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“Together, we formulated a plan. Tomorrow, when the torques deactivate, you will create an illusion to hide our activities while Kronk removes the sand covering the hidden passageand Thorne unlocks the grate with his enchanted key. He claims to have someone on the outside ready to assist us.”

Hopefully, Thorne was sober for this conversation. “And what of the trials?”

“While the three of you work on our escape, Drazen and I will provide protection from whatever it is that Idris unleashes upon us.”

“You intend to take on the other challengers—and who knows what Idris sends our way—with just Drazen at your side?”

He stiffened beside me. “You think I can’t?

Goddess, save me from males and their egos.“I guess it doesn’t matter what I think since it’s the only plan we have.”

Silence stretched between us. My late-night visitor fell quiet, staring at the ceiling. Apparently, he’d gone to all the trouble of sneaking into my room simply to protect his investment. Because all I was to him was a means to an end. I, too, stared at the ceiling as I pondered the bigger question. Was that all that he was tome?

My mind flipped back to the span we met. The span I’d tossed him to the ground to save him from the gallspawn. For a second, as I rested on top of him, there had been a moment. A spark that exploded between us. The sensation had felt important. At the time, I’d blown it off, believing it was the fates at work, putting me on the path that would protect us from Vex while providing for White Bridge. Which obviously wasn’t the case.

He turned to his side, propping his head on his hand. Silver hair spilled over his shoulders, his steely eyes sparking with gold. His winter-green fragrance enveloped me, clouding my senses. I stared back at him, spellbound.

Touch feather-light, he trailed a finger along my temple and jaw, then brushed his thumb over my lips. My lungs swelled. My heart raced. Then, those teasing fingers drifted lower, over mycollar bone, and along the thin strap of the silken nightshift I wore, teasing the outside of my breast, causing my nipple to pearl.

“You’re so beautiful like this.”

“Like what?” I gasped.

“Soft.”

Soft? As in weak?

I pursed my lips, and he followed the action, mesmerized. “What do you m—”

Victor crashed his mouth into mine. At first, I was too stunned to react and then…

Then.

Sparks exploded inside of me, and I kissed him back, applying pressure of my own. At my response, a throaty moan rumbled in the back of his throat. Gone was the uptight leader I’d known. In his place was a passionate, hungry male who kissed me like he was drowning, and I was the only thing keeping him alive.

My brain floating in a haze, I hardly noticed when he moved, pinning me beneath him. His hips settled between my thighs. The warmth of his bare chest seared me through the thin material of my shift. Very little separated us. Needing to touch him, I skimmed my hands down the flexing muscles of his shoulders.

Hot and minty, his tongue teased the seam of my lips, and I opened, eager for a taste of him. The kiss deepened, and my mind emptied. The only thought left, one ofmore.In that moment, we were no longer captives of a mad king, but two people consumed with each other.

He snaked his fingers into my hair and tugged, breaking our kiss. “What sort of spell are you working, sorceress?”

Panting, I peered up at him in confusion. “Spell?”

“I feel…” He squeezed his eyes closed, and when he opened them again, two golden orbs glared back at me. “I feel raw, fractured…”

“Out of control?”

“Yes,” he hissed.

“Same,” I whispered.

While I was no scholar, I knew the threat of certain death was known to evoke strong emotions in people. Desperation being one of those emotions. Tonight, I ached to share a sense of connection with someone—to know I wouldn’t be alone as I faced the gallows. The desperate need to feelgood.

I dragged my foot up his calf. “Question is, what do you plan to do about it?”

His golden eyes brightened, scanning my body. “What would you like me to do?”

“Touch me.” I arched my back.