Her insults were muffled by my hand on her mouth as I moved behind her, my arm wrapped around her head so that I could keep her quiet. Looking over her head I jerked my head toward to the door, "Out."

Zeke and Andrea wasted no time evacuating the room, the door slamming shut at the exact same moment that she managed to bite my hand. Loosening my grip, I allowed her to pull away and twist around to face me. "What's your problem?"

"You wanted to discuss everything," I replied evenly. "In order to do that, you can't verbally assault everyone attempting to speak."

She opened her mouth immediately with some kind of retort, but then she snapped it closed and took a step back, releasing a long breath and speaking more calmly. "I was under surveillance for weeks. You had me under surveillance for weeks. Because you can't read my mind? What harm would I have been to you if you'd just left me alone?"

"We couldn't be sure."

"Couldn't be sure?" she repeated, staring at me bemused. "Were you afraid I'd call my friends Buffy and Van Helsing?"

Moving past her and around my desk, I took the seat that had been hers only minutes before and gestured to the sofa. "I'd be happy to discuss it all with you if you took a seat." Though it looked as though it physically pained her to do so, she moved to the aforementioned piece of furniture and turned to me expectantly.

"Remediums have had a history of working closely with werewolves to kill our kind and occasionally other humans. Because they can't be compelled, and we can't see their thoughts meaning they are better equipped to disguise their ill intent."

"But I didn't even know vampires existed, let alone werewolves so that I could team up with them."

"We had to be sure."

"And now that I do know? How can you be sure I won't turn on you now?"

"We can't," I answered honestly.

"So what, I'm just here until I die or you kill me?" She got back to her feet and began pacing. "There's no way."

"You'll remain here for now. We can't afford to allow you to get into the wrong hands."

"The wrong hands?" she snorted. "What am I, a nuclear missile?"

"It's for your safety as much as ours."

She came to a halt in front of my desk and looked at me with a mixture of anger and desperation. "Why did you even bring me here? I wouldn't have even known if you hadn't brought me here."

"You were hurt."

"By a car!" she shouted. "I was hurt by a car. It had nothing to do with you or vampires or werewolves. It was caused by an inability to jump out of the way in time."

"It doesn't matter what the cause was."

"Why wouldn't it? If the car had killed me it would've been problem solved for you, right?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Of course not."

"You should've left me there, Cassian. You never should have taken me."

"I was keeping you safe."

"Safe from what?" she demanded, throwing her hands up and gesturing around the room. "I'm in the middle of a building full of supernatural creatures who could kill me in less than a second, so what exactly are you saving me from?"

"No one here will harm you. You're under my protection."

Swinging her arm out, she sent my computer monitor crashing to the ground as I shot to my feet. "Screw your protection, damn it! I want you to let me go!"

Coming around the desk, I grabbed her upper arm, yanking her away from anywhere she could attempt to do further damage. "You will remain here until a decision has been made."

"And when will that be?" she asked, glaring up at me.

"When I decide."

We stared at each other, neither of us willing to break eye contact first for a minute, but then as if possessed by another person entirely, she looked away and lifted a single shoulder in a careless shrug before turning toward the office door. "Fine."

Instantly suspicious, I followed. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my room," she replied, not bothering to look back at me as she pulled the door open and stepped into the hall. "Would you mind helping me find my way back?"

"Just like that?" I pressed, uncertain what she may have up her sleeve. People didn't push that hard only to give up so easily. Something was off.

"Just like that," she confirmed. "I don't stand a chance against you and your little vampire gang, so why waste the energy? I'll just have to convince you that I'm not a threat. Until then, I'll be in my room."

Nothing about her had ever been reasonable before and I certainly didn't trust her now, but there was nothing I could do about it in the moment. Following her lead, I began the trek back to her room. "Your door is to remain intact for your own safety."

"If it was for my own safety, it wouldn't lock from the outside," she retorted.

"Rest assured, only I have the key."

"Why would that assure me?" she snorted. "You're the one who locked me in there in the first place. Besides, are you going to stand there and tell me a vampire can't break that door down with ease?"

"I'll have Andrea bring you something to eat. Do you have any preference?"

"Not hungry."

"You've been here for over a day with nothing to eat or drink. You'll need something to keep your strength up."

"Maybe later."

Reaching the door to her room, I stopped and pushed it open to allow her entry. "As you wish."

***

I was starving. If there had ever been an inopportune time to allow pettiness and spite to dictate my actions, I would say now, was it. Regardless of this knowledge, I was currently bent over at the waist, my hands braced on my knees while I panted, red-faced and tired. My books were all piled up against the far wall while the shelf they'd previously sat on was on its side at an angle, wedged up underneath the bedroom door. My desk and bedframe were pushed up against that at an angle and on their sides. I wasn't sure exactly how strong these supernatural menaces were, but at the very least, I'd hear them trying to get in.

Straightening up, I wiped the back of my hand over my sweaty forehead and surveyed my work. I wouldn't be passing any fire safety inspection, but the possibility of a fire breaking out seemed to be the least of my worries at present. Moving to the bathroom, I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands underneath before bringing my hands to my mouth. Once my thirst was quenched, I splashed some more of it onto my face and neck, enjoying the cool relief before turning back toward the bedroom. I fell onto the mattress on the floor without ceremony, blinking up at the ceiling as I considered my next move.

If I accepted the idea of supernatural beings— which I preferred over the alternative idea that I'd lost my mind— then it wasn't such a leap to believe I'd been magically healed by a woman in a dream. If she could heal me, then maybe she could also help free me. It would be worth a shot, and I would just have to go to sleep to talk to her. Assuming I'd dream of her again, and assuming I could even get to sleep.

Heaving out a sigh, I sat up and studied the pile of furniture leaning precariously against the bedroom door. Of course, even if I got out of here, could I go home? It would be the first place they looked for me, wouldn't it? Was I going to attempt to single-handedly exterminate an undetermined number of vampires to ensure they didn't come after me? Wasn't that exactly what they were so concerned about in the first place? Maybe it would be smarter to just play the game until I could win their trust, and they'd let me go all of their own accord. But who even knew how long that would take? Cassian didn't strike me as someone to makes quick decisions.

Gaining their trust would mean moving all of the furniture from in front of my door and putting in the effort to get along. Chewing on my lip thoughtfully, I considered the idea. Cassian's face came to mind, and I found myself smiling at the thought of him discovering I'd barricaded myself inside the room he'd placed me in to 'keep me safe'. He'd be furious, and I knew it was immature for me to enjoy that bit of knowledge, but if anyone deserved to have their peace disrupted, it was him.

Besides, if I were to just become a model captive out of the blue, would they trust that it was genuine? Smiling to myself, I threw myself back down, placing both of my hands behind my head. If they were going to buy it, I'd have to make them work for it.