Page 172 of City of Snakes
“Then what will it take to gain your favor in the impending war against him?”
“I only require one thing. Then me and my children will help you,” Lymrasi said as she licked the air.
“Name it,” I challenged. Dealing with conditions had always been my strong suit.
She hissed, “That when the time comesss, you will not hesitate to defeat him. No matter the cossst.”
I looked over my shoulder. Krait’s brow furrowed, but he nodded.
“Deal. How do we wake the others?”
“Only I can do that. Come to me when Isssolde’s power hasss been restored to Caym.”
A lump formed in my throat. They would not help until our doom was imminent.
“Fine…We will be back,” I said. “Do not leave here. Am I understood?”
Lymrasi whispered as she slunk deeper into the cavern, “Yesss, young Isssleen. We are now indebted to one another. But you are on borrowed time.”
Her words made me shiver.
I’d make riskier deals with beasts of nightmares if it meant Caym never got the chance to destroy our realms.
I hoped we were not too late to fight him, to return him to a state of sleep until the next black moon.
On our walk back to the flat, Krait grabbed my hand and pulled me aside. He pressed me against the wall of a shop just a few blocks from our destination.
“Can we consummate our marriage right here?” he asked. “Something about watching you command a giant snake has gotten me all sorts of eager.”
I smirked and swatted half-heartedly at him. “Someone will see. There are guards right over there.”
“Let them.”
He leaned down, and when his mouth took mine with feverish indulgence, my knees went weak. Kissing my husband here,open to prying eyes, open to whatever judgment was dealt us, felt too good not to be wicked.
There may have been a man slinging leathers into a cart yards away. The sound of a chime might have meant someone opened the shop door feet away from us.
None of it mattered, because I was drunk on a man I never should have fallen for, but had anyway. I moaned into his mouth as he reached down and pulled my thigh up around him, seeming intent on exactly what he’d asked for.
“My King.” The sound of clanking armor grew louder. Not now. I was too consumed in his kiss to be stopped.
He parted from me, staring into my eyes with swollen lips and mussed hair. “When we get back to the flat, we’re finishing this,” he promised.
“My King,” the soldier repeated, and Krait righted me on the ground. We turned to face the disorderly group of soldiers that stood at the corner. They were winded and huffing.
“Officer Ryn requires your help at the prison. He requested that you come alone.”
A young soldier approached with a note, and though I couldn’t make out the words, I recognized Ryn’s handwriting. I looked between the soldier and my husband. “I stay by your side.”
Krait scanned Ryn’s note. “I promise when I determine it’s safe, I will come get you,” he reasoned. “If Ryn thinks it unwise, trust him. Please.”
The lust of our prior moment of wild desperation had passed and had been replaced with the stone facades of two rulers negotiating.
“I’ll determine whether it is unwise. Hand it over.”
He passed me the note.
Something is very wrong with the prisoners here. They’ve grown rapidly ill. Come quickly.For the love of all things good, keep Sybilla away in case it’s contagious.
