“Maybe a ghost.” The taller guard’s grin widened.
The shorter guard’s fist connected with the other guard’s jaw before I could blink. The taller guard stumbled backward, catching himself on a hay bale before launching himself forward with a snarl.
They crashed together in a tangle of limbs and curses, rolling across the floor. I seized my opportunity, darting forward as they grappled. My hands swept over the taller guard’s hip as he twisted. I ducked beneath a flailing arm and patted down the shorter guard’s belt and every pocket.
Nothing.
They rolled again, and I had to leap back to avoid getting crushed. The shorter guard’s elbow caught the other one in the ribs, and he retaliated with a vicious headbutt that made me wince.
I circled them like a vulture, my fingers checking every inch of their clothing as they fought. Back pockets, chest pockets, the inside of their jackets—nothing, nothing, nothing.
My heart sank into my stomach. They didn’t have the keys.
The sound of the trapdoor opening made my blood run cold.
Valentino emerged from the dungeon, his pristine appearance undisturbed despite having just descended into a cesspit of death and despair. His eyes swept across the room,landing on the two guards currently attempting to murder each other in a pile of hay and horse shit.
“What. Is. This.” Each word dropped like a boulder, and the guards froze mid-punch.
They scrambled apart, both trying to stand at attention while covered in dirt and sporting matching bloody noses. The shorter guard wiped blood from his lip with the back of his hand.
“Sir, we were?—”
“I don’t care.” Valentino’s voice could have turned water to stone. “Take two pints from the squirrel for my dinner. I expect it ready within the hour.”
The taller guard’s hand moved to his belt, patting uselessly at empty loops. “I need to retrieve the keys first, my lord.”
Valentino’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking beneath his perfectly pale skin. “You don’t have them on you?”
“No, sir. They’re with?—”
“Is the panther done bleeding out yet?” Valentino cut him off, his tone sharp enough to draw blood.
The guard grunted an affirmative, and I felt my stomach turn over.
Amari. How badly was he hurt?
“And you haven’t moved him?” Valentino’s words dripped with venom. “Am I surrounded by complete incompetents?”
The other guard shuffled his feet, his voice uncertain. “We thought... Lord Val might lose his shit if the panther isn’t nearby when he wakes. He’ll be hungry, and?—”
Valentino waved a dismissive hand, the gesture screaming contempt. “He can have the squirrel’s blood instead. I don’t believe he’s ever tasted one. Now get those keys before I decide you’d both make excellent additions to my taxidermy collection.”
The guards fled like rats, leaving me pressed against the wall, invisible and trembling.
They were going to bleed Nico. They had Amari somewhere, possibly dying. Sammy had vanished. Val was potentially the enemy. And I was the only one left who could do anything about it.
I was so utterly fucked.
I ran down the corridor,breath coming in gasps. The guards had returned with more guards, including a horned demon who towered over the rest, keys dangling from his massive fist. I’d made several attempts to get close, each one riskier than the last. The final time, his head snapped in my direction, nostrils flaring.
I’d barely escaped, pressing myself into a stall next to a horse as he stomped past, sniffing like a predator.
This wasn’t working. I needed a new plan.
Val. I needed to find Val.
If what Valentino said was true, Val was recuperating somewhere in this mansion. Maybe he could help—if he wasn’t the enemy. The uncertainty made my stomach twist, but what choice did I have?
