Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth, #1)

Before Gideon closed the gap, Rune sucked in a lungful of air and went under, using the ladder to pull herself as far down as she dared, out of his reach and into the murky water.

She felt the spell weaken the further down she went, then fade entirely.

Rune opened her eyes and looked up, half expecting to be confronted by Gideon’s dark and deadly gaze. Instead, she saw nothing but murk, and the dim glow of his flare in the cavern above.

Rune held herself still.

The cold water slowed her pulse. Soon, her lungs pinched, wanting air. But the glow overhead didn’t recede. He was still in this cavern with her.

Her lungs burned. Rune squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold on a little longer, knowing she only had seconds until her time ran out. When it felt like her chest would burst, she opened her eyes and looked up to find only blackness. Darkness everywhere.

Gideon had taken his flare and left.

She let go of the ladder and surged upward, gasping for breath when she hit the surface.

The moment she did, two firm hands grabbed her and dragged her out.





TWENTY-THREE

RUNE




RUNE BUCKED AGAINST GIDEON, whose arms were locked tight around her, keeping her back pinned to his chest.

“If I didn’t want you dead,” he said, his voice low in her ear, “I’d be tempted to admire your cunning.”

Rune gritted her teeth. I’m flattered.

His flare had died. With no light, she couldn’t see a thing—but she could feel quite a lot.

He was all hard, menacing muscle. There wasn’t an inch of softness in him. With him pressed against her, Rune felt their size difference. One of his hands wrapped easily around her bicep.

His strength, combined with his size, would beat her every time in a physical struggle. So Rune stopped struggling.

She fell still in his arms, catching her breath and trying to regroup.

He was warm as a furnace, and Rune’s body temperature was dropping rapidly. The chill of the water had seeped into her skin, and her wet clothes locked in the cold. But the heat of him staved off the worst of it.

“I’m happy to drag you out of here like this.” Even his breath was hot against her cheek. “But if you’d prefer to walk yourself out, I’ll put on the restraints.”

No way was she letting him put those on her. The restraints the Blood Guard used on witches trapped their entire hands in iron, preventing them from casting spells.

But neither was she letting him drag her out of here.

If Rune knew where her knife had gone in, she could dig the heel of her boot into the wound. That would hurt enough that he might let her go. But without a light, it would be a mere guess, and if she missed the first time, she doubted he’d give her the opportunity for another.

“No preference, then?”

Rune kept her mouth clamped shut, still thinking. She knew the pool of water was directly behind them, and the tunnel directly ahead.

“Suit yourself …”

The moment she felt his grip loosen slightly, Rune planted her feet, bent her knees, and pushed backward with all her might. She heard a huff of surprise. Felt his weight shift as he lost his balance. He staggered back.

Rune had hoped he’d throw his arms wide in his struggle to regain his balance.

Instead, he dragged her down with him.

They fell into the water together.

But Rune was ready for the icy shock. The moment the water closed over her head and Gideon let go, Rune pushed away from him. Her hands patted the walls of the pool until she found the ladder. Grabbing the rungs, she heaved herself out.

Gideon cursed from behind her. She heard the water splash as he swam for the sides of the pool. In seconds, he’d be on her again.

Using the walls to guide her, she ran through the dark tunnel, taking it to the first floor. Far behind her, she heard Gideon’s loud swearing.

Back on the first level, she dashed for the mine’s entrance, following the lamplight. Swinging herself onto the last ladder, she scaled the rungs, climbing upward. She paused at the top, listening for Laila, and heard the girl’s footsteps pacing the ground outside, beyond the door in the room above.

Pulling herself into the small room, Rune approached the broken window and peered out. Beneath the swinging lantern out front, Laila stood in uniform, her pistol cocked on one shoulder as she stared into the darkness beyond.

Rune adjusted her cowl and hood, hiding her face and hair once more, as Gideon’s voice roared from below.

“Laila!”

He sounded much too close.

Laila spun, her footsteps approaching the door.

“She’s in here!”

Gideon was already climbing the ladder. With Laila just outside, Rune was trapped between them.

Rune pressed herself against the wall beside the door, listening to his boots thud against every rung. Getting closer. She squeezed the vial in her hand. She had seconds. If she could quickly redraw the spellmarks for Ghost Walker …

The door swung in and Laila stepped inside.

Rune froze.

Before Laila could realize someone was in the room with her, pressed against the wall, Rune realized this was her one and only chance.

She lunged outside.

Laila spun to face her.

Rune slammed the door shut and wedged herself against it, pushing all of her weight into the wood. Laila pushed from the other side.

The door shuddered.

Gideon would arrive any moment. Rune needed some way to seal it shut long enough to get away. The last time she’d tried Picklock, she’d fainted from the effort. And its sister spell, Deadbolt, would be just as difficult to cast.

If you want to cast more complex spells, Verity’s voice rang through her mind, you need fresh blood.

Rune drew the knife at her thigh. Its sheath had kept it semi-dry, and while some water had leaked in, the blade was still coated in Gideon’s blood. The blood was diluted, but fresh.

She knew it was dangerous—she hadn’t asked his permission to use it, nor would she get permission if she had. But she hadn’t stabbed him intending to use his blood. So maybe it would be okay.

But what if it isn’t?

Laila fired her pistol. Rune winced as the shots cracked through the air and the bullets lodged in the rickety door. A few more shots, and those bullets would break through.

If Rune didn’t cast the spell now, she was done for.

Hoping she wasn’t about to corrupt herself, Rune swiped her fingers through Gideon’s blood, lifted them to the door, and drew the mark for Deadbolt.

Salt prickled her tongue. That roaring sea swelled inside her. But this time, Rune wasn’t standing in the waves, fighting to stay upright while the magic pummeled her back. This time, the waves were beneath her, and she was sailing swiftly through them on a craft of her own making.

Is this what it’s supposed to feel like?

Rune immediately understood why witches used fresh blood; it was so easy.

Beneath the roar of magic, something clicked into place.

This time, it was Gideon who threw himself against the door. She heard him grunt; felt the force of his weight. But the door barely trembled. Deadbolt kept it locked, trapping both Blood Guard soldiers inside.

Rune stumbled back, smiling in triumph.

More shots rang out. Bullets splintered the wood.

Her smile died on her lips.

Rune turned and bolted.

She slid the whistle from her pocket as she ran. Pressing it to her lips, she blew one hard, fierce note. Lady barreled out of the copse and up the dirt road, heading straight for her.

Another shot rang out, and this one whizzed past Rune’s head, rustling her hair. She glanced over her shoulder to find Laila aiming the barrel of her pistol through the broken window.

Lady arrived, slowing a little, and Rune launched herself at the horse’s back, struggling to mount as she trotted beneath her. Finally in the saddle, Rune’s boots in the stirrups, she dug in her heels, letting Lady know this was one of those urgent situations she frequently got them into that Lady needed to now get them out of.

But it was a few seconds before the massive horse could pick up enough speed to carry them out of range.

Kristen Ciccarelli's books