Page 23 of Lady of Ashes

“Because that is Nuri,” Eliza replied, stepping from Rayner’s side and sliding her blade back into the sheath at her back. “She is Death’s Shadow.”

“I told you when you returned that you and I would have some fun,” Nuri crooned into Sorin’s ear, sliding the dagger up the side of his throat.

“That you did, Nuri dear, but you seem to have failed to notice my back-up,” Sorin taunted in reply.

Nuri only huffed a laugh. “You mean the back-up you brought because you knew you wouldn’t be able to best me on your own?”

Sorin growled at the implication and challenge. “We will have to test that theory another time, Daughter of Night. We are here for Scarlett.”

Sorin felt the dagger leave his throat as Nuri released her hold on him. “Is she not with you?” She glanced around at his companions, clearly searching for that head of silver hair.

Sorin shook his head. “No. She was taken from us. A few days ago.” Nuri reached up and yanked her hood back. The soft glow of the ?ames allowed him to make out the fury dancing in her honey-colored eyes. “You had one task, you asshole. What the fuck happened?”

“Maybe the explanations and hair braiding can wait until we are behind some wards and the Witch has brewed us a potion to give us back our godsdamn magic?” came Cyrus’s irritated voice from down the tunnel.

“Who the fuck are you?” Nuri asked, her tone saying she really didn’t care, as she whirled to face Cyrus.

“Someone not in the mood to listen to your bitching at the moment,” he snarled back.

Nuri’s lip peeled back and her fangs lengthened. “Careful, Fae bastard, I’ve developed quite the taste for your type of blood.”

Cyrus just smirked at her. “Sweetheart, you’d have to take it by force.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Luan muttered from his position near the mortals. “Can we just get to the damn safe house? Now that she is here, I am assuming she knows the way so we can meet our other allies? Get moving, vampyre.”

Nuri dragged her eyes up and down the Earth Prince. The mannerism was so similar to one that Scarlett would have made, that Sorin’s chest tightened at the action. A wicked grin tilted up the corners of her mouth, and she tilted her head to the side. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, and I couldn’t care less. What I do know is that should you try to give me an order again, I will taste your blood and cut off body parts while I do so.”

Luan sneered at her. “I do not have time for petty Night Child egos. I am here to do one thing, and it is my understanding you are essential to completing our task. So fall in line or—”

“Fucking hell,” Sorin said in exasperation. He knew that Cyrus and Nuri meeting would be a nightmare. He had not accounted for Nuri and Luan clashing. He stepped between the Earth Prince and Death’s Shadow. “Nuri, we need to be safely behind wards before the sun begins to rise. I can only assume you know the tunnels better than Callan’s guards, seeing as you snuck up on us. For Scarlett’s sake, can you please get us to the safe house where we can meet up with Cassius and ?gure out how to get my godsdamn wife back?”

Nuri sucked in a breath at the word, a gloved hand grabbing his left hand where his black-gold marriage band adorned his ?nger. “Just wife or …?”

“We both bear the twin ?ame Mark as well,” he con?rmed. “We have one Trial left to complete and the bond can be Anointed.”

A wide grin spread across Nuri’s face at that, and she let out a sharp whistle. A boy appeared behind them from the way they had come. Sorin instantly recognized him as Malachi, a young boy with a chip on his shoulder that he had met when Scarlett had taken him to meet the orphans in the Black Syndicate. His younger brother was one of the orphans who had gone missing, likely dead and likely because they were pure-blooded Night Children, just like Nuri.

“We’re taking this lot back with us, Malachi,” Nuri said. “Bring up the rear. You know what to do.”

The boy nodded as Nuri jerked her head for Sorin to follow her, going back the way they had come. Sorin moved to her side, looking over his shoulder to make sure everyone was accounted for. When they reached the area where the passageways split, Nuri made to follow the one that went straight, but before they stepped into the tunnel, Luan called out to them to halt. He moved to Sorin’s side and said, “Get out your map, Aditya. I need to see in what general vicinity we are located.”

Nuri gave him another once over. “I really do need to know who this is, Sorin.”

“Meet Azrael Luan. He is of the Earth Court,” Sorin replied, summoning the map from a pocket of ?ame.

Understanding ?ared through Nuri’s eyes at what he meant. He was unable to come right out and say that Luan was the Earth Prince, courtesy of the enchantment that kept all Fae from identifying Fae Royalty in the mortal lands.

“He is also a Traveler and by knowing exactly where we are, he can be prepared to move us back to this place should we need it,” Sorin continued, unrolling the map.

Nuri took an edge in her hand and pointed to a section north of the main docks. “We will take the tunnel before us for another mile or so, then we will turn west. We should be at the warehouse within the hour, assuming there are no surprises along the way, but as we have people patrolling this section of the tunnels at all times, we should be ?ne.”

Luan gave a nod before gesturing for them to continue along. They moved as quickly as they could and met no one as Nuri led them along the tunnel system. When the tunnel emptied out onto a beach from the side of a cavern, Nuri informed them the warehouse was ten minutes from their location.

Sorin’s Court was waning when they ?nally reached the safe house. It was just as Sorin had remembered it from when he’d helped Nuri get the children here all those months ago. An abandoned warehouse, the four- story brick building loomed before them. The wards Cassius had created made it look far more decrepit than it actually was and made it appear it was seconds from collapsing. In reality, however, save for some broken windows and the garbage and junk that had littered all the ?oors, the warehouse was in pretty decent shape. The ?rst ?oor was one wide open space, and they left it that way for the most part in case anyone did manage tomake it inside. The second ?oor held a kitchen, so it was converted into the mess hall and general congregating area. The third and fourth ?oors were of?ce spaces that they converted into bedrooms that everyone shared.

As they came to the entrance, Nuri stopped before one of the men on guard. “Send word to Cassius to get here as quickly as possible. Tell him they’ve returned.” She paused, then added, “And if we can get a message to the Tyndell heirs, that’d be best as well.”

The man took his leave, disappearing in the shadows of the night, and Nuri led them inside and up to the second ?oor. A young woman with lightly tanned skin and brown hair braided down her back, met them at the top of the stairs. She gave a small smile to Sorin.

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