Page 62 of Wicked Enemy

Blowing out a breath, I fixed my gaze on the front door.

The most irrational regret flashed through me as I realized that they were still a patchwork of red and gray. I should have painted them completely blood red again. Why hadn’t I done that?

I shoved the absolutely ridiculous thought out of my head as one of the doors inched open slightly. Metal sang through my very soul as I got ready to strike the moment my enemies dared to set one foot across the threshold. Next to me, Shinji got into a battle stance as well.

“Sir?” a voice called.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t comprehend what I had just heard. I stared at the door while my mind tried to process the information. Just when I thought that I had imagined it, the word came again.

“Sir? Are you in here?”

Shinji, his eyes wide with shock, turned to stare at me.

“Just go in,” came another voice from outside. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

The doors were pulled open.

I lost the grip on my magic as utter incredulity washed over me instead. On my right, the flames along Shinji’s arms sputtered out as well.

“Sir, youarehere!”

I think my jaw might have hung open like a damn fish as I watched Tyler, Chris, and everyone else who should be trapped in cells in the Underground right now, hurry towards me.

Shinji broke away and ran across the floor. Confusion and shock still swirled inside my skull as I watched him pull Chris into a hug and then slap Tyler on the shoulder. Brilliant smiles shone on all of their faces.

A boom echoed through the throne room as someone pulled the doors shut and threw the bolt in place.

The sound snapped me out of my stupor enough to at least close my gaping mouth before they all started towards me.

I swept my gaze over their faces again and again. They were all here. All of my battle mages. Along with Sonia, my forger who had also gotten arrested in that warehouse, and Ben, who’d had his cover blown and gotten caught when I tried to free them all the first time.

“How?” was all I managed to press out as they all stopped in front of me.

Tyler frowned. “What do you mean, sir? Wasn’t this your doing?”

“No.” I shook my head, still trying to process what was happening. “I tried to break you out earlier today, by force, but it failed. So how are you here? How the hell did you manage to get out?”

Surprise blew across their features. Then it was replaced by understanding on some faces, and utter confusion on others.

“Eve,” Tyler said, as if that was supposed to be an answer instead of the cause of a million other questions.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Since we were going to stand trial, they took us up into the building to shower. And then on the way back, there was a fire that drew two of the white boots away and then Eve showed up.” He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. “And well, we took the chance to beat her up because… well, you know. But she had apparently staged the whole thing because she slipped me the keys to the handcuffs and the door and then told us when and where to escape. And she came through for us. We just snuck right out of the building.” His brows creased again as he looked back at me. “We thought you had gotten her to do it…?”

It was half statement, half question, but I couldn’t seem to remember how to speak, so I just shook my head.

Several pairs of eyebrows shot up. “Oh.”

Oh, indeed. My mind spun with both shock and relief as I looked at the mass of dark mages before me. My people. The ones who had been mere days away from execution. Mere days away from being killed because of my own stupidity.

And now they were here. Free. Safe. And with them back, my Court was now also back to full strength.

All because Eve Sterling had let them go.

Chapter26

The entire day today had been absolute chaos. When my colleagues had gone down to the prison this morning, they had found it completely empty and had immediately sounded the alarm. Every available squad, including mine, had been sent out to hunt them down before they could cross the Bridge of Life and disappear back to the south side.

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