She scrubbed herself, dried off, and returned to their room, where Cole remained in bed. His attention shifted from the ceiling to her when she entered.
Lexi tugged on a pair of brown pants that fit like a second skin. When she realized Cole wasn’t getting out of bed, she glanced over to discover him with his arms propped behind his head while he watched her.
Judging by the gleam in his eyes, he wasnotthinking about working on figuring out her magic.
“Don’t do that,” she muttered as her body reacted to the hunger in his gaze.
“Don’t do what?” he asked with fake innocence.
“You know what.”
“I’m just admiring the view.”
She huffed as she tugged on a bra and shirt. The clothing did little to deter his attention while she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
“I have to go,” she said.
With a sigh, he tossed aside the blanket and climbed out of bed. He trusted Kaylia now, and the two of them worked alone as often as they worked with Cole present, but he often liked to watch.
She kept her gaze averted from him as he gathered his things for a shower. He wasn’t the only one who liked to admire the view, but she couldn’t be distracted by him right now.
“I’ll see you there,” she said as she kissed his cheek and left the room.
Lexi passed the closed doors of the other rooms as she made her way down the cold, barren hall. The prison was as hospitable as the Antarctic.
She climbed two flights before emerging into another hall. At the far end, a set of stairs led to a balcony overlooking this inhospitable land.
She and Kaylia used to practice in an outer realm with plenty of sunlight, but they stopped traveling there after the Lord’s ball. They all decided it was better to do as little traveling as possible while being hunted.
They had no choice but to travel to other realms in search of recruits for their army, but they didn’t go to that outer realm anymore. They couldn’t take the chance the Lord would somehow hunt them down there.
He might find them here too, but at least they’d all be together, and they’d all agreed on a different outer realm to retreat to if necessary. Varo had taken them there so they would know what it looked like and where to go.
Lexi climbed the hundreds of steps to the balcony and stepped out into the endless night of this realm. Stars shone in the sky, and a sliver of a moon hung over the craggy rocks and desolate land.
She strode over to where Kaylia stood with her hands resting on the stone wall as she gazed at the land. Lexi smiled as she glanced at the spot where she and Cole made love less than a week ago. That had been a scary night, one in which she worried she would lose him to the shadows, but it was also a special moment between them and their secret.
Lexi tried not to let the bleak atmosphere of this realm drag her down, but she couldn’t help feeling saddened by the darkness of this place. “I miss the sun.”
“So do I.” Kaylia brushed her knee-length, silvery blonde hair back from her beautiful face. Her pewter gray eyes were troubled as she studied the area. “But one day, we’ll walk in it again without fear.”
Lexi hoped so, but doubt reared its ugly head. She shoved it back down to the depths of Hell where it would fester and tear at her, but she refused to acknowledge it now.
Just like she wouldn’t let the bleakness of this place get to her, she wouldn’t let her uncertainty drag her down too. They wouldn’t succeed if she didn’t believe they could.
“How did it go with the sirens?” Sahira asked as she came to stand beside Lexi.
Lexi smiled at her aunt, who had twisted her mahogany-colored hair into a neat bun. “Joining us today?”
“Yeah,” Sahira murmured.
Sahira’s familiar, Shade, leapt up to walk the wall. The black cat kept his tail high in the air as he surveyed the land like it was a toy he planned to batter. Without thinking, Lexi absently rubbed his back. He repaid her with a look of utter disdain from his golden eyes.
Sahira rubbed at her amber eyes and yawned.
“Aren’t you sleeping?” Lexi asked.
“I am,” Sahira said.
