Was anywhere?

“Did you find anything outside?” Bowie asked Ryker, and Rue realized he hadn’t found any of that out himself yet.

“The pool house is on a separate power grid,” the Black Hart said, “but the service was still down, and there weren’t any computers or anything of the like we could even attempt to make a connection from.”

“So that’s it?” Ishleen crossed her arms. “What now?”

“The fog has to lift eventually,” Bowie stated, frowning when Ryker snorted.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Ryker stepped around the bar, searching the contents behind it before grabbing something. When he popped back up, he immediately held out a bottle of water to Rue.

“What does that mean?” Bowie asked.

“If someone really is responsible for all of this it wouldn’t end that easily.” Ryker watched as Rue drained half the water. As soon as he was satisfied he’d had enough, he opened his own bottle and took a chug before continuing his explanation. “Someone doesn’t want us leaving. I don’t think they’re just using the fog. A lot of us checked the weather forecast before arriving. Did any of you see this predicted? I didn’t.”

“You’re saying a person created this fog? What, like with those machines they use at crappy parties?” Ishleen glanced at the window. “And the monsters?”

“Developed from a game,” Rue risked revealing, watching Ryker’s face closely for any signs that could give him away.

But the Black Hart merely frowned along with everyone else. “What?”

“I found a game manual in Cosima’s office,” Rue continued. He’d snuck it out of his soiled sweats and into Ryker’s jeans when the Black Hart wasn’t looking before they’d left the closet, but he didn’t take it out to show anyone just yet.

He didn’t want anyone seeing Ryker’s name inside of it.

“One of those creatures is clearly shown on it. Whatever we’re dealing with, it’s not entirely natural.”

“Summoning creatures and somehow creating them are two very different things.” The Black Hart pursed his lips, considering this angle. “We assumed they’d hung speakers around the creature’s necks or something like that, to feed them our voices and scare us. But if there’s more to it than that…”

Rue knew Ryker. He wasn’t that good of an actor.

The Black Hart didn’t know what he was talking about.

The relief he felt over that truth had him swaying slightly, and he needed to brace himself on the edge of the bar. Bowie moved to help him, but Ryker was quicker, leaping over the counter top to land between the two of them, blocking his friend’s path.

“Rue?” Ryker rested one hand on his nape and the other on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He couldn’t exactly confess that he’d doubted him. “Just…dizzy for a moment.”

“Come sit down.” Ryker swept him up into his arms before he could say it wasn’t necessary, carrying him over to the other side of the room. He placed him gently down onto the chair furthest from the window, then knelt before him so he could inspect him.

“I’m fine,” Rue reassured, smiling in the hopes that would help make it believable. “Really.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

“This morning. Before…You know.”

“Wait here.” Ryker stood and returned to the bar, where Bowie and Ishleen were standing.

Lenore had come over to the sitting area with them, and now she frowned down at Rue. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s just been a rough couple of days, that’s all.”

His friend was quiet for a moment, then glanced over to the others before saying in a low tone, “It was what you found earlier, right? Was there anything else in the manual? Any other clues?”