A Soul for Trouble (27 page)

His brows rose simultaneously. “Excuse me?”

“Come on, Kell. You only take women into the labyrinth for one reason.”

“This time was different,” he replied with some hesitation.

Bynn’s jaw dropped “She really has you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?” Kell’s chest tightened. “Maybe it’s the other way around.”

“No, I’ve seen this before in other men. I just never expected it from you.”

“What?” His heart raced, waiting for the answer he feared was coming.

“You’ve fallen for her.”

He pushed the lump in his throat down into his stomach, where it sat like a brick. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then why else would you not take advantage of her like you’ve done with dozens of other women?”

“Because I have to handle her with care.”

Bynn nodded. “Yeah, because you’re so smitten with her, if she told you to jump off one of the turrets, you would.”

“Now you’re really exaggerating.”

“Say what you want, but I know you well enough to notice the change. If she left tomorrow, how would you feel?”

Like a vital piece of me was missing
. He cursed when he realized Bynn was dead-on. As much as he tried to downplay it, she’d gotten under his skin, and he wouldn’t let her go without a fight.

Bynn clasped his shoulder. “What are you going to do about it?” The reality of the situation sobered him like a funeral. “Find a way to keep her here.

Winter will be upon us soon enough, and no ship will leave Boznac during the storm season.”

“And do you think it’s safe to keep her here?”

“People’s opinions change over time. Look at you.”

“True, but I don’t think Elslyn will ever forgive Arden for looking better in that dress than she did.”

Laughter pushed away some of the dark clouds that swarmed around him. Between the necromancer and Arden, his life had suddenly become far more complicated than he cared to admit.

***

The small wooden box beside Sulaino glowed like a candle. He threw the lid open and tore off the wax seal on the letter with his one hand. The contents filled him with enough giddiness that he ignored the throbbing ache in his stump of an arm for a few moments.

He turned to the man hanging spread-eagle from the chains on the wall. “What do you think of this, Lord Yessling? The little Soulbearer is within the palace walls. Talk about making my life easier. I can kill her, absorb the chaos god’s powers, and destroy Heodis all in the same place.”

Lord Yessling grunted through his gag and rattled his chains. Although the man had quite a reputation for his harem of women, he was annoyingly loyal to the crown.

Sulaino nodded to one of the farm girls who’d been sold to the nobleman. She flicked the cat-o-nine-tails across Lord Yessling’s chest. A mixture of fear and retribution lit up her dull eyes when he cried out, and she waited for permission to do it again.

He stood and approached his host. “Lord Yessling, although I do admit I’ve been a pampered guest these last few days, I’m afraid I must be leaving soon. You see, I’m needed at the palace.” He showed him the letter.

His host’s eyes widened when he saw the signature at the bottom. He tugged at his chains with renewed vigor. The gag continued to muffle his words, but Sulaino had a good idea what he was saying.

“Don’t think we’ll get away with this, huh? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been planning this? What you see here is only a fraction of my army.” More grunts came from behind the gag, and this time, Sulaino removed it.

“I hope Prince Kell carves you up bit by bit, beginning with your other hand and ending with your head,” Yessling growled.

He examined the partially healed stump. “Thank you for reminding me to let Prince Kell know how much I appreciated his attentions.”

Yessling answered by spitting in his face, earning him another lash from the whip.

“I shall be taking my leave of you this evening. I appreciate the use of your keep and your girls while I recovered from my injury. So much, in fact, I’d like to take you with me.” He grabbed a knife off the table and slit the nobleman’s throat. The sound of gurgling blood played a delightful melody to his ear that beat in time with the last twitches of Yessling’s body. Death could be so beautiful at times.

He consumed the decadent lord’s soul, relishing the taste of years of lust, gluttony and sloth that fed it. Yes, naughty souls always tasted better. Magic bloomed inside him, and the skin sealed over his stump.

He pressed his finger against Yessling’s forehead, casting a familiar spell. The black lightning zapped through the corpse, and a pair of glowing red eyes looked up to meet him.

“Welcome to my army, Lord Yessling.”

The girl screamed and ran for the door. Another spell knocked her to the floor before she reached it.

“Going somewhere?”

Tears streaked down her cheeks. “You told me if I obeyed you, you’d let me live. Please let me go.”

Sulaino knelt beside her and caught a tear on the tip of his finger. Her fear aroused him, but he’d already overindulged his desire for women’s flesh in the last few days. He needed tainted souls to destroy Heodis. “Did you enjoy whipping Lord Yessling?” She trembled, but nodded.

“Good girl. And don’t you agree he’s met a fitting end?” She glanced over at the undead stretched by the chains. “That bastard deserved everything that came to him.”

He smoothed her tangled brown hair. “Would you like to continue to help me?” Her face paled, and she recoiled from his touch like he’d burned her. “Please let me go home. My family—”

“Your family sold you to him. Do you really think they’d take you back now?”

“We could kill them.”

The vengeful snarl of her mouth intrigued him. Corruption marred her soul long ago. He licked his lips. She’d probably taste just as delicious as Yessling. “I have something else in mind.”

He plunged the dagger in to her black heart and sucked in every last morsel of her soul while the light bled from her eyes. A belch escaped his lips when he finished.

The undead Yessling stared straight ahead, his waxy face emotionless.

“Are you ready to leave?” Sulaino asked as he stood.

Obedient silence answered him.

He unlocked the manacles that bound his new servant’s wrists and ankles. “I have room for a few more souls before we depart. Let’s go find your naughtiest girls.”
Chapter 28

Dev jiggled the knob again and pounded on the door when it refused to budge. “The king said I could stay in the same room with her.”

“I’m not sure what the king told you, but my orders are from Captain Larenis, and he’s said to keep you two separated.”

Damn guards. He paced the room, trying to decide if picking the lock later tonight would be worth it. If he heard snoring on the other side, he’d go for it.

A knock came from the wall that divided them. “Dev?” a faint voice asked.

He rushed to source of the sound and pressed his ear against it. “Trouble, are you alone?” Muffled laughter answered him. “Don’t worry. It’s just me and Cinder.” He relaxed a bit and leaned against the wall. “Do you know how to cast a ward?”

“I can learn.”

“Forget it. I don’t want you taking any more lessons from him.”

“Are you two going to shut up and sleep, or do I need to move one of you to a different room?” the guard shouted from the hall.

“Don’t worry, Dev. I’ll be safe tonight.”

He listened for anything else from her, but silence filled the void. He’d gotten so used to her body lying beside his, he feared he couldn’t sleep without her. He sank onto the bed and listened to the guards. When the clock chimed, the brisk footsteps and increased rumble of conversation told him a new set of guards stood outside. So much for catching them asleep.

If he really wanted to escape, he could knock them out with magic and blow away the door. He had diplomatic immunity, after all. But Trouble didn’t, and that’s where things got tricky. Whatever he did, he had to make sure she wouldn’t pay the price for it. By Jussip, when did things become so complicated? But he already knew the answer. It all started when he ran into a yellow-haired barmaid in a tavern on the other side of the kingdom.

He lay there until the clock chimed again, trying to find a way to get into her room. Too bad he couldn’t just walk through a wall.

He bolted up in bed. That’s it. As much as he hated ritual-type magic, this was the best solution he could come up with at the moment. He grabbed a piece of chalk from his bag and drew an outline of a door on the wall between their rooms. Then he sat cross-legged on the floor and started casting.

***

The grey light of dawn shone through the windows when the outline of the door finally shimmered to life. Dev stood and stretched, wincing as he discovered new knots in his back and shoulders from sitting still for so long. He extended his hand toward the wall, smiling when it passed through without difficulty.

He crossed the portal and found Trouble sound asleep in her bed. Cinder stretched out next to her and only raised his head when he entered the room. He frowned. “Don’t get used to this,” he whispered to the wolf. “When we get back to Gravaria, you’ll be sleeping on the floor where you belong.”

He grabbed a chair and carried it to the side of her bed, muttering under his breath the whole time about how she was spoiling his wolf. How much effort would it take to shove him off the bed and take his place?

Cinder bared his teeth as if he knew exactly what Dev had been thinking.

The damn wolf was too smart for his own good. “Fine, you can stay there tonight. But tomorrow…”

He placed a paw across her stomach in a possessive gesture.

Great, so now he had to compete with Cinder as well as Kell and Loku. Trouble certainly lived up to her name.

He flopped in the chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. It might not be his ideal choice of sleeping positions, but at least he knew he could keep an eye on her.

“Very clever, creating a portal like that.”

The deep voice almost caused him to knock his chair over. A pair of glowing yellow-green eyes stared at him from Trouble’s face. “What do you want, Loku?”

“What do we all want? Gold? World domination? A warm body to cuddle next to every night?”

“Cut the crap and get to the point. You usually don’t have conversations with me without a reason.”

“Would it bother you to know that Kell almost declared his feelings for her tonight?” Dev’s jaw tightened, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Of course, I suspect she would have let him kiss her again if he tried. Maybe even more.” His gaze travelled the length of her body. Temptation spread through his veins and gathered in his groin. He wanted to be the one tasting her lips, not Kell. If he wasn’t sworn to protect her, he’d crawl into the bed and get some relief for the continual string of hard-ons he’d had since he met her.

“Tough to resist, huh?”

The taunt reinforced his resolve not to touch her. “I’m her protector, not her lover.”

“So true. And if you keep pushing her away, she’ll end up in Kell’s arms.” The thought chilled him to the bone. “What makes you think I would care if she did?”

“Where do I begin? Shall I start with your response that night I came to you in your dreams? Or the way your jaw clenches every time you see her with Kell?”

“I won’t cave to my baser instincts.”

“You’re a man, not a marble statue.”

“Why are you so interested in my feelings?”

“Besides the fact that I’d love to see you head-over-heels stupid for her? Maybe because if I have to share with anyone, I’d rather share her with you.” Now the chaos god wanted to play matchmaker. How sweet. “I’m not falling for your head games, Loku.”

“Very well. I suppose Kell wins.” The eyes closed, leaving Trouble subject to her dreams.

Dev stood and paced the room, too wound up to sleep. Could she really fall in love with Kell? The tightness in his chest told him the chaos god knew more about her thoughts than he did.

***

A cold fog clouded Arden’s vision. Shards of ice hung in the air, glistening like diamonds in the faint beams of light that broke through. A chill crept along her spine, threatening to drive away any happy thought she had. Then the scent of rotting flesh rolled in.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she searched for the glowing red eyes of the undead.

She rubbed her arms, hoping to warm them.

“Arden.” The voice carried on an invisible breeze, but she immediately recognized it.

“Get out of my head!” She struggled to raise her shields.

“I’m coming for you.” The voice invaded her mind like a pack of rats searching for any glimmer of fear to feast upon. “Soon, Loku will be mine.” A pair of blood-red eyes as large as her head raced toward her through the fog. She held her hands up to her face and screamed.

***

The scream still echoed off the walls when Arden bolted up in bed. Sweat dripped down her face and neck, soaking the nightgown. Sweet Lady Moon, it was just a dream.

A pair of strong arms pulled her against a firm chest. The familiar scents of smoke and spice comforted her. Dev was here.

“Another dream?” he asked.

Wetness gathered in the corners of her eyes, and she nodded.

“Sulaino?”

She nodded again. “How did he get through my shields?” Dev’s arms tightened in response. “Did you let them down at any point?”

“I don’t think so.”

His silence left Arden swimming in a sea of doubt, but as long as she could cling to him, she refused to go under. Minutes passed before her breathing slowed and the awkwardness of remaining in his arms stole upon her. She pressed her hand against his chest. His heart beat faster than hers, although she had no idea why. When she lifted her eyes, some sort of internal struggle tightened Dev’s face as he stared off in the distance. “What’s wrong?” Her question jerked him from his thoughts. His face relaxed. “Nothing for you to worry about, Trouble.”

“He’s getting stronger, isn’t he?”

“Perhaps.” He stroked her hair, and she nestled back into the confines of his embrace, relishing the soothing safety it offered. “Tell me what you saw.”