Page 22 of Shadowed Bond

My pulse quickens, and I hate how his eyes flick to mine almost knowingly.

The bastard.

Then he steps back with the expression of someone who has just discovered buried treasure.

“Let’s stop for the night,” I say, refusing to entertain him any further.

“Finally.”

He turns and leads the way down the tunnel, moving as if he knows exactly where he is going.

For a while, I let him.

Then we reach a split.

Three tunnels branch out in front of us, all damp, dark and unpleasantly similar. Ares steps towards the left tunnel without hesitation.

I frown. “Wait,” I say. “Let me check the maps.”

“Those maps aren’t accurate.”

“They are more reliable than your ego.”

“My ego didn’t get us lost twice.”

“Neither did I.”

He glances over his shoulder. “You told me to take the tunnel with the broken arch.”

“Because the map showed it connected to the eastern channel.”

“It connected to a dead end full of rats.”

“Not my fault; the wall had collapsed after the map was drawn, which is hardly my fault. Let’s go right.”

“Na, the right tunnel route is shit.”

I inhale slowly through my nose.

Patience.

I am full of patience.

No, I am not.

I open the tablet, wiping moisture from the screen with my sleeve. The old map flickers beneath my touch, the lines of the tunnels glowing faintly. It shows the left passage reconnecting with the main drainage route, but the angle is wrong. The central passage is unmarked, and the right one should have collapsed decades ago.

“Left looks correct,” I say carefully, because I hate that he may be right.

He smirks arrogantly. I immediately regret speaking, and he leans over me.

“Say that again.”

“No.”

“Come on, Princess.” His voice is lower, and I hate how it sounds.

“I said it looks correct. That is not the same as saying you are correct.”