Page 102 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“You did?” I asked.

Her eyes raked over me. “Yeah, just to get a head start. I couldn’t sleep. Plus, I put Savees to work, so that helped.”

Her gaze locked on mine, the air between us feeling thicker. I hadn’t slept much either since being here. Everywhere I lay was uncomfortable, and with her new disguise, I couldn’t hold her every night. The nights when I could, I was on alert, making sure that one of the passing guards didn’t see her.

Orym cleared his throat. “Explains why the humidity has increased.”

Dianna shrugged. “Sorry about that, but at least we have made some progress.”

“How far did you get?” I asked.

She glanced back at the doorway, making sure no one was walking by. “Deep enough you can hear the river a few miles up, and you can’t smell the stench of this place.”

“Pretty deep, then.”

She nodded, folding her arms. “Yeah, we still have a ways to go, but it is large enough for everyone to fit through without bumping their heads. I’ll make a rule that the guards stay away from the sleeping cells at night. They may actually like that. We can also get some of the other prisoners to help us.”

I watched Dianna hungrily as she spoke and noticed a spot of red, smaller than a fingernail, on the edge of her collarbone. Unease settled into my gut, and I inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of blood. It was small, but enough to know she’d been feeding and apparently cleaning up after herself, only this time she missed a spot.

Orym and Dianna continued to discuss the size and dimensions we’d need to fit as many people as possible. We planned and plotted for a while longer before Dianna stood and got ready to leave. I joined her at the door as Orym made his cot.

Everyone was being summoned back to their cells, and it was busy with people moving back and forth. I stopped at the entrance with Dianna, and she glanced around the corner and back. She leaned forward, her lips grazing mine for a mere second before she stepped back.

“I’ll be back in a bit. I need to go check on Logan.”

I nodded, grabbing her arm and stopping her before she transformed. “You’ve been feeding?”

Something flashed in her eyes, and I knew she was about to lie to me, but then I saw her think better of it. “Yes. Keeping this form and everything has been draining me.”

“Who?”

Her head reeled back before a smile slowly curved her lips, and I realized how I sounded. “Just a random guard. Trust me. I know how to be careful. They’re none the wiser and wake up with just an itchy throat.”

“Okay.” My lips formed a thin line. “And you’re all right?”

Her smile lit up her face. “I’m fine, Sami. Perfect. Let’s just work out your master save-the-world plan and get out of here.”

“The food they serve here isn’t helping. I just assumed you’d let me know if you needed blood.”

“What are you going to do? Knock out a guard to feed me?” she asked with a smile, but I saw a flicker of something in her eyes.

“If I need to.”

She cupped my cheek and brushed a kiss to my lips. “You’re sweet, but I’m fine. I don’t take much.”

“It’s not that,” I said.

“Okay,” she said, “what is it then?”

I thought about how to word what I was going to say next without starting a fight. “I wish for you to rely on me more, is all. You’re no longer alone. If you’re hungry or need something, I want you to ask me. Let me help.”

Her gaze softened, even if a hint of apprehension remained. “Okay.”

“Okay.” I scanned her face before nodding. “Be careful.”

“Pinkie promise.” She raised her hand toward mine, and I took it, wrapping my small finger around hers.

She pulled away, and her form grew taller than mine as she again donned the commander’s armor and appearance. One last look, and she ducked her head out of the cell and left. I watched until her form disappeared around the corner, and more inmates flooded in, heading toward their cells. I returned to my cot and tucked the maps away before settling in. It wasn’t until lights-out and a hush fell across the prison that I knew Dianna had lied to me.

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