Page 10 of The Duplicity of Thieves

“I love you,” I tell him. Then I slap him across the face. He rubs his cheek and stretches his jaw.

When he pulls his hand away there is a pink handprint blooming on his cheek. “Fuck, I always forget how strong you are.”

“Don’t forget it again,” I grin.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” His smile reaches his eyes, crinkling the corners in that way that makes my heart flutter. He tackles me in the sand and kisses me. It’s warm and inviting. He smells like fresh spring water and summer nights laced with tobacco. “Run away with me. Say yes.”

“Yes.” It’s impulsive, but it’s thrilling. He kisses me again with certainty, holding on just a few seconds longer before touching his forehead to mine.

“As much as I want to do this with you, Jo, we have to pack our things and leave as soon as possible. We don’t have much time before—”

The air turns to ice. Our puffs of breath come out as little clouds. It’s just after solstice, and it has been a hot summer, but frost is creeping across the Lethe, cracking as it crawls toward us. Everything is freezing. The breeze stops, and the dew on the trees ices over. Killian is up in an instant, pulling me with him.

“Run,” he says in terror. Killian is never afraid. There is no telling me twice. We run like Cerberus, the nightmarish guard dog of the Underworld, is nipping at our heels. I don’t even have a moment to enjoy what just happened between us. We make it to the house and burst through the front door. The frost hasn’t reached here yet, but it’s coming. I can hear it.

Kate stands there, her long, silky black hair hanging in lazy curls down her back with a stony look on her face. “Where the hell have you been?” She takes one look at Killian’s wild eyes and turns into a beacon of calm. With a sigh she says, “Hurry.”

Killian starts shouting for Vivian throughout the house as Kate approaches me. She doesn’t look afraid or anxious. She seems like she’s relieved. Her light red eyes take me in, and she gives me a true smile.

There’s a pang of guilt. I feel like I’ve betrayed her by being angry without giving her a chance to explain. This woman gave me everything. Despite what Killian said about her not having my best interest at heart, it’s hard to look at her and see someone manipulative. She doesn’t look like a woman who has used me as a pawn in whatever game she has always been playing. She just looks like Kate, the woman who would make me tea and tell me stories.

“I never thought it would be this hard to find the words when it was time,” she says, gently kissing me on both cheeks. “You are—”

Her words are jumbled when the front door flies open and wind roars through the house, causing her deep red silky dress to billow around her.

“Go,” she urges me over her shoulder as she disappears into the darkness.

I run up the stairs, falling in my haste and crawling the rest of the way. Killian is in my room with a duffel bag shoving some of my things in, then he runs down the hall to his room. When he returns, the bag is bulging and the zipper is stretched, struggling to stay closed. Vivian stumbles through the doorway half asleep and rubbing her eyes.

With a yawn she asks, “What’s happening?”

Her mouth opens to ask again, and Killian slams his hand over it as the sound of frost creeping up the windowpane tinkles. He puts a finger to his lips to be quiet, and her mouth clamps shut.

“Pack your things. Now,” he whispers, his breath like smoke in the frozen air. She nods and takes off, returning in moments with a shoulder bag that has clothing peeking out of the sides.

Killian creeps over to the window and chances a glance out before turning to us, face hardened. We both rush to his side. In the yard we can only make out a blur in the night through the frost. Someone is speaking, but I can’t quite make out the words.

He ushers us away and down the stairs. We creep out of the front door in a crouch, sneaking across the porch toward the cellar. I pause to look out into the field. I know I shouldn’t. I know that I’ll regret it, but I look anyway. There’s a mist forming in front of Kate’s full form, and she sighs. “It isn’t even here”

“Did you hear me, Jo?” Killian asks with urgency, gripping my shoulders and tearing my gaze away. Kate’s shouting unintelligibly now and…snow is falling from the sky.

“It didn’t have to come to this.” Kate’s words are morphed into a gurgling choke.

Killian doesn’t wait for me to acknowledge him. He hauls me up and ushers me down the stairs to the cellar behind Vivian who is silent and terrified. Her entire body is shivering. I can’t even feel the cold.

“The danger was always real,” I whisper, searching Killian’s fearful eyes.

“Yes, Jo.” His voice strained. “Follow the tunnel. No matter what, even if we separate, don't stop. Don’t look back. Don’t make one fucking sound. Keep going until you make it out, and then run like your life depends on it. Don’t stop until you make it to Stafford’s. He will get us out.” He looks between us for confirmation that we know what he said. That was why Stafford delivered the note. He was going to help us run away.

“Repeat it,” he demands.

“Don’t look back. Don’t stop until we make it to Stafford’s,” we murmur.

Killian grabs Vivian and squeezes her tight for a few beats.

“I love you.” He kisses my forehead. “Let’s go.” He rushes us into the tunnel.

Vivian is full of terrified courage. She grabs my arm and drags me alongside her. I reach for Killian, but it’s so dark that I can’t see. We stay silent, huddling together as we run. The only sounds are our labored breaths and the rocks that scatter under our feet as we try not to trip.

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