Chapter Twenty-Six
Mary walked alongside Rykaur, practically running to keep up. More than a little tender between her thighs, she wanted to grab on to his muscular arm and demand that he slow his pace.
She glanced up at him, noticing a muscle ticking along his jaw. “You’re angry with me.”
“I am not angry with you,” he rumbled, continuing his hurried pace. “I simply do not trust myself where you are concerned. I want nothing more than to shred those clothes you are wearing, duck into a nearby vacant room, and take you again.”
Heat flew through Mary’s body. She wanted him to do that too.
Mary began to hum inside her mind in an effort to keep her thoughts clear.
Rykaur’s steps faltered. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure I’m alone in there. I don’t know if I can get used to someone sifting through my thoughts unawares. Growing up, my mind was the only place I had to escape to. The only place I could find peace. A place where I could be alone.”
He didn’t comment. He didn’t have to. Mary could feel pain radiating from him like a furnace.
She opened her mouth to apologize, but held her tongue when Gryke appeared in front of them.
“It is about time,” Gryke snapped, jerking his head toward the door to the catacombs. “We have been ready to go for the past half hour.”
Rykaur stopped and waited for Mary to precede him down the steps before following her inside.
Zaureth, Braum, Fiona, Melvin, and Amy stood next to the dining table. Braum spoke first. “We will leave by way of the gulf. Zaureth has retrieved what information is needed from the spy. Jefferies has a man posted near the land entrance to apprehend Mary as she emerges. Only, it will be Fiona instead of Mary. She will need the address where Jefferies held Mary and the children.”
“How do you know the spy is telling the truth?” Mary blurted, drawing everyone’s attention. “It’s most likely a trap.”
Rykaur stepped in close to her. “One cannot hide the truth from Zaureth. He need only to touch you to see into your mind.”
Mary’s gaze flew to the healer who stood passively by. He’d touched her on more than one occasion. Had he seen into her past? Seen the horrific details of her childhood?
A sadness entered Zaureth’s eyes, telling her that was exactly what he’d seen.
More than a little mortified by that realization, Mary turned her attention back to Braum, who had continued laying out their plan, and rattled off her home address.
“We will wait offshore until Fiona has been approached by the man sent to grab Mary. They will lead us to Jefferies.”
“But the children are there,” Mary cried. “What if this is all a con by Jefferies? He has to know your ability to pick up on deception, and would have been careful not to divulge his true plan to the spy you have in the dungeon.”
Melvin held up a hand. “It’s the only course of action we can take at this point. We know the kids are with him, and we’ll do everything in our power to see that they come to no harm. But we can’t risk letting Jefferies slip through our fingers again. There are too many lives at stake.”
“And what about the lives of the children? Are they not worth anything? Because they are to me. They mean everything to me!”
Rykaur visibly flinched.
“This is the best course of action to take,” Melvin assured her, his gaze softening. “Jefferies knows how you feel about those kids. He believes that you will do everything in your power to put his plan into action. He also knows that you’ll return to them no matter the outcome. Just let us do what we do. We’ll do our best to reunite you with the children.”
Mary’s gaze touched on everyone in the room, including Rykaur. He stood still as a statue, pain and determination radiating from him.
Seeing that it would do no good to argue with them, Mary took a deep breath, began humming inside her mind to keep Rykaur out, and moved to sit at the table. “I’ll be right here, waiting.”
Rykaur took a step toward her, only to stop before he reached her. “I will return as soon as possible."
Mary sent him a weak smile. “I’m counting on it.”
Gryke turned to face Melvin. “Do not let Fiona out of your sight. No matter what she says.”
“I’ll have her in my scope the entire time. One wrong move on the guy’s part, and I’ll send him to hell before he has time to shit on himself.”
“Fiona draped her wig over her shoulder, wrapped her arms around her mate, and kissed him on the lips. “I love you, my big warrior. Stay safe.”
“And I, you. Stick to the plan.”
Mary watched the group file out one by one, leaving her alone with Amy.
She cleared her throat and faced Zaureth’s beautiful mate, who had taken a seat across from her at the table. “I apologize for being dumped on you. Please don’t feel that you have to entertain me.”
Amy tilted her head, a soft smile on her lips. “There’s no need to apologize. I don’t mind at all. And I certainly don’t feel as if you’ve been dumped on me.”
Mary noticed Amy didn’t quite look at her when she spoke. In fact, she stared just beyond Mary’s right shoulder.
Turning in her seat, Mary glanced behind her, curious as to what Amy found so fascinating. “Is something wrong?”
Amy shook her head. “Not at all. Why do you ask?”
“No reason. I just noticed you were staring at something behind me. I thought maybe the group was coming back.”
A soft laugh rushed from Amy’s throat. “I see no one told you.”
“Told me what?”
“That I’m blind.”
Mary’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “You’re— I mean— I—”
“It’s okay,” Amy responded, saving Mary from making a fool of herself. “You had no way of knowing. I’ve been blind since birth.”
“But when I first met you, you looked so sure of yourself. You fixed our plate without missing a beat.”
Amy continued to smile. “That’s because Zaureth was here. With our mental connection, I’m able to see through his eyes.”
Mary opened her mouth only to flounder around for words. She finally found them. “That’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard. Can you see through the eyes of others too?”
Shaking her head, Amy picked up a glass of water and took a drink. “Only my mate’s. Of course, he is the only one I’ve shared blood with.”
“When you say, shared blood, does that mean you drank some of his too? I’m trying to understand this whole mating thing and what all it entails.”
Amy blushed. “I have taken Zaureth’s blood during intimacy. It takes the act to a whole new level. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s almost otherworldly. It’s definitely the single most incredible feeling you’ll ever experience.”
It was Mary’s turn to blush. Thank God, Amy couldn’t see her face, or she’d realize that Mary had already experienced heaven at the hands of Rykaur.
A thought occurred to her the longer she sat and conversed with Amy. Mary could slip out past the woman and not be missed for quite some time. “Do you have an extra room where I can lie down for a while? I’m suddenly exhausted.”
“Of course,” Amy murmured, gaining her feet. “How rude of me. Right this way.”
Mary felt bad for lying to Zaureth’s sweet wife, but left without options, she had no choice.
She stood and followed Amy down a short corridor to a large-sized room down on the left. Though it wasn’t the size of Amy and Zaureth’s room, it was bigger than any Mary had ever had.
“The sheets are clean, and the bathroom is fully stocked. If you need anything or become hungry, I’ll just be in my room. I haven’t been feeling well lately.”
Mary nodded and then remembered Amy couldn’t see her. “Thank you.”
She waited for Amy to disappear from view before creeping quietly down the hall and up the steps. She had a little more than an hour to reach the surface and no time to waste.
Remembering the ATV’s parked outside the great hall, Mary hurried her steps, praying she wouldn’t be too late. If what Jefferies had told the spy was true, he would kill the children soon.
Mary ran.