“Guards! Stop him!” shouted Cole, a tremor in his voice. And then chaos broke out.
The guard who had been holding the sword to Lily lowered his blade and moved to stand between Dominic and Cole. A group of guards poured in from the small side door and rushed to join him. My stomach churned to see Dominic facing them all alone, growling and striding forward, a sword gripped in each hand. But a moment later, a small crowd poured in behind him, most of them dressed in the official uniform of the Palinaran guard.
Before I could even begin to wonder who they were, or where they had come from, Lily seized the opportunity afforded by the absence of the second guard and bit down hard on the arm that encircled her shoulders. The guard yelled and pulled his arm back while Lily kicked him hard in one shin. He stumbled backwards, and she launched herself forward.
I thought she was coming for me, but Jon appeared instead, sweeping her into his arms. He must have come in with the wave of Palinaran guards although I hadn’t seen him.
Meanwhile, the Palinaran guards clashed violently with Cole’s men, attempting to pull them away as they tried to swarm the prince. Dominic’s swords flashed, clearing a path ahead of him, his focus never leaving Cole.
My stomach churned at the sight of him, overwhelmed with both love and fear. How could he be here? How was it possible?
“Dominic!” His name fell from my lips involuntarily, just as he broke through the last of the guards. He faltered, his burning eyes turning to me, and for a moment no one else existed in the room but us.
Sophie! Behind you! Lily’s scream ripped through my mind just as rough arms jerked me backwards, and something sharp pricked my throat.
“Stay back!” yelled Cole, dragging me off my feet and immobilizing me with a dagger at my throat.
Dominic paused, but I could see his whole body shaking with contained fury, and his growls rolled over one another, deep and threatening. His menacing gaze remained fixed on Cole, but his words could only be addressed to me.
If he harms you, I will kill him.
His face was the last thing I saw as Cole dragged me backwards out of the room.
Chapter 30
Cole seemed to recognize that he couldn’t drag me all the way out of the palace alone. Instead, he took one quick look around the antechamber we had entered and then tugged me over to a slim door. Moving without hesitation, he yanked it open, thrusting me into the darkness inside. His shove had unbalanced me, and before I could recover, he had joined me, pulling the door closed and pinning me back against him.
The bite of metal on my neck stopped my struggles, and he leaned forward, breath heavy, to whisper in my ear. “If you make a sound, any sound, I will slit your throat. Don’t doubt me.” He sounded angry enough to mean it, too. “In fact,” he added, “if that door handle so much as rattles, you’ll be dead.” He clearly had not forgotten our earlier seemingly magical escape.
Sophie! Sophie! Has he hurt you? Where are you?
I swallowed and tried to form enough coherent thoughts to respond. He hasn’t hurt me—yet. But he’s threatening to kill me if anyone even approaches us. I don’t even know where we are. It’s very dark. And it feels small.
I could sense her confusion. You mean like a cupboard?
Yes! I must have been shaken indeed not to recognize our location myself. I think we might be in a cupboard. In the antechamber of the throne room. I suppose he’s hoping you’ll all assume he’s run for it.
Too bad for him we can talk.
Yes, except that now we’re at an impasse. If any of you try to come in here, he’ll kill me. I don’t much fancy having to wait and see which of the two of us faints of dehydration and exhaustion first.
We’ll call through the door, she suggested. Demand he hands you over.
No! If he realizes you know where we are, I really think he’ll kill me. You saw Dominic. I’m sure Cole thinks that the minute he loses hold of me as a hostage, he’s dead. I can easily imagine he’d want to take me down with him in that scenario.
What can we do then?
I don’t know. What’s happening out there? Oh wait! It sounds like some of the hubbub has died down, and I can actually hear you all. This cupboard must share a wall with the throne room, and you must be standing very close to us…
“Dominic.” I recognized Jon’s voice. “That was a well-timed arrival.”
Dominic growled, but only I could hear the question behind the sound.
“I heard…I heard that you can’t speak.” That was Lily. “But I’m guessing you want to go after Sophie, and you’re wondering where he might have taken her.”
Don’t forget, if I can hear you, Cole can too! I reminded her.
She ignored me, responding instead to Dominic who must have nodded, or something. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go racing after them. I think Cole meant his threat.” A pause, and then she added, “Don’t look at me like that! I’m as worried for her as anyone.”
Can you hear me, Sophie? Dominic’s voice had never sounded so welcome in my mind. Don’t give up. I won’t rest until I find you and make him pay.
“We should go and consult those guards of yours,” said Lily. “I assume they can speak, at least.”
Cole’s armed tightened around us, the tip of his dagger nicking my skin as the sounds of the others moved away. His message was clear—for my sake, I had better hope they didn’t try searching this cupboard.
Can you hear us still, or are we far enough away? Lily asked me.
I can’t hear anything but general muffled noise.
Then I’m going to tell them where you are and what’s happening. It’s a good thing that Dominic of yours can’t speak, or I imagine he would be asking me some difficult questions about how I know so much.
I felt my face flush, a surprising reaction given my current circumstances. He’s not my Dominic. He dissolved our betrothal, remember?
She just laughed at me and then fell silent, presumably because she had started talking to Jon and Dominic. I pictured them all out there. Where was this going to end?
I bit my lip, trying not to swallow against the blade which had already broken my skin. Dominic didn’t seem sick, but then he hadn’t succumbed immediately the last time he had left the castle grounds either. It had taken more than a day despite his significant wounds. How long would it take the sickness to overwhelm him this time, when he had started off healthy and strong?
I tore my mind away from the thought, needing to focus on my immediate situation if I was going to escape alive. I breathed slowly, in and out, while I thought. After everything I had been through, both Dominic and Lily were a mere wall away. I refused to lose them both now.
“We can’t stay here forever,” I whispered as quietly as I could. “You know that.”
Cole tightened his grip, but kept the knife still. I breathed a little easier. He must recognize the truth of my words.