Chapter 43 Esmeralda
Esmeralda
While ángel regained his composure, the spotlight went to the escape artist, who was still trapped inside her watery coffin.
An oversized alarm clock screamed beside Nicola’s podium.
She’d been under the water far too long, but no one was helping her.
The ratas were too focused on Esmeralda and Ignacio, too busy climbing the trapeze ladder to capture them.
“We’re trapped,” Ignacio said.
Esmeralda gestured upward and tried to tell him about the catwalk overhead.
Ignacio cursed. “I can’t stand to see your lips sealed like this. We’ve got to pry them open.”
She tried to motion to him that there wasn’t time, but his fingers were already brushing against her skin.
“This is going to hurt like the devil,” he said.
She braced herself and nodded. As gently as he could, he tore at the glue holding her mouth shut. Tears blurred her vision. Blood seeped onto her tongue. Her lips came apart, and she gasped with pure relief.
“You were right,” she panted. “That did hurt like the devil.”
Ignacio’s mouth found hers. He kissed her hard and hungrily, making her forget all her pain.
Just as quickly, he pulled back. “Better?” he asked. Some of the shimmering flakes covered his lips. She snorted and brushed them away. “Better,” she said.
“Let’s get a move on,” he implored.
“We can try climbing to the catwalk. I saw ángel using a ladder in his dressing room earlier that was connected to it. If we’re fast enough, we can beat the guards to it.”
She shuffled around the trapeze platform. They would have to cross a thin plank before they started their climb.
“Wait,” Ignacio said.
His strong hands released her, and she thought she might scream from missing his touch so viciously.
But then he took hold of the wings on her shoulders and tore them free, chucking them at the guards making their ascent.
The wings smacked into the topmost guard, sending him flying back, pummeling the others as well.
“Not bad,” she said, nodding in appreciation.
“Take off the gloves too,” he commanded.
She was so frazzled that she’d forgotten about the heat sizzling into her skin. She tugged them free and flung them into the air.
“Okay,” he said. “Time to go.”