“I’ll tell all once we’re safe,” she promised, and she squeezed his hand in reassurance.
“I’ll kill Nan,”his dragon snarled.“How dare someone strike our mate? How dare they!”
Leo tamped down his fury and gave a curt nod. “This way. Single file. I’ll go first. Gwenyth, you walk behind me. Martinos next. Jakab will bring up the rear.” A way of monitoring Martinos. Gwenyth might trust him, but Leo didn’t have to—not until he learned more of the dragon.
Leo set a fast pace since someone could notice the escape at any time. The guard might not be as lax as Karlos assumed. The alley curved around a corner, growing even more narrow with a part of a wall collapsed. Leo squeezed through the gap, and Gwenyth followed without complaint.
“Our mate has spirit and determination,”his dragon said, satisfaction in his tone.
“She amazes me,”Leo replied.“We are lucky to have such a brave woman as our mate.”
“We rescued her.”
“It was fate,”Leo replied as he continued to walk as fast as he could, given the limited light and the growing number of obstacles in their path.
“The sex was better than my imagination. Can we do it again soon?”
Leo barked out a laugh.
“What’s funny?” Gwenyth asked from behind him.
Leo turned to grin at her. “I promise to tell you later once we reach safety.”
Five minutes later, the alley ended, and Leo halted before a wall. Like the rest of the stonework, cracks were visible where the mortar had fallen away.
“What now?” Martinos asked.
Leo leaned closer to peer through the largest of the gaps. “We need to break through the wall fast with minor ruckus. Judging by the light, it’s still early, but workers and tradespeople will be about their business.”
“Once we get out, I think we should split up,” Jakab said. “It will be harder for anyone chasing us if we go in different directions.”
Leo turned to Martinos. “Do you have somewhere you can go?”
“I’ll make do. I can’t fly.” He gestured at the bracelet encircling one biceps. “The bracelet holds a druid spell to stop me from taking my dragon form.”
Leo stared at Martinos, unwilling compassion filling him. Although Leo didn’t trust him, he sympathized with the dragon’s plight. Imprisonment of his other half seemed a harsh punishment. “Does a druid need to remove the spell?”
“Yes,” Martinos said, his tone devoid of the anger or frustration Leo imagined he’d feel at the suppression of his dragon.
“I have a plan for you. Make your way to the human village. It will take you a day on foot. Perhaps longer, depending on your fitness. Sleep in the rough to avoid detection. Head to the fishermen’s cottages at the bottom of the village—the ones that edge the sea. Ask to speak with Henry and tell him I sent you. He owns a fishing boat and travels between the isles. If you’re willing to work as crew, he’ll give you passage to Perfume Isle. Sometimes, he travels as far as Smoking Isle. Tell Henry I’ll pay him a boon during my next visit to the village.”
“You’d do that for me, even though Nan is my sister, and she’s trying to kill your mate and marry you?”
“I’m trusting my gut that says my brothers’ involvement with your sister confirms shady dealings. I don’t trust my older brothers.” Leo picked up the iron lever he’d carried with him and began chipping away at the wall.
Jakab and Martinos helped him while Gwenyth started carrying the pieces they dislodged to build a barrier behind them.
“Where will you and Gwenyth go?” Martinos asked.
“It’s best if we don’t tell you,” Gwenyth said from behind them before Leo could snap out a suspicious query of his own. “Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of splitting up.”
“You misunderstand,” Martinos said. “I’ve languished in the dungeon for almost three years, which has given me plenty of time to think about what happened. My sister wanted to run the family business. That’s obvious. Your brothers, however…” He strained to remove a stone. “I’ve often wondered why they spared my life.”
“My brothers forgot you,” Leo said.
“They destroyed my honor, and I demand revenge. My dragon was taken from me, and the reasons are damn murky. I’ve racked my brain and can’t fathom why.”
“Where will you go after you get the bracelet removed?” Leo asked.
