Sensing both of us needed some relief from the unexpectedly heavy topic we’d found ourselves in, I changed the subject. “I really appreciate the rescue—”
“Not rescued yet,” he interrupted. “I only got you out of Shaken Ridge. There’s still five more justices, and the next is my least favorite. Flames of Ether.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. The land of fire – no doubt that explained why it was so hot. We were close.
“I need to get out of here and make sure my guardians are okay, because Laous will think I escaped. And he will punish them.” There was no way for me to know if they’d received any help from the Darkens yet, so my worry was very real.
“He’s going to suspect his man did something with you, so we have some time while he deals with him.”
A slight relief, but still not much. “When did you know I was here?” I asked.
“As soon as you were taken … Lexen lost his mind. While his family tried to calm him down and use diplomatic channels to find you, I came straight here. If there is something underhanded going on, Laous is usually involved.”
Wishing death on someone was not a common thing for me, but the Imperial overlord was the exception. He was pure insanity. He needed to die.
“Lexen never brought a female to any of our meetings before,” Daniel said; immediately I was paying attention. Of course I was; it was information about Lexen. “You were different. We all saw it, and I won’t let my friend lose someone important to him.”
I sucked in a hard breath, those words having a strong and dramatic effect on my body, on my heart. “I miss him.” The very soft words escaped before I could stop them.
Daniel stared at me, probably unsure how to reply to that. I shook my head, trying to knock some sense into myself, but all that happened was a fierce headache slapped me with a wave of pain.
Even though I tried not to cringe, I still crumpled forward, hand pressed to forehead. “You need to rest,” Daniel said.
I shook my head, more gingerly this time. “No, I can’t rest until I’m out of here. We should go.”
It was his turn to shake his head now. “I’m waiting on a package, so best make yourself comfortable.”
His tone brooked no argument, so I sank to the ground, sprawling out, head cradled on my right bicep. “I’m just going to rest for a minute,” I murmured to the now silent Daelighter. “Wake me as soon as you’re ready to go.”
I held his gaze until he inclined his head, and then I closed my eyes, seeking respite from the head pain. Exhaustion pulled me under almost immediately. It was a relief to escape reality for a short time.
Sometime later, low rumbles of conversation broke through my unconscious state. As I struggled back to the land of awake, the words became clearer.
“You got here much quicker than I expected.” Daniel sounded surprised, but also kind of relieved.
“I was already in House of Imperial,” came the short reply. That voice, the smooth husky accented voice, was enough to set my heart rate off.
There was a brief pause, before Daniel groaned. “Fuck … Lex, what did you do?”
“Laous forfeited his life the moment he touched her. If my father hadn’t stopped me, your overlord would already be dead. The council will deal with him, and then when they’re finished … I will find him. Prepare yourself, you’re about to get a promotion.”
I’d never really feared Lexen, even in those first days of being a hostage, but his voice brimming with so much fury sent tendrils of adrenalin through my body. My instincts were telling me that he’d never hurt me though, and I wasn’t just saying that because it was pretty clear I was half in love with him. I had no delusions he cared about me in the same way, but he always protected me.
I would stake my life on that.
Gentle hands brushed across my cheeks and I pressed into his touch. As my eyelashes fluttered open, the hard, dark lines of his face came into full view. His eyes were on fire, white flaming lights filling the dark depths.
“Hey,” I said, my voice raspy.
Lexen’s hand briefly clenched on my cheek, before he gentled it again.
“Hey,” he started, before a rumble of anger shook his body. And the walls around us. It was already hot where we were, but Lexen was emitting even more heat. It was like he was a volcano about to erupt.
“I’m okay,” I tried to reassure him, but he seemed beyond words again.
Then he kissed me.
As his lips crashed into mine with more force than I expected, but also far less than I needed, everything stilled. The pain in my body fell away. The worries churning in my mind disappeared. My body burned as hot as Lexen’s as I pushed up into his hold.
