Page 102 of Knight’s Retribution

Chapter 29

“Bring the flashlight closer, pumpkin,” Rocco said.

Kyler moved in closer, brushing against him, and he had to take a steadying breath. Having his mate pressed up against him on that dance floor most of the night had done things to him, and he was finding it hard to focus.

“Is that better?”

“How about you hold the flashlight out and take a little step back,” he said with a serious growl in his voice.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

Her voice, all soft and sweet and concerned, sent tingles over his scalp and made him harder. “Yeah, something’s wrong. I want you naked, but that isn’t really an option right now.”

She was quiet for a beat. “Isn’t it?”

“Do not tempt me, female. It’s too risky. I need to stay alert,” he ground out and paced out the basement of the pub. The place closed an hour ago, and after the staff left and locked up, they’d broken in and made their way down here.

“Right, sorry,” she said, and the humor in her voice said she was not sorry in the least.

“Bullshit,” he muttered. “I know how you’re feeling, remember, and you’re enjoying the hell out of my misery.” He held out his hand, and Kyler passed him the shovel.

She chuckled, proving it. “If it’s that bad, whip out the trouser snake, big boy. I’ll give you a quick hand job. You’ll be good as new.”

He froze and turned to her. She was smiling huge. “Trouser snake?”

She shrugged, that stupid, cute-as-fuck grin still on her face. “I call it like I see it.”

He growled under his breath, but he was enjoying himself as well. As the weeks passed, more of the old Kyler returned. She was a smart-ass. She’d given him shit and had him laughing the first night he’d met her, and he loved it. “Trouser anaconda, pumpkin, get it right.”

She laughed and quickly tried to stifle it. “Well, best you get digging. The sooner we find this thing, the sooner we can get out of here and get to the good stuff.”

He started digging up the packed-dirt floor. “You’re not helping, baby, and I’m not sure why I’m the one doing the digging. You’re just as strong as me, remember?”

“Yeah, but this way you get to feel all manly, I would never dream of taking that from you.”

He shook his head. “I assure you, my ego does not feel threatened in the least.”

She huffed out another laugh, and he put his back into it, digging deeper.

The deeper he got, the quieter they became. Christ, they were both holding their breath. If it wasn’t here, they were back to square one—

The shovel hit something. Rocco glanced up at Kyler. She shined the flashlight in and something dark and glossy reflected the light. A stone. He pried it out. It was an inch thick and a perfect circle, similar in size to a dinner plate. Something was carved on the surface.

Rocco rubbed his palm over it, wiping away the dirt.

“What is it?” Kyler asked, moving closer.

“Another map, by the looks of it.” He handed it to Ky and dug around a little more, making sure they didn’t miss something, then climbed out and quickly filled in the hole.

“This still being here,” Ky said, trying to get a good look at it in the limited light, “has to be a good thing, right? Surely it has to mean no one’s found the dagger yet?”

“I fucking hope so. Let’s go.”

This map was a lot more difficult than the last. There was a little cross engraved into one corner showing north, south, east, and west, thankfully. Even so, it was dark, and they were following a map carved in the seventeenth century, a map that was nothing but rough lines chipped into stone.

Two hours later, they were in Salem Woods, following one of the hiking and running trails. He could hear running water nearby, but it was too dark to see it. Kyler shone the flashlight on the stone he was carrying, and he did his best to follow the near-impossible-to-read directions.

“This way,” he said, leading Kyler from the track and deeper into the woods.