Chapter Twenty-nine

The color was gradually returning to Yaz’s face. She had been so pale, her breathing so labored that he feared she would faint. He hadn’t panicked when she slipped from his grasp. That didn’t occur until he realized what was happening below. He had suspected it might affect Yaz, but he hadn’t comprehended to what extent until he saw the horror on her face.

He’d shoved everyone out of his way to get to her, uncaring about the attention put on him or the commotion he caused. All that mattered was getting to Yaz. And when he finally reached her, she had been so lost in her head that she hadn’t known it was him. She had such a death grip on the railing, he’d had to pry her fingers loose, one by one.

He should’ve felt better once he reached her, but that wasn’t the case. The only thing he could do was take her away from the scene below. When he turned around, the mob of people instantly moved out of his way. He’d done his best to shield Yaz from them, talking loudly about her consumption of alcohol so no one would think she was upset about the woman below. The way Yaz stumbled in a daze helped, but he couldn’t be sure if anyone believed him.

Thankfully, most were more interested in witnessing the female’s humiliation and didn’t pay much attention to him. Ravi was able to find them a quiet place, but Yaz was lost to him. Nothing he said got her attention. Not until he held her face between his hands. It wasn’t until her eyes finally focused on him that he felt any relief. Then he began to pull her back from the brink.

Breath by breath, he watched the darkness fade from her.

The stark fear that had taken him had been all too real. He hated how it ran through him like sludge, eating at him from the inside out. It had been seconds, but it felt like an eternity. He shouldn’t have held her face like a lover. It came too close to the things he dreamed of doing to her. It didn’t matter that her fingers latched onto him as if he were all that kept her from drowning. Or that she gazed up at him as if he were her hero. He had no right to touch her. Even if he longed for it to be otherwise.

Ravi was compromised. He knew it, but nothing could be done about it. He’d let his emotions rule him before, and it had nearly cost him his life. He’d sworn never to be in that position again. Yet inexplicably, it had happened somehow. Without his knowledge or consent.

He cared for Yaz.

More than he should.

More than she would likely allow.

But how did he stop the feelings that careened out of control? Did he even want to? He asked himself that over and over as they gazed at each other. Then she leaned in to him, her lips parting. He wanted to kiss her, longed for it more than he could remember yearning for anything. He couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted. And he didn’t want to.

Joyful shouting broke through his haze. Ravi straightened and looked out at the crowd. Everyone was interested in an innocent’s death. A human woman at the mercy of elves, stripped of her clothing and dignity and thrown into a box so slender the guards had to shove her into it. It would be a long, horrible death.

Many questions filled his mind, but he couldn’t find the words to ask Yaz any of them. Besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers. Yaz knew what the female was about to endure. It made Ravi want to unleash his vengeance on everyone taking part in such a barbaric event.

And he wanted to take Yaz far from Shaldorn and erase its existence from her mind.

It was a silly thought. Nothing could remove memories. He should know. He had tried.

“Ravi?”

He briefly closed his eyes and swiveled his head to Yaz. The frightened, vulnerable woman was gone. The strong, unshakable one stood before him once more. How had he not seen beneath her veneer of irritable indifference for what it was? How had he not realized she had been doing her best to shield herself from more harm?

There had been plenty of opportunities for her to ruin the mission and get away. No one ever would’ve found out. Instead, she had kept her word. He had laughed when she first told him her oath meant something to her. He hadn’t believed it. But she had proven him wrong with every step that brought her to the one place in all the realm she didn’t want to be. Ravi wasn’t sure if he could’ve done the same in her shoes.

Yaz had more internal fortitude than a hundred elves. She deserved more. So very much more than what she had gotten so far.

“What is it?” Yaz pressed when he remained silent.

It wasn’t as if he could tell her. He had to shove aside his emotions and bury them beneath the mountains they had crossed. For both their sake’s. Otherwise, he could get them killed. Maybe he would be able to embrace his emotions once more someday. But that wasn’t now.

“I’m thinking,” he said as he scanned those around them. “Are you still sure about the location?”

“I can only go by what I knew when I was here.”

He held out his arm to her. Their eyes briefly met before she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow once more. “Let’s go.”

Ravi kept his attention on the guards and anyone else who looked like a threat. The problem was everyone at Shaldorn was a threat, be they guard or guest. If they ran into trouble, no one would help. He wasn’t even sure the undercover elf would show themselves with the likes of those in attendance.

“There is only one set of stairs leading up to the third floor—at least one that’s visible. There’s a second, but it’s hidden from prying eyes,” Yaz said in a low voice as they walked.

“Perfect for a clandestine meeting.”

“The stairway will be guarded. We can’t take it.” She motioned to the set of steps that led to the third floor. “We’ll have to take those.”

He shifted them as they walked around a group still ogling the woman in the box. He studied Yaz and caught her glancing down into the salon. He knew what she was thinking. It was the same thing he was. The human had a little time before her air ran out. Yaz wanted to save her. He did, too. The odds of that happening, however, were unlikely.

And he didn’t have the heart to tell Yaz that.

They reached the stairs, where guards stood on either side, watching everyone pass. Yaz ignored them, but Ravi gave each a surreptitious glance. There were no visible weapons, but that didn’t mean the guards didn’t have any.

He waited until they were halfway up before asking, “Do you know how many will be in the room?”

“I’ve never been in one when such a deal was taking place, but there are usually guards inside.” Her fingers tightened on his arm. “Things might have changed.”

“Don’t second-guess yourself. You know this place. Which room?”

She shot him a glare. “It has been four years.”

“How many things changed when you were here?”

“Few.”

“Then I doubt they would now. Which room, Yaz?”

She blew out a breath and moved closer. “It won’t be easy to get to. We certainly won’t be able to merely walk up to the door.”

He eyed her. She would make an excellent operative. “I gather you have an idea?”

“Maybe.” She motioned to a wall and led him to it.

They pressed the left side of their bodies against it and looked cautiously around. They stood together intimately, her hands on his chest, his at her waist. Their faces breaths apart as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Tell me,” he urged.

She glanced at his mouth, making his blood heat.

“Directly across from us is a hallway where our target should walk past after coming up the hidden stairs. We’ll briefly see them before they head into the secure room. It could give us an idea of how many Kumar has with him.”

Ravi located the place she referred to. “Got it.”

“You’ve seen how huge this place is. You’ve seen the number of guards,” she continued.

“The ones in uniform. There are others I suspect are disguised. I know my target has those.”

“Exactly. My point is, getting out of here will be nearly impossible.”

He flexed his fingers on her hip before dragging his hand upward to touch her bare flesh above the waist of her skirt. He returned his gaze to her. Her hands spread up his chest. “Nothing is impossible. The stones will help you lead us out.”

“If we aren’t caught.”

“We won’t get caught.”

She dropped her gaze to his chest for a moment, smoothing the material she had clutched earlier. “We’ll be going into a room full of elves. The moment they see us, they’ll not hesitate to draw weapons and use magic.”

It was a reminder that he hadn’t seen the sun in hours, which meant his magic wouldn’t come as easily. It was always there, but the sun made it easier to command. “I’m not unprepared.”

“Neither am I,” Yaz said and held up a cylinder.

Ravi frowned as he looked at the gray liquid within. He remembered seeing one of the weapons vendors selling it. “Where did you get that?”

“Sticky fingers, remember?” she replied with a grin. “I thought we might need some additional help. This will create smoke for us to disappear. At least, that’s what I heard the vendor telling someone.”

He dug into his pocket to withdraw a tiny urn that fit into the palm of his hand. “You aren’t the only one with skills.”

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as her smile widened. “I didn’t see that one. What does it do?”

“If the vendor can be believed, it creates a storm.”

“What kind of storm?”

He shrugged. “That, I don’t know.”

“Will it be enough?”

“It’ll have to be. We don’t have time to steal anything else.”

“True.” She looked into his eyes. “We only have one shot at this. We’d better get it right.”

He wondered when it had gone from ~him~ securing the device to ~them~. Not that he minded. He wasn’t sure Yaz was even aware of what she had said. “First, we need to have a place to meet up if we get separated.”

“It’s highly doubtful we’ll be able to steal the device without it alerting others. Shaldorn will shut down. Literally. The doors and windows will be locked, and no one will get out.”

“There’s always a way out.”

Yaz gave him a shrewd smile. “There is. I saw it once. It was long ago, but I think I can get us there again. We’ll have to get to the staff level first. And that will be the challenge. The instant the alarms sound, it’s going to be chaos.”

“Exactly. Everyone will be running around. That’ll help us blend when we’re making our getaway.”

“There’s a door directly below us on the main floor. It leads to the staff level. We’ll meet there.”

“If we get split up.”

She bit her lip. “About that. I have an idea.”

Ravi listened as she laid out her plan. There were times he walked into a building knowing little more than where the exits were located and where he needed to be. He was good at improvising, but this wasn’t that sort of assignment. This was the kind that needed a plan, and Yaz had a good one.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

She gave him a firm nod. “My part isn’t much. You’re doing the majority.”

That wasn’t exactly true. Yaz intended to put herself front and center, the place he should be.

“Do you have another plan?”

He shook his head. “Not a good enough one.”

“There isn’t time to think of another. Look,” she urged.

He glanced over to see their target followed by bodyguards passing across the hall, just as she had predicted. Whatever arguments Ravi had dissolved. It was time to put her plan into motion. Then, before he thought better of it, he briefly pressed his lips to hers. He didn’t allow himself to linger, or he might never stop kissing her. “Stay safe,” he whispered.

“I will. Be careful,” she replied softly.

And though it went against everything he wanted, he walked away. As his feet carried him to the next hallway, all he could think about was how good it had felt to finally put his lips to hers. He wanted to look back before he turned the corner, but he didn’t. Ravi shoved his feelings aside, locking them tightly away until he could take them out again later. He counted the doors to the thirteenth one on the left and tested the handle. It turned beneath his hand. Inside was the closet Yaz had described.

He shut the door behind him and flicked the switch that turned on the light. The shelves inside the closet had an array of clothes, weapons, drying towels, and other supplies. But he wasn’t there for any of that. He looked at the grate overhead and grinned.