Drustan delivered a sharp kick to Cole’s side. “Stay down,” he growled. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Cole blinked against the pain. “The night watch is coming,” he said. “Nash went after them.”
Drustan laughed, cold and hollow. “Nash is a fool. I doubt he even knows where to find the watch. He still thinks he’s my boss, but I’ve been working with Thusk for over a year now. Soon, everything Nash has will be mine.”
Cole forced his next words out through clenched teeth. “He’s your friend.”
“I don’t have friends.” Drustan motioned to two guards who appeared from the shadows. “Lock him up. We’ll send him out in the morning. I know just the master for him.”
The guards seized Cole’s arms and dragged him to his feet. He yanked one arm free, only to have a fist slam into his ribs and steal his breath. Cole went limp. His head fell forward, and the guards lugged him toward the center of the warehouse, his feet dragging uselessly behind him.
A cold, hollow ache settled in his chest as Mistel’s face swam in his mind. She was out there somewhere, alone, and he was powerless to reach her.
Chapter 40
Mistel
Mistel awoke to the muffled sounds of a struggle. She blinked at her dark, cramped surroundings. Two guards entered her line of sight, dragging a man toward her. They stopped right in front of her cage and unceremoniously dumped him on the floor like cargo. He groaned and rolled onto his side.
Her breath caught. Cole.
The dim light revealed blood streaking one cheek, closed eyes. As the guards opened the neighboring cage, her fingers tightened on the cold iron bars. Every instinct screamed at her to call out to Cole, to reach for him, but she held her tongue. Better that no one find out she knew him.
The guards dragged Cole upright. He came to life then, struggling against them with sudden energy. For a moment, Mistel thought he might break free, but before his resistance could amount to anything, they forced him inside the cage and slammed the door shut.
Cole thrashed in his cage, and Mistel’s throat burned with the effort of holding her tongue. She waited, pulse thundering in her ears, until the guards disappeared between two rows of crates. Only when the echoes of their footsteps faded did she dare to whisper.
“Cole.”
He groaned, his voice faint when he said, “Mistel.”
Her heart squeezed. He sounded so dazed, so utterly vulnerable. Did he think he was dreaming? She tried again, louder this time. “Cole Tanniyn.”
His limbs tensed, his eyes flashed open, and he sucked in a sharp breath. He pushed himself up, only to strike his head against the low roof of his cage.
“Ahh!” He winced and rubbed his head. Then, finally—finally—he turned his attention her way.
For a moment, confusion clouded his gaze, but then his expression shifted. Recognition. Relief. Something deeper. Oh, how she loved watching his face transform as he realized she wasn’t a dream.
“You’re okay,” he breathed.
“Hello, my knightling,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned, a shy look that sent warmth through her. “Rescuing you.”
She twisted her lips and shot him a look. “Hmm…I’m confused. This is not the rescue I had in mind.”
His brow furrowed, putting that little wrinkle between his brows that she found so endearing. “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something.”
She laughed silently, unable to help herself. Even now, in the middle of this nightmare, his confidence—however misplaced—lifted her spirits. “Maybe you shouldn’t worry.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys she’d swiped earlier. Letting them jangle softly, she tilted her head, watching his grin widen.
It was her favorite smile. The one that lit up his entire face.
“That’s my girl,” he said, his voice filled with admiration.
“We’re spies, after all,” she said. “And we stick together.”
Cole eyed the guards in the distance. “I think this might be taking our alliance a little too far.”
