CHAPTER 27
DAVINA
Two weeks ago
THE MAIN PROBLEM WAS CLEAR AS SOON AS WE PEERED INTO THE ENDLESS DARK AHEAD—we had no light.
Both of us had matches, and our bags were waterproof, yes, but we had nothing to burn. We’d relied on whatever vegetation we could find in the mountain for that. But now, even if one of us was willing to brave the hail to search out there, anything we found would be too soaked to catch.
“I’ve got this,” Zephyr said, drawing my attention to him.
I turned just in time to see him drop his pack to the ground, then proceed to undo the clasps of his raincoat, shrugging it off. The strapped vest I had yet to see him without, along with the gun and short blade strapped to it, hit the floor next with a dull thud.
An involuntary shiver racked down my spine. What in the world is he doing, undressing in this cold?
I opened my mouth to ask as much, but—
Oh, hell.
Zephyr peeled off his tank top, and all coherent thought was erased from my brain.
It didn’t matter that I’d felt them on a number of occasions now, or that the fitted clothes he tended to wear did little to hide the brutal, efficient lines.
Nothing could have prepared me for the miles of bulging muscle wrapped in soft, warm-hued skin.
His broad chest seemed to be etched in stone.
Narrower muscles lined his ribs, dropping to his perfectly carved abs, and the two deep lines below them . . .
My mouth dried. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from all that rippling strength.
I wasn’t new to the male form, but Captain Zephyr Kentar redefined the category.
“Need a napkin, Lachlan?”
The smugness in his voice snapped me out of it as effectively as a slap. Any hopes I might have had of my attention going unnoticed vanished in a blink at the sight of his arrogant smirk.
Fuck.
Say something. Don’t let him—
“Or a portrait. It’ll last longer.”
Scorching heat surged up my neck, igniting my cheeks despite the continued shaking in my limbs. Mustering what little pride I could, I turned around, giving him my back.
“Asshole.”
His answering chuckle was dark and deep and not helping matters.
“What’s wrong? Never seen a man before?”
“Never one so arrogant.”
“Hard not to be, with how you were looking at me, sweetheart.”
I whirled toward him, closing the distance between us in two quick strides, and low-key grateful for the fact that he was now wearing his soaked coat once again.
“Don’t you dare sweetheart me,” I growled.
In fact—fuck it. In for a gill, in for a pint.
“Yes, you’re strong.” The word rang lacking even to my own ears, but I wasn’t about to say things like ‘honed to perfection’ or ‘smoking hot’ to the captain of the King’s Army.
“And yes, I have eyes.” Mere inches separated our faces as I frowned up at him.
“It’s not enough to make up for your personality.
” I didn’t miss the flash in his eyes or how his nostrils flared, but before he could come back with a remark, I said, “Now, can we go back to the issue at hand? I don’t see how stripping gets us into this damn cave. ”
His grin grew slowly, but it was pure evil as he leaned further in. I ignored how my heart surged in response.
“Allow me to demonstrate.”
He took a step toward me, erasing the space separating us almost entirely. For a moment, I thought—is he going to hug me? But then he straightened, the tank top he’d removed clenched in his fist. I blinked, both dreading and curious to see where this was going. He backed up a step. And another
When he unsheathed his cleaver, I tensed.
“What, exactly, are you doing?”
“Shh. Trust the process.”
Trust the—
Breathe.
Holding onto what little patience I had left, I crossed my arms over my chest. At the very least, it seemed to somewhat keep the shivering at bay. I needed to get out of these clothes. Soon.
It took for him to skewer the dry tank top with the short, curved blade, then wound the fabric around the metal, for me to understand what he had in mind. And cursed sap, I almost groaned.
It took him a few attempts to ignite the fabric, but it worked. A hesitant flame flared to life, the makeshift torch casting golden light across the stone walls and his annoyingly smug face.
“It won’t last long, though. So let’s get moving.”
Golden light from Zephyr’s makeshift torch licked over jagged stone as we ventured further. The whispering of our footsteps and the sound of the hail outside were the only audible sounds. We walked for a bit before the tunnel ended abruptly.
My stomach dropped.
“Is this it?” Zephyr asked, throwing my thoughts back at me. Frustration laced his voice.
I stepped closer to the wall, running my fingers along its uneven surface. “It can’t be.”
Cracks ran along the stone, some extending from floor to ceiling, crisscrossing each other in ways that had cold seeping deeper into my bones.
To use vibrokinesis in order to search for clues was completely out of the picture.
The whole cave looked as if it could collapse if either of us dared to step too heavily as it was.
Wordlessly, Zephyr and I scoured the end of the tunnel for signs of the presumed catacombs. My frustration only ever growing every time I had to chase the timid light cast by his improvised torch.
Zephyr broke the silence with a muttered curse. “I hope you’re happy.”
I frowned, glancing sideways at him. “Why?”
“Because we almost died on various occasions—still might—for nothing.”
My spine straightened. “Excuse me, but how is this my fault?”
“It was your plan, wasn’t it? And your stubbornness.”
“It was our plan. We all agreed on it.” I scoffed, breath fogging in the cold. “Whatever difficulties have come with it are not on me. Besides, it’s an investigation for a reason. It’s not meant to be easy. Can’t exactly wait around hoping a fully annotated map shows up at your door.”
He stepped closer. “We could’ve followed those leads with someone who knew the terrain and proper supplies. You insisted in continuing without Kani and now we both lose.”
My teeth ground against each other, bordering on pain.
“We haven’t lost yet. And we are working against the clock,” I bit out. “Forgive me if I didn’t anticipate the Captain of the mighty King’s Army, who practically threw me into this mission, wouldn’t turn into a law-fanatic bureaucrat the second things got difficult.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. He pointed one finger towards the entrance of the cave.
“You call that difficult? Was you nearly falling to your death difficult?”
“No, it was necessary,” I hissed. “This is how we are trained in the Republic. We do whatever it takes.”
His nostrils flared. “That’s just stupid.”
“And so is blaming me for things outside of my control,” I snapped. I shivered again, violently this time, and clenched my fists tight to mask it. “No one forced you to follow me here.” Never mind the fact that I’d most likely be dead if he hadn’t.
Zephyr closed the distance between us in a breath. The narrow torch flickered, throwing shadows over the fury etched into his face.
“Don’t push me, Lachlan, unless you are ready to—”
I saw red. “Don’t you dare—”
My back hit the wall, and terror that the impact would have the whole place collapsing on us had me phasing on instinct.
Only, I didn’t have the chance to fully regain my balance.
My body fell backwards, the support provided by the wall gone as the world tilted on its edge.
The sound of Zephyr’s voice calling my name was the last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me.
Then, utter and complete silence.
And endless, encompassing darkness.
For a moment, I thought I’d lost consciousness, but a shiver raked down my entire body. My fingers twitched and my nails scraped stone. Pain pulsated from my backside where it had met the hard floor.
Definitely not unconscious, I realized.
But alone. And in the dark.
Dryness coated my mouth and throat. “Zephyr?”
Nothing.
I was alone. Trapped. In the dark. Pressure built in my chest. My hands trembled uncontrollably, slick with sweat despite the relentless shivering. I pressed one against my sternum, hoping to calm the frantic rhythm hammering beneath it.
Just as my lips parted to scream for help, light exploded right in front of me.
I gasped, the sudden brightness blinding. As I blinked it away, my attention fell to the silhouette standing against the orange glow.
“There you are.”
Zephyr.
He was here, with me.
I was not alone. No longer in the dark.
The captain walked to one side, lights and shadows dancing around me before another glow joined the wavering one from his blade. Then another.
Candles, I realized distantly. He was lighting candles with what was left of his dying torch.
I tried to move, but couldn’t get my limbs to cooperate. The tremors had taken over, and I no longer had the strength to fight them.
Movement registered at my side. A scorching hand closed over mine.
“Shit. You’re freezing.”
Am I? My skin just felt taut, numb where he was touching me.
“Lachlan, look at me.” The command in his voice was impossible to ignore.
My head turned slowly and my eyes met his.
“We need to get you warm,” he said, a strange tension in his voice. His hand disappeared from mine, and I missed the tether it offered until I felt the now-familiar weight of his arm wrapping around my waist. “Come on.”
It took everything in me to push to my feet, but I did. I didn’t want to owe him any more than I already did, so I shoved the wave of dizziness that surged as I stood away.
“That’s it.” The flicker of a smile curved his lips beneath the beard. “Look. Seems you were right, after all. Sircelen was here.”
I turned around, gaze travelling over the contained space.
Shock quickly became awe.