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I paced despite my exhaustion, twisting my fingers as I waited.
And waited
And waited.
I stopped and stared at the stone staircase and sighed. Wait here, he’d said. I had to wait here, but why? My heart thudded. He had my sister, and he was going to help her. I needed to wait, but why again? I moved my foot, tapping it on the sand, my body resisting the order he’d given me. I flexed my hands once, twice, my stomach lurching. I needed to get to Ain. He’d taken her, and I didn’t know him or who else was down there. What had I done? Wait here. No. I couldn’t wait for her. I moved, my feet scraping on the sand. I didn’t think about anything other than getting to Ain as I started down the steps.
I splayed my hands against the walls nearest to me, trailing my fingers along the dirty stone as I carefully started my descent. It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything. This was a bad idea. I knew it, but what choice did I have? The walls ended as my feet made it to solid ground. I outstretched my hands in front of me, trying to grasp onto anything.
“Drake?” I whispered, trying to get the beautiful stranger’s attention, but I heard nothing. “Drake?” I whispered once more.
I heard a rustling near me as if something slithered across the sand. I’d forgotten about the sand vipers that loved the dark, cool places. What was I thinking? Okay, okay, I could do this. I could do this. It was for my sister. I took a deep breath, making sure I avoided the area where I’d heard that little movement, and turned toward the opposite side. I kept my hands outstretched, not wanting to run into anything as I walked slowly but surely forward.
A solid wall finally met my fingertips, and I sighed in relief, tracing the uneven texture of the wall and the symbols carved into the stone. I kept walking, keeping my hands on the wall. Gods, I wished I could see. It was still so dark. How did he see anything? My rambling thoughts stopped as I heard voices. At first, they were soft murmurs, but the closer I got, the louder they grew. Someone was arguing.
“We don’t want a carcass that’s decaying from the inside out. I’m not going to eat that,” I heard someone say, and I gulped.
“She is not to eat. I brought her for Kaden.”
“You intend to feed me scraps then, vampire?” A deep voice replied.
Vampire? What was a vampire?
I shuffled closer, and their voices grew. I saw a dim light ahead and breathed a sigh of relief before dropping my hands from the wall and stalking forward. It wasn’t a lot of light, but enough to draw me to them. It spilled out at the end of the temple, casting dancing shadows across the far wall—lots of shadows.
“No,” the curly-haired angel said. “I intend for you to save her. I know you can.”
“And why would I do that?”
There was a slight pause as I drew closer. “Maybe another person to help you with your plans.”
I stopped in the doorway, afraid to interrupt their conversation. “Hmm, I don’t need anymore. Kill her.”
My heart dropped, and I didn’t think before running into the room. “No!” I screamed, skidding to a stop in front of Ain. I spread my arms wide, trying to protect her with my body. Ain clutched her arms around herself, frozen in fear.
Terror swept through me. I hadn’t just walked into a room with two men talking. I’d walked into a room with more than a dozen people. They were all dressed in various colored garbs, and they were all staring at me.
“You’re the travelers they spoke of. The ones who crossed the desert on foot and made it in one piece.”
“Is that what they call us?” The large man in front of me laughed, and a few others around the room joined him. I gulped, staring up at him. He was taller than me, and that was saying something. My eyes trailed from the thick black sandals he wore to his pleated skirt and over the wide expanse of his muscled chest. His skin was darker than mine, not like the sands of my home, but richer. The red garbs that covered his shoulders and part of his chest contrasted beautifully with the rich tones.
This had to be their leader. The power radiating from him was nearly physical. He’d woven his dreaded hair into a thick braid that disappeared down his back, the sides cut so close you could see his scalp. He was breathtakingly beautiful but deadly, like the colorful sand vipers that could strike at any moment. His hazel eyes met mine.
“Only those blessed by the gods could cross the great sands and survive,” I whispered, glancing around the room.
The others in the room looked between us as if just waiting for his command to kill Ain and me.
“Blessed by the gods?” He gave a sharp bark of laughter as he glanced at the others behind him. They either snickered or stared at me. He turned back around, shrugging slightly. “I guess it depends on who you pray to.”
Drake stepped forward. “Kaden, I apologize. I compelled her to wait outside. I don’t know how—”
Kaden, the scary, beautiful man, turned toward him and lifted a brow. Drake lowered his head and stepped back, stopping near another man that looked strikingly similar to him. The others in the room looked at each other, whispering together.
Kaden focused on me again. “Compelled, and yet here you stand in front of me,” he said. I moved closer to Ain and wrapped my arms around her. They spoke back and forth above our heads. I glanced toward the misshapen door. I could try to run with her. Maybe we could make it before—
“Excellent.” Kaden clapped his hands, drawing my attention back. “She stays. She is mine now.”
His words hit my skin like acid, and something inside me snapped. Not caring that I was outnumbered and, in a room filled with people that could kill my sister and me, I reached down and unsheathed the small dagger hidden against my inner thigh. Kaden watched, seemingly unconcerned.
