Page 62 of Trapped By Claws
Oh, it hurt to be this wasteful.
Running back, I grabbed large rocks and chunks of marble as well, shoving them in the spaces around the boulders.
The thuds and curses had dulled, but they still vibrated through the cavern walls.
"How long do we have before those claws start going off into your wrist?" I asked. Sweat already trickled down my brow.
"The king wanted me brought in alive. We've got maybe an hour before he realizes I've betrayed him. Unless he assumes Asha and her team betrayed him."
"His standard for betrayal is exceptionally low if he thinks this is betrayal," I muttered, wishing I could show this king what real betrayal looked like. I jammed another rock against the pile.
Corvin grunted as he dragged a jagged chunk of rock over. He braced it against the pile. "Yeah, well, for him, anything where we don't do precisely what he wants is betrayal."
"Are there other shifter fae like you near here?" Maybe we could find allies in this as well. I piled additional rocks on. Tagger brought his own contributions, squeaking and chirping.
Corvin shook his head. "Not close. Not after the accidents. This is one of the weaker boundaries anyway. As soon as I was old enough to hold the eel form for more than an hour, I was sent here. All the rest were sent to other boundaries for enforcement or similar tasks. The leviathans and other beasts under his control assisted in the patrols. We're on our own down here." He stepped back, his expression grim. He picked up the pale-blue orbs. "I'm getting you out of here, Mena. Whatever it takes."
"I accept that only if you go with me." The ferocity of my own feelings startled me. If anyone had told me last week that I'd feel this way for any man, I'd have laughed.
His gaze captured mine, and his expression softened. "Mena…"
Another heavy thud shuddered through the cavern.
His gaze flicked past me. Then he stiffened. He craned his head to look behind me.
I glanced back.
Oh.
An enormous crab drew closer, eyestalks bobbing, drawn by the shuddering vibrations. It didn't seem to notice us. Then it stopped at one of the puddles of stew and took a taste.
Corvin tugged at my arm and drew me down the narrowest side path.
No better sign for us to hurry. I hoped that crab stayed and ate Lishen and his fae.
"How far is the temple from here?" I asked as he guided me along. As much as I tried to keep my voice quiet, my own breaths sounded thunderous in my ears.
He ducked to avoid a column of stalactites. Some of the cave water dripped onto his shoulder. "Far enough. Watch your step."
He didn't hesitate as we plunged deeper and deeper into the caves. He was as much at ease in this space as he was in the ocean itself or as he had been on the ship.
I stumbled after him, trying to keep up as he led me through twisting passages and across narrow ledges. The pale light from the orbs cast eerie shadows that played tricks on my eyes. More than once, I nearly lost my footing on the uneven cave floor.
After what felt like an eternity of stumbling through the dark, we emerged into a massive cavern, so large I couldn't see the far side. Strange rock formations jutted up from the cave floor.
Had Lishen and his fae broken through yet?
Was it too much to hope that they would bring down a rockslide on themselves? Especially one that would trap only them.
"Is the mate bond going to make you immune to the venom in the claws?" I asked. Part of me had hoped we could get him through the portal in time, and then the magic that bound the claws to him would fall away and he wouldn't have to endure it.
"It'll probably be enough to keep it from killing me outright, but I'm still going to have to fight through and heal from it." Corvin massaged his wrist, his fingers pressing against the claws.
"And we can't, like, break the claws off?"
"If I try to break them off, they'll just stab me. I've tried many times," he said. He drew in a long, slow breath. "Taking in the venom all at once is much harder than bit by bit."
I shook my head.
