“We have to distract them,” Cat said, shortly. “Do you remember how to cast a blinding flash?”
Emily snorted, rudely. It was a First-Year spell, one that was effective against mundanes–and charmed armor–but practically useless against real magicians. She should be able to cast it, although she took his point. It wasn’t a spell she used very often. She readied the spell as she heard the soldiers crashing after them. They wouldn’t be permanently blind, she told herself firmly. They’d just be badly shocked…
“Now,” Cat said.
Emily cast the spell, careful to turn her head away. The alleyway seemed to blaze with blinding light as night turned to day, making her eyes water even though she wasn’t looking at the flash. Grown men started to topple like ninepins, hitting the cobbled ground or running headlong into walls. She felt a stab of guilt, even though she knew precisely what the soldiers would do to her if they realized she was female. The men hadn’t stood a chance.
Cat caught her arm and yanked her further down the alley. There would be other soldiers on the way, others who hadn’t seen the light. The blinded men shouted after them, hurling bloodcurdling threats through the air. Some of the threats made it clear that they hadn’t realized she was female. There was no point in trying to cut something off when she didn’t have one.
Not that what they’ll do instead will be an improvement, she reminded herself, sharply. If they try to capture me, I’ll have to take the risk of showing my full power.
They ran onwards through a maze of alleyways, casting a handful of spells to make life difficult for the pursuers without losing them completely. Tam would have as much time as he needed to get back home, if he could. Two magicians–or one, depending on what the soldiers had seen–would be an infinitively more valuable prize. She wondered, morbidly, just why the soldiers weren’t backing off and calling for their own magicians. Perhaps the king had offered vast rewards to anyone who brought him a rebel leader. A common-born soldier had ample reason to want to earn a knighthood.
“I think that’s far enough,” Cat said, as they crossed another intersection. The pursuit seemed to be slowing down as they moved deeper into the docklands, although the locals didn’t seem to want to throw the intruders out. They probably didn’t know who was on which side, let alone have any reason to risk their lives. “Shall we lose them?”
He cast an illusion of two shadowy figures running ahead of them, then Emily concealed their presence as they hid in a nearby alleyway and watched. The soldiers ran past, weapons clashing against their armor…charmed armor, covered in runes. It was a good thing they hadn’t tried to fight with more powerful magics, Emily decided. They might have been killed before they could overwhelm the armor.
“This way,” Cat said. He sounded faintly relieved. Emily didn’t blame him. “We need to put some distance between us before they realize they’ve been conned.”
He caught her hand as they slipped down the alleyway, trying to move as far as they could from the pursuit. The illusion would dissipate sooner or later, but it should lead the guards on a wild goose chase for a few moments longer. Emily glanced at Cat and saw he was trying not to laugh, even though they’d come very close to complete disaster. She felt a flicker of relief herself. They’d survived! Tam had survived! And that was all that mattered.
“They’ll be hunting for us for hours, in the wrong place,” Cat said. He was no longer trying to hide his amusement. “That should keep them busy until morning.”
He gave her a hug. Emily felt him wrap her arms around her, so strong and firm, then lifted her lips to meet his. The kiss felt as though it would go on forever…but, when they pulled back, their eyes met. Her heart started to beat rapidly. He asked a silent question, as he lowered his lips to kiss her again, and she answered, just as silently. His lips met hers again, just for a second, as his hands started to roam over her body. She felt a sudden flush of pure desire as her body reminded her, once again, of just how long it had been…
“Not here,” she managed, as his kisses grew more passionate. It was growing harder to think clearly. Imaiqah had claimed to have made love in Dragon’s Den, in a place where they could have been discovered at any moment, but Emily couldn’t do that. “Back in the inn, please.”
“Your wish is my command,” Cat breathed. She could feel his body pressed against hers, even after he pulled back. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Eighteen
EMILY AWOKE, FEELING…CRAMPED.
The bed was smaller than she remembered, wasn’t it? And it was hotter? And something was pressing down on her leg…her eyes snapped open as she started to panic, just for a second. Cat was lying next to her, one muscular leg covering hers; he was snoring, loudly, as he slept. They were both naked.
Emily swallowed hard, unable to deny what had happened. They’d come home, they’d kissed, they’d undressed…they’d gone to bed together. Her memories were a pleasant haze: it had been a long time, a very long time, but Cat had been very good. They’d made love twice before sleep had finally overcome them.
She studied his sleeping form for a long moment, admiring the muscles that were covered in runic tattoos. Caleb hadn’t been a weakling–the weak nerd simply didn’t exist in the Nameless World–but Cat was practically made of muscle. She found it exciting and terrifying at the same time. Sergeant Miles had told her, time and time again, that there were limits to her training. If she faced a stronger man, with the same or better training, she was in big trouble. Cat could overwhelm her, physically, any time he wanted. It should have made her feel unsafe.
Her eyes wandered down his body, wondering quite what had gotten into her. She felt…she wasn’t sure how she felt. She’d liked Cat, she’d found him attractive…she knew he felt the same way too. And it had felt natural, in the shared thrill of escaping danger, to allow that attraction to bloom. She was a magician. No one would judge her for sleeping with him. No one would judge him for refusing to marry her, either. It wasn’t as if he’d been her first.
And I wasn’t his first either, she thought. Caleb had been tentative, as if he’d feared he’d hurt her; Emily suspected, reading between the lines, that he’d got a lot of very bad advice from his roommate. Cat, on the other hand, had been far more aggressive; he’d known what he wanted and, perhaps as importantly, he’d known what she wanted. He knew how to make me happy too.
She shifted, uncomfortably, as she looked at her own body. There were faint marks on her breasts and her lips felt uncomfortably swollen, suggesting that perhaps they’d been kissing a little too hard. Her body felt grimy and sweaty…she winced, suddenly, as she realized she wouldn’t be able to get a proper shower. Perhaps she should go to the bathhouses. Cleaning spells just weren’t good enough.
Cat opened his eyes. “Emily,” he said. He looked tired–Emily wasn’t sure how long they’d actually slept–but happy. “Where’s Jade?”
Emily twisted her head and looked around. The other bed was empty. She concentrated, checking the wards, but only two people were in the bedroom. Ice ran down her spine, just for a second. Jade hadn’t come back after the riot?
“He’ll be back soon,” Cat predicted. He sat up, looking down at her. “Has anyone told you that you’re beautiful in the morning?”
Emily blushed, furiously. No one, apart from Caleb, had ever said she was beautiful and meant it. Well, no man. Alassa and Imaiqah had insisted that Emily’s face had character, but she rather suspected that meant she wasn’t classically beautiful. Lady Barb would have smacked her for obsessing over her looks, if there had been any point. There was no way she’d ever be as pretty as Alassa.