“When did you get this? It’s beautiful,” she asked, voice soft, reverent.
“In Seattle,” I murmured. “When we were apart.”
Her eyes darkened with something unreadable before urgency overtook her features. She scrambled to find my jacket and, upon spotting it, thrust it at me.
“Put this on. If anyone here sees that mark, they’ll apprehend you, torture you, then kill you. That’s what the Timehunters do. And Raul is one of them.”
I stilled, gripping the fabric. “How do you know this?” I asked, reaching for my breeches.
“I’ve learned many things in our time apart,” she said.
But I had already stopped listening—something across the room had caught my eye.
“Olivia, look.” I nodded toward an arched opening at the far end of the dark chamber.
She turned. “What?”
“That archway. Where do you think it leads?”
Her breath hitched. “Let’s find out. But we need light.”
Though her undergarments were useless, she adjusted her skirt and petticoats, shredded by my impatience.
We searched the office until we found a beeswax candle, a pewter holder, and a tinderbox. Inside, a sliver of brimstone-coated wood, a flint, a steel striker, and charred rags for tinder.
I worked the striker against the flint, sparks dancing until a flicker of flame caught. I lit the brimstone, then held the makeshift match to the candle wick.
The glow came to life, illuminating the space.
“I’ve got light,” I said. “Let’s go.”
We stepped toward the hidden passage, slipping into the dark space behind the bookshelf.
The air was thick, humming with the echoes of what had just transpiredbetween us. The room felt different now—marked, altered, christened by our love.
I lifted the candle higher, its dim light barely penetrating the black ahead.
“It looks like a staircase,” I murmured, gesturing to the archway.
Olivia gripped my arm, her excitement palpable. “Maybe the dagger is down there.”
Before I could respond, she shoved the bookshelf back into place, sealing us inside.
I turned to her, brows furrowed. “Why did you do that?”
“If Costa finds out we’ve breached this corridor, we’re as good as dead.” Her grip on my arm tightened. “We have to move quickly.”
I exhaled, nodding. Then, lifting the candle, I let its light spill down the ancient stone steps.
And with a calming breath, I took the first step into the unknown.
Chapter 21
Olivia
My body was still thrumming with the aftermath of our lovemaking as we descended into the depths of Raul’s house. Overcome with joy, I reached for the back of Roman’s doublet before he could take another step down the dark stairs. When he turned, questioning, I silenced him with a kiss—unapologetic, deep, and lingering. My hands skimmed across his back, feeling his warmth beneath my fingertips.
We tasted each other, teasing with lips and tongues, as if time had unraveled, leaving only us in this stolen moment. I wanted to stay here, lost in his touch and how his mouth perfectly fit against mine. I had missed him with every fiber of my being. Every breath in his absence had been filled with longing. Now, at last, he was here.
