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She scowled.
“That’s stupid. You could have waited for Ruby and I before you did all of this.”
“And you could have waited for the crew and me before you two attempted whatever it was you were attempting,” he pointed out, then waited.
“We were trying to free his creature collection,” she confessed. “Ruby made it. She and a few of the tamer creatures. I hope you don’t mind having strange stowaways in your ship.”
The grin that burst from his lips shot straight to her heart.
“They can wreck it all they want. As long as they keep quiet about it.”
They sat quietly, basking in the knowledge that they both came out alive. Her hands continued touching him, searching for hidden wounds or anything that would indicate danger.
“I was poisoned,” she said, recalling the pain and the purple marks. Both were gone, too. “I killed the assassin creature, and it shot icicles at me.”
“I’m glad my blood helped. I’m glad you are alive.”
There was ferocity in his tone as he touched her, too, firm at some points until her body was heating up. His was, too, muscles turning rigid. Reluctantly, they let go and scrambled off the bed, trying to set aside the longing for more. With effort, Nicola stepped back, already planning her next move. A sound escaped her lips when she absorbed the room in full detail.
“You were busy.”
Isaiah shrugged, then pointed. “The weight of feet will trigger that. It will shoot those carved wood pieces toward the doorway for a while and keep them busy. While that’s happening, I can stake and disable the rest. I only made one. I don’t want to insult your abilities by making you one, too.”
She studied the stake with fascination, a chair’s splintered leg. The threads from the couch were strung all over the ceiling, ready to be deployed.
“Now we just need a reason to get them in here…without noticing the trap, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Moon and Maddox?”
He strode to the wall and knocked. Three taps answered promptly.
“No conversations, unfortunately, but they are ready when we are.”
She paced the room, trying to come up with something. He went to work first, shouting at the door that he was hungry, then politely requesting more entertainment. Nicola waited with tension and amusement, then disappointment that none of it was working.
“Didn’t you say you tried to escape twice?”
“Hmm. First by knocking a guard down and second by pretending Moon was in pain…and kind of knocking the guard down.”
“It won’t work. We need to step up the game.” She paused. “I have a crazy idea.”
“I’m up for crazy ideas.”
The grin was devastatingly charming, his essence still vibrantly alive. Drawn to it, she sidled closer and whispered in his ear.
“I would need to take blood from you. You need to act like you are bleeding to death.”
There was a hitch of breath, though she wasn’t sure which one of them uttered it. He stepped back and cleared his throat, smoldering gaze threatening to burn her.
“Solid plan,” he said. “Let’s do it.”
“I know.” She walked closer to the door.
“Wait.”
She pivoted when her hand was tugged hard and gasped when a mouth met hers. The kiss felt like a homecoming, rushing into her bones until she was liquid and making her feel so much hunger that it hurt. Most of all, it let her see into whathefelt—not just the hunger and desire but something else that nudged into her heart…her soul. Nicola clung on, desperate for more of what he was offering.
