The Shadows

Trez cried out her name and clasped her to him, tilting his head and encouraging her to take more, take everything she needed—as his hips locked against her, his erection jerking as he came deep inside her body.

His release called another out of her, taking her to the edge again.

And all the while, she’d never felt safer or more loved.

THIRTY-NINE

As the cell door shut tightly behind him and maichen, iAm yanked the headdress off and tossed it. “Let her go.”

s’Ex shifted his powerful legs off the bedding platform and got to his feet. “Do you know what my biggest failing is? I don’t take orders well.”

“She’s not part of this. It’s between you and me.”

“Yeah, see, you’re still getting it wrong. You and I are actually just bit players in the real drama, but that’s beside the point.”

The executioner walked forward, and iAm put his hands out, shielding maichen. “Stop.”

“Or what.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

s’Ex halted right in front of him and stared down his nose. “Really.”

“Yes.” iAm curled his hands into fists and felt his fangs drop down. “If it’s a question of you or her walking out of here alive, I will guarantee that she will be the one still on her feet when the door opens. And I don’t care if I die in the process.”

s’Ex frowned and glanced at the maid. Addressing her, he said, “Wrong brother. You know that, right?”

iAm leaned to the side and blocked the eye contact. “So are we doing this?”

“You’d be a fool to fight me. Considering I came to get you out of here.”

iAm refused to be distracted. “Are you throwing the first punch or am I.”

“Did you hear what I said? I came here to take you to the fucking library—but I’m assuming that’s where you two are coming back from? Or are we swinging by there on the way to the exit.”

In the silence that followed, iAm ran the executioner’s words back and forth, checking the syllables for meaning. Then he frowned. “I don’t get it.”

“If you don’t mind, we need to do this now, because I have to be back at court in about twenty minutes.”

What the fuck was this, iAm wondered.

s’Ex rolled his eyes. “I told you I’d get you in and out, didn’t I?”

“You put me in here! You had me hit on the head—”

“No, asshole. One of my guards did that. I’ve been working behind the scenes to try and get you free—you’re not supposed to be in this goddamn cell. That wasn’t our agreement.”

Blink.

“We have been to the library,” maichen interjected. “We were unsuccessful. And I’m coming as well. I want to be sure he makes it out alive.”

s’Ex and iAm both looked at her and barked, “No.”

“See?” the executioner said as he walked around them to the door. “We can agree about something. Now, can we do this.”

And the bastard wasn’t talking about fighting.

Holy. Shit. It looked as though his trust hadn’t been as misplaced as he’d thought.

iAm looked at maichen. In a soft voice, he whispered, “Don’t follow us.”

“You cannot tell her what to do,” s’Ex said as he triggered the exit. “Now let us proceed—unless you want to rot in this cell?”

iAm shook his head at the maid. “Do not—”

“I’m waiting,” s’Ex said.

“maichen—”

“I shall follow you if I wish,” was all she said as she steamed by him and joined s’Ex in the hall.

iAm’s hair was on fire as he followed, still wearing that maid uniform he’d sneaked around in. “I’m not going to have it on my conscience if you get yourself killed for a dumb-ass reason.”

As they went down the corridor, she paid no attention to his bitching. Duh. She didn’t seem to have a brain in her head.

Or maybe that was him . . . because he found himself not wanting to leave her.

Which was nuts.

s’Ex led them through the halls, taking a different path than maichen had. And all the way, iAm was prepared for an ambush, a confrontation, a sold-up-the-river outcome that was going to fuck him in the ass.

But fifteen or twenty minutes later, he was out of the palace, past the vacant servants’ quarters . . . and standing in front of the wall that separated the Territory from the human world.

iAm looked over at the executioner. “You’re just letting me go?” he whispered into the darkness.

“Like I said, that was our arrangement, wasn’t it?” When iAm didn’t reply, s’Ex shook his head. “Herewith lies the ending for the three of us. At least until after the mourning, when I have to come get your brother.”

“Won’t they notice I’m gone?”

“Why would anyone care? I dispatch delinquents regularly—and I have already erased the memory of your marking in any who had knowledge of it.” s’Ex glanced at maichen. “Although all this would have been so much easier if you hadn’t insisted on turning that cell into a furniture showroom.”

iAm stuck out his palm. “I didn’t expect you to be honest.”

“Fuck you, too.” s’Ex shook what was extended to him. “Now go.”

Just like that, the way out was open to him. He didn’t even have to dematerialize over the barrier.

iAm paused and glanced back at the maid.