Page 164 of The Stolen Throne
I lean around him. “Where’s Tabra?”
“With Vos and Omma. They’re waiting, so let’s make it quick.”
After a miniscule hesitation, Hakan steps around me, grabs the rope, and starts climbing. He leaves me with Reven, who wraps both hands around my waist, and the feel of his touch does things to me.
“Did you feel me panic?” I ask, looking for any hint of amusement in his face.
“I didn’t need to.”
That’s an explanation? Oh wait. Because he knew I’d have to use this way in.
His mouth crooks. Can he feel what being this near to him is doing to me? In a whisper of shadow, we’re standing on the top of the wall beside Pella just as Hakan climbs over.
I have no idea what to say or do. What I want to do is out of the question, at least for now. Which really stinks. “Thank you.”
He says nothing, but his hands curl into the flesh at my waist like he’s trying to make himself let go. Slowly—agonizingly slowly—he draws me closer, his gaze dropping to my lips.
But this time I’m too aware of Pella and Hakan standing right here. “Doesn’t Vos need you?”
Reven’s gaze changes, filled with regret, maybe, or determination. “Stay with Pella. I’ll see you in a bit.” Then he’s gone.
Pella arches a brow at me. “That was…”
“Awkward?” I supply, grumpy all of a sudden.
“That’s one word for it.”
I can’t help myself. Even risking vertigo, I lean over the edge of the wall to look. Given how he was earlier, I’m sure he shouldn’t use his power to go far. Sure enough, he’s in the alley walking away. Alone. As he goes, a woman in the crowd tries to dance up to him. I scowl. Only whatever he says or does with his face makes her dance away just as quickly.
Nobody should be alone. “Um…” I glance over my shoulder at Hakan. “Maybe you can…”
He slides a reluctant glance in Pella’s direction. “Yeah.” Then he’s over the edge of the wall, climbing back down the rope.
70
Pella’s Surprises
Pella stalks off to wherever we’re going, following the broad, flat wall-walk that runs the top of the walls behind the battlements.
“At least I got rid of Hakan for you,” I say as I catch up to her.
Her lips flatten, but she says nothing to that.
Halfway down this stretch, the wall-walk runs into the building where we are housed. “No bars on this door?”
Hard to miss when every other window and door I can see is barricaded.
She points, and sure enough, there’s something stuck in the track that the gate would slide down, preventing that. I huff a surprised laugh—even though I shouldn’t be all that surprised.
“You?” I ask.
She shrugs.
“Any other spots?”
“The door at the other end of this walk.” She points back the way we came. “A basement window in this building, on the courtyard side right at ground level. And two more that I’m about to show you.”
Once we’re inside, she doesn’t take me downstairs to the rooms they were in earlier like I expect. Instead, she cuts through on the floor we’re on, then back outside through another stoppered gate to continue along the top of the wall until we get to the turret at the end. The door to the turret is closed, but from where Pella positions us, we can see part of what is beyond the palace walls.
