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Screams and shouting sounded from behind us as patrons began pouring out of the brothels.

“What the fuck did you do?” I hissed, looking over my shoulder to see a small army of armed guards chasing after us.

“Might have went too big,” Dukovich said between pants, his boots sliding to a stop as four guards stepped into our path out of an alleyway in front of us.

He pivoted to the left, bolting into the alley across from us and dragging me behind him as the guards lunged.

Muffled curses rang out as they missed us by only inches.

“What did you do?” I snapped again as we raced down the narrow alleyway, my heart pounding in my ears as the shouts of the guards echoed off the stone walls behind us.

“If you haven’t noticed, love, I’m a little busy at the moment. No time for an explanation,” he said, his grip tightening on my hand as we rounded another corner, weaving around discarded crates and piles of refuse.

I kicked the wooden barrows lining the alleyway over, their contents spilling onto the ground behind us.

We burst out of the alley onto the main thoroughfare, startling a group of well-dressed nobles. They shrieked andscattered as we barreled through their midst, the guards hot on our heels.

I spotted Cyloe circling above the rooftops, the black sheen of her wings glinting against the sky. She let out a harsh caw and wheeled to the right.

My hand shot into the air, pointing to her.

“Follow her!” I shouted, as he veered to the side and sprinted after her.

We plunged down another side street, the shouts of the guards coming from every direction now.

They were closing in on us.

This was the exact reason why we should never be paired together for anything remotely discreet.

But no, nobody listens to me.

Dukovich skidded to a halt, nearly yanking my arm out of its socket as I slammed into his back. “Why are we stopping?” I gasped, glancing over my shoulder.

The guards were getting closer, their armor clanking loudly as they charged after us.

“Because there is nowhere else to run,” he snapped, gesturing to the high wall that loomed in front of us.

“Then climb, you fucking idiot!” I barked, releasing his hand and launching myself at the barrier.

My fingers scrambled for purchase on the rough stone as I hauled myself up, my muscles burning with the effort. Dukovich scrambled up the wall behind me as the grating and scraping of armor grew louder, the lights from the torches only a few moments from shining on us.

With a final heave, I pulled myself up onto the ledge of the wall and extended my hand to him, yanking him as hard as I could. My heels slipped on loose stone and a scream shot from my mouth as we both tumbled off the other side of the wall.

Our bodies collided with the sand as grunts flew from our lungs at the impact. I groaned as we lay there, sprawled out on the sand, trying to catch our breath.

“I am fine—” Dukovich started, panting between the words. “With you calling me a lot of things, love. But ‘fucking idiot’ might be where I draw the line.”

A genuine, full bodied laugh echoed out of me and I winced against the pain that flared through my ribs as a result.

“Yeah, that may have been a little harsh,” I said, as I turned my head toward him to see him grinning back at me.

My head snapped toward the wall as the guards sounded from the other side. “We should probably—”

“My thoughts exactly,” Dukovich interrupted, pushing up from the sand and pulling me up beside him as an arrow whizzed past us.

I cursed under my breath as I slipped my hand into his and tethered us from Sethros.

A groan of pain echoed into the sitting room as we landed and I limped toward the table, trying to walk off the ache blooming over every inch of my body.