Page 88 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

Orym shrugged. “I’m not sure. She may. Or she may send one of her trusted High Guards.”

“We need to find this weapon and get you out of here before then,” I told Samkiel. “Even though we eliminated the poison, that wound is still not completely healed, and I’d die before I let her take you.”

“I agree,” Samkiel said, surprising me. For once, he didn’t fight me, and I was glad for it.

Orym looked between us, a strange expression on his face.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It’s so strange, yet impressive, to see an Ig’Morruthen this close and not feel that my life is threatened. I am amazed that you’d risk your life and fight for him. You two have been enemies far longer than I have lived. There are stories carved in stone about battles between the gods and Ig’Morruthens.”

Samkiel and I shared a glance, a thousand and one memories running through it as I caressed his thigh. “To be fair, we used to hate each other.”

“Oh?” Orym said.

“Yeah,” Samkiel answered, “she tried to kill me several times.”

I nodded. “That’s actually true.”

“Now I can’t get rid of her, which is kind of bothersome.”

My hand shot out, popping him on the shoulder. “Now that’s a lie,” I said, and he laughed.

Orym said nothing, but I caught the haunted look in his eyes as he watched Samkiel rub his arm and grin at me. I recognized the loss and pain in him. It seemed the demons that haunted him were the same that haunted me.

“Who did you lose?” I asked, feeling Samkiel tense next to me.

Orym’s eyes found mine, and he forced a smile, telling me I was right. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I am unsure if Veruka can send me messages while I am here.”

“We will figure it out.”

Orym nodded. “Another question to answer tomorrow, then.” With that, he lay back on his cot. I stood and stretched, walking toward the front of the cell. I’d just reached the door when Samkiel grabbed my elbow.

“Where are you going?”

“To see what else I can find while this place sleeps.”

Samkiel looked at me as if I’d said the silliest thing he’d ever heard. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his side of this carved-out cavern.

“Absolutely not. You can explore during the day tomorrow, but I have not slept beside you in weeks. I refuse to wait any longer.”

The smile that played on my lips was genuine. “Needy.”

Samkiel unfolded the bedroll they gave them, ignoring the cot and spreading it on the floor. He shook out the blanket that looked as if it had seen better days. “Very,” he said, dragging me onto the ground with him. We settled against each other, my back to his chest and his arm under my head in a makeshift pillow. His broad back blocked the view so that if anyone glanced in, they would not see me tucked against him.

“I’ll sneak out before they make their morning rounds.”

“Mm-hmm.” Samkiel draped his other arm across my chest and pulled me tight against him, tucking his knee between my thighs. He rested his face on the back of my neck and inhaled deeply. Gods above, he fell asleep the minute he placed his head on me. I savored the experience of being surrounded by him, allowing his touch and the sound of his breathing to ease me. But as wonderful as this was, I still hungered.

I waited until Samkiel and Orym were deep into sleep, then slowly extracted myself from him. My stomach ached, the Ig’Morruthen begging to be fed. I silently snuck out of the cell and went hunting. The guards allowed their beasts to roam free at night, and I quickly took one down, finally satiating the gnawing pit in my stomach. Afterward, I found a small crack in the catacomb wall, fresh mountain water trickling from it, and cleaned the blood from my face and hands.

I made it back to Samkiel right as he went to turn over. Slipping back into his arms, I wrapped him around me with a deep sigh. He relaxed again, falling further back to sleep, and for once, I did too. But in the depths of my sleep, I dreamed of the orange-eyed man that beckoned for me.

THIRTY-THREE

DIANNA

It had been two days since we arrived here, and I knew for a fact this was not like the prisons of my world. These prisoners were left here to rot and die while they waited for Nismera to come. The guards made sure they were fed and forced to take one cold shower a day, probably to keep the stench to a minimum. Beyond that, no one truly cared what happened to them.

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