Page 51 of Deadly Alliances

I changed course to pursue and caught up with her in the stairwell leading to the Initiate quarters. I grabbed her arm and she whirled around, her face flooding with shock, then relief. She launched into a hug that I didn’t know how to respond to, so I patted her back and waited for Shea’s anaconda arms to loosen.

Her Initiate escort was eyeing both of us with a mixture of caution and frustration.

“I need to talk to Shea for a moment,” I told her. “She’ll be along soon.”

The woman nodded and continued her descent down the stairs, leaving us alone.

“There you are!” Shea said, keeping her voice low despite her excitement.

“Yeah, I’m here. What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms and stepped back.

“Well, I figured since the Dome wouldn’t have me, I’d try my luck with the vampires,” she said, holding a facetious grin for a moment before giving me a sincere look. “Youknowwhy I’m here.”

I was afraid of that. “You shouldn’t have come,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You’re playing with fire.”

“That’s kinda my thing, you know,” she said teasingly, but I could see the fear hiding behind her eyes. “Besides, you’re not my only friend here.”

I narrowed my eyes at her as I tried to discern her meaning. “Wait, did you know about Tobias? Were you part of their—”

She scoffed. “No, I had no idea they were going to show up the same time I did. Their timing couldn’t have been worse. I reallyhated having to do that.” Her eyes darkened, and I could tell how hard working against Tobias and his friend had been for her.

I frowned, knowing full well that, if she stayed, she’d probably have to do a lot worse.

She looked in both directions of the stairwell, double-checking that we were alone. “None of that matters. I’m working on a plan to get you out—all of you.”

I chewed on my lip and looked away. “Shea… I don’t think I can come with you.”

She looked at me blankly for a moment as if I’d just spoken a foreign language. “I’m sorry, what?”

I let out a sigh. “I have a half-brother here. Alex. He’s only eight, and he…needs me.”

She blinked at me again with that same dumbfounded expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

“And it’s not just that. Hadrian has been kind to me, and the people here treat me like royalty. I think I’m supposed to do something here. I think I can make things better from the inside.”

She folded her arms and jutted out a hip. “Okay, hold on. You can’t actually think he genuinely cares about you. Didn’t you see what he did to Tobias?”

“I know. Trust me, I know what he’s done, and what he’s capable of doing. But I also don’t believe he would ever hurt me. On top of that, I think he just might listen to me.”

The features of her face were creased with conflict, and I could tell she wanted to persuade me against this path. How could I explain to her my reasoning, how dear Alex had become to me and how something just felt right about being here? Hell, thatone I couldn’t even explain to myself.

But I didn’t have time for that. It wouldn’t take long for my guards to find me here, and I had more important things to do in my window of opportunity than argue with Shea.

“Look, I have to go,” I said. “I’m glad you’re here for Tobias’s sake. But whatever you’re planning, count me out. And please stay safe.” I gave her one more quick hug, then skipped down the stairs before she could do or say anything else.

I continued swiftly down passed floor after floor of Initiate dorms and classrooms, trying to be seen as little as possible so my guards wouldn’t know where to look. Despite what I’d told Shea, I wasn’t exactly sure what Hadrian would do if he found me in the dungeons—talking to the pair of dragons that had destroyed half the citadel. And I really didn’t want to test the limits of his “fatherly love.”

The temperature dropped more and more the further I descended. No wonder Tobias and the girl had looked so pale in the video. The understanding of the shape they were in only tightened the knot in my stomach.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I stiffened. There were two guards blocking the entrance to the dungeon. And they had already spotted me. I had to act quickly before they notified anyone of my whereabouts.

Holding my head high, I sauntered up to them with a confidence I didn’t feel. The guards there froze at the sight of me, both men looking at me like I was the predator, even though they were the vampires.

“I’m to be allowed to see the dragon shifters unhindered and unaccompanied,” I said, my voice a melodious tone vibrating with the power of my will. “You will not interfere as long asI’m here, and you will forget I was here once I leave. Do you understand?”

The guards, who had taken on a glassy-eyed look, nodded.

My confidence bolstered, at least for the moment, I proceeded forward. The men shook out of their stupor, but let me pass without further glance.

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