More urgent calls loomed from Serpentine. I turned, preparing?—
The bracelets, my intuition reminded me.
I glanced down at my wrist, then at the unconscious dancer, at the behest of my humming intuition. Crouching at her side, Islipped both our bracelets off in a single movement and tucked them into my pocket.
My body sang with returned strength.
I rammed my shoulder into the walled door. The boulder cracked beneath my brute force. I thrust my body into it further, the walls of the tunnel trembling. Dust and gravel cascaded from the ceiling. With one final thrust, I plowed through the wall that had to be at least five feet thick.
I secured the Black Rose in my arms and darted into the breezy night, leaving Serpentine in our wake.
Chapter 20
Rahzlyn
“Basil,”I gasped.
Cold sweat blanketed my body. The room slanted while I attempted to sit upright. My memory evaded me—except for the undeniable knowing that Basil was in trouble.
I didn’t wait to ponder my dim surroundings. There was a door ahead of me, and I intended on using it. But the moment my bare feet contacted the cool wood, I lost all sense of control. The pain of the brand stung, reminding me of its presence.
“Take a minute before you hurt yourself,” a man said.
I let out a startled scream. I followed the voice to a figure lounging against the wall to my left. My hands shot to my chest, and that was when I realized I was wearing a necklace I’d never seen before. A clear crystal dangled from a long silver chain.
“It’s acommunica,” the voice said again. “So you can understand what I’m saying. Keep it around your neck and against your skin. You’ll need it where we’re going.”
He blended with the shadows of the dark, cramped room—except for his gold eyes.
The evening’s events trickled back into place. “You.”
A flash of white teeth. “You remember me this time.”
“Where are we? What did you do to me?” I scrambled back against the headboard. Terror chilled me as I took in the rest of my body. I still donned the Black Rose costume, though that hardly counted as clothing. A man of his strength, with a woman unconscious and practically naked in this bed…
He stood quickly as if sensing the direction of my thoughts. “I didn’t do anything to you, and I don’t intend to.”
My eyes narrowed up at him. “Right, you only sedated and abducted me.”
The Chosen folded his arms and sauntered closer into the ring of light from the candlestick. “And whose fault was that?”
“Myfault?” I should have noticed his eyes immediately. I could blame my nerves, though in the end, it came down to my own stupidity. “What do you want from me?”
“What do you need basil for?” he countered. “The herb you cried out.”
“Basil isn’t an herb,” I snapped. “I mean, it is, but Basil’s my brother.”
“Your brother’s an herb?”
“That’s hisname. And he’s in trouble.” My heart pounded ferociously in my ears. “Answer my questions first.”
If this Chosen wanted me dead, I suspected that would have transpired already. He wasn’t a seer, and he definitely wasn’t a royal by way of his obvious strength and lack of a talisman around his neck. No, this man was undoubtedly a guardian.
I acted on foolish instinct and bolted for the door.
He snatched me by the waist and pressed his gloved hand over my mouth. I fought against him in panic at the thought of succumbing to slumber like before.
“I am not going to hurt you,” he said calmly into my ear. “I am going to release you, but only if you promise to be quiet. Do you understand?”
