Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ryker
My arms swept around her, and I clutched her against my body. She shook as she buried her face in my neck and sobbed.
Her hands ran over my shoulders, down my back, and across my chest as her tears soaked my skin. When her fingers skimmed sores that weren’t completely healed, her cry tore at my heart.
I turned my lips into her hair as I whispered, “I’m okay. They’ll heal.”
“How?” she cried. “How are you here? How is it possible?”
I pulled back a little to drink in the beauty of her beloved face. Her cyan-colored eyes were bloodshot, and I knew it was from more than her tears. She’d probably gotten little to no sleep since I last saw her… who knew how long ago.
“How is it possible you’re here?” I asked. “How did you get past the guards? Even with that fog out there, they would have seen you crossing the field.”
From her grimace, I deduced I wouldn’t like her answer, though I loved the outcome. Wanting to get closer to her more than her answer, I crushed her against me again as I claimed her mouth.
I needed to feel more of her, to experience this connection, and she needed it too. Her fingers bit into my shoulders as she kissed me back with an intensity that stole my breath and scattered my thoughts like leaves in a storm.
Our tongues entwined as I threaded my fingers through her hair, deepening the kiss and relishing the taste of her. I could never forget how good she made me feel, and holding her again was a balm to my battered body and soul.
I wanted to lose myself in her for the rest of our lives. I ached to hold her tight and take her away from here, but instead we had to break apart. The enemy could be closing in on us.
When I ended the kiss, Ellery gasped and fell toward me a little before righting herself. A smile curved the full lips now swollen from mine as her fingers played with the hair at my nape.
I grinned as I slid her down my body, savoring her heat and softness. I kept one arm around her waist and used my other hand to brush a strand of her mocha-colored hair back from her face.
Most of her hair remained in a braid that dangled over her shoulder, but some of it had fallen free. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered.
“So are you.”
Her smile faded when her attention shifted to my chest. “What did they do to you?”
I grasped her chin and lifted her head so she had to meet my eyes again. “Nothing I haven’t endured before.”
She winced. “That’s not true.”
She pulled her chin out of my grasp and carefully clasped my other hand before lifting it. Even in the dim glow of the torches, my missing finger was obvious.
Fresh tears filled her eyes; they washed away more of the dirt on her cheeks as she gazed at the red, puckered flesh that had replaced my ring finger. It still didn’t look great, but the wound had healed. Eventually, that raw-looking skin would fade too.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I assured her.
Lightning fired through eyes that had darkened to onyx when her gaze met mine again. I smiled at her fierceness before kissing her again. “My warrior.”
“You’re not sweet-talking your way out of this.”
“It doesn’t matter what they cut from me; we know what we are to each other. A missing finger and wedding band can never change that.”
“You’re not getting away that easy.” Shifting in my arms, she dipped a hand in her pocket and pulled out my ring. “I’m sure it will fit your other hand.”
I took it from her. “How did you get this?”
“I found it in the woods.”
My gaze lifted to hers. “You saw what happened?”
“I saw.”
Closing my eyes, I inwardly winced at this. I should have suspected she’d found it after she’d lifted my hand to reveal my missing finger; she’d known without me telling her, but I hadn’t registered how she’d known until now.
That scene was a bloodbath, and if she’d found my ring, she’d also found my finger. “You never should have seen that.”
“None of this ever should have happened, but it did. And we’re going to fix it.”
I pulled her close again to kiss her forehead before slipping the band on my other ring finger. I clasped her head against my chest as I closed my eyes and savored having her in my arms. For a moment, nothing else existed; it was just her, me, and this peace only she could bring.
A distinct clicking sound opened my eyes as my forehead furrowed and I pulled away from her a little. My mouth compressed as I tried to identify what could be clicking against the stones.
“What is that?” Tucker asked.
Over Ellery’s shoulder, I spotted Ianto, Scarlet, Luna, Fletcher, and some others. I hadn’t noticed the approach of anyone else, but Tucker’s question alerted me to their presence.
They were all grinning at me, and they weren’t creating that clicking. It sounded like a chisel steadily chipping away the stone… or claws.
Luna broke away from the others and, with a delighted cry, sprinted toward Callan. He lifted her off the ground, and the siblings embraced.
“What is that noise?” I asked over their laughter and excited chatter.
Ellery rested her hands on my chest. “I’m going to tell you, but you have to remain calm.”
Those words sent a spiral of dread down my spine. How did she get here without being detected by any soldiers?
We would have known if there’d been a battle outside; it would have followed her in here.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Something you’re not going to approve of, but thankfully, it’s worked out great.”
My blood ran cold as I studied her. Not the gargoyles. Not the fucking gargoyles.
Click. Click. Click.
There was more clicking now, and while some of it came closer, the rest stayed out of sight, in what I assumed was the dungeon. Ellery tried to smile, but it faltered before vanishing.
“What is making that sound?” I asked again.