Then it had all broken free in a powerful blast that leveled many of our enemies.
Did that include the duke?
I hoped so. For years, I’d fantasized about tearing that prick apart with my bare hands.
Now, I just wanted him dead and Ellery back in my arms. I coveted the life we were meant to build together.
Once we’re free of this mess, we’ll finally have that life and our dreams.
Until then, this small space to turn my head and move one hand was all I had.
Will they search for us in this?
Tucker wouldn’t give up until he found us, but he could have perished in the battle. My heart squeezed at the idea of my best friend, my brother, being dead.
And where the fuck is the duke?
I didn’t know where he was, but I didn’t think he’d had enough time to escape the blast and collapse. If he had, there was no way he’d crossed the battlefield.
However, I didn’t know where the soldiers were taking Veni when I last saw him. The palace contained a secret room to protect the ruler. I had no idea where it was, and no one had ever confirmed its existence to me, but it was somewhere in the castle.
At some point, one of the past rulers would have insisted on building such a thing, and then probably killed the amsirah who built it. If the duke had made it to that room before the collapse, then it might have kept him secure.
But that was if he knew about it. That knowledge was probably passed from leader to leader; Ivan never got the chance to impart it before he died, but Veni had a way of gaining knowledge he wasn’t supposed to have.
And where was Bria? I hadn’t seen the duke’s fiancée and Leo’s daughter since she came to the dungeon in hopes of gaining information on Ellery.
I’d hoped to never see her again after that, but I didn’t want her dead. She was Leo’s last living heir, and while she was everything her father wasn’t, he’d been my friend, and I was determined to protect her.
And what about Luna, Callan, and Scarlet? They were in the tunnel when the ground dropped out from under us. Had that helped protect them or made things worse?
There was also Samael. I didn’t like the sheriff, but he had freed us and gotten us this far. Where was he in this mess?
The scratching sound came again. A rock clattered as it fell somewhere nearby. “Hello?”
The word came out as little more than a croak. The pressure on my chest and the ribs digging into my lungs made breathing and speaking almost impossible.
Swallowing, I tried to gather more air before speaking again. “Hello?”
It came out a little stronger this time, but not much. What if it was Ellery? We were so close when the collapse occurred; she might have landed somewhere nearby.
“Hello?” I croaked again.
“Ryker?”
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Ryker
The question came from my left, but instead of my heart soaring, disappointment filled me. It wasn’t Ellery’s voice; it was Samael.
“Samael,” I said. “Do you know—” I had to try breathing again to finish speaking. It took more time than I would have liked. “—where Ellery is?”
“No.”
“Can you—” Again I had to breathe. “—move?”
“One of my feet and three of my fingers.”
