Page 149 of Heir of Illusion

Thorne shifts his attention to theenchanter. “Is there anything you can do to stop Baylor from activating the collar?”

My stomach twists. It won’t be long now before the noose around my neck flares to life once more. I squeeze my fingers, balling them into fists.

Darrow shakes his head, meeting my gaze. “I can give you something to try to manage the pain, but there’s nothing else I can do.” I notice that the dark circles under his eyes are more prominent than usual. He looks truly worn down, and I can’t help but wonder what these last few weeks have been like for him. “I’m truly sorry, Iverson.”

I nod, unsure what else to do.

Somewhere inside of me, I know that the time has come to follow the advice I was given andaccept my fate. Baylor is going to activate the collar no matter what. All I can do now is try to be prepared when that time comes. Pushing my shoulders back, I turn to face Della.

“Is anyone else here?”

She shakes her head, making her long curls bounce. “After everything Darrow told me about thealmanovaI decided to close the place until this mess is sorted. The city is too dangerous right now to have random people coming in and out every night.”

“That’s probably smart,” Thorne comments as his hand comes to rest on my lower back. Its presence is a comforting weight, giving me the strength to speak my next words.

“Not having to worry about other people makes things easier,” I say. “But I think it would be best if I hide in the crawl space.”

Della’s thin eyebrows shoot up. “Why? You always hated it down there.”

I’m surprised she remembers how I used to avoid it as a child.

“Just because Baylor can’t track me anymore doesn’t mean he isn’t going to be searching.” My mouth turns dry at the thought, but I force myself to keep going. “Once the collar activates, I’m going to be in too much pain to be able to move quickly if any guards show up.”

“Ivy—” Thorne interrupts, but I keep going.

“It’s better to hunker down in a secure spot and try to ride it out.”

“Alright,” Della agrees softly. “I’ll get it set up for you.”

My skin crawls at the thought of going underground again, but I’ll face worse things tonight than a little claustrophobia.

The crawl spaceis a depressing seven-by-ten-foot room. Thankfully, Della has added on a small bathing chamber since the last time I was here. When you pull back the rug in her office, there’s a hatch underneath connected to a narrow staircase that leads down here. With no windows, the only light comes from oil lamps and a few of the blood-red candles I recognize from our meetings. It would make sense to keep them down here since any noise would easily carry upstairs. If the guards show up to search MASQ, those will come in handy.

Thorne insisted on carrying me all the way from the kitchen. I wanted to fight him, but truthfully, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make the trip without falling down. Now he tucks me into a small bed situated in the corner of the room. The only other pieces of furniture are a stool and a wooden chest with extra blankets.

“Let me know if you require anything else,” Della says before pointing to the steaming mug of tea she placed on the floor next to the bed. “And drink that. It will help.”

Darrow told me earlier that while the tea won’t erase the pain, it should knock the edge off. On top of that, he said it would hopefully prevent my trachea from collapsing under the pressure of the collar.

Hopefullybeing the operative word.

At least it smells nice. Citrus and rose coat my tongue as I take a sip, letting it warm me from the inside out. The door shuts behind Della, leaving Thorne and me alone. So much has happened over the past twenty-four hours. Was it just last night that we had lain together in my bed? It feels as if years have passed since then.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asks, dragging the stool closer to the bed. He looks comically large on top of the tiny seat.

Normally, I would avoid answering his question. Or I would simply make up a lie. But I’m trying to be different now. The things he said about me before were true. I do have a tendency to isolate and punish myself. But I don’t want to be that way.

I want to let him in.

So, I tell him everything. My nightmare. The conversation I had with Baylor. I spare no details, even sharing how alone I felt when I realized everyone I loved in the palace was a stranger to me now. All of them lost to the Forsaken.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers, leaning forward. “I can’t imagine how isolated you felt.”

His hand skates over the thin sheet on the bed and grabs hold of mine. A shy smile plays at my lips as I realize it’s something he’s done often since that night in the alley. He’s always finding a way to touch my skin somehow.

“The thing is…” I trail off, summoning the courage required to share such vulnerable emotions. “I’m not alone. You came for me. When I needed you, you were there.” My eyes grow damp as I stare into his. “I saw you flying toward me, and I knew I didn’t have to be alone anymore, that you’d always be reaching for me.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off as I use his hand to pull him off the stool. The bed dips under his heavy weight, but thankfully, the frame doesn’t give out. Pushing him down flat, I position myself on top of him, my thighs straddling his middle.

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