Page 168 of A Flame of the Phoenix

Nik strained and groaned, pushing the wheel with everything he had. A small stream of water trickled from the circular opening, but there was a long way to go. He focused everything on it, growing that stream that began to spray his face. Shadows grew down the tunnel ahead. He wasn’t going to make it.

Then the resistance lessened, and Nik’s determination surged. Because Lycus had joined him, and together, the opening crawled open faster. Water sloshed under their feet, and then…

“Hold on tight!” Nik yelled. Lycus lunged for the nearby ladder to hold onto it as Nik’s next push unleashed the force of the trapped water.

The dark fae who raced savagely for him were all swept away in the brutal current. Nik’s body was dragged, but his hands held desperately to the wheel.

Lycus reached an arm toward him while keeping purchase on the ladder. The water level was rising up to his knees. Nik reached back, only skimming his fingers, but on his next try he threw more momentum out. Lycus gripped his arm, pulling him toward the ladder. As soon as Nik could grab it, they scrambled up it.

Nik followed Lycus’s lead until they found a way out. The roaring of water still echoed in his ears as Nik leaned his hands on his thighs, catching his breath.

“Do we need to shut off the water?” Nik asked.

To his relief, Lycus shook his head. “It will lead back into the rivers around the valleys. These tunnels were designed tohelp with flood control, but there hasn’t been a river break in centuries.”

Nik straightened, scanning the eerily quiet streets with dread.

“Did any make it out?” he dreaded to ask.

Had he just drowned dozens of his own people?

It was Berron who answered, hobbling over to them. “As luck would have it, most of the rebels had already left the underground. Tauria called action tonight. Tallia, one of our leaders, managed to swiftly eliminate the dark fae within the castle, and the instruction was for the rest of the rebellion to be let inside to strengthen the force for when the retaliation would come, but…” Berron paused to skim a look toward Nik.

“Where’s Tauria?” Nik asked immediately.

“Mordecai took her. She’s been spotted in the middle of their war camp, which has expanded to stretch across the entire valley over the decades.”

Nik’s rage boiled. He turned to Lycus. “Ready our forces.”

“We are a little over half the number that sits on the valley hills,” he argued.

Lycus was thinking logistically, strategically. Nik only knew his mate, the queen of this damned kingdom, was behind, held in the midst of the enemy camping on their doorstep. The mockery was enough to drive him mad, and the thought of anyone hurting her threw his caution to the flames.

“It’ll create enough of a distraction for me to slip in and get her out. Then you call a retreat,” Nik reasoned.

Lycus’s expression firmed. He exchanged a look with Berron to mull it over. “That could work, but I need you to understand you’re all but asking our soldiers to walk into slaughter.”

“For their queen and kingdom, that is their pledge. As their king, I will be the one to ask it of them.”

Lycus didn’t disagree nor argue.

Nik looked up at the moon and felt Tauria within it. He always did. He just needed her to hold on a little longer before he came for her.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Zaiana

When she reached the cells, Zaiana knew she shouldn’t have come. Everything in her was at a painful tug-of-war, wanting to retreat and desperate to get closer to him.

She’d lost her fight to stay away from engaging with him and saw him through the bars of the many empty cells before she reached his. Kyleer was leaning against the back wall, one knee bent for his elbow to be propped up on, and his hand shielded his eyes.

“I guess it was only a matter of time before they called you in to enjoy this,” he said. His voice was stripped of any emotion.

“Why would I enjoy it?” she asked.

Kyleer let his hand fall to look at her, and when she met those moss-green irises she wasn’t prepared for the yearning that pulled in her. Especially when they speared nothing but ice in her direction.

“Our positions have switched. Don’t tell me you don’t find a certain ironic amusement to it.”

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