Page 156

C aptain Quade marched Rosana out of the library and down the marble stairs. The two warriors followed with Adric.

It was the first she’d seen the foyer. She had a brief impression of a large, dimly lit space, and then the captain urged her through an open door and down another flight of stairs.

They were in an underground warren with rooms and halls spearing off in multiple directions.

As with the foyer, the only lighting came from a few torch-shaped fae lights.

She glimpsed a cavernous wine cellar with hundreds of dusty bottles, and a room with an ancient brick hearth that she guessed had once been a kitchen.

Their destination was a short hall with just three doors, all constructed of a thick wood reinforced with iron straps. The men carrying Adric opened the door at the end and tossed him inside.

She flinched as his body thumped against the stone floor.

The captain gestured her after Adric with a mocking smile. “Be my guest, senhorita.”

Her throat constricted. The three steps into that small, windowless room were the most difficult of her life, but the need to protect Adric drove her forward.

She had time to see a long wood bench against the far wall and that to her left, there was a rough toilet alongside a metal spout with a thin stream of water flowing into a narrow trough before disappearing down a drain. Then the door thudded shut behind her.

A key turned in the lock, and she was alone in the dark with Adric. The only light came from a slit at the top of the door.

Her eyes went night-glow, but all she could make out were dim gray shapes—Adric, the bench. Her chest tightened.

It felt like a tomb. Small. Airless.

She stumbled to the door, lungs pumping. Not sure what she was going to do, just knowing she had to get out. Now.

This side of the door had no handle. She ran her hands over the wood anyway, hissing when her fingertips brushed one of the iron bands.

Behind her, Adric groaned.

She leaned her forehead against the wood.

Calm the fuck down. He’s hurt—bad. He needs you.

She took a deep breath.

Okay, then.

She’d make Adric as comfortable as possible and then trust that his natural healing ability would take over.

She made her way to the trough, rinsed her burned fingers. The water was ice-cold, fresh from an underground stream. She splashed it on her face and then stuck her head under the thin trickle, gulping water until the dryness in her throat eased.

She was pretty sure she’d glimpsed a cup near the trough.

Calmer now, she felt around until her fingers closed on the cool metal.

She filled the cup and took it back to Adric.

Using a combination of touch and sight, she cleaned the gash on his head before returning to the trough for more water, which she used to rinse the gray powder from his face and hands.

She was afraid the powder’s bitter smell meant it was poisonous.

Adric moved restlessly, and she touched his cheek. “Adric? You okay?”

He mumbled something and then went limp again.

“That’s it, meu amor .” She rubbed his shoulder. “Rest. Let yourself heal.”

His lips moved, but all that came out was a croak.

“You must be thirsty. Hang on—I’ll be right back.” She made another trip for water, and then wet a finger and moistened his lips. He tried to suck her finger, so she trickled water into his mouth, but he murmured fretfully and turned his head away.

“Just a little,” she said, and kept at him until he took a few sips. Setting the cup down, she sat next to him and eased his head onto her lap. “Rest.” She stroked his cheek. “Everything is going to be all right.”

It didn’t matter that he probably couldn’t hear her. Just saying it aloud made her feel better.

She was silent for a time, but that made the darkness creep closer, almost like it was a living being. Like when Blaer had tried to feed on them in Lewes—or Langdon just now.

She shuddered.

It’s just your imagination.

At least, she hoped it was. She pulled Adric closer.

“Know something?” She nuzzled his hair. “I love that I can touch you without setting off my Sight. Although right now, I wouldn’t mind Seeing how to break us out of here.

Because I have to tell you, I just knew that I had to be here with you.

” She grimaced. “Just don’t ask me why, because I haven’t been much help so far. ”

She stilled. Not only had she not helped, she was probably why he’d been captured. Because she had the bad feeling that if not for her, Adric wouldn’t have rushed into the library like that. He’d have waited to catch Langdon off-guard.

“No.” A sick feeling seeped into her belly. “My being here does not set off the timeline leading to your death.”

In her vision, Adric had been alone. She had to believe that somehow her presence changed things, although that didn’t mean she could sit by and let things play out. She had to do something. But what?

She resumed stroking him. Think, Rosana.

But she was fresh out of ideas. Her only hope was that Cleia had heard her cry for help, and that she and Dion would realize Rosana had been taken to New Moon. If they didn’t find her note and blame Adric for her disappearance…

She blew out a breath. Deus , what a mess.

She rested the back of her head against the wall. The rush of adrenaline that had carried her through the fight had worn off, leaving her feeling like a deflated balloon. Her eyelashes fluttered down. She forced them open, afraid to go to sleep.

The cell smelled musty, the floor covered with a layer of dust as if no one had been here for a long time. How long would Langdon leave them down here in the dark?

And what if Adric got worse? She was no healer. She could scream herself raw and no one would hear.

Fear clogged her throat. Her breath shortened. Were the walls closing in?

Stop it. That’s just what Langdon wants. If you freak out, he wins.

Her chest heaved, shifting the pendant Adric had given her. She pulled it from her shirt, fingered it. As in the prince’s library, the amethyst was oddly warm.

Her jaw set. “You do love me. You’re just afraid to admit it.”

“Mmph.”

She glanced down. Adric looked back at her, eyes gleaming a brilliant blue in the gloom.