Page 80 of Blood So Brutal

Wolf cursed beneath his breath and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Huntress. You don’t deserve this.”

I kicked my boots off and made my way to the bed. “You don’t have to apologize for him. I can handle it, really. He wanted to test me today, and he’s pissed that I didn’t walk directly into his trap.”

“It was stupid of us to spend so much time at the pub. He was going to find us there eventually.”

I pulled Wolf’s blanket up over my body, adjusting the soft pillow under my neck as I watched him pace the room. “But you have a plan, right?”

He stopped pacing and faced me. “Oh yes, Huntress. I have a plan. Now sleep. Your body will be exhausted from all that flying.”

I couldn’t even keep my eyes open long enough for him to join me in the bed. Wolf was right about the exhaustion. Every ounce of my body craved sleep, and after the additional ales at the pub, I was in no position to fight it.

Chapter 25

Huntyr

Iwaited all day for Wolf to come back to the bedroom, to find me sneaking out with Jessiah, to ruin the entire plan.

But none of that happened.

My nerves grew and grew as the night approached, but nothing was going to stop me from flying home. Nothing was going to take this one chance away from me.

Wolf never showed up, which made it easy for me to slip on my worn boots and meet Jessiah in the hallway.

He was already waiting, his jacket tight across his shoulders as he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking just like Wolf but much less smug. Always less smug.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, suddenly feeling like we were going to get caught any minute.

“No.” His voice echoed off the small hallway. “It’s definitely not a good idea. But I made a deal with you, and I’d rather we get this over with now, while things are calm.”

I nodded. “I swear I won’t stay long. Just enough time to see some people, and we’ll be back here before anyone notices.”Lord and Rummy.If I could just lay eyes on them, if I could justtell them I was alive, I could at least go through with this damn plan knowing they were at peace with it.

My heart ached in my chest.

“If we hurry, we’ll be back before the sun comes up,” he said, pushing himself off the wall. “But it’s going to be risky. Come with me.”

I followed him as he crept through the dark hall. He descended the stairs of the small, hidden staircase, careful not to make a single sound with his boots. I did the same. Jessiah’s white angel wings were tucked tight behind his shoulders, the only way his large frame would fit through the bottom door.

The cold air fluttered across my skin, tickling my nerves.

I lost hope of ever going back home. Even after my conversation with Jessiah, I never thought he would actually risk taking me back there, but I was learning, day by day, that Jessiah was a man of his word. He was loyal and kind, and if he made a deal with me, he would keep it.

We walked outside in silence, but the street began to look familiar as we made our way to the very back of The Golden City.

“Are we taking the tunnel out of here again?” I whispered. “Won’t Griffith tell Asmodeus that we left?”

He turned and looked at me, letting his wings fan out on either side. “When you live in this place long enough, Huntyr, you learn a thing or two about how loyalty works.”

I did the same, summoning my wings and flaring them on either side of my body in preparation as we walked.

“That doesn’t make me feel better about this.”

Jessiah just laughed under his breath as we found the same large stone that covered the entrance to the tunnel. “Griffith has known Wolf and I since we were children. He loved us more than our own father did at times. As long as we return before we are noticed, he’ll keep our secret for us.”

I froze, hesitating at the tunnel’s entrance. “You’re sure about this?”

Jessiah’s smile faded. “I’m sure that Griffith won’t announce our departure, yes. But if you’re having doubts, we can always turn back. We have a long journey ahead and you need to be sure.”

“No,” I interrupted. “I want to go.” I didn’t give it another thought. I jumped into the tunnel and made my way toward the other end, where Griffith and the stables would be waiting. Jessiah was right. I was sure about this. It was worth the risk.

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