Page 80 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

He pressed his lips hard.

I was worried. So worried that I was almost tempted to order her to leave. But she would hate me afterwards.

She narrowed her gaze. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t you dare.”

I was surprised. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You thought about using your master power on me to order me what? To leave?”

“I won’t ever do that to you. I learnt my lesson. But yes, I’m so worried that something may happen to you that the thought has fleetingly crossed my mind.”

“Alex…”

“Fleetingly.” I checked my pocket watch. Ten o’clock. “We have to go.”

I’d forgotten the fairy was there, so quiet he was. Morquen didn’t make a sound. Tall and slender, he moved as if he were dancing. But he might be an excellent fighter.

I couldn’t see the others from my corner, but Darius and Myrtha should enter at the same time from the opposing opening.

A light fog lingered, forming halos around the streetlamps that looked like the breath of a beast.

I waited a few moments for a couple of police constables to pass. The hidden entrance on Cromwell Road was concealed as a brick wall, according to what Graves had told me.

I searched for the brick with a chipped corner that should mark the door. “Now we’ll understand if Graves told us the truth.”

I planted my hands on the brick and pushed. My muscles spasmed, and I gnashed my teeth.

The sound of bricks grinding against bricks rose, but it lasted a moment. The brick door swung inwards, rolling on the hinges.

“Good gracious.” Irene gazed at the thick door.

“Dust everywhere.” Morquen brushed invisible specks from his jacket.

It was a good thing that Rothbart was a sorcerer and not a wizard. He mastered only a couple of spells. He couldn’t conjure a protective shield over the door.

A dark tunnel stretched in front of me, and damp, stuffy air reached my nose.

“Who would have imagined?” Morquen scrunched up his face. “Who would live in such a damp dark place?”

As I released my power, my eyesight sharpened, allowing me to see in the dark. Not that there was much to see. Dark floor, dark walls, a dark vaulted ceiling.

“I can’t believe it.” Irene peeked inside. “I’ve visited the museum countless times, and I’ve never suspected there were tunnels underneath it.”

“Neither have I.” Morquen straightened his fine tailored jacket. A top hat covered the pointed tips of his ears.

I tried to step inside and couldn’t, no matter how hard I pushed. Rothbart might not be able to cast a protective spell, but my curse forbade me from stepping into his home.

“Damn.” I slammed a hand on the brick wall. “I can’t enter.”

“This isn’t a home,” Irene said.

“Apparently, it is for Rothbart.” I leant against the wall, frustration pressing against my chest. “The only thing we can do is stay here and make sure Rothbart doesn’t come out of this door.”

She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth as a tremor went through the bond.

“What?” It came out like a ragged breath.

She hesitated before answering. “I could go inside while you stay here.”