I rounded another corner, slipping into a dark closet in the back of the hallway. “This way,” I whispered, making sure to keep my voice low as the two towering males followed into the tight space after me.
Shutting the door behind them, I turned, only to realize the flaw in this plan as two very cramped, towering males had unamused gazes fastened on me. Their broad shoulders were nearly touching the walls on either side of the storage closet. It would have been comical had the situation been different.
“Sorry,” the word squeaked out of me. “I just need to—” I gestured to the shelf behind them as I tried to shimmy my way between the two men.
They didn’t budge.
“For the love of the stars,” I muttered as I tried to no avail to scoot past them. “Could you put your towering muscles to good use and move out of my way?”
“Did you hear that, Blackwood?” Axel spoke in a low tone.
“Yeah, I heard, Pierce.” Callum’s answer was an amused rumble. “Seems like she likes our muscles.”
I let out an audible groan at their commentary as I stood trapped between the two of them.
A hand quickly wrapped around my mouth, and my eyes darted up in surprise as I found Callum’s amber eyes fastened on me. “Careful with that mouth, starlight. We are trying to avoid getting caught after all.”
“Otherwise, this would be an unfortunate position for you to be caught in.” Axel took that moment to chime in, and I rolled my eyes.
“Just shut up and move, both of you,” I whispered, my voice low as I shooed my hands toward both males.
“Move where, exactly?” Callum’s voice was a light tease as he gestured around to the enclosed space. I huffed, looking up at him as I crossed my arms over my chest, regretting it in the next moment as I watched his gaze drift from my face, down my body slowly, then back up.
“You did not just check me—” I didn’t finish the sentence as I found myself distracted by the intensity of his lingering gaze, my cheeks heating.
“You going to finish that sentence there, starlight?” Callum teased, a dimple forming on his cheek as he stared down at me with a satisfied grin.
“Just move,” I said when words finally deigned to come to mind.
Only, it was Axel who moved, taking a slight step back, which allowed me to squeeze between them. My body brushed against Callum’s as I scooted past, and it took everything in me not to pause as the front of my body brushedagainst hard lines of honed muscle packed beneath combat attire, sending a shiver coursing through every fiber of my being.
The male dared to shoot me a mischievous grin as I moved past him. I stopped in front of the shelves at the back of the storage closet, the lines of cleaning supplies mocking me as I closed my eyes and counted to four, praying to find some composure.
“Is your plan for us to stay in this closet forever?” Callum’s voice was a low whisper against my ear, and my eyes flew open at his words. “I can hear the guards getting closer, and they seem like the type of people who will check everywhere . . . even the storage closet.”
My head turned, and I pinned him with the most annoyed glare I could muster before cursing under my breath and moving forward. I heard his low chuckle from behind as I found the latch under one of the lower shelves and pressed in with my nails. Underneath, I felt the switch move, then I heard the faint click of the spring.
Thank the stars.
The shelf silently cracked open, and I felt the moment when both spies behind me shifted, blocking the door as I opened the secret passageway further and spun, gesturing grandly toward the dark, damp corridor covered in cobwebs.
“Your escape passage awaits.” I faked a mocking bow as I stepped back, waiting for one of them to go first, because there was no way in Aurelia I would be the first to venture into the carved out corridor.
“Fine, I’ll go first,” Axel grumbled, and I shifted over, making space for him to pass into the darkness. I turned toward Callum, waiting for him to enter next, only to find his frame still blocking the doorway.
“Well,” I asked finally after a moment of stifling silence stretched between us. “Aren’t you going to go?”
“I’m not letting you go last,” he answered, his voice low as he held my gaze, his eyes observing me.
“Why not?”
“If Lucanus’s guards realize there’s a passage, you’d be the first target, and that’s not happening on my watch,” he stated.
“Fine, if you insist. Although it’s truly not necessary,” I replied after a moment, then I stalked forward into the darkness, stepping ahead just enough to ensure there was space behind me for Callum to enter. The cold wrapped around me instantly, my skin prickling from the chill, and I wondered once again what I’d gotten myself into. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself as I tried to keep warm.
I heard the latch click shut a few seconds later, trapping the three of us together in the darkness.
“Well, this is fun.” Axel’s voice sounded from in front of me, and I looked in his direction, only to find I couldn’t see anything.
