“I’m sorry for not getting here sooner, mo ghrá,” Storm whispered, his voice gruff.

I lowered my hand, reached up, and touched him. He was real, not a figment of my imagination. I threw my arms around his neck while he buried his face in my nape and hummed soothingly. Only then did I realize I was crying and shaking.

“It’s okay, lass. I’m here now. I’m so sorry for failing you. I promise to do better next time.”

Who cared about next time? I leaned back, gripped his head, and studied his beautiful beloved face. He was here. Alive.

“I thought you’d never make it. I almost lost hope.”

He swallowed my last word with his lips. The kiss was scorching, brutal, but I welcomed it. Like a flower opening to morning rays after darkness, I devoured him, my body curling around his, my hands sinking into his hair and gripping it to hold his head to me. I wanted to become one with him.

The clang of a bell brought with it a dose of reality, and we tore our mouths from each other. The bell meant someone knew they were here. The guards and the army would be on their way in seconds.

I wiggled, silently asking him to put me down. His arms tightened.

“The bell,” I whispered. “We have to go before they get here.”

“Not yet. One of ours rang the bell. And we want them to know we are here.” His gaze roamed my face. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“He tried. Tonight…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. Things would have ended differently tonight.

“I’m sorry about the kidnapping, muh’Lexi. I failed you. I should have fought harder—”

I pulled his face to mine.

“Don’t ever say that,” I whispered. “You didn’t fail me. You fought them and were nearly killed.” I kissed him, pouring all my love, gratitude, and elation into it.

When I lifted my head and his expression remained bleak, I knew it would take a long time for him to forgive himself. Time and me telling him repeatedly that it wasn’t his fault.

“You are here now, Storm. That’s all that matters. Is Levi okay? Did he make it?”

“Yes. He’s outside now.”

The relief was sweet. I glanced around and smiled at the familiar swordsmen and shieldmaidens. I didn’t know their names, but I recognized their faces from the ships or the Great Hall. A shieldmaiden had a sword to Lord Conyngham’s neck while blatantly checking him out. With Tully around, I couldn’t tell her Lord Conyngham was on our side.

“Thank you,” I mouthed and teared up when they touched the brim of their tricorns.

The dagger Storm had thrown was imbedded in Tully’s wrist. The prince was cursing while trying to remove his coat. The lace around his sleeve was on the floor and bloodied. At least, he was smart enough not to pull out the blade. He’d bleed out. Hell, he deserved to bleed out, the asshole.

My focus returned to Storm. The mask he’d worn the first time we met was back in place while I wanted my cocky pirate back. He was busy issuing instructions.

“Don’t let them leave this room,” he barked, indicating Tully’s guests. “Thank you, my lords and ladies, for the use of your carriages. Couldn’t have planned this better.” His focused shifted to his crew. “I want every room ready to burn, so grab whatever you can carry and dump it in the carriages. The four of you, bring two chests from the crown treasury. Remember what we discussed.”

Most of his crew left the room.

“Storm, you thieving scourge of the seven seas!” Tully bellowed. “You cannot rob us again.”

Storm didn’t even bother to look at him. “You’re paying for the rebuilding of Vaarda, Tully. Every house, every piece of furniture, every stitch of clothing.”

He sounded so calm and cold, yet his gaze burned when it returned to my face, his arms firm around me as though he had no plans of ever letting me go.

“You can’t keep stealing my treasures,” Tully shot back.

“Yet you stole mine. The only one that matters. Did you think I’d let you get away with it? Now, shut up before I ask Donnelly to slice off your tongue.”

Donnelly was a diminutive shieldmaiden with blond highlights and a wicked gleam in her eyes. She poked Tully with the tip of her sword, her expression saying she’d have no problem whatsoever carving up the prince.

“Stay away from me, you filthy pirate,” Tully snarled at her while she chuckled with glee and poked him again.

“Where are the other captains?” I asked.

“Zale and his crew are by the docks, taking care of their ships. We knew the gongs would send them running toward the palace, making it easy for us to destroy their ships with minimum loss of life. Our fight is with him”—Storm jerked his head toward Tully—“and the mad king, not the people of Hy’Brasil. Kheelan and his crew are taking care of the Royal Guards. Levi and his are manning the wall. Nerissa’s team is rounding up the staff. We want the palace empty before we torch it. Deck stayed with Ryun on the island to help with reconstruction.”

“Torch my palace?” Tully screeched. “Because of her?”

“Shut up, or I swear I will slice out your tongue.” Donnelly pressed the tip of her blade into Tully’s cheek. “I hold you responsible for the deaths of my sisters, you pompous pig.”

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Tully screeched. “I am Prince Tullius, and you are nothing but a filthy pirate whore.”

“Captain,” Donnelly called out. “I took an oath not to touch him, but he’s crossed the line. No one calls me a whore, except my ex-lovers. Please, can I punish him? Just a nick?”

“Sorry, muh’Lexi, but I have to deal with this,” Storm said and put me down.

Tully saw him coming and shuffled backward. The punch Storm threw caught him on the mouth. He tripped on a chair vacated by one of his guests and landed on the floor.

“You treat my sisters with respect, Tully, or I’ll lift the oath to hurt you.” Storm hauled him onto the chair, grabbed the handle of the dagger still imbedded in Tully’s wrist, and pushed it farther in. A bone cracked while Tully yowled in pain.

“My hand,” Tully cried and gripped his arm. His fingers were already turning blue.

“We’ve played this game before, Tully. I don’t understand how you never learn. You torch my home, I raze yours to the ground. You touch what’s mine, I make sure you never touch another.”

Gasps came from Tully’s guests.

“What do you mean you make sure I’ll never touch another?” Tully squeaked.

“You figure it out,” Storm said softly, his voice cold.

Panic flashed in Tully’s eyes. He’d given up on removing his coat and was gripping his injured arm. A sheen of sweat covered his face, and he had a nasty cut on his lips from Storm’s punch.

“You’re talking about killing me over her?” Tully waved toward me. “This spineless Tuh’ren? I had her bowing and sniveling like a simpleton before you got here. I already sampled what she has to offer, and she’s not worth it.”

Storm growled, grabbed the blade in Tully’s wrist, and twisted it. Tully screamed, other sounds mixing with his. The stench permeated the air.

“You won’t just be losing a hand tonight,” Storm snarled in his face. “I will chop off your tongue and any part of you that touched her.”

I caught Storm’s arm. “No, allow me.”

For a beat, I was sure Storm wouldn’t listen to me.

“Please,” I added. “I need this after what he put me through.”

Taking a deep breath, Storm released Tully and glanced at me. The anguish in his eyes was too much. I touched his cheek.

“It was nothing I couldn’t handle. I promise.”

That was obviously the wrong thing to say.

“His hand and tongue—”

“Are yours to do with as you please,” I finished.

The horror on Tully’s face was comical.

“Tell him the truth, Tully. If you are capable of it. You didn’t sample anything, because your attempts at seducing me failed.”

Glazed eyes followed my hand as I lifted my skirt and pulled out the dagger Banan had given me. Surprise then fear flared in his eyes in a quick succession.

“Where did you get that?” he asked, his speech halting, sweat pouring from his face.

“Did you think I’d spend an evening in your company without protection?” I asked, pressing the tip of the blade against his cheek the way Donnelly had done. Mine drew blood.

He leaned away from my blade, loathing blanketing the fear.

“I’d decided you’d never twist my arm or nearly break my jaw like you’d done before you shoved your disgusting tongue down my throat.”

Storm growled.

“You deserve to lose more than your hand and tongue, Tully.” I moved the blade lower to his chest and kept going. “Did you know I threw up in my mouth because you disgust me? You are a sadistic bastard who enjoys hurting and subjugating women.”

The growl behind me grew louder.

Any second I expected Storm to rip Tully apart. I didn’t want that on his conscience just like I didn’t want Tully going after his staff for the poisoning.

“And tonight”—I stopped in front of his breeches, and Tully twisted as though to move away from the blade—“I would have gutted you if you’d touched me. And I would have enjoyed it. How is that for a spineless Tuh’ren?”

A chuckle replaced the growl.

“As for the bowing and sniveling, you pompous piece of shit, it was all an act while I slipped poison into your drink.”

Storm laughed while rage darkened Tully’s eyes.

“That’s right, you psycho. The reason you can’t keep down food, the reason you smell like a privy is me. You see, I’d rather hang in the gallows for killing you than allow your filthy hands to touch any part of my body. And I really do hope Storm chops off your hands so you’ll never hurt another woman again.”

Tully knocked aside my hand with the dagger and lunged for me. I’d been expecting him to attack and jumped back.

A fist moving so fast it was a blur connected with the side of his face. A sickening crunch filled the room, and Tully’s head lolled to the side, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. Storm broke his nose.

“You’re not fit to touch her,” Storm growled in a low calm voice, then straightened, silver eyes churning with dark emotions. His tense jaw said it was taking all his efforts to contain his rage. Outside, lightning and thunder chased each other across the sky.

I put my dagger away and slipped my hand through Storm’s, wishing he’d link with me. Sharing his anger might calm him down.

“You poisoned him?” Nerissa called from the doorway.

I turned. She and two of her crew must have entered the room while I was talking. She closed the gap between us, and we hugged.

“I knew you’d kick his ass, little sister,” she said, laughing. “I told Storm over and over, but he wouldn’t believe me. You are an islander. And we don’t take shit lying down.”  

“If the poison hadn’t stopped him, I had a dagger for backup.”

Nerissa laughed while Storm pulled me into his arms again and held me tight.

“It’s going to take me a long time to make this up to you, mo stór,” he whispered against my hair. “A very long time.” He leaned back and studied Tully’s guests. “Did anyone else hurt you?”

“We didn’t do anything,” one of the lords said before I could speak, and the others nodded. They cowered in one corner of the room.

“We’ve never met her until tonight,” another added, which was the wrong thing to say.

“That’s the problem with you,” Storm ground out. “You’re deaf and blind to atrocities happening right under your noses.”

“I helped clean her up and clothed her when she first arrived here,” Lady Morgana said. “She arrived smelling…”

She stopped when she realized Storm was getting even more pissed.

“Escort them downstairs,” he told the shieldmaidens and swordsmen. “Two of them can carry him.” He indicated Tully with a slant of his head.

Lord Conyngham and one of the other male guests hoisted the unconscious prince between them and left the room.

“There’re people in the dungeons,” Lady Morgana said while shooting me a beseeching look. I knew what she was asking, but I couldn’t help her. Her brother might have been obeying orders, but he was accountable for what happened in Vaarda.

“We’ll release them,” Nerissa said.

“Don’t go yet, Nerissa.” I waited until Lady Morgana left the room with the others. “Captain Ren is down there.”

Nerissa went pale under her tan.

“The asshole who kidnapped you?” she asked. “The one who killed three of our shieldmaidens?” She growled and pinned Storm with a daring look. “He’s mine, Cap’n. I know you said we wouldn’t fight anyone except in self-defense, but he deserves to pay for what he did. I’ll give him a fair chance, but his head is mine.”

She started out of the room.

“Nerissa, Captain Ren knows the identity of the traitor on Vaarda, so don’t kill him until he gives you a name,” I called after her.

Nerissa stopped and slowly turned.

“What traitor?” she and Storm asked at the same time.

“The one who showed him how to get in and out of the island.”

“Are you saying someone from my island betrayed us?” Stormed bellowed.

I’d known he wouldn’t like that.

“I was close to blanking out, but I overheard Captain Ren discuss it with one of his men. And before I passed out, I heard the man beg them to take him. He has a relative here or something, and they might have used that to get to him.”

My explanation didn’t help diminish their outrage.

“Captain Ren left him behind, though. He claimed since the person betrayed the islanders, he couldn’t be trusted. Ren is the only one who survived the attack in the basement.”

“He’s the only one who survived the invasion,” Storm ground out.

“And he’s mine,” Nerissa snarled and took off, leaving the two of us in the room.

Fury churned in the depths of Storm’s eyes as he reached for my hand. The news about the traitor had hit him hard. Learning about his mother would hurt even more.

“Let’s go. I want Tully to watch this place go up in flames before we leave.”

We left Tully’s private dining room and crossed the Blue Room and the rotunda, the emptiness jarring. Laughter came from the other rooms, so I knew the crew was picking and choosing what to pillage. More sounds came from the front hall as we got closer to the hallway running from the front to the back of the palace. I glanced at Storm.

His face was an unreadable mask, his eyes a dark pool of emotions. If he could share my pain through a link, I should be able to help him.

“Link with me, Storm,” I said.

He glanced down at me and blinked as though surprised by my request.

“Please. When I saw lightning earlier today, I knew you were close. I searched for you with my mind and was devastated when I couldn’t feel you. I don’t know how to link yet, and I didn’t like knowing you were around but not being able to reach you. So link with me.”

His eyes darkened. “I can’t, lass. What I’m feeling right now… What I’ve been feeling since I woke up is so destructive, if I linked with you, you’ll be paralyzed by the sheer force of it.”

“I can handle it.”

He smiled briefly and pressed a kiss on my temple. “No, muh’Lexi. You’ve been through enough without shouldering my burden. I’ll teach you how to link as soon as we get out of here and my head is in the right place.”

I sighed, not sure how to bring up his mother. Storm’s rage was going to spill over once he learned about her. Tully might lose more than a hand and a tongue tonight.

The voices grew louder with Tully’s dominating. He was threatening someone. From Storm’s expression, he couldn’t wait to shut him up again.

 “We can’t go to the front hall yet,” I said, my grip tightening around Storm’s hand. “I want you to come to the tower with me. There’s a woman being kept there we need to rescue.”

He frowned. “I can send some of our people to get her.”

“No. I want you to get her, Storm. She’s been poisoned for years and is frail. I don’t trust anyone with her, except you.”

Reluctantly, he allowed me to lead him in the opposite direction. Telling him about his mother wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it would be.

“How did you meet this woman?” he asked, giving me an opening.

“I refused to bow to Tully when I arrived at the palace, and he had me thrown in the tower. You should have seen his face.”

I grinned and glanced at Storm, hoping to see him smile. He didn’t.

“He threw you in the tower? There’s nothing up there but drafty stone cells. I should finish him off. It’s the only thing that could ever make up for every pain and discomfort he put you through.”

“No, you don’t want your brother’s death on your conscience. Besides, I offered to take care of her and begged Tully to let me stay up there. The alternative was worse.”

“Worse how?” he asked in a bleak voice.

That had been the wrong thing to say. “It’s not important.”

“It’s important to me.”

So he could torture himself with things he could have prevented? No way.

“Lexi,” Storm growled.

“Nothing happened, Storm.”

“Let me decide if it’s nothing or another reason to chop off a piece of Tully,” he said.

A eunuch Tully would probably be a good thing to the female population, but I couldn’t make up things he hadn’t done. I slowed down as we reached the bottom of the tower stairs.

“He wanted me in his chamber. He’d planned to turn me then make me his mate. I remember thinking I already have a mate. You. And a bridle. Yours. I didn’t want anyone else’s. So I bought myself time by offering to nurse the woman in the tower.”

Storm stopped, anguish in his eyes. I cupped his cheek.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” I added. “You’re blaming yourself when you shouldn’t.”

“I should. It’s my fault you were taken. If I hadn’t sent you into the basement that night.” He shook his head. “I need to know everything so I’ll never forget or make the same mistake again.”

“Don’t do this, Storm. I was fine. The guards watching us were nice. They are your supporters.”

“My supporters?”

“People who believe in what you started a century ago. They want the same things for all the islanders. Freedom to shift, love, and marry whoever, whenever, and however they please. Lord Conyngham is a part of the movement.”

Storm frowned. “Tully’s right-hand man?”

“Is your number one supporter. I know. Crazy, right? Come on.” I tugged at Storm’s hand, and we headed up the stairs. “Lord Conyngham has protected me since I arrived here. In fact, he thought I was a plant by the king to find out about their organization. He’s a good guy. Anal but good.” I threw Storm another grin, hoping he’d smile even once. I missed his smile and cockiness. I wanted my pirate back.

“I don’t know how you can be upbeat after everything you’ve been through, lass.”

“I can because you are here. You came for me, and I’m going home. All this”—I waved a hand to indicate the palace—“will be soon forgotten.”

 A low groan escaped him. He hauled me into his arms and kissed me, one arm crushing me to him while the other gripped the rail so we didn’t stumble down the spiral stairs. My feet left the step as he lifted me higher. When he eased his mouth from mine, we were both breathing hard. I gave him a loopy grin and stroked his cheek.

“I needed that. Now can you drop the Hulk persona and go back to being my cocky pirate? I miss him.”

He smiled. “I don’t know who the Hulk is, but I’m sure he’s never woken up after being unconscious for days to learn he’d lost the most precious person in his life.” He scowled. “Not just lost her. Failed her. Not knowing whether you were okay or what he was doing to you brought me to my knees, muh’Lexi. I begged the gods—”

I grabbed his head and pulled his face to mine, laying one on him and hoping to distract him from self-recrimination. When I pushed his head away, he was the one with a dopey smile.

“I love you, Lexi Greendale,” he said.

“I know, but this is neither the place nor the time to be confessing it or trying to seduce me,” I said, knowing how he’d react.

He kissed me again. This time, he lifted me higher until I wrapped my legs around his midsection.

“We don’t need the right place or time to kiss, lass. If I recall correctly, I promised to make love to you whenever and wherever.”

Just not in the middle of a raid or a few steps from his mother’s cell. A mother he still didn’t know existed.

“And I’ll hold you to that promise. Just not now when you’re supposed to be burning this place down. Put me down so we can get my sick friend and get out of here.”

“Never.” He continued up the stairs. “I’m never letting you out of my sight either. Through low and high tides, gales and squalls, you’ll stay by my side. You can be a crew in my ship.”

“Or you in mine,” I shot back, and he chuckled.

“Or we could stay on the island for a while and make babies.”

What? I could see where he was headed with that new line of thinking. He planned to stress over almost losing me and hide me so something like that could never happen again.

In his dreams.

I planned to sail the seas, which meant changing his attitude. It might drive him crazy, but he would learn I wasn’t some porcelain doll to be swaddled in bubble wrap just because of one terrible incident.

“I’d love to have your babies, Storm Orath, but it’s not going to happen any time soon. I want you to myself for a little longer. Like a decade or two.”

I covered his mouth when he opened it to respond.

“Subject closed. Now, about the prisoner in the tower. She’s been kept up there for decades. The oracle was supposed to take care of her, but instead, she poisoned her. She gave her herbs that caused her to act crazy and out of control, then some that knocked her out and made her loopy, until she’s now convinced she’s crazy. I’ve been trying to help her deal with the withdrawal symptoms.”

“Only you, mo ghrá, would help a prisoner when you are a prisoner yourself.”

“She needed help. She still does.” I hated wiping that smile off his face, but I knew I had to tell him about his mother before we reached the cells.

“Still, I admire you for your selflessness. Most people would be wrapped up in their misery and not bother with a stranger.”

“She’s not really a stranger, and she did feed me when no one else did. The prisoner is your mother, Storm,” I said.

For a beat, he stared at me. Then he made a face and chuckled.

“Nice try. The woman I once called mother would not be living in this tower. Her place is by King Tullius’s side in the most lavish quarters in the palace.”

A frowned chased the smile from his face.

“You know, she didn’t wait for my father to settle in the Underworld before she replaced him with the mad king and became his companion.” Storm shrugged. “I don’t hold it against her. She made her choice and did what she had to do to take care of herself and Tully. Just like I chose to never have anything to do with her. She’s probably traveling with the mad king right now, so Tully was messing with you if he claimed the woman in the tower was our mother.”

Holy shit. The bastards had lied to him. Why? Palming his face, I wanted to beg to link with him because the truth was about to rip him apart.

“I wouldn’t say something like this if I wasn’t sure, Storm. Whoever told you about your mother lied to you. She is a prisoner in the tower, where she’s lived for decades. She’s never been your grandfather’s mistress. The oracle, the woman your father was meant to marry but didn’t, is your grandfather’s mistress.”

The smile disappeared from Storm’s face. He shook his head.

“No. You must be mistaken. Tully…” Slowly, he lowered me to the ground. “Both of them told me she’d chosen to stay with my grandfather as his consort. For a long time, I hated her for it, Lexi. I was disgusted by her. It took me years to purge her from my thoughts and heart.”

My heart broke for him, and tears rushed to my eyes, but I fought them. I couldn’t afford to break down now when he needed me.

“They lied, Storm. She’s here, hidden away from everyone. She talked to me whenever she was coherent. Told me things. She’s the reason I didn’t escape. I would have tried to every day, but I stayed to take care of her while waiting for you to come rescue us.”

Storm’s face had gone pale. He swayed, and I reached for him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He crushed me to him as though to steady himself. Then he stepped back.

“Where…?” He didn’t finish the question.

I pointed up the stairs.

 

~*~

 

He took the remaining stairs at a run, but the gate was locked from outside. He gripped and pulled it, his knuckles white. The sounds brought Banan downstairs from the battlement, two swords drawn. Storm drew his.

“No,” I yelled. “Banan is on our side, Storm. He works for Lord Conyngham, and he guards your mother and me.”

“Prince Orath,” Banan whispered, awe in his eyes and voice.

“Don’t call me that. I’m not my father,” Storm snarled.

“Unlock the gate,” I said, but I doubted Banan heard me. His attention was on Storm.

“I’m your supporter, Prince Storm. See?” Banan dropped his swords and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to show the skull and bones. “We heard noises, so I told Gwyn to stay inside, locked the gate, and went to the battlement to see what was going on. The dragon told me you’d come to rescue the lass, so I made my tattoo visible to show you and your crew whose side I support.”

From Storm’s expression, he didn’t care.

“Open the gate,” he snarled.

Banan fumbled with the lock and opened the gates, then hurried across the common room to unlock the queen mother’s.

“You take one step and this goes on your face,” Gwyn threatened when I pushed the door open.

She stood in the middle of the room, carrying the chamber pot. Her eyes widened, and I winced when she almost dropped her “weapon.” It didn’t help matters that the room reeked with its content. Gwyn’s mouth opened and closed, but not a sound escaped. She gripped the pot and hurried into the washroom.

Storm hesitated at the entrance. I slipped my hand through his.

“She’s asleep,” I said. “The withdrawal has been tough on her. Gwyn and I are doing everything we can to make her comfortable.”

His hand crushed mine. I didn’t complain. It said holding on to me gave him some level of comfort. Without releasing my hand, he entered the room and knelt by his mother’s bed. He didn’t reach for her. He knelt there and studied her face under the flickering candlelight.

I didn’t speak, giving him his moment. Outside, lightning speared across the sky and collided in an angry display, matching his mood. I hugged his arm and rested my cheek on his shoulder. My heart ached for him.

“Lexi,” he whispered in a strangled voice. “I need you.”

I lifted my head. “Anything.”

“Brace yourself.”

My breath caught as the link formed almost right away. I’d expected anguish and rage, but not the guilt. How could he feel guilty when he hadn’t known? When he’d been fed a lie? As the link solidified, so did the flow of emotions. It flooded my being, until my skin grew tight with the effort to contain them. The innate reflex to reject them creeped up.

There was only one solution to this. Love. My love for him. The love his mother had for him. His people in Vaarda. His supporters here in Hy’Brasil. Focusing on that, I let it fill me. Let their voices fill my head. Images of their expressions when they talked about him. I gathered all that love and shared it with him, praying it doused his anguish, killed his rage, and drove his guilt and hatred away.

His head whipped toward me, eyes darkened to stormy gray, silver flashes running through them. It was like staring into a destructive force threatening to decimate everything in its path.

“I love you, Storm Orath.”

He swallowed.

“And your mother loves you. Very much. She never stopped and never forgot you.” I reached up and stroked his face. “You are loved by many. The islanders. Your supporters here. Hold on to their love, her love, my love, not the anger or the hatred, because it will destroy you and us. Punish Tully for what he did to your people and to your mother because he deserves it. Then focus on us, rebuilding your island and making your people feel safe again.”

Silence followed my words.

I was sure I’d sounded corny and stupid. I mean, what did I know about what he was feeling? He’d been betrayed by those whose blood ran in his veins, his home violated, his people killed, and his mother held a prisoner for decades while they fed him lies.

He lifted my hand to his lips, the cloudiness disappearing until the silver remained. “I didn’t think I could love you more than I already do, mo stór. I’m finding out I can. And it’s our people and our island. You are a part of me now. The most important and purest part of me. And you are a part of them. If you’d seen their reaction after you were taken, you’d know how they feel about you.”

My eyes smarted.

He glanced at his mother. “Thank you for taking care of her and bringing me to her.”

I had to clear my throat before speaking.

“She still has a long way to go. At least, she’s no longer burning up or having seizures.” I reached out with my free hand and pushed the hair away from her face.

Storm watched my hand, then turned his head and kissed my temple. “We need to go. She’ll need warm clothes. Boots.”

Gwyn was still in the bathroom, so I opened a chest and removed two pairs of stockings and boots. I needed to change out of my dinner shoes, too.

Storm tried to help me put the boots on his mother. The way he struggled said he feared hurting her. He shot me a helpless look.

“Don’t worry. She might look frail, but she’s tough as nails.” I finished with mine and took over his.

He stepped back, still wearing the same vulnerable look on his face.

“It’s okay. The first time I was here, she marched me from my cell to hers and ordered me to eat something because they had forgotten to feed me the whole day.”

“I’m going to make him suffer,” Storm swore under his breath.

“I’m not telling you this to get you riled up, Storm, but to explain that your mother is tough. She’ll be fine. Despite being ill, she showed concern for me, a stranger.” I got a royal-blue fur-lined cloak and tucked it around her.

Storm carefully lifted her into his arms.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” he whispered when she stirred. “I’m here. No one will hurt you now.” His eyes connected with mine. His love and regret flowed to me. “As long as I have a breath left in me, no one will ever hurt either of you again.”

My throat closed because I knew he meant every word. He was still beating himself up for not rescuing me.

He looked around. “Where’s her companion? We need to leave.”

“Gwyn!”

Gwyn left the bedroom, eyes darting around.

“We’re leaving?” she asked.

“Yes, Gwyn. You and the queen mother are coming with us to Vaarda.”

“Thank the gods.”

I kicked off the shoes I’d worn to the dinner party and pulled on the second pair of stockings and boots I’d gotten from the chest. I moved the dagger Banan had given me higher up my thigh. When I looked up, Gwyn was busy shoving clothes into a satchel while humming under her breath.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

 “Packing. My lady will need her lovely gowns and boots.” She stopped and looked at us. “Is it hot or cold on Vaarda?”

I laughed and put an arm around her. “It’s perfect, and you don’t need to bring clothes. We have seamstresses who will make some for both of you. Grab some warm boots and a warm cloak.”

Her eyes grew bright with tears. She dropped the satchel, took the pouch of coins from the chest where she’d removed some earlier, tied it around her waist, and grabbed a cloak. She looked around the cell.

“Good riddance,” she said.

I chuckled. “That’s how I feel, too. You’re going to love it on Vaarda.”

We hurried after Storm, who’d left the room, and almost bumped into him. He’d stopped right outside the room, and despite carrying his mother, had pulled out his sword.

“Who are you?” he barked.

“I work for Lord Conyngham, Prince Orath,” Nereus said. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“He and Banan guarded us,” I added.

Nereus lifted his sleeve to show Storm the skull and bones tattoo.

“All your supporters wear them,” Nereus added. “The gong that went off didn’t just signal the Royal Guards. It was a signal to us, too. Our people are gathering right now to offer you any support you may need. I came to the palace to let you know.”

Storm studied him with narrowed eyes. “How did you get past my people?”

“I used the tunnels. The king might have closed the old ones, but we created new ones. I could show you. There’s one by the storage and another by the bathhouse. We could take the queen mother and the lass through either one to safety. The closest safe house is Lord Conyngham’s. They often skip it during house-to-house searches.”

“And from Conyngham?”

“The tunnel heads south to the docks and splits to the east toward the valley and west toward the army headquarters. We built entrances right under their noses.”

“You’ll show me the tunnels when I return,” Storm said. “Right now, I want both of you downstairs. Find Captain Nerissa, and tell her to send Tully’s guests home, except Lord Conyngham.”

“Yes, Prince Orath.”

“Storm. My father was Prince Orath. Tell Nerissa about the tunnels. We’ll need them.”

Nereus’s expression said Storm had handed him the moon. As he hurried out of the room, Banan grabbed my bag of arrows and the bow.

“You don’t want to leave these behind, lass,” he said, shoving them in my hands. He shuffled backward and bowed to Storm one more time before taking off.

“Bows and arrows?” Storm asked.

“I kept busy when not helping Gwyn with your mother.”

“You’ll have to show me.” He led the way out of his mother’s cell. Instead of going downstairs, he headed up to the battlement.

“There’s no exit from up there.”

“We’re flying.”