She reached for him, and he pulled her into his arms, only vaguely conscious of the soldiers shouting at his back.
Rifles cocked, then went still as Singh Rao’s authoritative voice called out an order.The sepoys moderated their pose, still wary but no longer actively threatening.
Her throat hurt.Her lungs burned.She could feel the quick thrum of Adam’s heartbeat through his shirt as she clung to him.
“What happened?I saw Dawson running like a bat out of hell…” His gaze dropped to the red marks on Ellie’s throat and darkened with low-burning fury.“Who was it?”
Singh Rao stood at Adam’s back, taking in the scene with a frown.
Ellie grasped Adam’s arm and gave it a warning squeeze.“It’s nothing,” she said quickly.“Everything is fine.”
Adam’s look was mutinous, but he wouldn’t contradict Ellie in front of the subedar and his men.He helped her to her feet instead, keeping her at his side as he walked back to where the soldiers were assembling for their march.
Ellie picked out Jacobs stalking alone at the head of the line.Her muscles stiffened on instinct.
Adam felt it, and his hand tensed where he held her waist.
Ellie caught a handful of his shirt, anchoring him to her side.“It was my fault,” she said quickly.
“Yourfault?” Adam seethed incredulously.
“I pushed him into it,” Ellie hurriedly explained.“I wanted to learn why he’s here—and I think I succeeded.”
Adam pulled Ellie out of the line of men.He whirled her around to face him, his eyes burning like blue fire.“Let’s get one thing straight right now, Princess.Nobody gets to hurt you.Nobody.”
They weren’t just words.They were a vow, one laced with danger and heat.A tension in Ellie loosened at the sound of it.
Singh Rao flashed them another wary look, and Adam guided her back into the march.
“You stay with me from here out,” he ordered as they started to walk, his hand steady on the small of her back.
A knee-jerk instinct prompted Ellie to protest, but it quickly withered.Adam’s words weren’t about possession or control.
And she still remembered what it had felt like not to breathe.
“I will,” she promised.
“Good,” Adam bit back.“Because we’re getting everybody out of this mess alive.Everyone.That clear?”
Ellie took in the stubborn set of his jaw with a soft glow of admiration.“It’s clear.”
At her warm tone, Adam cast her a rueful sideways look—and then led her on.
?
Thirty-Three
Neil stood inthe narrow, blocked-up chamber.Sword light flickered over the carvings on the walls.
He was fairly certain he had missed something.His brain was having trouble processing whatever Constance just said.Perhaps his ears were still ringing from the rock-fall.
“Sorry?”he asked.
Constance’s reply was mildly exasperated.“IsaidI think we should try kissing each other.”
His first thought was that it would be a terrible idea.
His second thought was that he very much wanted to do it.
