23. Grace

Chapter twenty-three

Grace

W hen we were all summoned to Gregori’s office the next afternoon, I knew it wasn’t going to be good. He was already seated behind his desk when we walked in, his face oddly neutral for a man whose son had been kidnapped.

“I heard from Douglas Harding,” he announced without any preamble, knocking the breath out of my lungs.

“And what does he want?” Erik replied, signing for Jesse to follow along.

“As you can imagine, he’s offered me a trade. Grace for my son,” he replied, watching us impassively.

“Well that’s not going to fucking happen,” Erik stated, signing aggressively. Jesse’s arm slid around my waist, tugging me closer.

“I requested proof that Anders is still alive to buy us a few hours of deliberation,” Gregori told us, way too calm for a situation like this. I hated how little his own son mattered to him. “Have you come up with a plan yet? ”

“We have. It’s not a great plan, but it’ll do the job.” Erik sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Jesse and I will head out and do some recon today, and then we’ll reconvene this evening. I’ll meet with your head of security to go over everything.” Gregori nodded, the movement sharp and unfeeling. “Can Grace stay here with you?”

“Of course, she’s safe with me,” he replied, and I felt anything but safe when he fixed his black eyes on me.

“Alright, we’ll head out right away then. Let Grace know if Douglas contacts you before we get back. She’ll get ahold of us,” Erik told him, and took my hand, pulling me out of the room. We didn’t speak until we reached the guest bedroom and shut the door.

“Angel, you remember what we went over, right?” he asked softly, wrapping me in his arms.

“Yes,” I breathed, reviewing the plan in my head just like we’d gone over last night. It involved a lot of chance, several things had to happen just the way Erik hoped. He’d used his luck last night, and it had nearly knocked him flat, keeping him in bed well past breakfast this morning.

“Stay here and be safe. Text me if Gregori speaks to Douglas at all,” he murmured, and bent down, capturing my lips in a sensual kiss. Hands slid around my waist, and I laughed as I was tugged out of Erik’s hands and pulled against Jesse’s chiseled frame. His kiss was much more heated, his tongue slipping past my lips to tangle with mine. When he finally let up, I was gasping for air, and Erik pressed up against my back, crushing me against Jesse and causing my heart to pound.

“When we are all back at home, you aren’t getting dressed for a week,” Erik murmured in my ear, making me shiver as his fingers slid under my shirt. I felt something cool and metal slip under the waistband of my leggings, and I glanced down to see Erik tucking his pocket knife at my side, smoothing my shirt down over top of it. “Just in case.”

They finally let me go, and I trailed after them, watching them leave in a borrowed car, a feeling of trepidation growing inside me as they drove away. I wasn’t sure where to go now. I didn’t relish the idea of hanging out in Gregori’s office, but I also didn’t want to sit alone in the guest room and stare at my phone.

I wandered into the living room and curled up on the sofa, staring out the window like a puppy waiting for her humans to come home.

Boy, I sure hoped my humans would come back soon.

A maid came in and offered me a coffee, which I accepted gratefully. When she returned, I noticed two little chocolate cookies perched on the saucer beside my cup.

The unexpected kindness brought tears to my eyes, and by the time I’d recovered she had already disappeared. I rubbed my eyes and ate my cookies while I continued to stare out the window.

Finishing my coffee, I set the dishes down on the table and curled up with my knees under my chin, checking my phone even though I hadn’t gotten any notifications.

“Ms. Howell?” I startled so badly I nearly dropped my phone, and the butler looked a bit apologetic as he waited for me to recover. “Dr. Howell would like to see you,” he announced. I stowed my phone in my pocket and followed him to Gregori’s office, wringing my hands nervously as he knocked, then opened the door, letting me inside.

Gregori was pouring two measures of whiskey, holding one out to me as I approached the desk. I grimaced internally as I took it and sat, watching him do the same. My nerves were on high alert, and I wished I hadn’t had the coffee now as my hands shook.

“Your brother is quite a devious young man, isn’t he?” he mused, sipping his whiskey as he sat back in his chair. I nodded, raising mine to my lips but only pretending to drink. I didn’t trust him, and I wouldn’t drink anything he had touched, not again. “He’s got a lot of tenacity, trying to challenge me.”

“Has he given you proof that they’re alive?” I asked quickly, and when he nodded I felt a weight rise off my chest. Relief coursed through me, enough to make me lightheaded.

“A toast to that, small victories,” he announced, and held out his glass to cheers. I clinked my glass to his and pretended to take another sip.

“And he still wants to trade?” I asked softly.

“Actually, your brother provided an alternative. One that I feel is in our best interest,” he replied. I slipped my phone out of my pocket so I could send a message to Erik, but I fumbled and dropped it under my chair. I reached out to set my glass down but it slipped out of my fingers and smashed on the ground at my feet.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, standing up to avoid the glass. My feet felt numb, and I stumbled into Gregori’s arms.

“What-” I tried to pull away, but my limbs weren’t responding.

“It’s alright Grace, just relax. I’m not going to hurt you, I just didn’t want a commotion when I had to get you into the car,” Gregori replied, lifting my boneless body into his arms. “It’s only a mild paralytic I had slipped into your coffee, not enough to harm your lungs or your heart. It will wear off in a couple of hours,” he explained. That did nothing to quell the terror I felt as he carried me out of the office and toward the door. I couldn’t move my head at all, just my eyes, and I spotted a cluster of maids watching from the kitchen door, all ducking inside as we passed.

Once again, no one would risk their jobs to help me. I was all alone. Apparently, my tear ducts worked just fine, and I could feel my cheeks growing damp as we left the house. I was deposited in the back of a private car, and he took the time to buckle me in, at least, before we took off down the driveway.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve done this.” Gregori sighed as I stared at the black partition separating us from the driver. “Douglas and I came to a mutually beneficial arrangement. See, I just want an heir, someone to carry on the family line. So he has agreed to let you carry my grandchild and grant me custody once it’s born.” I wanted to scream in his face, slam my fists against his chest, and jump out of this fucking moving vehicle. The best I could do is wiggle my pinky finger.

These fucking men, treating me like a goddamn commodity they can trade and barter with.

“Once the child is given over to me, you’re no longer needed, and Douglas can have you for any future ventures.” I could feel the grin on Gregori’s face, and I wanted to spit in it. “It saves me from having to deal with that insufferable King boy or his merry band of broken toys,” he muttered.

I flexed my pinky again and again, letting my rage fuel each contraction of the tendons and muscles as they fought the drugs he’d slipped me. This fucking bastard, he couldn’t even be kind enough to knock me out completely. No, he made me experience all of this, leaving me to feel helpless and afraid. My cheeks were damp with tears as I glared at the black partition, wishing I could move my head to at least be able to see outside.

“I think, Grace, that you could come to appreciate your role in things, after a time,” Gregori mused, and I seethed, feeling my ring finger start to twitch as well. “Your brother is a crass youth, but he has the makings of a strong leader. A place at his side is the best you could hope for.”

Oh my god, I wish I could scream and tell him to shut his fucking mouth. I felt like such an idiot for falling for his schemes, and I would never give him a grandchild. I would cut out my own womb first.

The car slowed to a stop, and the loud rattle of a gate told me we were at my family home. My blood froze in my veins, and I willed more feeling into my arms as we pulled to a stop, and Gregori unbuckled his seat, his hand brushing my side as he unhooked mine. “Home, sweet home,” he murmured, and I hissed out a snarl between my teeth.

Light burst into the darkened car as the door beside me opened, and muscular arms lifted me out of the car. My head tipped back, and I was forced to look up at my brother, who was grinning down at me with a gleam of triumph in his eyes. “Gracie-girl,” he murmured, and I cringed internally as he pressed his lips to my forehead.

“Let’s go inside, I’ve got your new room set up for you.” He smiled, and I closed my eyes, nausea rolling through my gut. He cradled me to his chest as he walked back into the house, and I heard the footsteps of Gregori not far behind. Instead of going upstairs, we walked through the kitchen and toward the basement door .

No, no please, not down there…

Flashbacks of my childhood flooded my brain as we descended the steps, and I felt a choked little whimper work its way up my throat.

“Don’t worry, Gracie, you’ll be seeing your fake husband soon,” Doug whispered in my ear, and his fingers dug painfully into my skin. We walked down the long corridor, toward the torture rooms my father had used liberally throughout my life. He stopped before we reached them, and we turned sharply, entering a dark room. Doug laid me down on a firm mattress, his hands caressing me in a very non-brotherly fashion for a moment, until someone cleared their throat behind us and he mercifully stopped.

“Where is my son, exactly?” Gregori asked coolly, and Doug ground his teeth together at the lack of respect in his tone.

“In the next room,” Doug replied sharply. “We can go see him in a moment, but first, I need to take care of a problem that will affect our contract,” he mused. The light switched on abruptly, blinding me momentarily. I blinked rapidly, my eyes watering, and I flexed my left hand into a fist, my lips pursing slightly as the muscles woke up.

Doug reappeared at my side, a vicious grin on his face. “Gracie-girl, this will only hurt for a second. But we need to make sure you’re properly breedable.” I saw a glint of metal in his hand, and he grabbed my arm, the one with the tiny implant Wren had gotten for me.

My mouth was working just enough to let out my inhuman scream as the blade bit into my skin.