Page 43 of Ira

Her eyes were a little too wide, a little too bright, when she came back outside, trailing her fingers over the leafy green plants she’d so diligently planted as though she was saying farewell to them. That wasn’t going to happen. This was not goodbye.

“Ready,” she breathed, straightening her spine and pushing her shoulders back. I wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, but I had to admit that her scent didn’t indicate any hesitation. “They’re going to cover for me.”

I glanced up at Elverston House, finding eyes peering down at us from the upper windows again.

“Okay. Follow me—this way. They must be very fond of you if they’re willing to do that.”

“Yes,” Meera said hesitantly. “I guess they are. I don’t intend on abusing that. I’m very grateful for what they’re doing.”

“Do they know whatyou’redoing?”

“They know the basics.”

I hummed, ushering Meera along, staying close to her side. “Then presumably they believe in your cause, or they wouldn’t be willing to lie for it.”

It bolstered my faith in this endeavor a little. From what I’d seen of the new ex-Hunters who’d moved here, and what I knew of Meera’s own history, I understood that not all experiences within the Hunters were equal. And I knew enough about my own privilege and what it had afforded me to know that I would never be able to wholly comprehend what that meant.

“This way, Meera.”

“This isn’t the way to the portal?” she whispered, clasping my hand and lightly squeezing my fingers. The small movement made something swoop alarmingly in my chest.

“No.” Because I could be so reliably trusted not to break the rules, I was entrusted with information that not everyone had, and I used it to my advantage now as I guided Meera to a quiet, densely grown area to the east of the palace gardens. “There’s a passageway. Only the highest level of the Guard have access to it.”

I would be relieved of my post immediately if anyone knew I’d taken Meera there, but I suspected I would be relieved of my post either way after all of this was said and done, if anyone found it.

What would happen to me then? I supposed I would have to return to Sunlis, and live with my parents while they bemoaned the shame I’d brought to the family name.

I reluctantly released Meera’s hand to clear some brush out of the way before finding the edge of the loose stone cover with my claws and prying it up. A network of passages ran beneath the gardens—fully illuminated so no one could shadow walk to or from them.

“Wait here, I’ll help you down,” I instructed, lowering myself into the hole. I could stand up straight while the cover was off, but I’d need to crouch or risk getting my horns stuck on the ceiling once we started moving.

“Here,” I said, holding my arms up. “Let me lift you down.”

Meera sat gingerly at the edge, her legs dangling into the hole. “I’m pretty heavy, Verner—”

I planted my hands firmly on her waist and lifted her down before she could argue. It wasn’t something I’d usually do, but I suspected that Meera would work herself up into more of a state if I let her, and I was very eager for us to be ensconced in the privacy of the passageway.

She grabbed my shoulders with a faint squeak of alarm, and I held her tightly so she felt secure in my embrace, releasing her slowly so she wouldn’t be startled.

Somehow, I hadn’t predicted the way it would make her body slide down the length of mine, the softness of her curves pressed against the hardness of my muscles. A shiver of desire ran down my spine, and I desperately hoped she hadn’t noticed as I set her down.

“Sorry—” I began, inhaling for any sign of concern in Meera’s scent and finding none.

“No, don’t be. That was probably the best way of handling that,” she mumbled, still pressed tightly against me, though standing on her own two feet as I reached up to slide the cover back into place.

I frantically thought of everything other than how her body felt against mine.

“Is it far to walk?” Meera asked quietly, her soft voice echoing in the tunnel.

“Just a few minutes,” I assured her, taking her hand again as the light wasn’t as good in here with the cover back on the entry hole. Meera tangled our fingers together, sticking close to my back as I hunched down and began the winding journey through the tunnels. There was no signage, and the passages could be mazelike. Even those who were familiar with them usually opted not to use them, but I’d made it a point to memorize the routes. I wasn’t even sure why, in hindsight. Perhaps to prove to thecaptain that I had value. That I was worthy of the position he was entrusting to me, even when my future as heir of Sunlis made me feel as though I didn’t deserve it.

“Are there bugs in here?” Meera whispered, huddling a little closer to my back. There was enough orb light in here that no one could shadow walk, but it was still dim, and probably even more so to Meera’s eyes than it was for a Shade.

“Maybe,” I prevaricated, wondering if she could hear the scuttling sounds as critters cleared out at our presence. They were far more afraid of us than we needed to be of them, but I suspected it wouldn’t ease Meera’s mind at all if I pointed that out.

Her fingers squeezed me a little tighter. “There are absolutely bugs in here, Verner.”

“Well, yes, but they’re leaving if it helps.”

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