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I was startled out of my daydream by the chef smacking a heavy pot down loudly near me.
“Girl! Stop gazing at the wall like a vacant-headed fool,” she snarled. “You’d think you never worked in this kitchen!”
Focus, Emma!I scolded myself. Thinking about Tazhr was only going to get me in trouble. There was no point fantasizing about his sculpted muscles or intoxicating scent, not right now.
I attacked the vegetables vigorously, trying to vent my frustration. But my thoughts crept traitorously back to Tazhr’s rare, rumbling laughter, the warmth in his eyes when I made a clever deduction...
Those moments when we put our heads together to crack a clue were almost as good as the sex. Almost. I could almost picture his pleased smile when I connected the dots in a way he didn’t expect...
I flushed, and it wasn’t just from the heat of the stove.
I needed to get out of here. Just for a moment.
“We’re out of grimlain tubers!” I shouted, then dashed out towards the market before the chef could say anything.
Once in the swirl of the marketplace, I caught my breath, trying to focus.
I’d see Tazhr later that night. I promised to sneak out after dinner, meet up to work on our puzzle. And maybe, if I was lucky, he’d work on me…
My percomm beeped, interrupting the pleasant daydream.
That was strange. No one messaged me. Especially not Taz.
“Come immediately. T.” Coordinates in the Under. No context or explanation at all. My instincts screamed that it was probably a trap.
But what if he was in real trouble for some reason and actually needed me?
What if he was lying on a floor somewhere, bleeding out, and that was all he could manage?
I had to know either way. Maybe I overreacted...I hoped so. But I couldn’t ignore the uneasy prickle down my spine.
My pulse was already pounding as I descended into the chaotic, noisy maze of alleys and corridors that made up the lawless Under. This place always put my nerves on edge even in the best circumstances. And right now, my gut twisted with apprehension about what awaited me.
It took me a while to find the coordinates from the sketchy message in this labyrinth. It led to a dim, cramped dead-end passage far off the main thoroughfares. There wasn’t a soul around that I could see, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up like I was being watched.
Something was seriously wrong here.
Never mind. I should go back, go to that bakery where Taz’s brother and his mate were.
Find help.
I edged cautiously back down the alley, peering into the gloomy shadows. And then I spotted the body crumpled on the grimy floor halfway down. My heart seized in my chest, but as I approached with leaden steps, the details became horribly clear.
Blobby blue body. Red and black jacket. And those tell-tell boots.
Jaxus Plarr. His throat was savagely slashed, dark blood still wet and glistening. Bile rose in my throat as I reeled back before leaning forward to brush my fingers over his hand.
Still warm.
But dead, all the same.
The one person who could definitively finger Conii as the mastermind behind the framing of Tazhr’s friend. Which meant our chances of freeing Tazhr’s friend just got a lot slimmer.
I stumbled against the alley wall, head spinning. This was bad. So very bad. Tazhr would be devastated. We needed Jaxus’s testimony to ensure Conii faced justice. Without that...a wave of despair crashed over me. All our risky efforts over the last week suddenly seemed futile.
My spiraling thoughts scattered as angry shouts echoed down the passage from behind me. I whirled around to see a group of Enforcers blocking the only exit from the alley, weapons drawn and pointed right at me.
“Murderer! Don’t move!”
