Page 121 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
"No," Myra interrupted with a shake of her head. She wasn’t in a cell. She wasn’t trapped. She refused to let Domitius get to her. He wasn’t here in Frenzia. If all had gone according to plan, Kallie had already dealt with him.
Her pinky brushed against the knife tucked in her pocket. She wasn’t defenseless anymore. "I’m going."
Laurince swept his thumbs across the sides of her face. "That’s my girl."
As his dark brown eyes danced across her face and a million concerns spun in her mind, Myra stopped thinking. She stopped waiting. She reached up, grabbed him by the shirt, stood on her toes, and kissed him.
For a moment, Laurince was frozen, his lips unmoving. But then, just as quickly, he leaned into her. His hand slipped to the back of her neck, and he deepened the kiss.
His lips were sweet and soft and so at odds with the chest muscles beneath her palms. She could taste the faint trace of ale on his lips mixed with the rain. And she cursed herself for waiting this long to taste them, to feel their heat against hers. As she melted against Laurince, everything else disappeared. All her worries and concerns. All the fears. But nothing this good could last forever.
A whistle sounded from the sewer, ending the moment.
With a small sigh against her mouth, Laurince pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers. His breathing was labored and matched her own, and she wondered how they could have been so out of breath from such a brief kiss. As short as it was, though, it rivaled all the other kisses she had experienced in her lifetime.
"We should probably get going," he whispered.
"You’re probably right," Myra said, voice breathy. "Maybe not the best time to?—"
"There’s never a bad time for that, Haze," Laurince said, interrupting her. His touch softened. "I’m just sorry for not having done it sooner."
Myra pursed her lips, but for once, she didn’t care that her cheeks turned pink. She smirked as she looked at him, noting the raindrops running down his cheek. "Who’s the one apologizing now?"
Laurince laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and stepped back, hand outstretched. "I’ll be down right after you," he reassured her, squeezing her hand when she took it.
Myra sat on the cold ground and shimmied across the wet stone. With her feet dangling over the edge of the sewer, shereleased Laurince’s hand, then rolled onto her stomach. The ledge dug into her ribcage as she took a deep breath.
Then she fell into the void.
Myra expectedto land in a pool of water. Instead, her feet hit a small puddle. The hard drop sent a vibration soaring through her limbs, and she stumbled backward, bumping into whom she could only hope was Rian.
"You all right?" Rian asked, steadying her.
Her ankle stung, but luckily she didn’t think she had sprained it. "Yes, I think?—"
Rian yanked her as a shadow fell over them. Awhooshof air whipped across her face, blowing her hair back.
"Everyone good?" Laurince asked once his feet hit the ground.
Myra nodded, but when she realized he couldn’t see it in the darkness, she responded, "Yes."
Boots slapped against puddles, sending water kissing her ankles. She reached out, searching for a wall to guide her. She hit something solid. A hand grabbed hers.
"There you are," Laurince whispered, finding Myra even in the dark. He lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss on the top of her knuckles.
Rian cleared his throat. "I might notseeyou, but I can hear you. You’re panting more than a dog, Laurince."
"Oh, shut it," Laurince said, twisting them around toward Rian’s voice. Then he said, "Wring out your cloaks as best you can."
Myra peeled off her cloak and twisted it, draining the water from the fabric. As she put it back on, shuffling sounded beside them.
"It’s fucking dark down here," Rian said. "How are we going to?—"
A spark burst to life as Laurince struck a match and pulled a small torch from inside his cloak. The glow of the fire cast an eerie light across Laurince’s features, but Myra had never been more thankful for the flame.
"Well, that solves that," Rian said. "Now, which way are we?—"
"This way," Laurince answered, weaving his fingers between Myra’s and pulling her behind him.
