“Interesting.” He didn’t exactly sound like he believed her, but he didn’t sound hostile either. “I touched you earlier.”
“I know.”
He smirked. “So, you know I’m innocent, then?”
“Yes,” she said, giving the word the severity it deserved.
His smile slowly faded. “You aren’t joking, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
The sound of distant voices made them both turn their heads in that direction.
“We have to get out of here,” Mordecai hissed softly. He surprised her by grabbing her hand and hauling her to her feet without a second of hesitation. As if reading her thoughts, he said, “Your ability doesn’t worry me since you’ll have access to everything anyway.”
That made her choke a little. “So, you know who I am?”
He leveled a heated look at her that took her breath away.
“You are mine.”
Even though he didn’t know her name yet, he was right about that. They were mates, and once they completed their bond, there would be no secrets between them.
Her entire body flushed with heat, but she didn’t have time to respond before he pulled her down the hallway in the opposite direction from the approaching voices. With his long strides eating up the distance, she was forced into a near run just to keep up. Her boots slapped against the stone floor as she hurried beside him, the sound echoing through the empty corridor.
She belatedly remembered her Magical Combat training and used her magic to lighten her steps and mute the noise she was making. Since they were trying to evade people, she had to remember not to let her guard down. She also didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her mate by getting them caught.
Glancing up at him made her heart pound for reasons that had nothing to do with how fast they were moving. The rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins couldn’t explain the warmth spreading through her chest or the fluttering sensation low in her belly.
His massive body loomed over her, making her acutely aware of their size difference. She felt ultra feminine and petite next to him, but instead of making her feel vulnerable, it did the opposite. There was something reassuring about his towering presence. Something solid and unshakable that made her feel safe in a way she’d never felt before.
His hand remained wrapped firmly around hers as he guided her around the debris in the dark corridor. His grip was strong enough to keep her close but gentle enough that she never felt restrained. It was such a simple gesture, yet it affected her far more than it should have.
Most people took something as ordinary as holding hands for granted. They reached for friends, family, lovers, without a second thought. But for her, physical contact had always been dangerous. Because of that, she had never experienced the quiet comfort of someone holding onto her for more than a second or two.
Never felt the intimacy of someone refusing to let go.
The realization hit her with surprising force. What might have been an insignificant gesture to someone else felt infinitely precious to her. His larger hand completely wrapped around hers, warm and solid even through the thin material of her gloves. It was a connection she hadn’t known she’d been missing. For the first time in her life, physical touch didn’t feel like a threat or a burden.
It felt like protection.
Questions flooded her mind, but one look at the hard set of his jaw told her now wasn’t the time to ask them. He wasfocused on getting them out of there, and she should be as well. The voices behind them grew fainter as they hurried down the corridor, but the tense knots remained in her stomach.
Without warning, he came to a stop, causing her to crash into him. Since he was so solid, he barely seemed to notice. They had only made it a short distance before another wave of voices echoed through the hallway ahead of them. His grip on her hand tightened as they both froze in place and listened. The voices weren’t coming from one or two people.
It was dozens…maybe more.
The excited voices overlapped in a chaotic jumble, bouncing off the stone walls and making it impossible to pick out individual words. The noise swelled into a chaotic roar that filled the corridor from end to end. They were trapped between two groups. One approaching from behind. Another was coming straight toward them. The people behind them sounded like they were having a normal conversation, but the crowd ahead sounded loud and chaotic, as though there was a riot going on.
A chill raced down her spine.
She let out a startled gasp as Mordecai’s arm suddenly banded around her waist, and her feet left the ground as he leapt into the air. With practiced agility, he planted one foot against the corridor wall and launched them over a sprawling mound of shattered rocks and a massive section of collapsed ceiling that blocked part of the hallway.
Dust swirled in their wake as they sailed across the debris-strewn gap. They landed silently in a narrow alcove before a wide doorway, and he let out a muttered curse when he noticed there was a pile of rocks and debris blocking the door. For a split second, she thought they were trapped with nowhere to go.
Swinging her around, he tucked her securely into the shadows of the recess behind the thick concrete slab that leaned across part of the entrance like a makeshift barricade. Placinghimself in front of her, his broad shoulders and imposing frame completely concealed her from view. He turned himself into a living shield between her and the corridor beyond.
“Stay still,” he commanded when she tried to move. “If you move, you might draw their attention. If you do, I will have to fight them for you. You don’t want that, do you?”
