She studied the window again, thinking. If she could breach it, she could use her magick because she'd be beyond the demon wards. Her air magick wasn't strong enough to float her to the ground. Otherwise she'd break the glass and leap… but maybe there was another way.

The door opened and Kai stepped through. "You're awake."

His powers of observation were keen. She only stared at him, bile from her hatred rising up to bite the back of her throat.

He looked from the plate to her. "You should eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Then you should drink."

She licked her lips and glanced at the glass of water beside the plate. She was thirsty, but she wasn't giving him the satisfaction of watching her consume anything they brought her. "No, and don't tell me what I should do, Kai."

"You need your strength for the next phase."

Yes, she could only imagine what that would be.

She spoke in Aemni. "What rank did you hold in the Atrika military, Kai?"

He hesitated for a moment, surprised by the question. "Captain."

"And Tevan?"

He shifted. That shift in his weight was enough to tell her that he wasn't happy with his answer. "Commander."

Of course, she'd already known that.

"So you take orders from Tevan?"

Kai lifted his chin. "This is not Eudae."

"The Atrika don't abandon their military ranking so easily, do they? Surely, a mere change of venue doesn't mean you cease obeying the orders of your superior officer."

The demon's body stiffened. "I did not come here to speak of military order."

She suppressed a smile. It hadn't been a big assumption to make—Kai did not like the fact that Tevan was above him in their pecking order. Now she would do all she could to inflame the discord between them. She had few weapons at her disposal, so she'd use all of them to her advantage.

"Of course." She glanced away and then back at him. "Did Tevan send you here to check on me?" Claire blinked at him and smiled.

"Enough questions!" he roared. "Eat, rest, and drink water. You will need to be in good condition for the next attempt." He began to close the door.

"When will the next attempt be?" She wanted to know how long she had to try and escape.

He never answered her. He only glared at her and shut the door. The lock turned on the other side.

Claire walked the perimeter of the room, examining the half-destroyed ceiling for places she could pry through.

Nothing.

When she got to the table with the food and water, she kicked it, sending the warmed up canned vegetables and pasta with red sauce over the floor to spread like a bloodstain.

She turned her attention to the window. Maybe there. Claire decided she would try the window first, and experiment with the elium second.

One way or another, she was breaking out of here before the next evil experiment commenced.