Page 73 of Splintered Shadow
“Because there’s only one Prince Vekele. I happen to be very fond of that guy—”
“Very fond?”
She smiled, teasing and tempting. “Veryfond, but he’s also a leader, so maybe running through sewers all gung-ho isn’t the best idea he’s ever had.”
“Your words are nonsensical.”
“I mean, I’m worried. About you.” She jabbed a finger against his chest. “I don’t like it.”
“But you like me. You arevery fondof me.”
“Because I like you.” Strain and exhaustion were woven through her voice.
He placed a hand on the back of her neck and brought their foreheads together. He wanted her love. He wanted her heart, but he would accept her soft words that spoke around emotion: care and fondness.
He breathed, memorizing the scent of his mate in this moment, the sound of her beating heart, and the heat of her.
“I care for you,” she said, her voice softer now. “Don’t leave me.”
“I need to do this.”
“You’re not the only one.”
His grip tightened. If any of the guards observed them, he cared not. The world drifted away to be nothing more than distant noise. There was only him and his mate in this moment. He said, “I need to prove that I can. That I am not useless.”
“You’re not, and you know it. A useless man did not save my life last night.”
“I know the tunnels. I am needed.”
“There are maps.”
This argument would go in circles for ages. Both were too stubborn to back down. Vekele saw only one way to end this.
“I have been hiding for so long,” he said. “I refuse to hide any longer.”
Speaking the words lanced the poison inside him. He felt freer. Lighter.
Sarah’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay, but you have to come back to me.”
“As you command, my princess.”
* * *
This was too easy.
They avoided detection as they accessed the tunnels. Security systems in the tunnels had not been upgraded in decades. A spotty network remained, easily confused into ignoring the two dozen guards, to say nothing about the gaps in coverage. Honestly, the security system was an outrage.
Pitch flew ahead, scouting his way even as her agitation soured his mood. The karu did not like the tunnels. Being underground was wrong. She wanted an open sky, not this stink of motionless air.
The closer they got to the palace, the more the tunnels split into smaller and smaller passages, creating a grid underneath the fountain of the palace. The guards split into three teams.
As they approached the first checkpoint, Luca produced a hard-shell kit containing the tools he needed to disable the security system. Vekele barely had time to check on the position of the guards when the barrier unlocked.
The male grinned with satisfaction. “Do not be alarmed. I designed the system. That is why it fell so quickly.”
Vekele’s team went up toward the king’s location. Another team went to free any captives that may be held in the lower levels. The third team went to secure the palace’s command center. If they worked quickly, the coordinated attack would stretch the occupying forces too thin and they would break.
Vekele looked forward to the breaking.
