Page 82 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

He held up a hand and nodded. “Fine,” he whispered. “But as a sorcerer, he will sense our magic when we get too close. His minions are another matter.”

“That makes sense.” But it wasn’t reassuring.

I released my wili powers, and the glow coming out of me shed more light in the tunnel. Not that there was much to see apart from dark walls and an arched ceiling.

I freed my soul searching power as well, trying to detect any feelings. They might warn me if Rothbart or one of his minions was close.

The sound of my footsteps was loud in the confined space. Instead, Morquen didn’t make any noise; I had to give him that. His feelings were all over the place though—worry, fear, disgust, and annoyance.

I carried on slowly, pausing at every corner and wondering if I should turn back.

A rushed, excited feeling reached me, but it didn’t belong to Morquen or me. Whoever it was, they were happy for some reason. I focused on the bursting feeling.

But the happiness had an unusual flavour. It lacked layers because, aside from it, I didn’t catch anything else. Beneath a single, strong emotion, there was always a jumble of different, less prominent sensations. Even children had complicated auras.

“What is it?” Morquen whispered.

“Someone is coming.”

The feeling grew stronger. The person was getting closer. I reduced the light and hid in a nook. The person should appear at any moment. The happiness was so strong as to be palpable.

Something brushed my ankle, and I bit down a scream. My light came out on instinct, illuminating a rat with what looked like a sausage in its mouth.

I slouched my shoulders. It was a rat. I’d experienced a rat’s feelings. That was a first. And who would have thought rats could be so happy? One might be envious of such sheer happiness.

Morquen flattened himself against the wall, an expression of sheer horror on his face. His aura glowed with different colours like Darius’s, but golden and silver were predominant.

I waved him on.

At the end of the tunnel, I reached a wide room furnished with a sofa, plush armchairs, and even shelves full of books. A fire crackled in the large fireplace made of sturdy red bricks. The room looked like any sitting room, if not for the stone arches opening to the tunnels and the lack of windows.

I remained hidden in a dark corner. From each side of the room, a tunnel started, leading who knew where. Graves had told us there were only two access points, but here the tunnels were many.

Darius should be close or heading this way. I searched the room for feelings and detected mild curiosity. It came muffled. Another rat? Then a quick shot of pain and a gasp—both not mine.

“You should be dead.” The deep voice came from behind me.

I jumped and pivoted at the same time, white light bursting off me in every direction.

Rothbart stood a few yards from me, watching me. Same diamond-coloured eyes, strong build, and ruthless expression as I remembered.

The finely tailored dark suit he wore was worthy of a gentleman, and his charm was undeniable. It’d fooled me once. It wouldn’t fool me again.

Morquen lay motionless on the ground. His head was turned to the side, so I couldn’t see his face, but there was no blood. His aura glowed with a dim light. He was alive but unconscious. So much for defending me.

“I didn’t…” I licked my dry lips, thinking frantically of what to do.

Rothbart gave me a polite bow of his head. “You’re a soul searcher. I spotted you immediately. Hiding my emotions isn’t a magical power, in case you were wondering. It’s a technique from the Far East I learnt from a master in meditation. It’s very relaxing.”

I forced myself not to step back from him. I was here to fight him, not to run.

“You aren’t human anymore, but you should be dead.” He scratched his unshaven chin, raking a slow glance over me.

“So should you.” I wished my voice didn’t quiver.

“You aren’t the first one who told me that.” He became thoughtful as if genuinely interested in me. “Why are you here? If it’s for your money⁠—”

“I don’t care about the money!” Seriously?