"I think I'll file that under "things you probably shouldn't say in a university administration area." Unless you want to get arrested?"

  He grinned. Damn him, he was too cute for his own good. Or mine.

  "Not especially. I'm not into being restrained." He peered down the piece of paper and luckily missed my blush.

  "Have you tried it?" I asked in spite of myself.

  I knew I had said the wrong thing when a haunted look crossed his eyes.

  "That's a whole other story I won't get into," he muttered. "Cross check the numbers on your phone and see if it matches anyone." He pushed the paper across the top of the table toward me.

  "Okay." I opened my contacts and scrolled with one eye on the screen the other on the page.

  "It's not Dyson's," I noted with some relief. "Or Ariana's." I hadn't considered her for a moment. "Not Hamish either. Or Nash. It's obviously neither of my parents’, or…" I checked my phone, the paper and back again.

  "This makes no sense."

  "What? Whose is it?" Matt leaned over and squinted at my screen. "Why does that name seem familiar?"

  I shook my head in confusion. "Jess is my best friend outside the academy. It couldn't have been her, she can't use a drop of magic."

  "Just because she can't, doesn't mean it wasn't her phone," Matt said softly.

  "But how—" My heart sank. "This wasn't bullying, was it? They're using her to get to me."

  19

  Matt put a hand on my shoulder before I leapt to my feet and ran out the door.

  "What are you doing?" he hissed. "Apart from jumping to conclusions."

  "They have her." I jerked away from him.

  "They have her phone," he corrected. "Or had it at one in the morning. Apart from that, we know nothing."

  "We know someone is trying to screw with me," I said bitterly. I sagged back in the chair and rubbed my face.

  "We might know that," he conceded. "Going off half-cocked isn't going to help. We need more information."

  "So we can go off full-cocked?" I suggested.

  "Exactly." He smiled faintly. "When did you hear from her last? Or better yet, see her?"

  "During the holiday. I…I've been busy." Yeah, okay, I sucked as a best friend. For all I know, she had been kidnapped by Zeta and I hadn't known.

  Matt shrugged. "It happens. You haven't texted her or received a text from her?"

  "No." I double-checked my phone just in case. The last text we'd shared was weeks ago.

  "Social media?" Matt sat back and curled his hands around the arms of his chair.

  I opened an app and clicked on her profile. "She posted two nights ago. She was off to some party with a group from Melbourne University." The post included a selfie of Jess with a big smile on her face, black hair, and a yellow t-shirt.

  A wave of sadness washed over me. Even if she was fine, I missed her and the parties we used to go to together. We had been inseparable before I started at AMM.

  I liked the post and closed the app.

  "There's nothing after that." I tapped my fingers on the table. "Maybe I should shoot her off a text. It might—"

  My phone beeped with the text tone. I frowned at the name of the sender.

  "It's Jess." That couldn't be a coincidence. I had just liked her post. That might have alerted her, or whoever had her phone, that I was looking for her.

  "Open it," Matt said.

  I sucked in a breath and clicked on my messages.

  "Shit."

  "What?"

  I turned the screen so Matt could see the photo of Jess. She stared at the camera with wide eyes, full of fear. She wore the same yellow shirt she had on in her selfie, but her hair was a mess and her face was pale.

  "Fuck," Matt muttered. "Any idea where she is?"

  I looked back at the photo and searched behind her. She seemed to be on a stool in front of a table, or a bench of some kind. The detail was blurry, as if the sender didn't want me to see too much.

  After a while, I shook my head. "It's nowhere I recognise. Maybe I should ask."

  I thought Matt might laugh, but he looked thoughtful and nodded. "Yes, but not yet. We can call them, but we should have Nash in the room as well. He'll know what to listen for."

  I nodded. I would feel better with Nash involved. Who was I kidding; he'd be in charge. I might like to think of myself as a badass, but this was way beyond my field of experience.

  "What, you're not going to argue?" Matt sounded amused. I want to slap the look off his face.

  "Arguing might get her killed," I replied. I shoved the chair away from the table and stood.

  "Yes, it might." Matt shut the computer down and nodded to the admin staff before he steered me out of the room. "That might happen anyway. Nash might insist we not try to rescue her."

  I stopped and stared at him. "I beg your pardon? We can't just leave her there."

  Matt looked unapologetic. "If it means risking a few paranormals to save one normal, then we might have to. If it was my call—"

  "Well, it's not," I snapped.

  "And what if that's the call Nash makes?" Matt asked evenly.

  "Then I'll go without you all." I resumed walking.

  "You'll get yourself killed."

  "Then you won't have to put up with me anymore," I told him. "I'm sure you'll be relieved."

  He caught my arm and turned me to face him. "I would not be relieved." He searched my face with eyes laced with something I couldn't read. It almost seemed as if he cared or something. More than he'd let on.

  "I don't want to see anyone die," he said finally. "Not even you."

  "You said "especially you" wrong." I gave him a sarcastic smile.

  He snorted. "You wish."

  "Ha. Hardly." Okay, I did, but wish it a little bit, even though my hands were full enough with the guys who admitted they cared.

  I pulled my arm back, but he held it firmly. "Here's where you let go so I don't kick you in the nuts," I said dryly.

  "Well, if my nuts are at stake." He loosened his grip and stood back.

  "Wise choice." I rubbed my arm. "I'd like to have a deep and meaningful conversation about why you looked at me the way you did, but my friend is currently being held hostage."

  He rubbed his chin. "You imagined it, but yes, now is not the time. I trust you know where we're going?"

  "Of course." I started toward Nash's room. "How do you know?"

  "I make it my business to know."

  "Some day you're going to have to explain a lot of things to me." I knocked on Nash's door.

  "If you're alive to hear it, I might," Matt said, his voice tight.

  I glanced over my shoulder in time to see that haunted look he got in his eyes. I knew Zeta had done something to him, but I didn't know what. I suspected he'd been born in a lab and had tests run on him for at least a part of his life. I had no idea what else they had done or even how he had escaped that existence. I was sure Zeta wanted him as much as they wanted me.

  "I'll be alive all right," I assured him. "I'll survive if only to hear your backstory."

  "I'm flattered." Matt gave me a funny look. He might have said more, but Nash's door swung open.

  Nash gave me a hungry look, but it was quickly doused when he saw Matt as well. "I guess this is business," he said quietly. He ushered us inside and closed the door before he kissed me deeply.

  "No offence, but this is important." Matt sounded unimpressed.

  "So is this," I retorted, but I stepped away from Nash and leaned my hip against the table. I told Nash everything we knew.

  "Show me the photo." Nash held out his hand for my phone. He peered at the text and frowned. "It's nowhere I know either. Did you try to trace it?"

  I frowned at him, then at Matt.

  "It wasn't sent with magic." Matt shrugged. "I'm not familiar with the use of normal's tracking software."

  "We'll have to rectify that," Nash told him. "In the meantime, call them." He handed the phone back to me.

  Trembling, I took it and opened my contacts. "Are you sure? This might provoke them."

  "It might," Nash agreed, "but it's most likely what they're waiting for. Until we make contact, we don't know what they want."

  "We know exactly what they want," I said bitterly. "They want us all under their control." They wanted to use me and my magic to breed hybrids. My stomach twisted into a knot.

  "We'll make sure that doesn't happen," Nash said fiercely. A flash of green lit his eyes, but it was gone a heartbeat later. I suspected, given half a chance, he'd shift into his dragon form and blast Zeta off the face of the planet. If I thought it was that simple, I might let him. It wouldn't be simple though. All his retaliation would do was slow them down a little and destroy him.

  I exhaled deeply and pressed on Jess' number. The phone rang. And rang. Just when I thought it would ring out, it clicked.

  My heart kicked into overdrive.

  "Hello?" I said into my phone. "Who's there? Jess?"

  "Peyton?" Her voice on the other end of the line was tiny.

  "Jess! Are you all right?" I lifted frantic eyes to Nash's face. He looked so calm it was almost contagious. Almost. He gave me a nod and waved for me to keep talking.

  "What have they done to you?" I asked. "Are you injured?"

  "No, I'm okay." She spoke louder now, but high with obvious fear. "They want you to come here."

  Of course they did. "Where are you?"

  "They'll text you the address. They only want you to come."

  "Right." I've seen enough movies to know how this goes. Arrive alone, tell no one, especially the cops. "When?"

  The line was silent for a moment before she added, "They'll text that, too. They'll destroy the phone afterward so you can't call me again."

  "I'll get you out of there," I assured her. "You're going to be fine. I promise."

  "Peyton…don't come, save your—" The line went dead.

  "Shit." I pressed the call button again, but no one answered. A couple of minutes later, a text popped up from her number.

  Then…nothing.

  I flopped down onto a chair and placed my phone on the table. It was that or throw it at the window in fear and frustration.

  Nash stepped over, checked my phone, and made a note of the address they'd sent. "It's not far from here. They haven't given us much time to plan."

  "Is there any point in me reminding you they said to come alone?" I asked wearily.

  The guys exchanged looks.

  "No," Matt said.

  "None," Nash agreed. "Since Dyson and Kane are indisposed, it'll be just us. I don't think it's necessary to bring in Ariana or Hamish."

  "It would be better to keep this small anyway," Matt said. "Just us three."

  "I meant two," Nash said, "Peyton and I."

  "Not a chance," Matt said immediately. "She might get you killed."

  "She won't," Nash said firmly.

  "No, I won't," I agreed. "I'm going alone."

  "The hells you are," Nash growled. "If I have to tie you down to keep you from doing something crazy, I will."

  "While that might be fun, I'm done putting everyone else in danger."

  "We can take care of ourselves." Matt's face was slightly flushed. Was it all that talk about tying me down? "It's three of us or no one. If I have to, I'll go to the council and have them—"

  Nash threw up his hands. "Fine, we're all going." He pointed a finger at Matt. "But if you ever threaten me again, it'll be the last thing you do here at the academy."

  "That wasn't a threat," Matt replied coolly. "Just a matter of fact. I—"

  "All right, can you stop?" I rubbed my temples. "Your dicks are about the same size, but if you want to pull them out and compare them, that's fine by me. In the meantime, make your plans and do it quickly. If Jess dies while you two are arguing—"

  I sucked in a breath and wiped a tear off my cheek. I felt as though my life had started to implode, and it was dragging everyone else down with it. Maybe they'd be better off without me. They'd certainly be under less risk.

  Okay, that was an assumption. Zeta had been operating for longer than I had been alive. It would be around after I was gone, unless we could bring it down. I suspected all we would ever do was make a dent on their armour, but I sure as hells wasn't going to let them kill my best friend.

  Nash nodded. "It'll be tricky, but here's what we do…"

  20

  "This is a bad idea," I muttered to myself. If I had a shred of sense, I would make myself invisible, ditch the guys and go after Jess by myself. What I lacked in sense, I made up for in reason. Both guys were hybrids. Both could do magic as well as shift. I needed their help. Besides, they'd kill me if I tried to lose them. Not literally. I hoped.

  I approached the warehouse, eyes peeled for any movement. The place looked deserted. I know that was just for appearances, so no nosy people sniffed around. That would be the theory, at least. If I was looking for a hideout, or a place to live so I didn't have to sleep on the streets, this was exactly the kind of place I'd come to.

  I sucked in a breath, squared my shoulders and approached the small door on the side of the building. The only other entrance was a huge set of roller doors which looked locked down tight.

  I half expected to be grabbed by an invisible witch or two before I even got near the door. My body was tensed for it. The only sound was that of my feet walking on gravel, and the whisper of wind. Every so often a car would pass, or a dog would bark in the distance. I heard no voices, no approaching army of invisible boots.

  I stopped a metre from the door and listened again. Was this even the right place? The idea that this might be a wild goose chase occurred to me. They could have moved Jess to some other location by now. Hells, she might never have been here.

  My skin tingled. The hair on the back of my neck rose. This was all kinds of wrong. Not just because I was risking my own life, but because at least three million things could go wrong with Nash's plan. Okay, maybe not that many, but I stopped counting after eleven.

  "Who's there?" I called out.

  No answer.

  I rubbed my arm absently and stepped forward. My breath held, I tapped on the door. Once, twice, three times, just as instructed. The sound echoed inside the building, as though the whole place was empty.

  The door swung open without a sound. Definitely not the rusty groan I was expecting. That in itself said a lot. How many not-so-deserted warehouses did Zeta have? How many contained hostages or paranormals held against their will?

  "Hello?" I stepped closer, but not through the doorway yet.

  Back out the street, a driver beeped their horn and I jumped.

  "Bloody hells," I muttered. I was tense, obviously. Who wouldn't be in a situation like this? I glanced over my shoulder, but the car was already gone.

  I counted to sixty, stepped inside the warehouse and made myself invisible.

  Okay bastards, game on.

  The room just inside the door must have been an office of some kind. A long desk was built into one wall. The door behind it was the only way into the rest of the building. It sat closed at the moment, but I heard raised voices beyond it. I stopped to listen but couldn't make out the words. The tone was obvious enough—they were angry.

  Things which could go horribly wrong number five. The first four hadn't eventuated. Yet.

  I held onto the magic while I clambered over the desk. I just managed to land silently on the other side when the door flew open. It clanged against the opposite wall and bounced back half-shut.

  A familiar red-haired man stalked through the doorway.

  Fitz.

  "I know you're here, you fucking bitch," he snarled. "Show yourself!"

  When he put it that way…

  Even though he couldn't see it, I flipped him the finger and stepped lightly toward the door.

  "I'm going to kill your friend." He turned a slow circle, hands raised, so I knew he had no idea where I was. "And then I'll make sure you're locked away, where you belong, in Zeta's laboratory."

  I rolled my eyes at his tirade.

  "Once you're safely in Zeta custody, I will make it my personal mission to break you."

  Okay, now this guy was pissing me off. How much trouble had he gotten into for losing Dyson that he was so vindictive as a result? To be fair, he was a dick before the car crashed into the waterslide. Now he was an angry, vengeful dick.

  I bit back a retort and snuck past him and through the door.

  If he suspected anything, he gave no sign. He climbed onto the desk and jumped down the other side, muttering to me as he went.

  On the other side of the door was a large room.

  Jess sat tied to a chair, confused, but hopeful. Every so often her eyes would dart around as though she somehow knew I was there.

  Several people in Zeta uniforms lay still on the ground nearby. Not dead, but unconscious for a while. Nash must have succeeded in reaching the roof and dumping a cylinder of gas into the air vents. The gas would only work on shifters, and only for a few hours, but it was enough. Thank the gods it worked on hybrids, too. On the other hand, the number of hybrids working for Zeta was breathtaking.

  Only a handful of agents remained standing, or crouched beside hybrids. They might all be normals, but they might also be witches or wizards. This war went deeper than normals versus paranormals. It was more like…paranormals and normals who wanted the world under their heel and those who didn't.

  I swallowed down my outrage and focused. Without knowing what I was dealing with, I had to be careful. Neither Matt nor Nash could help me until I got Jess clear of the building. That was the most difficult part of this plan, and the place where the most things could go wrong.

  I stepped over closer to her, my steps as silent as I could make them.

  Three metres.

  Two metres.

  One metre.

  I dropped to a crouch behind her.

  "Whatever you do, don't flinch," I whispered.

  She startled slightly, but not enough to draw attention to herself. She lowered her head as if to nod and raised it again. She wriggled her hands, but they were bound hard with cable ties.

 

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