Free Revenant by Catrina Burgess Page A

suddenly
changed again from cold and deadly to smiling and charming. He gave me a wide
grin as he reached out and patted my arm. “I know, I know. The answer upsets
you. Believe me, I don’t like being the bad guy. I would rather you did these
things of your own free will. I’m hoping
that, in time, I can bring you around to understanding how vital you are to our
operation. There is a place for you here. There is a place for you next to me.”
He stood. “Now, eat up. After dinner, I
will show you something I’m very proud of.”
    It had been
days since I had a decent meal, and so I gave little thought to table manners
and grabbed at the food. Gage occasionally pushed a glass of wine in front of
me, but I refused to drink. He might force me to be his dinner companion, but I was set on leaving every indication that
I wanted to be anywhere but with him. He
tried to bring up one conversation topic after another, but finally gave up
when I no longer bothered to spit out one-word answers between mouthfuls of food.
    The
fact that I wasn’t a cooperative dinner companion didn’t stop him, however. He
was a guy who loved to hear himself talk. That
works in my favor , I thought as I stuffed my face. The more he says, the more
information I’ll learn that could eventually help me—and everyone else—get
out of here.
    The
crowd had eaten, drank, and danced for hours. I had been a captive of Gage’s
all night. Anytime I tried to leave his side, he squeezed my hand a tad too
hard or gave a glare that left little doubt of his wish for me to remain by his
side.
    My
gaze constantly drifted to Luke. He had Caleb and Jacob seated on either side
of him at a table in the corner. Luke’s eyes never left me the entire night, the frown on his face apparent even from across
the room. If he’d been free of his
bodyguards and shackles, I had no doubt he’d be jumping over tables to rescue
me from Gage’s company.
    Don’t trust Gage, Luke had said. And I didn’t. I
knew he was only using me. Once I’d done what he’d asked, I had no doubt that
he’d dispose of all of us. It meant I had to be clever, and I had to make sure
Gage needed me right up until the moment we could escape. I didn’t yet know
how, or when, but we had to break free.
    When I’d first been taken by Gage , escape was
far from my mind. I had been too full of misery. Forced to spend my nights
making zombies, seeing Luke every evening in shackles—I’d seen nothing
before me but darkness. But now it was there once again: hope. It glimmered
somewhere deep inside me.
    I
forced my eyes back to Gage as he squeezed my hand. He seemed to be enjoying
himself. He’d eaten and drank more than anyone else at the party. All through
the night people flocked to our table, clambering desperately for his
attention. The person who currently had it was the
short, redheaded man who’d witnessed and clapped loudly when I’d woken the
dead in the fields. From the way the two talked to each other, it was obvious
they were long-time acquaintances.
    The
man kept sneaking glances my way. I did my best to ignore him, but when he
suddenly swung the conversation back to me and Gage gave my hand another
squeeze, I had little choice but to pay attention.
    “She
is such a wonder. Tonight she looks like an angel in that dress,” the redheaded
man said, giving me a look that made my stomach turn.
    Gage
covered my hand with his. It was bad enough when he reached out and squeezed
it, but the fact that he was now holding my hand made my skin crawl. I tried to
pull my hand out of his grasp, but his fingers tightened.
    Gage is attracted to you. Wendy’s words floated through my mind.
    “She
is a wonder,” Gage said, giving me a wide smile. “Mr. Fintan here was just
telling me how much he enjoyed watching you raise zombies.”
    There
was a dangerous glint in Gage’s eyes. He expected me to answer, so I did. “So…glad
I could oblige.”
    “Fintan
was thinking—once you’ve finished your