Page 47 of Captured in Love
The moment we return to the surface, we’ll go our separate ways, I know that. I need to hurry because I have no way of knowing how the other teams spread all over the world are doing. It’s unlikely anyone could have collected all three tokens in such a short time, given the travel time needed to reach some of those locations and the difficulty of the tasks, but I can’t take any chances.
Still, a weird pang of regret hits me in the chest. Nora, Levi, and Raphaël are good people. I have no idea what prompted them to sneak into the Ballendial Games under assumed names, but they could easily have left me for dead after Levi dismantled that fucking spell. Gods, they could have pushed me into the boiling moat, and I’d have died for sure.
“Yeah. I’ll do what I can.” My voice comes out rougher than intended, so I clear my throat and add, “We should get going.”
The climb down the long staircase is no more pleasant than the ascent. Even though we’re moving away from the crater, the air remains hot and stifling, and I’m parched by the time we reach the twin temples of my ancestors. I wish I had time to explore, see if the last inhabitants of this place left anything behind besides rotted furniture and rusted bits of metal.
Nora is stumbling in earnest by the time we reach the wide boulevard, and I don’t think Levi is doing much better, regardless of the brave face he’s putting on. Witches aren’t much more physically resilient than humans, and even though these two are in good shape, this task must have taken everything from them. Raphaël is half carrying Nora, supporting her on our way through the city and back up the wide staircase leading to the entrance chamber. I stay behind Levi, bringing up the rear.
His arms tremble as he pulls himself up a tall step, and he leans on the cave wall for a moment to catch his breath. I stop beside him, hands on my hips, and wait for him to recover.
He glowers at me. “I kind of hate you right now.”
I shrug. “Witches have always hated those stronger than themselves.”
Maybe it’s unfair of me to throw the actions of his kind back at him at such a moment, but I have no patience left for such an attitude. We might not remain allies after our return to the surface, but we’ve been through enough.
A flush starts at Levi’s neck and works its way upward until even the tips of his ears turn pink. His mouth works, and he drops his gaze to the ground.
“Sorry,” he mumbles. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
I blow out a long breath. “I know. It’s just…” I wave at the city stretched out below us, at the volcano towering above it all. “The Scottish coven invaded our ancient homeland. Used it to torture me, you, and likely others as well.”
There was a third slot for a token in that box in the crater, and I’ve been wondering whether the witch who took the token survived.
“I just want to get out of here and make sure my people are safe,” I conclude. “Having witches running around Iceland is too dangerous.”
Levi pushes himself away from the wall. “I didn’t even think about that. Will your family be okay? You don’t think the Ballendial witches know about you?” He glances toward Nora and Raphaël, who are now several steps ahead of us. “Once we get some rest, Nora and I could maybe work a protection spell for you…” He trails off, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
And just like that, I can’t stay angry at him at all. The obvious concern in his voice swipes away my resistance. He’s worried about my clan because he knows what those witches are capable of. Which is more than I can say about my own half-brother. Kiran didn’t seem concerned about the magic workers on our soil and left our meeting without offering help to Tinna.
And this man right here, a stranger and a witch, would give up his time and energy to protect us from his own kind.
“That’s okay,” I say. “We know how to protect ourselves. Besides, I don’t think bringing you to our village would be all that smart. Or safe.”
Levi’s gorgeous green eyes widen at that. “Oh. Right.”
“Guys!” Nora calls from above. “Do you need help?”
We both turn to look at her, and Levi waves her off, then faces the next stair with a sigh.
I vault up, but instead of leaving him to struggle on his own, I offer him my hand. His gaze skims my body for a brief second, then he grits his teeth, clasps my wrist, and allows me to pull him up. His cheeks are still pink, though I’m not sure if it’s from earlier embarrassment or the fact that I’m naked and he’s confused about his own sexuality. In any case, he’s cute, and I wish we had more space to explore whatever this is. With Nora and Raphaël as company, or alone, I wouldn’t mind spending some time with Levi.
Minutes later, we reach the entrance chamber with the pool of seawater leading to the underground tunnel. Nora is tucking her hair under her diving cap as Raphaël checks over their air cylinders.
She stands and awkwardly wobbles toward Levi in her flippers. “Just a little longer, and we’ll be free.”
He hugs her tight, his expression showing all his exhaustion for one short moment when she can’t see him. “Yeah. But if you say you want to return tothisplace after the Games, I’m going to tie you to a bed and keep you there for your own safety.”
She snorts and lightly smacks his shoulder. “No worries there.” Then she gives him a sly look from under her lashes. “But we can totally discuss the tying part later.”
He groans and scrubs his palms over his face. “You’re killing me, Moss.”
Nora laughs outright and returns to her preparations. Raphaël helps her strap on her harness, and she checks his clips and weights. Levi joins them, stuffing his half-ruined boots into his flippers and rinsing his mask in the water.
A pang of longing hits me out of nowhere, and I face away from them to hide my visceral reaction. Their easy communication, the obvious care between them, even the two men, fills me with unreasonable, burning jealousy. Not over Nora, specifically, though I want her more than I care to admit. But the way they fit together, all three of them, has me going over every failed relationship I’ve had in the past.
I couldn’t even make it work with one person, neither a man nor a woman. So why do I want to try with three all of a sudden?
