Page 48 of Undercover Shadow
I stayed where I was, wishing this was a bad dream.
“Seeing you with him?—”
“I need sleep, and so do you.” I cut him off before he could finish that thought, before he could say more that we’d both regret. “Go,” I said again, softer this time because my anger was draining into exhaustion. “Tag, just go.”
He turned and walked back toward the door. “I’ll lock this.” His voice came out rough, scraping against the silence. “It won’t happen again,” he said moments before I heard it click from the opposite side.
Tears came again as I slid down until I was lying flat. I stared up at the ceiling, crying for what we could have been if he’d been brave enough to try. For loving someone who wouldn’t let himself love me back. For three years of waiting and three nights of believing. I cried until I had nothing left, until my eyes were swollen and my throat was raw. Until exhaustion finally dragged me under into restless, dream-filled sleep.
The headacheI woke with the next morning had nothing to do with alcohol.
I’d managed maybe two hours of sleep and spent the rest staring at the ceiling or jerking awake from dreams where Tag was in bed beside me. My eyes felt gritty and swollen, and no amount of cold water splashed on my face could hide the evidence of my tears.
I dressed in black cargo pants and a fitted long-sleeve shirt, and pulled my hair back into a tight bun that would stay out of my way underground. I glanced in the mirror and saw a woman who was exhausted, hollowed out, and barely holding herself together.
When I arrived downstairs, Archon was already in the library, with his head bent over his tablet. He looked up when I entered, and his eyes scrunched. No doubt he noticed the exhaustion I couldn’t hide, if not the pain.
“Good morning,” he said, watching as I crossed the room.
“Morning,” I responded as I chose coffee over tea and added more sugar than I normally would.
Tag appeared in the doorway moments later, and the sight of him sent an unwelcome jolt through my chest. He looked about as good as I felt—shadows under his eyes, jaw tight, moving like someone nursing a spectacular hangover. Our gazes met for half a second before we both looked away.
“Right.” Tag’s voice was rough as he made a cup of tea with unsteady hands. “Let’s go over the plan for today.”
I sat down next to Archon.
“We’ll start from the east,” Tag said, tracing a route with his finger. “Split up to cover more ground. The three of us searching separately will be more efficient than trying to move as a group.”
Archon nodded, making notes. “Contact checks every fifteen minutes?”
“Every ten,” I suggested. “The stone will interfere with signals in some sections. We need to know right away if someone loses their connection to the comms.”
Tag’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look at me. “Agreed. Ten-minute intervals.”
Helicopter rotors cut through the morning quiet, growing louder as the aircraft approached. We turned toward the windows, watching as it descended toward the lawn.
“Who in the hell is that?” Tag asked, pushing his chair from the table.
“I’ve just received a message from Typhon,” Archon said, studying his mobile. “He’s ordered a reassignment. I’m to head north with Prima while Vanguard takes my place here.”
Through the windows, I watched Vanguard emerge, ducking under the rotors as he jogged toward the castle. He was dressed for fieldwork—cargo pants, boots, and a jacket that probably concealed at least two weapons.
Douglas, whom I hadn’t seen since Tag introduced him when we first arrived, opened the front door.
“Morning, everyone. Hope I’m not too late for breakfast,” Vanguard said in his usual friendly tone.
“Why wasn’t I given prior notice of this change?” Tag snapped.
Vanguard’s eyes darted to Archon’s, then back to Tag. “I cannot say, sir.”
Tag stalked from the room, mobile in hand. What did he plan to do? Challenge the decision? In my opinion, it was the right one. Not that Vanguard was here necessarily, but that it would be better if Archon led the op near Dunravin.
“Good to be working together again, Nightingale,” Vanguard said once Tag was out of the room.
“Welcome to the team,” I said, wondering if I should follow Tag. But what would I say? If I defended Typhon’s decision, he’d likely think it was because IwantedVanguard here.
“I should be on my way,” said Archon, looking at me, perhaps for guidance about whether or not to wait for Tag to return. When I didn’t say anything, he gathered his things and walked out.
