could just do it all over again tonight. Every night. Until your brother returns,” I suggested, and felt a delicious thrill just at saying the words. What was wrong with me? I was never this bold. But it felt so freeing. There was a power in knowing that he found me attractive and desirable. And Brent was right about one thing—power felt amazing.
We were just about to leave Astor’s quarters when he thought of something. “We didn’t bring that medicinal plants book, did we? Damn. You read a list of roots that could be boiled to counter infection. Don’t happen to remember which ones, do you?”
“No, but I remember the way to Torrin’s rooms. I can go get the book and meet you out in that hangar-looking area.”
I didn’t really think Astor would let me out of his sight, but he must have been really distracted, more than he was letting on.
“Be safe. And hurry.” Another kiss, this time on top of my head. It was like he couldn’t help himself.
I’d expected the corridor outside to be crammed with people, the way it had been the day before when the City-State’s women had gone underground for safety. But today it was empty. Was everybody still down here, or had they gone up to the surface to tend their returning warriors? It seemed like if the warriors had returned victorious, there would be some noisy celebration going on, but then, if they had lost the battle, shouldn’t invaders or Reamers or some other horrible people be slaughtering all of us right now?
I shuddered and hurried down to Torrin’s throne room. The door wasn’t locked, which I hadn’t expected, but the room was also empty, which I also hadn’t expected. Down here, I couldn’t hear the vehicle sounds anymore, but I didn’t want to linger a second longer than necessary in the skull room.
The pile of books was precisely where we’d left them, with the medicinal plants volume on top, marked where we’d stopped reading. I grabbed it and turned back to the corridor.
Dreama stood just inside the doorway. Her face looked strained.
She closed the door behind her.
“We have our victory,” she said, but she didn’t look happy. At all. “Torrin and Nox are still missing, and now Mattis, too. Baron the Great has assumed regency—you have no reason to know him, but he is utter slime. I…I don’t know what to do, but Torrin would maim me if I let them get you.”
“Why Baron? Isn’t Astor a better fit?” This place and its politics were so complicated, but the politics had a way of devolving to that.
“Of course,” Dreama snapped, “which is exactly why that keistered fungus Baron has taken him prisoner.”
Chapter Eight
I gaped at her. “I just left him. How can he have been taken prisoner?”
“It took seconds.” She sighed. “They dragged him away the second he stepped outside. It was minutes ago. He managed to call out to me to come and save you.”
I shuddered, running hands over the goosebumps on my arms. “What happens now?”
Vehicles sounded outside and above us, and Dreama rushed to the door. “We hope that is my brother and that he is in some kind of position to lead.”
I ran after her, my chest tightening when I did. Running was always a problem, even though I craved doing it. Astor had been taken prisoner? Was he okay? We’d only hours ago been wrapped up in each other’s arms. How had this happened?
In the big hangar, Mattis jumped out of the transport first, followed by Torrin, who held his arm in an awkward position. It was moments still before two others I didn’t recognize came out holding a stretcher.
Dreama winced. “Nox is hurt, badly.”
I rushed out of the tunnel, nearly colliding with Torrin, who held me still in lieu of saying a word to me. He called over his shoulder. “Where is my brother? Get him here.”
“I can’t.” Dreama wrung her hands together. “Baron the Great has taken him prisoner.”
Torrin narrowed his eyes for a long second before he spun around to face Mattis. “You tell Baron the Great that he will release my brother instantly or he will find himself Baron the Mutilated. And I will cut up his daughter’s face until no man will look at, let alone bond with her. You tell him he has ten fucking seconds.”
Mattis met my gaze for a second, and heat seemed to move through me. He turned his attention to Torrin. “On it.”
“Good.” He strode further