Shuddering, I have the sudden, selfish urge to yank Rose to me and rub against her. To use her scent and her presence to erase the wrongness that writhes beneath my skin.
Maybe it’s because she charmed me so I couldn’t fear her, or maybe it’s simply because she’s my mate, but right now she’s the one fragment of sanity I have left. I cling to her shamelessly, using her presence as a shield from the rawness scraping at my insides. In fact, I’m so focused on her that I don’t notice we’re not headed for the exit until the windows disappear, and the corridors take on the cool, damp scent that’s unique to underground places.
We’re heading for the dungeon.
I pull her to a stop. “This isn’t the way out.”
Is the Fomorian leading us into a different kind of trap? I summon Naris’s ears with a brush of my free hand, listening for any sign of an ambush.
“The others are down here,” she promises. “We have a plan. I promise, it’ll all be okay.”
Trust me, those violet orbs plead. And I do. It’s Caed I don’t trust.
“Come on,” Caed hisses, looking over his shoulder at the two of us. “There are more guards than there were before. You have to stay close.”
She nods, pulling me along gently, like she thinks I’ll shatter if she uses any real force. Maybe I will. The entrance to the dungeon is conspicuously absent of guards, but we find the two of them a few steps down the spiral stairwell, missing their heads.
At the reminder of the threats around us, Naris’s sensitive ears twitch on my head, catching the sound of fighting at the bottom of the stairwell.
“Battle, below us,” I warn, drawing a blade from the ink along my thigh.
Naked isn’t my preferred way to fight, but I’ll do worse to protect Rose.
“How many?” Caed asks.
“I’ve got good hearing,” I mumble. “But I’m notpsychic. It sounds like enough.”
He nods, raising his sword. “Wait here.”
I should protest, or offer my help, but I’m too relieved. I don’t want to be within touching distance of anyone who isn’t my mate. Even healed, I’m not sure I can release Rose long enough to be of use, and I’m not dragging her into danger.
The Fomorian disappears into the darkness, leaving the two of us to wait in hushed anticipation.
My ears twitch as the sounds of fighting intensifies for a brief second, followed by a gruff. “What took you so fucking long?”
“We took the scenic route,” Caed retorts.
“Where’s my pretty pet?” Lore demands. “I want Rose.”
“It’s safe,” I tell Rose, because if Lorcan and Drystan are speaking so casually, then the fighting must be over, and I’ll feel better having her surrounded by her Guard.
She nods and continues the descent, and I frown as I realise I can hear waves crashing at the bottom. Where exactly does this lead?
The answer comes soon enough as we emerge into half a room. The walls and floor are tiled, stained and dirty, and the other half of the space is cut away entirely, leaving only empty air and the dark foreboding waves of the sea below. We must be beneath the stone arch. Dozens of cages hang from the rocky ceiling above, suspended over the ocean drop by rusty chains.
Iron. Cages.
Rose wobbles, and I go from being supported to supporting her as she trips on the final step.
“Sorry,” she murmurs. “Goddess… I hate this stuff.”
Keeping her hand in mine, I adjust us so her arm is hooked in mine.
“How did I never find this place?” I ask, confusion breaking through the fog for a second.
My animals and I canvassed every inch of the palace in my search for my father. Yet, I never saw even a hint that all this was down here.
“The door was enchanted,” Rose mumbles. “Drystan figured it out when they took his body up to the throne room for interrogation. It was so well done that even my guides didn’t spot it until they knew where to look.”
