Page 19 of Elven Lies

This led either to the basement or an even worse dungeon, which would have felt overdone in a prison if it were run now by anyone but Harkennr.

“This is as far as I go,” the dwarf boomed at them. “But you’ll find what you’re looking for down below. Do enjoy the remainder of your stay.”

He gestured toward the dark staircase with another flickering smile neither mischievous nor foreboding—merely the perfunctory professionalism of hospitality and having completed his purpose.

Rebecca suspected that even if she found the words to ask their guide any number of questions racing through her mind, he’d answer none of them. It seemed the dwarf had reached the end of his pre-scripted dialogue and would do nothing else until she and Maxwell descended these stairs and moved on to the next phase.

They were expected to walk down these steps into a dark, cold, moldy, nasty basement with no clue as to what waited for them at the bottom.

“You’ll find what you’re looking for down below.”

The dwarf’s final send-off could literally have meant anything—the perfect level of cryptic vagueness Harkennr had always enjoyed so much.

This entire setup was meant to keep her and Maxwell on edge, alert and wary of everything, battling with their own instincts and experience, because giving in to any of them would defeat the purpose of having entered this prison as Harkennr’s invited guests.

Another manipulative tactic Rebecca remembered the warlock loving too damn much.

“I don’t like this,” Maxwell muttered beside her.

Rebecca stared down into the darkness. “I’m pretty sure that’s the point.”

“Walking intothat, unarmed and unprepared? Even a green rookie would know better.”

Rebecca glanced at the dwarf standing statue-still beside the open door and staring straight ahead. Was that meant to simulate a form of privacy or to unnerve them that much more before they made a decision?

Both options made her gut churn.

“We came here for a reason, Hannigan,” she murmured, tearing her gaze away from the dwarf and hoping she looked as reassuring as she tried to sound. Maxwell didn’t needreassuring, surely, but it still felt necessary. “We’re here for Nyx. Barring that, nothing else really matters. Trust me, if there was any other way…”

Maxwell’s silver eyes flickered toward the dwarf before he rolled them and let out another low growl, this one in begrudging defeat. “As you wish.”

She didn’t. Rebecca didn’t wish for any of this, but the chances ofnotdescending into the bowels of the prison and still recovering Nyx at the end of all this were non-existent. Maxwell had to understand that much, at the very least.

“We better get to it, then,” she said and took a step toward the yawning black doorway.

“Don’t.” When Maxwell’s warm hand settled lightly on her shoulder, the jolting tingle racing through Rebecca’s being at the contact made her shiver. The surprising pleasure of it and the intensity hinting at more to come made her feel terrible.

Nearly succumbing to a sensation like that in a horrendous place like this filled her with a squirming nausea, as if she were betraying herself and everything she tried to be as Rebecca Knox.

As if she were betraying Nyx.

Maxwell saved her from it when he murmured, “Let me go first, at least.”

“Not a chance.”

His hand slid from her shoulder and took the numbing fog of connection and desire with it.

Only then could she bring herself to look at him. “It’s wide enough to go down side by side.”

Maxwell narrowed his eyes before scanning the looming darkness. She didn’t think he would agree, not after how much time he’d spent insisting the Roth-Da’al required constant guarding as part of his job.

But then he swallowed and nodded once. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Side by side was better than relenting to an escort. In this place, it wouldn’t matter who went first or how diligently Maxwell tried to maintain appearances acting as her Head of Security, number one, and bodyguard all at once. The regulations and protocols of a task force like Shade didn’t apply within the walls of Harkennr’s compound.

Rebecca and Maxwell were equals here, with the playing field leveled to the ground by Harkennr’s design. Anything beyond that was more likely to get them killed.

Nothing left now but to enter the stairwell and keep moving forward.

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