“You have a disturbing knowledge base about animals.”
“Remind me to tell you about the mating ritual of honeybees.” Christian crunched on his candy. “Isn’t this romantic? All that shite about flowers, dinner, and a night on the town is overrated. All a man needs is a woman with supple breasts, a bucket of blood, a dark tunnel, and a slim chance of survival.”
“Be still my beating heart.”
“Don’t ever say that to a Vampire.” After two more steps, he yanked me to the ground. “Duck.”
Something whooshed over our heads, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“A free haircut. Will you stop distracting me? I missed the trip wire.”
Annoyed, I crawled ahead of him.
“Mmm, nice view,” he growled. His voice sounded higher up, and before I had the chance to ask if it was safe to stand, he made anoomph.
“You okay?”
Wood snapped, and the air whistled overhead. It sounded as if a body hit the ground a short distance away.
“Aye,” he grunted. “Just dandy. Get on your feet, lass.”
I stood and waited for him to offer me his arm. “This is like an Indiana Jones movie,” I mused. “If they unleash spiders, I’m running the other way. Just so you know.”
“Jaysus. Did you have to say that aloud?”
“Since when is the man who has spiders for roommates scared of spiders?”
“’Tis one thing to have a few wee spiders scurrying about. ’Tis another to have a cluster of foot-long tarantulas.”
I slowed my pace. “I never said anything about tarantulas. Why did you just say that?”
“Keep to the left,” he said, amusement in his voice.
“I hate you.”
After a short turn, he quickly stopped and broke from my grip. I stared into the darkness, trying to make sense of incoherent sounds like rustling clothes, metal vibrations, and Christian heaving a sigh.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Fecking door is thicker than my cock.”
I blindly staggered forward and felt for the knob. “Did you try opening it first?”
“What you know about dungeons could fill a thimble.”
When I turned the lever, the door swung open. I grinned wide in the darkness. “After you, Poe.”
I swear I could hear his jaw clench.
When Christian whooshed past, I heard his feet stomp in the distance.
“Jump, and I’ll catch you.”
I imagined a dark pit like the other one. “How long is it?”
“If I had a dime for every time I heard that,” he murmured.
