Red bloomed on Cordelia’s cheeks and her only response was to nod silently.
“Now, I’m going to let you go and work the rope from here to lower you down,” he continued. “Is your mother ready?” Devin asked over his shoulder.
Miranda leaned over the rail and found her mother just as she pulled a blade free of an enforcer’s shoulder, kicking at the body so it rolled into two more attempting to rush her.
With a sharp whistle, Miranda signaled her mother and Lady Wilde moved until her fight was beneath them. She sheathed one of her swords so she could grab the lower end of the rope and defend the area.
“Ready, Cordelia?” Devin asked.
Cordelia nodded, stars shimmering in the soft brown of her gaze.
Miranda rolled her eyes. He wasn’tthatcharming.
Devin eased Cordelia away from the railing and supported her weight with the other end of the rope. Hand over hand he lowered her to the ground. Miranda glanced past him, noting the incoming enforcers.
“I’ll cover you,” she said, getting into position.
Her sword was still lodged in the floor somewhere and her metal stick would not hold out much longer, but she had the advantage of skill.
As she met the first line of enforcers, Miranda deflected blows and concentrated her own strikes on breaking their footing. She was winded after a minute, each block or maneuver requiring much more effort than she was used to, given their strength.
“Is she clear?” Miranda yelled, panting as she leaned on the railing to brace as she kicked out at an enforcer’s chest. It barely made them stagger.
There was a pause before Devin answered, “Yes, your mother has her.”
Miranda heaved a sigh of relief, then she made a tactical retreat.
She grabbed Devin’s arm and dragged him behind her, racing for a path that wasn’t full of enemies.
“I thought you went after Graves,” she said, searching for a way to the bottom floor. All the stairs were either blocked or guarded, but there was a tower of crates that was high enough for them to land on and probably survive.
“It was tempting,” he said, taking her hand as they leapt over the railing and landed on the tower.
They broke straight through the top crate, wood splinters exploding around them. Devin brushed slivers from his hair as he added, “But I managed to signal Gideon instead.”
She got to her feet, climbing down the rest of the tower. When they reached the bottom, Devin straightened and his eyes snapped to her. She felt his stare in the awkward, stuttering beat of her heart.
“And then you came back?” she asked.
“I knew you’d be lost without me.”
She wasn’t even angry at the quip, because he had come back and he’d helped save her sister, instead of revenge. It was too chaotic to put into words how that made her feel, but it was significant. The warm, overpowering sensation in her chest told her that much.
Now that they were on the ground floor, there was ample cover and plenty of debris to arm themselves. They ducked into the first in-tact, sheltered area they found to regroup.
“The door is several feet to my left,” she said as she fished around for a weapon. “With luck, Gideon will already be there.”
This must have been a supply area, it was full of cleaning solutions and overstocked containers.
Miranda fished around the shelves, stopping when she reached the corner. Among the brooms, mops, and dusting tools was a shovel and a crowbar. She held them up. “What’s your preference?”
“The crowbar,” Devin said and when she tossed it, he caught it with an unnecessary flourish. “Shall we?”
Electric excitement coursed through Miranda, more than simple adrenaline. Her sister was safe, the mission nearly completed, Graves may have escaped but by the time they were done all his work would be evidence, which left her freer and lighter than she’d been able to feel in months.
Devin’s dark hair was mussed, strands sticking to his skin with sweat, and he somehow made sweat attractive. His blue eyes were on her, despite the chaos. Always focused on her. Her body hummed with more than just the thrill of a fight or the righteous validation of stopping a horrible man from doing horrible things. The longer their gazes locked, the more the vibrating energy of battle wormed into her abdomen and between her thighs, stirring an intoxicating blend of desire and bloodlust.
Devin’s smile shifted to confusion for a fraction of a second, her gaze reflecting just how depraved she’d become after only a few days of his acquaintance.
