Page 30 of Queen of the Crimson Throne (Queen of Blood and Stardust #2)

30

LENNOX

Luciana shoved the book in her bag as we all took off running back up the stairs. My chest and legs burned as I bounded up the final three stairs to the top of the cavern.

“Wait!” Kara’s voice reverberated through the cavern as we climbed the final stairs. “Which way do we go?” I turned to find my sister looking around the room. There was no longer one entrance to the room but one in each wall of the cavern.

“We should go back the way we came,” Luce continued toward the tunnel we had come from.

“But what if one of the other ways is a quicker way out?” Kara asked.

“Or a trap,” Luce countered.

“We proved our worth to get into here, why wouldn’t the magic continue to reward us with an easy way out?” Kara persisted.

“There is never an easy way out.” Luce declared, planting her hands firmly on her hips.

They both looked at me expectantly. “I—” We all turned as the growls rumbled through the room.

“I think we should go in the opposite direction of the growls,” Luka finished for me. “If we end up farther into the labyrinth so be it, I’d rather be lost than dead.”

“He has a point,” I agreed. The growls grew louder. “Let’s get out of here.” I grabbed Luka’s hand and tugged him along, toward one of the new entrances as Kara and Luce followed at our heels.

“If this doesn’t get us out of here I’m blaming you, vampire,” Luce said.

“Hey, it was Kara’s idea,” he interjected.

“Yeah well, I’m still blaming you, it’s more fun that way.”

I chuckled. “I’m inclined to agree with Luce.”

Luka looked at me as we ran, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Well, I can say the same about you, Sweetheart. You’re fun to provoke.”

Kara and Luce laughed in agreement. I wrenched my hand from his. “Traitors, all of you,” I seethed.

Our conversation ceased as we continued our pursuit away from whatever beasts lurked behind us.

“Look,” Kara said. “I see light.”

“Thank the Goddess,” Luce remarked as she kept up pace beside me.

As we drew closer to the light I could make out a figure pacing at the mouth of the cave, Nico turned as we approached.

I could feel the sigh he let out at our arrival, the tension visibly leaving his body.

“You made it back.”

“Worried about us, pup?” Luce threw him a wink as we exited the cave.

“I’m glad to see this one is still in one piece.” He jabbed a thumb towards Luka. “I was trying to figure out how I’d explain what happened to his grandfather without getting myself killed.”

“Have a little faith won’t you, Nico,” Luka chided.

“Faith?” Nico said dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “I have faith that if I returned to Cel Nox without you and your fiancée your grandfather would make a meal out of me before sending my corpse back to my family.” My stomach twisted at the image he conjured in my mind. Was King Arlo truly that cruel? Or did he care that deeply for his grandson he’d do such a thing in retribution for Nico letting him out of his sight?”

“He would do no such thing.” Luka slung his arm over Nico’s shoulders. “If anything, it would be Declan’s wrath you’d have to fear.”

Nico shook his head, his silver hair swinging with the motion. “About that one.” He jutted a thumb toward Declan. “He’s been practicing his lecture for you since we slayed the last beast. You’re in for an earful.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing I haven’t heard before,” Luka responded.

Delcan glared at him. “I take it you’re not even sorry about your actions?”

“Nope,” Luka said definitively. “Lennox needed me, so I went to her. I’d do it again.”

“Stupid fucking fool,” Declan swore.

“Don’t take it the wrong way, L, we’re glad you’re okay. We’re glad you’re all okay, we’re just mad at this idiot for making such reckless decisions and leaving us to deal with the aftermath,” Nico informed me.

I forced a smile onto my face, this entire conversation was making me uncomfortable, tightening the growing knots in my stomach. “No, of course, I understand.” I understood their frustrations and concerns yes, but Luka’s concern over me? That I still couldn’t work out. Why he would keep putting himself in danger over me?—

“You guys can continue your little scolding later.” Luce looked around anxiously. “I, for one, would like to get the fuck out of here before another monster appears.”

Without another word, we made our way out of the catacombs.

The next morning we all gathered in Luka’s office; Luce had transported us all back to Cel Nox after we arrived back in Arcadia. Luka didn’t want to press our luck being away any longer.

We had decided to put off opening the book until this morning, at Luce’s request that we bathe and sleep first. I was ready to argue with her, my impatience over wanting to know what was in the book threatening to take over, but I remembered I was caked in blood of a variety of colors, my body ached from my injuries, and my stomach gnawed with hunger. And once the adrenaline fully wore off I knew I’d have a hard time keeping my eyes open.

So we all said our goodnights and planned to meet in Luka’s office first thing in the morning.

I had been unaware he had even possessed an office until last night, but Luka argued that was what made it the perfect place for us to meet and look over the book.

“Alright, open it already.” Nico rubbed his hands back and forth as we all stared at the two halves of Hecate’s spellbook on the coffee table in front of us.

“I can’t believe you waited for us all,” I told Luce.

A flash of guilt flicked across her features. “Well, I did try to open it last night before I fell asleep. I couldn’t resist myself.” She winced slightly. “But it wouldn’t open with only my blood, I’m assuming it needs all three of ours again.”

Without saying a word the three of us pricked our fingers, letting our blood drip onto the faded leather cover.

Our blood sizzled before turning into a puff of red mist and disappearing. As the smoke dissipated, it revealed the cover was no longer blank, but Hecate’s name and the ancient symbol bearing her likeness marred the cover in dark glimmering ink.

Luce’s fingers danced over the worn leather, but she hesitated before opening the book .

“What are you waiting for?” Kara asked.

“I— I don’t know.” She opened the cover.

We all crowded around the table, peering at the aged parchment. The same symbols and markings that had been in the labyrinth were scrawled on the page.

Luce quickly flipped to the next page, revealing more of the same thing. She continued flipping through the pages as an irritated scream tore from her throat.

“It’s all in this Goddess-forsaken witch language!”

“I’m guessing you don’t know how to read it?’ Nico asked.

“No.” She huffed. “I don’t.”

“Luce, it’s okay.” Kara placed a hand gently on Luciana’s shoulder. “If anyone can translate it, it’s you.”

“It will take time.” She looked between me and Luka. “Time we don’t have.”

Luka stiffened beside me.

“It’s okay.” I sat up straight on the couch. “We will figure out things on our end, you do what you need to do.”

Luka swallowed. “Yeah, don’t worry about us.” His words lacked conviction. “While you try and decode a clue as to how Lennox and I can get out of this arranged marriage, we have an engagement ball to attend.”

I knew he was trying to lighten the atmosphere of the room, but his words nagged at something in me.

“Right,” I bit out. Luka and I had a tumultuous track record with balls. And considering we had yet to truly discuss the fallout after the last ball, I wasn’t ready to be his swooning fiancée in a matter of days.

How could I pretend to be happily engaged when I was at war with my feelings for Luka? And after yesterday—he had run into that cave after me knowing there was a higher chance he’d get lost in the labyrinth than find and help me.

But yet he still took the chance.

I wondered if there would be a day when he would stop taking a chance on me.