Page 65 of A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions #4)

He radiated pride. I wanted him back in my arms. I wanted to tell him that I was already proud.

That I didn’t care if he was spontaneous and reckless or if he couldn’t pick a lock in under a minute.

I didn’t care if he squirmed and talked too much during stakeouts because he got bored.

I didn’t care if he ate peanut butter from the jar or couldn’t cook for shit.

I didn’t care if he pretended to be scared of Baby every time I cleaned her cage, simply because it was expected of him.

He could sass me for the rest of our lives, and I would happily soak it up.

Tallus was perfect, and I didn’t want to change a thing. He didn’t have to impress me. I loved him exactly the way he was. The fact that he loved me back and risked his life to rescue me was already more than I would ever be able to comprehend.

He selected a pick from the case, but before he began, he stared into the middle distance and blew out an extended breath before rattling his head. I thought he was psyching himself up for the task when he said, “Oh boy. Yep, it’s kicking in. Not good. So. Much. Racing inside my brain.”

“Racing? What’s the matter?”

“Everything is getting super loud and shiny. Is that normal? Shit, shit, shit.” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head again like a dog shedding water. When he reopened them, he clucked his tongue. “Nope. Didn’t help. Fuck my life.”

I frowned and was about to ask what was going on when he looked up.

I immediately noticed his eyes again, but that time, I saw what I’d missed a few minutes ago, the thing that had thrown me off.

It wasn’t the colored contacts. It was the fact that the gray-blue was barely noticeable at all.

Not like when he’d first come into the room.

His pupils had blown to discs.

He cursed again and blinked rapidly. “I didn’t have that much, did I? Shake it off. Shake it off.” He flapped his hands and… danced?

Was he singing Taylor Swift?

Stopping, he muttered, “I only sucked his fingers, for fuck’s sake.”

Wide-eyed, he threw his hands up between us in an act of self-defense.

“What are you—”

“Don’t be mad. I didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t break cover.

It tasted vile, but spitting it out would have been worse.

Oh, man. I think my blood is boiling inside my veins.

Is that something? Oh crap. Am I dying? Oh, gooood almighty, I feel like I could run a marathon, and I hate running. My heart is racing so freaking fast.”

I pieced the broken statements together, and it all clicked. Why hadn’t I seen it before? Tallus was fucking high. On what? Who the fuck was he , and why were his fingers in my boyfriend’s mouth?

My rage reignited. Someone was going to die. I had a hundred questions, but no time to ask them. Tallus was high, and I was half-drunk. We were a perfect match. Fuck my life.

We had to get out of here.

“Tallus.” I took his hand and shook it. “Look at me. I need you to focus. Pop the lock on the handcuffs. You can do it. Easy peasy.”

“Lemon squeezy. D? I feel funny.”

“What did you take?”

“I didn’t want to. I think it was meant as a prelude to the par-tee .” He pressed a hand to his groin.

“What par-tee? What was it?”

“I don’t know. Pills of some kind. He crushed them to dust and fed me a big ol’ pinch with his fingers before I went pee. It wasn’t that much. I didn’t really have to pee. I had to find you. I can still taste it.” He scraped his teeth along his tongue.

Christ, it could have been anything.

“Don’t be mad at me, D.”

“I’m not mad. I’m worried.”

“Don’t kill Joshua.”

“If he fed you that pill, I make no promises.”

“He didn’t. It was the Jackal. Jackass is more like it. I will not be his play toy.” Then, as though imparting a secret, he leaned closer and whispered. “Joshua licked my neck and sucked my ear, but I didn’t enjoy it… He also likes threesomes. I don’t think it’s a secret, but it might be.”

I clenched my fists, nostrils flaring. “Okay.”

“I knew you’d be mad. You’re mad, aren’t you?

I didn’t lick him back, but I held his hand and hung off his arm like we were a couple.

It was all pretend. I have no interest in threesomes.

” He squirmed and pawed his cock again. “Or maybe I do. Why am I getting an erection? I swear I’m not attracted to Joshua.

My god, this is weird. What is happening to my body?

” He glared at his crotch like it had deceived him.

“Tallus, the lock.” Based on the few symptoms, I suspected he’d been given a fairly potent dose of ecstasy laced with god only knew what else.

“The lock. Right.” He focused on the task, singing nonsense under his breath as he worked, something about tingling balls, bright lights, and dancing the night away before reverting back to Taylor Swift. He paused once when thundering feet sounded from above.

It took him far longer to get me free than it should have. When the cuffs finally clattered to the floor, he grabbed my face and kissed me so unexpectedly that I stumbled and almost fell. His tongue breached my lips, pushing into my mouth.

He released me long enough to mutter, “You’re mine, mine, mine. Mario has saved the princess, and now I want you to bend me over and fuck me into next week.” He kissed me again with bruising force.

It took effort and willpower to peel him off. “Not now. Can you walk?”

“I can dance.” He rolled his hips, grinding his groin against me with a devilish smirk. He really was hard. Fuck my life.

I held him motionless. “Not now, Tallus. We’re in danger, remember?”

He whined petulantly. “Fine. Later?”

“Later.”

“Promise? I’m kinda horny.”

“Cross my heart. We can do anything you want.”

“I want to ride you until you come so deep in my ass I can taste it.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Was he implying… Not now. “That’s… Later, okay? We can talk about it la ter.”

He hummed and tried to kiss me again.

I held him back, earning another whine. “We have to get out of here, Tallus. Help Costa.”

“Oh, right.” He shook himself as though trying to shed the affliction of the drugs and moved to the door.

“Wait.” I pocketed the Bishop’s phone before checking the contents of his treasure box to see if he had a better weapon than a measly knife, but we were out of luck. His collection consisted of fancy blades and disturbing torture toys.

When Tallus helped himself to a slender, far too pointy instrument, I almost told him to put it back before he hurt himself, but bit my tongue.

High or not, I was done giving orders and belittling his abilities. Tallus didn’t need a bodyguard. He’d managed to orchestrate an entire rescue mission without me. I had to trust he knew what he was doing.

It was not easy. Not when every instinct wanted to shield him from danger. Not when I sensed these men considered themselves above the law. Not when he was coasting on a high of ecstasy or whatever they’d given him.

I didn’t know the building, where we were, or how to get out, so I relinquished control to Tallus and let him be the guide.

He seemed to know where he was going, and if he wielded the penknife he’d selected like a longsword and marched forward like a proud soldier prepared for battle, what could I say?

Turned out, I was the fucking damsel in distress in this fairy tale, and despite the suspenders, pageboy hat, and unknown drugs running through his system, Tallus was my unfortunate knight in shining armor.

We would either be doomed together or battle our way past the dragons to freedom.