Black Moon Draw(59)

“Aye.”

My pulse quickens. I want to go home, but . . . Sneaking a look at him, I try to determine if he’s interested in me staying. He’s emotionless and I’m distressed to think I might like him more than he does me.

Like every other relationship I’ve ever been in.

It’s not possible to have a relationship with him, I remind myself. “Sounds good.” The words are forced.

With a nod of satisfaction, he crosses to the bed and yanks off the bedding, pulling a sheet free. He wraps one end around his waist and ties it then moves to me and does the same around my waist. “This time, if one of us falls, we both do.”

I meet his gaze, not sure how to take that statement. Threat? Reassurance? There’s no telling with this man.

He goes to the window and leans out, twisting his torso to look up. “This is how we escape.”

I mirror his movements and see a thick black chain extending from the top of our tower into the mist, where it appears to be connected to the sky.

“How is that possible?” I breathe, squinting to see what the chain is hooked to at the top. It goes on forever and disappears into the fog far above.

“Ancient magic.” The Shadow Knight vaults onto the sill and stretches upward to the roof of the tower. He pulls himself up effortlessly with strength I know better than to assume I have. “Come, witch.” He’s lying on the roof and offers me a hand.

I look down. The bay might as well be a million feet below. “You sure about this?”

“Do you intend to use your magic?”

Not purposely. I wipe my hands on the pants. “You won’t drop me because I’m a terrible battle-witch?”

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

I know as much. He’s twice my size and strong enough that I don’t stand a chance, despite the self-defense class I took in college. Reaching up, I take his hand with both of mine.

Seconds later, I’m dangling a billion feet over an ocean. He pulls me up to the edge of the roof and eases back from it, wrapping an arm beneath my breasts to pull me the rest of the way onto the solid tile.

“I’m not normally afraid of heights but this is . . .” I push back from the edge deeper into his strong body. My stomach flutters.

His arm is tight around me, his breathing tickling my ear. “I got you, witch,” he replies, unconcerned. “The roof is flat.” He draws me back a little more and then releases me to stand.

I’m shaky for more than one reason. Shifting to my knees, I move far enough from the edge that I feel semi-safe and look straight up.

The chain to the invisible ceiling where it attaches is long, almost as long as the drop to the ocean. Its links are the height of my half and wide enough for me to fit two feet in.

“What’s at the top?” I ask, fascinated by the latest form magic has taken in this world.

“We will find out.” He starts to climb, a powerful combination of speed and strength that’s mesmerizing. His footing is sure, the muscles beneath his thin pants shaping and contracting while his biceps and shoulders bulge.

I watch him, more intrigued by the way his body moves than I can remember being about anything else in a long time.

The sheet between us grows taut. He stops and leans back, hanging on with one hand while he waits. “Witch, come!”

I plant my hands on my hips. “I think we need a better plan than to climb up and see. We could climb forever without reaching the ceiling or cloud or whatever it is we’re anchored to.” I’m also in terrible shape to be climbing. Running is bad enough.

“Have you a plan, witch?”

“Would you please stop calling me a witch?” I complain. Shielding my eyes, I look around us and notice the other hanging tower prisons. They’re in a line between the shore and us.

The tower shudders beneath his weight as he leaps rather than climbs down. I drop to my knees, fear flying through me at the thought of plunging to my death in the scary gray-black bay.

Guess that answers one question. There’s some give in the chain and another idea forms.

“You wish me to call you Naia?” he asks uneasily.

“I know you all have weird laws about using names, but it’s just us out here. No one will hear you if you do. I’m not hitting on you or disrespecting your betrothed or anything.”

“Very well, Naia.”

I kinda like the way he says my name. Ignoring that thought, I focus on the line of towers leading to shore. I walk around the top of our tower, taking in everything before I dare voice my idea out loud. I’m not sure I could take him laughing at my idea, the way Jason used to.

“I have an idea,” I say finally. “We get this thing to swing like a pendulum towards the next tower and make our way to land by hopping from tower to tower.” Without looking at him, I brace for his rejection.

“’Tis a worthy idea.” He joins me at the edge where I stand. “We will need to start it rocking.” He takes my arms and maneuvers me in front of him before releasing me to tighten the sheet around my waist. “If this works, we’ll need a longer sheet or rope.”

“If what works?” I ask, flustered once again by having his large hands on me.

“We need a pendulum to start the pendulum,” he replies. Double knotting the sheet, he turns me to face the edge. “Prepared to obey me, witch?”