Hunt the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #11)(64)

“That’s not what your girlfriend told me.”

He frowned. “Girlfriend?”

“Blond-haired, blue-eyed bitch who enjoys causing pain.”

“Zoe.” He perched on the edge of the bed, moving slowly enough not to startle her. He’d already done enough damage. “I’ll kill her.”

“Don’t blame your minions,” she snapped, her chin tilting. “They were only carrying out your orders.”

He hid his relief at her display of temper. He doubted she would appreciate knowing how horrified he’d been to see her with her spirit crushed.

“You don’t truly believe that,” he murmured softly, allowing his profound need to keep her safe to flow through their bond.

She bit her bottom lip, looking unbearably young. “Then why did you abandon me?”

“Abandon you?” His hands reached to frame her face. “Christ, Sally, I would quite literally walk through the pits of hell to be with you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Sally tried to resist the urge to lean against the hard width of Roke’s chest.

Dammit. She was pissed at him, wasn’t she?

Certainly she’d devoted several pleasurable minutes to imagining the joy of castrating him.

But, the second he’d appeared, the crippling pain of betrayal had abruptly eased, replaced by the comforting sense of him deep in her heart.

Not that she was about to forgive and forget, she fiercely assured herself.

Fool her once, shame on him. Fool her twice . . . blah, blah, blah.

“If that were true, I wouldn’t have been left here to rot,” she pointed out.

“I’ve spent the past hours unconscious in my lair. Not that it would have mattered.” His voice thickened with anger. “I was chained to my bed.”

Was he serious?

Who would chain a clan chief to his bed?

“By your own people?” she asked in disbelief.

“My clan believes my mind has been clouded by a spell,” he said, his eyes flaring with silver fire. “They’re determined to protect me.”

“By torturing me?”

“God.” Without warning his arms wrapped around her, hauling her into his lap as he buried his face in the curve of her neck. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I never, ever wanted you hurt.”

She didn’t try to fight her way out of his arms.

She told herself it was because it would be a wasted effort. Even though she could sense he was weakened, she still had no chance of overpowering him.

But, that didn’t explain why she leaned into his embrace. Or why she absorbed the scent of sexy male and raw power as if it were necessary to her very survival.

It was the shower of dust from the ceiling that alerted her to the potential danger.

“Roke,” she murmured, tilting her head back to watch the crack in the stone above her head widen another inch beneath the force of his emotions.

“Shh.” His lips pressed to the sensitive skin of her throat, his fangs fully extended. “Let me hold you.”

“The ceiling—”

“I know,” he muttered, still holding her hard against his body. “I’m trying.”

“Perhaps we should finish this later?” Levet’s voice echoed from the tunnel.

At last Roke lifted his head, his face grim. “Is someone coming?”

“They are entering the caves above us,” the gargoyle warned.

Sally went rigid, her heart lodged in her throat as Roke cupped her chin in his hand and studied her frightened expression.

“Will you trust me?” he asked softly. His brows drew together as she hesitated. “Sally?”

She gave a grudging nod.

Beneath her lingering hurt, she knew that Roke had never meant for her to be caged and tortured. If she hadn’t been beaten and starved and imprisoned in the dark, she wouldn’t have given Zoe’s poisonous words a second thought.

But she was still angry that she’d once again been treated like a piece of worthless trash. And, if she were completely honest with herself, hurt by the undeniable proof that Roke’s clan would never, ever accept her as his mate.

Why she would care wasn’t something she was going to dwell on.

“Only until we get out of here,” she muttered.

“Fair enough,” he breathed, reaching for the music box that was set on the mattress beside her. Pressing it into her hand, he gently pulled her to her feet.

In silence they moved out of the cell, Roke tugging her toward a narrow slit in the stone wall that barely looked big enough to squeeze through.

Holding her breath, she fought to keep the blanket wrapped around her body as she wiggled through the opening, relieved when it widened into a passageway leading away from the cavern.

She took a step forward only to be halted when Roke laid a hand on her bare arm.

“Wait.”

She watched in puzzlement as Roke turned back toward the opening, his face hard with concentration.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure we can’t be followed.”

There was the sound of claws scraping against stone before Levet was squirming through the narrow crack.

“Hey, wait for me.”

“Great,” Roke muttered, grabbing one of Levet’s stunted horns to shove him out of the way. “Stay behind me.”