Page 95 of A Legacy of Poison and Lies

Holt grabbed her chin, tilted her head up to look at him. “The past doesn’t matter, Zylah. What matters is this.” He pressed a kiss to one corner of her mouth. “Here.” And then the other corner. “Now.” His lips were on hers, his tongue parting the seam of her lips and finding hers, hungry, demanding.

She answered by arching into his touch, and he hardened again inside her.

Zylah didn’t try to apologise for the mess she’d made of everything. There would be time for that after. Instead, she kissed him back just as fiercely, grinding against him, already insisting on more.

Holt smiled against her mouth, pulling her back with him against the bed to give her everything she needed, and this time, Zylah let herself fall.

Chapter Thirty-Four

HolthadinsistedZylahrest, but there had been very little of that. They’d spent the day exploring each other’s bodies and in each other’s arms, and Zylah had managed to keep her magic reeled in tight. A thought had been tugging at the back of her mind, one that had been whispering to her for a while now, but she wasn’t ready to face it just yet.

They’d managed to keep their hands off each other long enough for Holt to fill her in on the plan he’d made with Nye, Rin and Kej, and that they would be leaving after dark, Malok’s army already en route to Virian without his knowledge. The vanquicite mine was their first stop, but it would take the soldiers a few days to arrive on foot. They weren’t ready to take on Marcus’s army yet, Holt had explained, but they were going to put a stop to as many of his plans as they could in the meantime. Starting with the mine.

“Malok’s going to figure it out,” Zylah said as she tugged on her trousers after the bath they’d shared together. Holt was still drying himself off, and she bit down on her lip as she watched him towel all the places her mouth had been.

His attention fixed on her hands as they fastened her trousers, and Zylah wondered if it was like this for all Fae. No matter how many times he’d taken her, she still wanted more. Wanted to lock themselves inside his room and never have to leave. She cleared her throat, held out a hand and tugged on her magic, his trousers appearing across her arm.

A huff of laughter escaped him as he grabbed the fabric, pulling them on without fastening them. He held out his hand and her tunic appeared in it, and she snatched it from him playfully.

“Cirelle has assured Nye she’ll deal with Malok,” Holt said, her cloak appearing in his hands next.

“And the humans? Malok will have them killed if he finds out.”

“Cirelle won’t let that happen. She has Rava protecting them.”

Zylah slipped into her tunic, fighting back a laugh at the thought of the great bird facing off with Malok, some of her concern diminishing a little. But they’d failed in bringing back the key to activate the shield, and now the army had left, they’d taken away the Aquaris Court’s only line of defence. Given that the thralls had likely followed them there in the first place, it was no wonder Holt was in such a hurry for them to leave, to draw any thralls after them instead, to minimise any repercussions of her evanescing them there after leaving the tomb.

For Rin and Kej to leave—even Nye—todefyMalok, a male like him would not take kindly to the abuse of his trust. Zylah only hoped that his love for his children and his niece was enough to smooth over the sting of their betrayal. She combed her fingers through her hair with a frown, separating strands to begin a braid as she contemplated whether Rin and Kej understood the weight of their decision.

Holt’s fingers rested over hers, offering her a soft smile as he took over. “We’re meeting Nye and the others at the mine. I told her you mentioned accelerants for the armouries, and she ran with the idea. She’s tasked some of her troops with creating explosives. Daizin had some useful input that she’s implemented.”

“Daizin?”

“He wanted to help. He and Nye…”

“They’re the same?”

Holt nodded, nimble fingers making light work of her braid. “He’s been quite forthcoming about the work he’d been carrying out with Laydan. Described a book that Laydan asked him to find.”

“Song and Shadow?”

Holt nodded again. “He said Laydan took it—that he and Laydan had met when the witch approached him to retrieve the book from the safe house back in Virian.” His eyes met hers, a flicker of regret passing through them for a moment.

“From Raif’s room?” Zylah asked. The thought didn’t stir the same feelings it once had, nor did the sound of his name. But Marcus had been looking for that book, which meant Laydan had likely been working for Marcus all along.

Holt dipped his chin. He’d already packed their things, not that they were taking much. The plan was to put distance between them and the court on foot and then evanesce the rest of the way, taking it in turns to alternate in bursts, just in case someone could track them. There had been no sign of anyone following them back to the court, so the spell must have held, but Holt still wasn’t willing to risk it, and Zylah couldn’t fault him for that.

They made their way through the court, Kopi on her shoulder. There was no time for goodbyes with the humans or Cirelle, and though it felt wrong to be leaving like this, Zylah knew it was for the best. For their safety. She paused as she thought of the baylock, holding out her hand to summon a handful to her palm. “Eat this.” She handed Holt a few of the leaves.

He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

“Just in case. It makes them recoil, the vampires and the thralls. It could buy us the few seconds we need if we’re attacked.” She watched as he slipped a piece into his mouth and chewed before doing the same.

Holt swallowed down the baylock, despite the bitter taste. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you had me stuffing my pockets with plants.” His lips twitched as his attention dropped to her hands, where she shoved half the bundle of leaves into his trouser pocket.

Zylah resisted the urge to lean up and kiss him, knowing she’d want to take it further and wouldn’t be able to stop herself. She took a step back, scratching Kopi’s head as he ruffled his feathers. “So, Marcus has the book now. But why the key?”

Holt continued leading the way through the court, his footsteps quiet as the sounds of the ocean fell away from them. “Daizin said there was a key in the book, though he couldn’t read it. He made sketches of everything he could remember, and Nye’s been working on it with the notes she’d already made.”

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