Jakob shifted his hips to a new angle and within seconds, Mallory lost control and came undone. His own stifling cry echoed as he followed close behind her.
They rode right off the cliff as he trailed soft kisses along her neck and back to her lips.
Her head rested on his shoulder as they cuddled in the afterglow. "I love you," he whispered with a kiss to the top of her head
She kissed his chest. "I love you, too."
He never wanted to leave this moment.
CHAPTER 28
Mallory
Mallory watched the last of the Ruecrag members disappear down the stone corridor, most of them with their heads down and shoulders slumped as Jakob and Sven herded the prisoners toward the dungeon.
Meg walked in the middle of them, but unlike the others, her chin was lifted and her eyes straight ahead instead of at the floor. Her wrists were bound but she didn’t struggle. That somehow bothered Mallory more than if she had screamed.
Sven held Meg back as the others were herded into a cell. Jakob’s jaw was set, his shoulders tight beneath his coat as he turned the key in the dungeon door. The heavy clang echoed through the hallway, final and unforgiving. Sven lingered a moment longer, his eyes sharp as he made sure every lock held before giving Jakob a short nod.
“It’s done,” Sven said. He nodded toward Meg. “What about her?”
Jakob glanced at Mallory. “Do you want to speak with her before we take her to a private cell?”
Mallory hesitated, then shrugged. “Do what you need to do.”
He didn’t push her. The two men walked Meg further down the corridor and ushered Meg into a waiting cell. This time, the clank of the lock reverberated in Mallory’s heart. This was her sister, first and foremost. But she was also a major enemy to the castle.
Her emotions warred. Even if she talked to Meg, she wasn’t sure what she expected. Maybe confessions, explanations, or some grand unraveling that would make the past weeks make sense. She doubted Meg would tell her anything, but deep down, she knew that if she didn’t try, the questions would rot inside her.
She motioned to Jakob. “Give me a minute.”
“Are you sure?”
His caring warmed her heart even under the circumstances. “I have to.”
He signaled to Sven. “Come on. We’ll wait outside.” To Mallory, he leaned closer. “One scream and we’ll be in here to handle the situation.”
She kissed him with a butterfly kiss. “I’ll be fine.” She waited until they exited before she moved toward Meg’s prison.
The dungeon smelled of damp stone and cold iron. Lights hissed softly along the walls. Meg sat on a narrow bench in her cell with her hands folded in her lap as if she were waiting for tea rather than judgment.
Mallory stopped just outside the bars.
“Why?” she asked, the word coming out flatter than she intended.
Meg looked up. Her eyes were suddenly tired. Not wild and defiant. Not triumphant. Just… human. But she didn’t speak.
“Did you do all this just for the Ruecrags?” Mallory pressed. “For betraying everyone. For lying to me.” Her voice cracked. “For just leaving me. I worshipped you, Meg.”
Meg’s mouth curved into something that might have been a sad smile. “If I told you it was for power, you wouldn’t believe me. If I told you I was afraid not to, you’d think I was weak.”
“Try me.”
Meg exhaled slowly. “Love does strange things to people, Mallory. It changes them and makes them justify things they never would have touched otherwise.”
“Where is this love that you dumped your whole life for?”
“He died,” Meg answered simply. “About a year ago. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and it all caught up with him.”
