Chapter 28 #4
I bit my lip to tame the smile bridging my cheeks. Max used the Forge die to dry us both while I leaned against the wall. It was almost comical how much he’d worn me out, especially as he had done so much of the work.
“I finally figured out why you terrify me so much,” he said as he embraced me after I dressed.
“Why is that?”
His breath inhaled the scent of my skin, nose buried in the curve of my neck. “Because now that I have you, I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’d be so lost without the sound of your heart and the peace it brings to my chaos.”
“And yet I’ve only brought chaos into your life, Max.”
He shook his head, stepping back to stare into my eyes. So much still needed to be done, but we’d carved out this little moment of peace for ourselves. He took my hand and brought it across his chest.
Max spoke quietly, “I’m afraid of you because I’m falling for you, Nina Veyr. Because you are changing my mind about everything.”
I couldn’t fight the smile that flooded my face.
The only person I’d ever loved with my entire soul was my mother.
But this… this was something else. A kind of love that was just as infinite and unconditional, and yet that stood completely on its own.
“You don’t have to be, Maxence. I’m falling with you. ”
The bars to the chamber screeched open, and Max barely stepped away to see who had interrupted us.
“Oh good, you’re dressed.” Elli sighed. “Andre ran out of here when he heard the water running and was too afraid to come back down. Thought you might tear his eyes out.”
“What is it, Ell?” he asked, unamused.
“Damien is all fixed up and headed back to the brothel to sleep off the drugs the healer gave him. Nina mentioned he told her the location of her mother.” Elli looked at me. “We need to find this lab before Dupont realizes we know where he’s working.”
“I’m sure he already does,” I murmured. Her brows arched in question. “I saw a man who was in Dupont’s office here tonight. I assumed he was watching the fight to see if Damien would finish off Max. He ran off at the end, and I’d guess he’s already halfway to the Governor to let him know.”
Elli chewed the inside of her cheek. “That will complicate things. The North Docks are already tightly guarded. Knowing you’re both after him, it will be next to impossible getting into the shipyard. Dupont runs this city.”
“Is Andre still here?” Max asked. “We’ll need manpower if we mean to break into the yard. Possibly a distraction while we search for Nina’s mother.”
She nodded. “Some of your men from the Wager stayed behind to make sure you were alright. You might have an opportunity to rally some help if you get your ass up there.”
Max straightened himself and sucked a short breath. He squeezed my hand once before slipping away. “Come join me when you’re ready. I’ll need your help.” He added, “Both of you,” looking at Elli.
When he left, Elli crossed her arms and looked around at the damp walls. “Well… doing it here was certainly a choice.”
A bubbling laugh spilled from my lips before I could hold it back, before I could uselessly deny her suspicions. She had the senses of a Cursed, and she knew Max better than anyone. “It was a very good choice.”
She made a disgusted face before promptly changing subjects.
“Where have you been all day?” She looked me up and down before leaning on the same pole I had just been tied to.
I rubbed my face to hide the flush in my cheeks.
I explained to her how I’d used the card to track Damien, how I’d compelled Sophie when she caught me breaking in, and how much it had backfired.
“She brought me directly to Dupont—unwillingly, of course—who tied me to his bed frame with those.” I gestured to the discarded cuffs.
“Poor Sophie. She’s… a good friend of mine,” Elli explained. “I’m going to make Damien bring her home right away. No negotiations.” She bit her lip in thought. “Are you alright, Nina? I mean, I know about your hand, but did Dupont hurt you?”
The memory had my arms crossing, recalling the wounds even the healer’s magic hadn’t reached. The pain in my heart when I thought of how they’d stripped me and left me powerless would take time to mend. “He just humiliated me, but I got back the relics. So it was worth it.”
Her gaze fell to the discarded cuffs, gleaming wet in the poor light. “You broke your own hand to get out of the cuffs?”
“Just simple anatomy,” I explained.
“Nothing about what you did tonight was simple, Nina. You saved my brother’s life. Two of my brothers’ lives, in fact.” Her smirk fell as a somber frown softened her face. “So, what do you need from us, Killer?”
I peered up at her, biting my lip. “You told me when we first met that every chain has a weak link.”
She tipped her head in thought for a moment. “That was the first time you found yourself in cuffs. What about it?”
“Damien was the weak link, and now that he’s told us everything we need to know, I feel like I can finally break this chain for good.” I looped her arm in mine, ushering us back toward the ring. “Come on. We’ll need Andre’s car.”