Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
I pushed down my nerves and bobbed my head. “I’m ready.”
Vas nodded, his expression grave. “I’ll get Ren, Demi and Sven out first. Then I’ll come back for you. Wait here.”
He left and my worries hurtled forward. What if something happened while he was getting the others out and he couldn’t come back for me? I lay there, fretting over all the things that might go wrong, until suddenly, he was back and relief flooded me.
“You okay?” he asked, studying me as he crawled back into the pod. “You seem jumpy.”
I released a tense breath, my confession slipping out. “I got stuck on the idea that you might not come back for me.”
Something softened in his gaze, his hand cupping my jaw. “I wouldn’t abandon you.”
“Even after all I’ve done?” I whispered.
“Even after all you’ve done.”
I stared into his eyes, a little lost for a moment. Vas dropped his hand then, clearing his throat. “I left the others on the outskirts of the city. That was about as far as I could manage since I need to conserve my magic for getting us in and out of the ball. It will take them a few hours to reach the portal site. That gives us more than enough time to complete everything on our end.” His eyes ran over me. “Do you have the dagger?”
I patted my jeans pocket. “Right here.”
“Good.” He opened his arms and I shifted closer, allowing him to take me into his embrace. “Just close your eyes and breathe. This will be over in a moment.”
The world went out from under me, whizzing by at lightning speed. A small wave of nausea hit, like it always did when I was teleported. Vas was right though, it was over in a heartbeat. Between one deep breath and the next, my feet were on solid ground. Vas’ arms were still around me. The sheer comfort of being out of the Blaze and above ground was all consuming. I sucked in a deep breath, savouring the cleaner air then glanced about.
I frowned. We were in one of the lower sectors of the city. “I thought you were going to bring us closer to the palace,” I said as Vas took my hand and led me toward a small house. No lights glowed within.
“I’m trying to conserve my magic. We can walk from here, but first we need some better clothing,” he said, motioning to our soot stained jeans and T-shirts. He was right. If we walked around as we were we’d stick out like sore thumbs.
Vas cast a small spell to unlock the door to the house and we crept inside. As expected, no one was home. It was a small, modest dwelling. Vas opened a wardrobe and began pulling out clothes. “Put these on,” he ordered briskly.
I did as he said, eager to get out of the clothes I’d been wearing for days. Vas kept his head turned while I changed, and I endeavoured to do the same, though I couldn’t help when my gaze flicked to him for a second when he pulled off his T-shirt. His back was turned to me as he drew it over his head. I had just enough time to take in the wide expanse of his shoulders, his skin rough and scarred from decades of hard labour.
A wave of lust washed over me.
It was the mark, I told myself. Just the mark.
Forcing my gaze away, I finished dressing then was struck with a feeling of familiarity. I knew this place. It took me a moment to remember but then it hit me. This was the house from Sarasin’s vision, where Vas and I had been looking out the window at the city that was so strange to me.
Feeling guilty for stealing the clothes of the people who lived there, I removed the bag of dolmens from the pocket of my discarded jeans then placed it on the mantel. This was a small, basic abode. It didn’t seem fair to take from people who had so little.
Vas arched an eyebrow. “Such a kind heart you have.”
I shrugged. “If all goes to plan we’ll be back in Tribane soon. I’ll have no need for those coins when I’m home.”
Vas walked to the window and peered through the curtains.
“Will the others be okay? What if they’re caught?”
He glanced at me. “They won’t be caught. Sven knows this place like the back of his hand.”
I went to join him and looked out the window, too, peering at the city that still boggled my mind, so different from the cities back home.
“Have you ever been up there?” I asked, noticing his attention was focused on the Opal Palace. I hadn’t brought up the subject of the Dicteps and the possibility he was Vas’ grandfather in days, mostly because I didn’t want him to get mad at me again.