“I’m getting to that,” she snapped with impatience. “I’m sure you both remember the thrilling news of the bounty that’s been set by Lucanus after twospieswere spotted in Solis Quarter.”
“Yes, yes . . .” Axel retorted with a chuckle. “How could we forget? Two members of the infamous Shade—spies for the Aurelian Guild.”
Raelyna’s head bobbed in acknowledgement, her eyesnarrowing as she looked at us. “So, unless the two of you want to have a visit with King Lucanus tonight, I’d suggest you hide in the attic so that the guards won’t find you while they search the complex.”
“And how do we know the guards won’t find us in your attic?”
“You don’t,” she replied as she toyed with her lip between her teeth nervously, and I nearly groaned at the action alone, regardless of our current predicament.
I studied her closely, watching as she tapped her fingers against her thigh once again. Pushing my vitas affinity out, I felt her heartbeat, rapidly pulsing.
“Well,” she bit out in an urgent demand.
“Fine.” The word was a gruff response on my lips, and that was all it took before Axel was moving up the metal rungs of the ladder, heading into the attic.
Reaching out, my hands tightened on the first rung.
“Um, Blackwood . . .” Her voice was honey-sweet, and I stopped in my tracks, one foot on the ladder rung as I turned to look at her.
“Yes?”
“You’re forgetting something,” she stated with a huff, before she passed the stars-damned fox over to me and shooed us up the ladder.
“You’ve got to be joking with me,” I retorted as Loxl dug his claws into my chest, holding on for dear life.
“He’stechnicallyillegal. I don’t want the guards to find out about him. Luc would take him away from me the second he knew,” she stated before, once again, making a shooing motion.
I ground my teeth, hating that she was on a first-name basis with that sham of a king.
No sooner had my last boot hit the top step of the attic access than the hatch was shutting behind me, a softwhirling noise filling the air once more. The three of us stared at the ladder as it sealed us in behind it.
“So . . .” The word was a soft drawl from Axel as he stood beside me. “What now?”
“We wait,” I stated. “Not sure what other option we have.”
Turning around, I looked at the small space we found ourselves in.
And by small, I meantsmall.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” The words fell from Axel’s lips, along with a string of curses as he too turned, taking in the tiny enclosure we found ourselves trapped in.
Loxl let out a small huff from beside my feet before he walked over toward a small blanket on the floor in the corner, circling around a few times before nestling in the blanket.
At least one of us accepted their fate easily.
“The only thing up here is blankets,” I stated as I studied the small space.
“Who in Aurelia fills their entire attic with blankets?Fuzzyblankets of all things?”
“Did you feel some particular need to point out the fuzziness of the blankets?” I inquired, turning to look toward my second, only to find him settling himself down on the ground, a plethora of blankets surrounding him.
“What?” Axel asked as he sank further into a padded throne of fuzziness. “At least they’re soft.”
“Yes,” I drawled as I turned toward the hatch once more. “That was obviously my first concern upon finding myself hiding in the attic of a dancer’s apartment while the guards searched her unit for members of the Aurelian Guild.”
“Technically, it’s yourstarbound’sattic . . . not just any dancer.”
“Technically,” I mocked, “I wasn’t asking for your opinion.”
