She muttered a curse under her breath as she retreated, but her slipper scuffed against the stone floor.
“Oi! Stop there!”
They lunged.
There was no time to run. No time to think. Nin drew the letter opener strapped beneath her stocking. She slashed at one man’s arm and drove her heel into the other’s knee. Then ducked beneath a wild swing, scooped up a handful of dust, and flung it into the blond man’s eyes. He hollered, covering his face and doubling over. The brunette swiped at her, and she dodged backward but lost her footing.
Instead of landing on her back, she rolled into the fall. She spotted some stray rope attached to one of the empty crates as she scrambled back to avoid a kick. Grabbing it, she pulled it taut when Monsieur Ponytail advanced on her. His foot caught, sending him crashing to the floor.
Her heartthundered in her ears, breath ragged with fear and resolve. She’d fought her way out of tighter corners before, but never in a palace, never with so much at stake.
She bolted for the door. Fingers closed around her arm and yanked her back. She twisted free, drawing her knee up to his groin—
Pain exploded at her temple.
Light burst behind her eyes.
Her body collapsed to the ground. Darkness swallowed her and spat her back into the throes of agony. Her fingers twitched over the stone. Shadows stretched over her, and rough hands grabbed her arms.
The world spun in dizzying colors. She didn’t know how much time had passed—moments or centuries—as her feet dragged over the ground, but something rumbled in the corridor. A thick haze clouded her thoughts, but she heard a crash. Deep commands and footsteps—purposeful and steady.
Please let it be him.
The door flew open—
“Take your hands off her!”
The hands recoiled as though she had burned them. She slumped to the ground, her skull raging with the stabbing pain of countless fiery needles.
“Apprehend them!” the familiar, commanding voice shouted.
Yelling and scuffling echoed through the cavern. Nin struggled to keep her eyes open. They weighed like lead, tempting her to surrender to the darkness once more.
“Nin!”
A presence, warm and familiar, was at her side. Strong, calloused hands cradled her cheeks.
Cedric’s face wavered before her, then split into two. Nin’s lips twitched into a faint half-smile. One Cedric had been more than enough, but two?
She would be in double the trouble.
“You’re bleeding,” he said, his voice tight with panic.
“You should see the other guy,” she murmured, the words slurring into a weak smirk.
He didn’t return it. Instead, his hands curled over her dress, and fury simmered just beneath the surface of his eyes.
In a seamless, fluid motion, he wordlessly lifted her into his arms. Guards moved aside as he marched through the halls. Her head lolled against his chest, and the uneven beat of his heart drummed against her ear.
Nin didn’t dare move under the covers as Cedric wrung a towel over a porcelain washbasin. Agitation rolled off his rigid form, even as he dabbed the material against her temple. Nin hissed when he applied the slightest pressure.
“You could have been killed,” he said, his voice lowering. His dark eyes bored into her, nearly swallowing her into their abyss. She bit her lip.
“If I hadn’t checkedon you,” he continued, wiping the blood that had trickled down her cheek, “if I hadn’t tracked you down, you would be dead.”
Nin averted her gaze, hating how he was right. Despite her valiant effort, the two men had overpowered her. But that didn’t stop her walls from shooting up around her wounded ego.
She sat up, pushing through the dull throb in her head. Cedric’s hand fell to his lap as he stared, stony and unyielding.
