Page 103 of Only Cold Depths
Staring down at the fifty-foot drop from this angle made me dizzy. Kyrion was right to be worried about falling from great heights. My heart ached at the thought of him, but I grabbed hold of the rope, swung my legs over the balcony railing, and climbed down.
Well, I didn’t climb so much as slide from one knot to the next, but I made it down to the ground. I glanced around, but this section of the estate was empty, and no one had seen my improvised escape—
“I thought climbing down bedsheets to be reunited with their true love was something people only did in ridiculous romance serials,” a familiar voice drawled.
I whirled around. Zane pushed away from one of the columns, stepped out of the shadows, and sauntered over to me. He’d changed into a fresh Arrow uniform, and his stormsword was dangling off his belt, but my gaze zoomed in on the large cannon strapped to his back—the same kind of Techwave cannon Rigel had taken from my suite.
“Where did you get that?” I demanded.
Zane smoothed his hands down his pale blue jacket. “This old thing? Fergus, the House Zimmer tailor, makes uniforms for me in bulk. The poor man. I’m probably responsible for every one of his gray hairs, given all his exquisite clothes I’ve ruined over the years.”
“The cannon,” I growled. “Where did you get the blastedcannon?”
He gave an airy wave of his hand. “Oh, I took it off the Techwaver who infiltrated the summer solstice ball. I thought it might come in handy one day, even if I’m afraid to fire it for fear of blasting off my own hand. Why? Do you need it for something?”
Zane knew—he knew—I needed that cannon to save Kyrion. No doubt my brother wanted me to beg for the privilege, but I wasn’t about to play his stupid mind games.
I huffed out an aggravated breath, grabbed my duffel bag, and stalked away, heading around the side of the guest wing.
I mentally reviewed the estate layout in my mind. Around the next corner, a path skirted around a small topiary garden and ran right by the transport garage. With a little luck, I could break into the garage, steal a vehicle, and leave the estate before anyone realized what I was doing.
Footsteps sounded, and Zane fell into step beside me. We walked in silence until we reached the garden path.
I stopped and whirled toward him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Helping you save dear Kyrion.”
“You hate Kyrion. Why would you want to save him?”
“Hateis a strong word. Perhapsdespiseis better.”
I snorted. “Despiseis just a fancy and polite way of sayinghate.”
Zane shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. I didn’t have time for this. I didn’t have time forhim.
I poked him in the chest. “What are you really doing here? Why are you following me? And how did you even know I would climb down my balcony?”
He shrugged again. “Because it’s what I would have done. And I’m following you because you’re going to get yourself killed if you take on Esmina and Pollux alone.”
Anger spurted through me, and Esmina’s voice whispered through my mind.You’re the weak link.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “So you think I need a babysitter.”
“No, I think you need help.”
“Would you still be saying that if Kyrion was here and I was the one who’d been abducted?”
“Absolutely,” Zane snapped, frustration creeping into his voice. “Kyrion wouldn’t want you to be reckless, and Kyrion certainly didn’t rescue you from Crownpoint all by himself. Asterin, Daichi, Touma, Tivona, and Leandra helped him do it. Back then, Kyrion knew he couldn’t save you alone, and I think deep down, you know you can’t save him by yourself right now.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Esmina would let me walk straight into her trap, snap it shut behind me, and then Kyrion and I wouldbothbe caught. But I still felt like there was more to Zane’s sudden benevolence than met the eye.
“Why are youreallydoing this?” I asked in a sharp voice. “Why do you want to help me? And tell me thetruth, not some stupid quip about how you want to lord your prowess over Kyrion by rescuing him.”
Zane sighed. “Because it will break my father’s heart if you go rushing off without any backup and get yourself killed.” He paused, an uncomfortable look on his face. “And it would greatly vex me as well.”
“It wouldvexyou? Seriously?” I rolled my eyes and spun away from him.
Zane reached out and touched my arm. Wary, I faced him again.
