As we entered the bright hallway, Laurie didn’t offer to take Gil. Knowing him, he’d probably learned everything about my time with Belanor before stepping foot in that cell. If that was the case, Laurie was aware that Gil’s grasp on the bloodlust loosened with every second. I could feel faint sensations from the bond—did Laurie know about that, too?—and the holy water had only worsened the vampire’s need for blood.
There was no sign of Peeks, Vulen, or the other Guardians that had been about to stand by and listen to Belanor rape me. Pity, I thought. I would’ve loved the chance to make them rethink some of their life choices.
An eerie silence coiled in the air. The three of us rushed past the rows of doors, and I kept my gaze directed forward—I didn’t want to think about all the people I wasn’t saving in order to save myself and the ones that I cared about. Laurie’s behavior was indication enough of how little time we had. I didn’t know what would happen once we ran out of it, and hopefully I never found out. If I used my powers to take on every creature in this palace, innocents could get hurt. Including the people I was trying to protect.
Up ahead, there was someone waiting in front of the elevator. We got closer and I saw that it was the mean-faced Guardian who’d given me Laurie’s message before the Games.
“The camera feeds will only be disrupted for two minutes,” he said tersely to Laurie, completely ignoring me and Gil. “The override for the elevator is less than that. Let’s go.”
I swallowed a dozen questions and adjusted Gil’s arm so it wasn’t pulling my hair. “I think I got it now,” he said, leaning away to test his full weight.
“You sure?”
“We don’t have time for this,” the Guardian said tightly.
Painfully aware of Gil’s ever-increasing hunger, I didn’t snap back. My gaze lingered on the vampire’s face before I finally let go. The four of us got onto the elevator.
The Guardian jabbed the screen with his thumb. Watching him, it was obvious that he was risking a lot by helping us. The tension he exuded was practically a thrum beneath his skin.
As usual, Laurie read my mind. “I owe you one, Morelli,” he said as we started climbing.
His accomplice didn’t look away from the changing numbers on the screen. “I like cars. Red ones.”
Laurie looked at the numbers, too. He was grinning. “We’ll talk.”
A ding sounded, and the elevator doors opened. I tensed, wary of what would be on the other side. My shoulders slumped when I saw the empty hallway. We were back at the palace, above the ground where everything was grand and gilded. Long tables stood along this hallway, each one holding up large vases of real flowers. Their fragrance was subtle but sweet.
All of it was just a pretty distraction from the rotted core below.
Our small group stepped into the open, Morelli included. Gil looked around with faint surprise. He hadn’t seen this part of the Seelie Court, I remembered. Belanor had brought him straight to the cells.
The elevator doors had just closed behind us when a sound drifted down the hallway.
“What’s that?” I whispered, instinctively stepping closer to Laurie.
He shifted, too, and his chest brushed against my back. “That,” he said, “would be the Royal Guard.”
We ran.
The faeries took the lead, veering down a hallway to the right. Laurie didn’t need to tell us to soften our footsteps, and I winced with every squeak my bloodstained shoes made on the tiled floor. Halfway down the hallway, there was a cluster of doors tucked out of sight. Laurie yanked me into the pocket of space. Morelli and Gil followed, the latter looking ashen.
“Why—” I started.
Laurie spoke without looking at me; he was listening for the guards. “You just potentially killed the future King of the Seelie Court. Even if the cameras were turned off by that point, your scent will be all over him. Or, if Belanor recovers, he’ll have grounds to execute you.”
“He won’t execute me,” I said shortly. “He wants me alive. I’ll summon Lyari and we can fight our way—”
“She can’t sift onto palace grounds,” Laurie cut in, already shaking his head. I scowled at the second interruption. “Not without starting a war between the two Courts. She’s had no official invitation from the king or queen. Even if we did have Lyari, the Royal Guard are too many. Brute force isn’t the way. Not this time.”
“They’ve passed,” Morelli muttered. “We need to keep moving.”
Laurie nodded, stepping out of our temporary shelter, and we ran again.
Night hovered outside of every window I saw, but there was no hint of moon or stars. As if the sky itself had tucked itself behind a thick layer of clouds, hiding from the dangerous creatures far below. The only sounds in that elegant, darkness-drenched hallway were Morelli’s shifting armor, Gil’s uneven breathing, and our faint footsteps.
At the very end, Laurie skidded to a stop.
When I realized there were two faeries standing in the shadows, I felt my powers tense like muscles, readying to strike with the force of a viper. But neither of them sounded an alarm.
“You’re late,” the faerie on the left said.
“Tabby was having some trouble with the cameras,” Laurie countered. “Shall we continue chatting about it, or would you like to flee for our lives?”
Now I looked at the faeries with interest, and they looked back. One male, one female. They were dressed like courtiers. Neither of them said a word, but their cool gazes lingered on to my face. They would be seeing the beautiful illusion, no doubt. I wondered if they were always this silent when Laurie introduced them to someone. Maybe they’d never met one of my kind before, or maybe they resented me for everything I’d cost Laurie. For a moment, I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass, but then I remembered who I was. I lifted my chin and stared back at them.
Laurie didn’t give me a chance to say anything—he turned, grasped the bottom of my shirt and, in a blur of movement, ripped half of it away. The cold air was a shock against my bare stomach. I didn’t protest, though, because it was obvious what he was doing. Confirming my suspicions, Laurie handed the scrap of material to Morelli, who left us without a word. I watched him go, wondering if it was loyalty to Laurie or a substantial compensation that prompted the faerie to risk his life for a stranger.
Laurie proceeded to rip off each of my sleeves and give those to the others. They, too, hurried away the instant they had a scrap of clothing clutched in their fingers. The sound of their footsteps hadn’t fully faded when Laurie wrapped his fingers around mine and tugged, his meaning clear. Run.
“I assume you have a plan?” I asked under my breath, glancing behind to make sure Gil was following. He was on my heels, his spiky hair a splash of color in the dim. His expression was grim and I could sense his fear all around us. It was in my mouth, too, and it tasted like… blood.
“Don’t I always?” Laurie countered. Once again, he spoke without sparing me a glance.
“Okay, well, does your plan include getting Finn—”
“Fortuna, for once in your life, will you just shut up and trust me?”
It was his use of my name that kept me from arguing. I settled for a glare instead. The three of us continued on through the shadowed, ornate hallways, and I didn’t attempt to ask about Finn again. Later, I told myself. Laurie was risking far more than his throne to save me this time. The thought made me feel a stab of guilt.