Page 108 of Hell-Bound

Ren flashed him a warning glare and plucked two sharp scalpels off the wall.

“They really should have gagged you,” she grumbled.

She had to push the table closer to Azur to reach his dangling wrists. Leaning in, she inserted the scalpels intothe pin chamber. This might have been her hardest lock so far, mostly because she was inches away from Azur’s bare chest, and he still infuriatingly smelled like burnt roses—skin glistening from moisture and his eyes gazing up at her face.

“Has anyone told you that you’re very good with your fingers?” he teased, trying to hide the rattle of pain in his chest.

She heard the final click, and the manacles popped open.

“Don’t do that, Azur,” she hissed, making her way to his second arm.

“Do what? Be exceptionally charming?” he said, trying to flash a smile through his split lip.

“No! Act like Jester. It isn’t fair,” she whispered, the final manacle clicking open.

He massaged his wrist delicately. They were bloodied, skin scraped away almost to the bone.

“I suppose it would be useless to remind you that IamJester?”

She ignored him and looked through the small window in the metal door. There were two guards standing at the entrance of the distant spiral staircase.

As she unstrapped her piccolo, she could feel Azur hovering nearby, his scent overwhelmingly decadent.

“What’s the plan, captain?” he asked.

“First,” she said, all business, “I’m going to deal with these fuckers, then we are going to rip out Xarek’s spine.”

Azur sighed contentedly.

“Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?”

She shot him another glare before lifting the piccolo to her lips. She felt her instrument vibrate with excitement, telling her the notes she needed.

She played the slow piece, allowing it to reverberate off the stone walls, enjoying their melodic echo.

The two guards immediately snapped to attention, hesitating only briefly to locate the sound of the music. With a confused look, they charged the door, spears in hand.

Both collapsed on the ground before they could reachthe chamber.

“Damnit,” she cursed, “I was hoping they’d unlock the door before they passed out.”

She knelt down and inserted her makeshift pics in the door, but before she could finish her task, Azur grabbed her hands, examining the injuries there.

“What. Happened?” he demanded, voice low and menacing, bloodied fangs bared.

She blushed despite herself, both injuries to her hands and knuckles having been entirely preventable.

“Nothing. Just clumsiness, that’s all.”

His face reddened even through the crusted blood.

“If someone hurt you, Ren.” He cleared his throat and moved his jaw. “I am contractually obligated to eviscerate them and—rip theirfuckingface off. Who was it? Which guard?”

His voice rumbled, losing all self-restraint, small fumes of smoke appearing by his head.

“Don’t bother,” she said, pushing him away to continue with her work, attempting to ignore the flutter in her stomach.

He grabbed her hands, halting her progress.

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