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“Don’t you dare say safe,” I cut him off, eyes darting in his direction. “They already know I’m here. I’m a sitting duck anywhere in this realm, so I might as well go with you so I have two of you to protect me. I want to go with you.”
Both of them fall silent, exchanging another look. They’ve been best friends for so long they can communicate without saying a word, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think they could read one another’s mind.
“Wedidalready do it once,” Azarius dares, ignoring the venomous look Elio shoots him.
“Don’t encourage her,” Elio growls.
“No, Az. Please, encourage me,” I butt in, reaching to place my hand on Azarius’ arm. “We’ll be careful like last time. We’ll use the nesda root to cover my scent. I promise everything will be fine.”
I’m begging and I know it, but I don’t care.
If Azarius and Elio are going to visit Ignatius, I’m not going to stay stuck in this mansion waiting for them to come back. Even if I would be stuck alone with Rafe, he doesn’t enjoy my company nearly as much as these two.
Besides, I never leave the mansion.
Ever.
My existence is restricted to the walls of this house and the small stretch of grass just outside. I’m not even allowed to explore the gnarly woods that surround us in case there are nasty things hiding amongst the trees.
I try not to complain too much. After all, everything about my life inside this mansion is perfect. The simplicity, not having to worry about bills,my men. It just gets a little boring every now and then, and I long to see something different.
“You two complement each other well,” Elio scoffs. “Neither of you knows how to take no for an answer.”
I shake my head firmly. “Nope. Not in my vocabulary.”
Elio grumbles and turns his attention back to his food, done arguing with Az and me. He obviously knows he isn’t going to win against the two of us, and in order to make this work, he has to be on board. Him flying me to Havec like last time is our only shot of making it there and back.
“Fine,” he groans. “But if Rafe gets pissed about this, it wasn’t my idea.”
“Of course not. It was mine,” I assure him. “When do we leave?”
“In the morning,” Az says. “It’s too dangerous to leave before then. Granted, the darkness would hide us better, but the Malevs will be out in droves when the suns go down. It’s best to wait.”
In the morning.
After so long of being locked up in the mansion, I’m finally getting to break free for a bit. I can hardly wait, the anticipation thrumming through me like electricity, making my fingertips tingle.
I scarf down my food, enjoying the rich, savory flavors, and help gather the dishes to take to the kitchen. I help Elio wash them all, making sure everything is returned to its proper place because Rafe hates things being disorganized. Azarius bends to kiss the top of my head before mumbling something about a shower, but Elio lingers with me in the foyer before heading upstairs.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, noting the way his eyes linger on me heavily.
“Just worried, that’s all.” When he doesn’t move toward me, I close the distance between us and stare up into his impossibly dark eyes. His copper-colored skin almost shines in the light from the chandelier overhead.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I say, even though I know I’m lying to his face. There’s plenty to worry about, I just don’t care. I’m blinded by excitement, the potential consequences falling by the wayside. The only thing I care about is breaking out for a little bit and traveling to Havec to check on Ignatius.
I’ll worry later, if at all.
“Of course, there is,” he says, his hands snaking around my waist as he pulls me against him. The thin material of his T-shirt does nothing to disguise the hard, carved muscles beneath it. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
Safe.
There’s that word again, making me feel like a child that has to be protected. Weak, vulnerable.
I hate it.
“You’ll keep me safe, Elio,” I assure him. “You and Az. You always do.”
He breaks eye contact to stare at something just over my head, working his jaw as he contemplates silently, before looking back down at me. I smile up at him, but he doesn’t return the gesture. This whole situation is clearly troubling him more than I thought.
