Wraith(64)

‘The wraith has been captured. That’s one less enemy to worry about.’

I didn’t stop scrubbing. I was glad I was facing away from him. ‘How are we going to get out of here without the goblins noticing us?’

There was a smile in his voice. ‘Before I came here, James made me have a plan prepared and ready so I could escape from the city with Rymark in tow. It involves some unusual Dark Elf jiggery-pokery but we can use it to escape from the castle. Trust me. It’ll be fine.’

Had I any choice in the matter? I quickly rinsed off and scooted out from underneath the water. Gabriel was already thrusting a towel towards me; he was also naked. I had no idea how he’d managed that while pumping away at the water. I tried hard not to gawk at the expanse of smooth, nut-brown skin on display and swapped places with him. Averting my eyes, I fiddled with the pump then asked, ‘Ready?’

‘I am.’

With steady, regular movements, I pushed down and pulled up, surprised at how smooth the machinery was. Gabriel didn’t appear quite as ecstatic about the shower as I’d been, but he probably had a scalding hot version of his own every single day. And I bet that didn’t involve a hand pump and a dozen servants.

‘We have to find Angela’s little box of tricks,’ he said, using a squirt of shampoo to wash his hair. ‘With luck, it’ll lead us to the Stone.’ He paused. ‘You’ve still not told me where her box is.’

No, I hadn’t. I probably should; if something happened to me, it made sense that Gabriel also knew its location. Whatever his motivation, there had been nothing to suggest we weren’t on the same side – the side of finding the Stone of Scone and keeping it as far away from the goblins as possible.

‘Your hesitation says it all, Saiya,’ Gabriel continued. His tone vibrated with anger. ‘You don’t trust me.’ He turned in my direction. ‘Look at me.’

Reluctantly I lifted my eyes to his, avoiding gawping at his body. Darkness glittered back at me. ‘You will learn to trust me,’ he promised. ‘In everything. And the next time you moan like you did under that shower it will be because of my touch and my touch alone.’

My tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth, his husky vow robbing me of my voice. No one had ever spoken to me like that before. Whether I was more astonished or more turned on was anyone’s guess.

Gabriel’s mouth curved into a crooked smile. ‘There’s not much water left and it’s getting bloody cold. We’ll leave at midnight and take things from there. Assuming Rymark and Angela get to Holyrood and speak to James, then time is running out for us.’ He began to soap his torso. Eyes, Saiya; look him in the eyes. ‘I don’t know you well yet and I don’t know what you’re thinking or what you’re capable of but I’m pretty certain you’re not someone who likes to fail. Neither do I. We’ll do this, Saiya. We’ll do it together. And then…’ His voice trailed off.

And then I’ll run away screaming. The thought popped into my head before I could stop it. I smiled back. ‘Let’s focus on the Stone for now.’ I switched hands, my right one sore from working the pump for so long.

Gabriel shook himself, wiping away the last of the soap suds, and stepped out unselfconsciously. While he reached for a towel, I muttered something about feeling cold and left him to it so I could get dressed. The image of his naked body was seared into my mind and I needed space to shake it away, but that was easier said than done. With my own clothes ruined, yet again I was forced to wear something of Gabriel’s. His scent lingered around me in a permanent cloud.

There were worse things.





Chapter Sixteen


‘I thought I might go for a wander round the castle,’ I said, as casually as possible. It was hard work maintaining a conversation when we were probably being eavesdropped upon. ‘We still have a couple of hours before dinner and I’d like a look round. I might not get another chance.’

Gabriel’s brows snapped together. ‘But you worked here as a chef. You must know the castle inside out.’

Darn it; I’d forgotten that. I couldn’t tell him the truth even if I wanted to, not without the sound of running water to mask our conversation. ‘Well,’ I demurred, ‘I spent most of my time in the kitchen. And I hadn’t worked here for long when I, uh, ran into you.’

A muscle throbbed in his cheek. ‘Who was it who broke your fingers, Saiya? Was it Ghrashbreg?’

I sighed. Two snapped pinkies seemed of little consequence considering what else was going on. Truthfully, I’d forgotten all about them. ‘It doesn’t matter now.’

His eyes darkened. ‘Yes, it does. It might be easy to forget about after the recent traumas you’ve experienced. You were abducted by a wraith. You almost had an entire building collapse on top of you. There was a Death Worm. And…’ he glanced round, remembering that we might be overheard, ‘lots of other things.’

‘Just leave it,’ I said tiredly. ‘It really isn’t a big deal any more.’

Gabriel folded his arms. ‘I seem to recall,’ he said, ‘that some time in the not-too-recent past I made it clear that I wasn’t going to let you out of my sight ever again. That holds true. If you’re going for a wander then I’m coming with you.’