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“There’s no light there.”

“They have light.”

She shook her head, clutching the blanket tighter around herself. “No light. No air. Only darkness and stars going out.”

“What are we going to do about this?” Theon asked, tucking her closer into his side.

“We have to go. Who knows when Cienna will see us again,” Luka said, pulling the tie from his hair. The brown strands fell around his face. “You know she’s going to have answers for us.”

“And those answers will require payment,” Theon sighed.

“She’ll be interested in her,” Luka agreed.

“Wait, I’m the payment?” Tessa asked, looking up at Theon.

“No, beautiful, but she’ll want to meet you before she answers questions about you,” he said, tucking hair behind her ear. “But we’ll be there with you. All of us. It doesn’t feel like you’re underground once we get to the main districts.”

She broke his stare, looking out at the view over the balcony railing. “Can you see the sky?”

He was quiet for a long moment before he answered. “No, Tessa. You cannot see the sky.”

“And we will be staying there?”

“For a few days,” he confirmed.

“But you won’t leave me there?”

His answer was filled with some sort of fierce determination when Theon said, “No, Tessa. I won’t leave you there.”

Her eyes flicked to him before they settled back on Luka. “I wasn’t asking you. You leave me in the dark all the time.”

Luka’s gaze never left hers when he said, “I won’t leave you there, Tessa.”

She didn’t know why she sought his confirmation. She didn’t believe him, but something in her settled at his vow.

She stayed on the balcony for the rest of the day.

12

AXEL

“It’s only a little farther,” Axel called over his shoulder.

“You keep saying that,” Tessa growled back. “Yet we’re still in these tunnels.”

He did keep saying that, but he didn’t know how else to contribute to keeping her calm. Theon and Luka had filled him in on her reaction to coming here, but even if they hadn’t, the storm that had been gathering as they’d coaxed her through the Underground gate said enough about how she felt about it.

Theon kept her hand firmly in his, and Luka was behind them, keeping close. The passage they were currently navigating was scarcely wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side, let alone three. The only light was the glow from Luka’s black flames. It wasn’t much, but they all had enhanced eyesight, so it was enough.

“You doing all right?” he asked, casting a glance at Katya.

She walked beside him dressed in her training attire. He’d offered to get her other clothes, but she’d insisted that wasn’t necessary.

He was going to do it anyway. She needed more than training clothes. He’d never really paid attention to the attire of the Faewho were assigned to Arius Kingdom, but being in the Acropolis and seeing so many others had him realizing just how differently the Kingdoms controlled their Fae. Not only that, but how different the Fae were in general before they were assigned to their Kingdoms and positions.

“I’m fine,” Kat replied.

“Being here doesn’t bother you?”