Chapter Eighty-Seven: Jailbreak_Shadowborn

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Jailbreak

 To my surprise, my time in Ste’s workshop flew by. Like Rhani, once she was engrossed in a project, her focus was unshakable. It helped that my time in Esther’s shop during the war gave me enough knowledge to know just what questions to ask to prod her along in her musings, and it wasn’t long before she was so invested in Nell that she no longer had the capacity to tease me.

 Thank the gods. With how hard I spent most of the night, I was going to make Rhani a very happy Arelim when I got home. Her and whoever else wanted to join in, because Ste quite literally unting her naked body in front of me all night was really making it hard to stay focused. I was just lucky she was forced to don her apron once again since she apparently refused to tie the front of her coat closed. Something about the constant shes of the creamy skin underneath my coat was so much more erotic than her simply being nude that I started to consider her jab to get naked myself.

 It especially helped when I started using my storage to transfer materials from our manor to the workshop. I could tell she hadn’t fully believed I was willing to provide her with so many valuable magicponents, but the happy tears that welled in the corners of her eyes when I did was extremely worth it.

 Another thing that caught me by surprise was how quickly my Soul Essence started to regenerate. Just spending time with Ste, guiding and prodding her genius mind as she inhaled everything there was to know about the golem in front of her, not only put me at ease in a fashion I hadn’t experienced in a very long time but it also got me up to nearly one hundred thirty Soul Essence.

 But, all too soon, her rms signaled someone approaching. In the time it took for her to get dressed her demeanor had shiftedpletely. Gone was the flirty, slightly awkward, bright little Elf girl. She donned her mask expertly, shifting into a much more serious, much darker version of herself that once again made me want to scoop her up and take her somewhere she’d never have to hide herself away again.

 But the enchanted mark on her side meant that wasn’t an option. If I was going to do this, I had to do it right. That meant taking my time and making sure she didn’t end up paying for any of my mistakes.

 We were waiting in her main workshop when Letty arrived, pale and out of breath. “It’s time. She’s awake.”

 I’d felt a tremor through our Link briefly a few minutes ago, so that made sense. I’d been monitoring our connection closely, but so far it was still considerably weaker than most of the Links I’d forged so far. I took that to mean she still didn’t trust me fully, which waspletely fair all things considered. Still, that meant I was limited in what I could sense through our Link.

 I slid Ste’s magicloak on and immediately it absorbed my shadows. They writhed and pulsed initially, but I’d spent some of my time in her secret workshop experimenting. It was only a few seconds before I managed to calm them, shaping the darkness until it just looked like a really dark cloak.

 Ste and I exchanged a nce. There was worry in her eyes, even if she was doing her best to hide it. Suddenly it was painfully difficult to walk away from her. To leave her here, alone, in what my brain insisted was enemy territory. I couldn’t shake the sensation that if I left her now I might never see her again.

 Before I could find the words to say anything, she threw herself into my chest and wrapped her arms around me. “Please be safe,” she said, her voice muffled by the cloak she’d given me.

 I wrapped one arm around her while stroking her hair gently. “Don’t go worrying about me. I promise I’ve walked out of more dangerous ces than a brothel.”

 She nodded, but it was still a few beats before she pulled away. “See you next time?”

 “You know it.”

 She offered me her best smile, and I did my best to return it. I could feel her eyes on me as I followed Letty out of the workshop. I pulled my hood low and Lettytched onto my arm so it looked like she was my escort. Sure enough, just as she’d promised, the halls were filled with other men and even a few women with hoods pulled low.

 Nobody batted an eye in our direction while Letty guided me through. It wasn’t until we were almost at our destination that I realized I was far more aware of her trembling fingers clutching my arm than her nearly naked body pressed up against mine.

 There was somefort in that. At least I wasn’t painfully horny for every woman that came along. Just my women. Now I had to figure out why my dick was convinced thatbel extended to women like Ste and Karina, who I’d only just met.

 “She’s in here, but I don’t have a key. I saw her awake when one of those poor girls with a cor went in,” Letty said in a hushed tone.

 I patted her hand. “You did good. Wait out here for me, I shouldn’t be too long.”

 She swallowed hard once, then nodded. She stepped away and I pressed a hand to the door. I conjured a shadow, then focused my will through it until it was thin enough to slip into the keyhole. I felt around for the lock mechanism and carefully undid it, then reached into my storage and pulled out one of Rhani’s early prototypes. One of the silencing runes she’d used on the bed.

 I channeled some magic into it and opened the door. The bubble kept me from making any noise, and since the only hostile upant was facing away from me, my entrance went unnoticed. Valith sat tied to a chair in the center of the room facing me. Her eyes didn’t so much as flicker in my direction, but I felt the change in our Link. Surprise and relief. She knew I was here at least.

 Between us was one of the cored. The Seelie, Seven. Short gold and red hair and clothes that barely covered the bruising that trailed up the entire side of her body. She was pacing back and forth, her attention locked on Valith. As I slipped in, she was shaking her head.

 “You were out, Fourteen,” she said, despair heavy in her tone. “You were free. Why would you evere back? Why would you risk it?”

 “You really think I’d leave you behind, Sev?” Valith asked grimly. “I saw a chance to save you, and I took it with both hands. I’m not leaving you to this life.”

 Seven shook her head angrily, running her hands through her hair with enough force that they tore out a few strands. “Forget about me! The only reason I could even get out of bed thesest few weeks is because I knew you’d shucked your cor. Now that they’ve got you again… Fourteen, I—”

 “Valith,” she responded with a smile. “That’s my name now. Valith.”

 Seven stopped her pacing. “That’s a good name, Valith.”

 Whether by intention or not, Seven stopped in the perfect ce for me to approach. I left the silencing charm on the door to make sure we wouldn’t be disturbed and pulled the Jailer’s de out of my storage. While still in the silencing bubble, I flipped thetch open.

 I don’t like this ce, Ash said immediately. Her voice seemed to grow clearer every time I pulled the de out. There’s so much sadness here. Can we burn it down?

 Working on it, I thought back, hoping she could understand.

 Ooh, neat! Can I help?

 I couldn’t suppress a smirk at the sudden shift in the emotions burning through the bond. Sure. First things first, we need to help the Seelie in front of us.

 Got it! First question, what’s a Seelie?

 Oh boy.

 “Do you trust me, Sev?” Valith asked, her voice raw with emotion.

 Seven’s shoulders stiffened. “As much as I can with this thing around my neck.”

 I don’t know what a Seelie is, but I vote we get rid of that nasty cor first, Ash said in a chipper tone. Envement magic is super gross, especially the stuff like that. It’s way too close to this stupid prison for my liking.

 I paused. That was valuable information to file awayter, it seemed. Can you stop the magic without destroying the cor?

 Depends, can I borrow a bit of your soul and use this cool ass cloak you’re wearing?

 I sent a pulse of affirmation through our Link, and she responded immediately with a wave of excitement. That was followed by a pull that nearly knocked me off my feet as Soul Essence was sucked into the de. The magicloak, which had a second ago been inert, started shifting and undting across my body, streaks of crimson weaving through the shadows and thickening them until it looked like I was surrounded by a cloud of red and ck shadow.

 “Close your eyes, Sev,” Valith said softly. “Please?”

 Seven hesitated, then stepped forward and ced her hand to Valith’s cheek. “Alright,” she said, her voice equally quiet. Only then did Valith’s eyes flick to me, widening slightly at whatever she saw.

 It was all I needed. I surged forward, trying to strike at the cor on her throat and end things in one fell swoop. I was mere feet away when it glowed an angry yellow, then Seven’s whole body went stiff. She whirled, her eyes wide with confusion, and something shot off her right bicep.

 Swirling blue twisted and expanded until it was a long, winged serpent hurtling towards me fang-first. Seven’s confusion turned to fear as I hurtled towards her, but she was powerless to stop more of her tattoos froming to life. The serpent swirled and twisted around the tip of my de. I caught it about halfway down, slicing it in two, but since it wasn’t a real creature with organs it didn’t seem to care too much.

 It wrapped around my de as a bipedal creature made of vivid green and violet vines hurtled at me out of nothingness. I cut straight through its middle while tendrils ripped the serpent to shreds. The vine man’s halves fell to the sides, but the nts it was made of immediately started writhing until I was facing two vine men half the size of the original. In the time it took me to hack them into pieces small enough not to matter, Seven was facing me with a fearful, if determined, expression.

 She crossed her arms, touching her fingers to either of her inner elbows, and came away with two long curved swords that looked like they were made of silver ink. She hesitated, then Valith said, “Your only chance is closebat. Trust me, Sev.”

 Seven’s jaw clenched, then she was hurtling towards me while birds with wings made from des erupted from her upper back andunched themselves at me. I conjured two empowered tendrils and they erupted from my shoulders, knocking most of them away. Several slipped past, apparently sentient enough to weave through my defenses. Rather than the pain of des slicing into my flesh though, I felt dull thuds and heard the impact of metal on metal.

 Though my curiosity was piqued, I didn’t waste time looking down. Valith was right to goad Seven into close quarters. The longer the fight went, the higher the chances of discovery. If Seven spent the fight hiding behind her living tattoos, then depending on how much more ink she carried this fight could drag on for far too long.

 The only problem? Seven was very good at close quartersbat. If I didn’t have Ash and my shadows to keep her creations at bay, I’d be in trouble. As it was, I couldn’t manage to get my de close enough to her cor for Ash’s destructive magic to take hold. Not without running the risk of any idental decapitations.

 Pretty sure [Shadow Stitching] wasn’t going to do much to fix that.

 She was quick, but the Jailer’s de gave me an advantage. Every time our des crossed, it ate away at the animated ink that much more until finally one of her des gave way. I stepped in close, not giving her time to try and tap into another of her tattoos. The cor started glowing brighter and brighter, but her movements were sluggish. She was fighting its control.

 I got it! Ash called in my head.

 She lunged and my de pulled itself out of the way of her strike. It went past my guard, mming into my ribs, but once again all I felt was a dull thud. It hit hard enough that the already damaged de snapped, and the tip of the Jailer’s de just barely nicked the edge of the cor.

 I felt shadows twist and condense until they were pinpricks. They weaved through the cor, and I was aware of them brushing up againstyer afteryer of magic I was vaguely aware of. I felt their general purpose through Ash. She bypassed enchantment after enchantment, each written inyers uponyers of iron in anguage I’d only ever seen in one ce.

 Inscribed upon the Jailer’s de.

 She skipped over the enchantments that took inmands. Ignored the magic designed to force the wearer to protect themselves. Past all the different inscriptions that stripped away the will of the wearer until she found a single thread of magic. The one that transferred all that the cor did to its wearer. With pinpoint precision, she eradicated that one single line, leaving the rest of the cor and its magic intact.

 All at once, the fight fell out of Seven’s body. She copsed, falling to her hands and knees. I threw myself backwards, struggling for a moment to reign in all the shadows that were still trying tosh out and destroy anything and everything that came into their range. Now that I finally had a moment, I looked down. My cloak was gone, reced by a literal set of armor unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Interlocking tes of metal as ck as my shadows marbled with red covered my torso and upper legs. It was light and flexible enough that they didn’t hinder my movement, but I’d already felt how effective it was at blocking damage.

 But, just because Seven was free, didn’t automatically mean she was an ally. I turned my attention back to her, weapon raised, waiting for her next move.

 At first, she didn’t move a muscle. She sat there on her hands and knees, eyes wide, with a look of shock on her face. Tentatively, she reached up and touched the cor still at her throat. For all intents and purposes, it appeared unaffected. Then, violently, she brought the de still remaining in her hand to her arm and sliced deep into her flesh.

 She looked at the line of crimson like it was a miracle, then let out augh filled to the brim with disbelief. “Fuck. Fuck. You…” she looked up at me, then her expression hardened. She jerkily pushed herself to her feet and moved to stand between me and Valith. “Who are you?”

 “Rx, Sev,” Valith said, the relief in her voice evident. “That’s my boss. He’s the one who save me. Nine and Seventeen, too.”

 Seven nched. Her arms fell to the side and she actually staggered a step. “Seventeen’s alive?”

 “Alive and well,” Valith said with augh. “Shit, the pipsqueak even smiles every once in a while. You can trust him, Sev. You can also untie me whenever you feel like it.”

 “Shit!” Seven cursed, letting her sword fall to the ground. She turned her back to me and darted towards Valith in a rush to untie her. “Sorry!”

 Ash trilled in my head. Alright! Cor neutered! Now, let’s go take care of this Seelie thingy.

 I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The girl is theSeelie, Ash. Mission aplished. Now, I can’t exactly go running around a brothel with a giant scary sword, so I’m gonna have to put you back.

 No problem, as long as you promise to take me out when you get home. Things are clearer these days, even when I’m locked up, but your pocket dimension is too quiet. It reminds me of… things.

 As much as I wanted to expand on just what exactly that meant, now wasn’t the time. I returned the de to its scabbard and banished it to my storage. When I returned my attention to the other two girls, they were embracing tight enough that I felt the need to avert my gaze and give them a moment.

 When they pulled away, Valith’s hand went to the cor still around Seven’s throat. “Let’s get this off you and get you home,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

 But Seven pulled away. “Not while they still have Four. Six and Thirteen are supposed to return from their mission soon as well. I can be your inside man, give us an edge when its time to save them. You’re not the only one allowed to risk your freedom, Valith.”

 Valith looked like she wanted to argue, then her shoulders slumped. She turned to me. “Gotta say, I wasn’t entirely sure you’d spring me. Thanks, boss.”

 I just shrugged. “I don’t leave men behind. I take it your infil was a bust, then?”

 She grinned. “Hardly. I made out like a bandit, but I wanted to cover my tracks. Snuck back in to make it look like amon robbery. Didn’t expect to get sted by a sleep spell, though.” She threw her arm over Seven’s shoulders. “Sev, this is my boss, the infamous Zaren Nocht.”

 Seven’s body locked up. “You’re the Shadowborn?” Her gaze flitted to where the pieces of her animated tattoos were dissolving on the ground. “Fuck, thanks for holding back on me then.”

 I inclined my head. “Thanks for not making me kill you.” I stepped closer, reaching for her cor. “May I?”

 She nced at Valith, who nodded encouragingly. As I examined the cor close up, I couldn’t help but marvel at that fact. Just like Ste before, Valith was vouching for me. Once upon a time, it was Rr who had to do the same for just about everyone we came across. Now I seemed to have collected a whole host of people who trusted me implicitly.

 It was mildly terrifying.

 The cor itself was just as I remembered, but with all I’ve learned I recognized the style of magic unique to the Jailer’s de. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I’d never seen anything remotely like Karn’s cors in the years since I’d escaped them. I’d always had the feeling that the Jailer’s de sat at the center of his machinations, and this was just further proof of that.

 “How much time do you spend here?” I asked her.

 She avoided looking at both of us. “Seelie make a lot of money. We’re rare and alluring, after all. I’m here more often than not.”

 I had a feeling the bruises that ran the length of her body, as well as those mottling the side of her face I hadn’t had a chance to look at until now, were the result of that. I nodded curtly, then stepped back. Valith looked like she wanted tomit murder, but I put a hand on her shoulder. “You still in touch with Lizard—er, with Samsol, I mean?”

 It took her a second to unclench her jaw. “I can be, yeah.”

 “Tell him we’ve got a Ramadi situation. He’ll know what I mean. I’ll foot the bill.” Then, to Seven, I said, “that’ll be the code word. If they say Ramadi, then you know we sent them. We’ll upy your nights so you have a chance to keep us informed and we can keep the Swallow’s guests away from you.”

 Her relief was visible. “That won’t be cheap.”

 “Maybe not, but it’ll be well worth it. Now, you know the Swallow’s artificer?”

 “Estellise?”

 I chuckled. I could tell why she might prefer to go by Ste. She simply didn’t strike me as an Estellise.

 “That’s the one. Get with her, tell her I sent you. I’d like her to learn everything she can about that cor you’re wearing, see if she can find a way to neutralize it that isn’t me and my de. Hopefully with Rhani’s help they can figure something out.”

 She nodded. “I can do that. But for now, you should go. Gallow will be here soon, and we can’t risk him recognizing Valith. As far as they know, she and Nine are on the run somewhere to the north.”

 Valith grimaced, but then her expression softened. She grabbed Seven’s hand. “Nine took the name Safina, and Seventeen is Noelle. You could choose a new name now, too, if you wanted.”

 Moisture filled Seven’s eyes, but she blinked it away. “I’ll think on it. Now, we need to sneak Val out of here somehow.” She put her hands on her hips. “What kind of underwear are you rocking?”

 Valith groaned. “It’s always something.” With a heavy sigh, she asked, “What are the odds you’ve got something slutty in there for Rhani? We’re about the same size.”

 Trying not to feel ridiculous, I handed her a corset and garter belt. Rhani was going to be thrilled she’d been so much help tonight. While Valith started to strip, I worked on returning my cloak to it’s former shape to hide my profile. “Samsol should be able to get his man in ce by the end of the day. Until then, leave whatever info you already have with Ste and she’ll get it back to us. The more you can tell us about their base, the quicker we can n a hit to rescue anyone else with a cor. See if you can’t find when the other two will be arriving as well.”

 Seven nodded. “Right. I can do all that.”

 Valith handed me her clothes, which I banished to my storage. “Zaren…” she started. The fact that she used my name caught my attention immediately. “I know this is a big ask, but will you Link her? I’d feel a lot better sending her back into hell if we at least knew when she got into shit. Plus, I figure you can track her with it.”

 At Seven’s confused re, I gave her a brief summary of what the Link entailed. Even after the fight, I still had nearly a hundred Soul Essence in the tank. I’d already confirmed she didn’t have a shimmer, but I could afford the thirty Essence it would cost.

 She bit her lip, then nodded. “If Valith and Nine are Linked to you, then I’ll Link as well. It’s not a sex thing, right?”

 “Definitely not,” I promised. “No sex required. Valith and I are perfectly tonic, and I have no issue keeping it that way.”

 Seven looked skeptical, which made Valithugh. “He’s not kidding. His girls keep him plenty drained, so he wouldn’t have the energy to force you into anything. And if he did, they’d probably kill him.”

 She still looked unsure, but she just nodded. “Right. Guess it’s time for you to go, then.” They pulled one another close, pressing their foreheads together. “Be safe, Valith.”

 “Pretty sure that’s my line, Sev,” Valith whispered back. “If you get busted, know that there isn’t a damn thing that’ll keep me froming for you.”

 “And I’ll be right behind her,” I agreed. I held my hand out and she took it hesitantly. When I activated [Forge Link], it felt like it had in the early days before I’d fully expanded my pool. Like it was ripping the essence straight out of my chest to create the connection between us. I bit back a groan and magic sparked between our palms, then it was done. I could feel her faintly on the other end of the Link, which would have to be good enough until I could earn her trust more.

 “y it safe, don’t take any crazy risks,” I told her, pulling my hood up. “Trust only Ste and Samsol’s man. Valith will be in charge of monitoring the Swallow, so I’ll leave the rest up to her.”

 Seven nodded, then walked up to the door. I pried the silencing charm off the wall next to the entrance while she checked outside for anyone nearby. When she waved us on, there was only Letty.

 As soon as they saw one another, both Letty and Valith gasped. Letty threw her arms around Valith, and after a moment Valith did the same. “Shit, Let, when did you grow tits?” Valith asked tearfully.

 “Long story,” Letty said back, wiping her eyes, “and most days I wish I hadn’t. But enough about that, we need to get you out of here. Remi’s here, too. She’s watching one of the side doors, so that’s where we’ll go.

 Valith nodded with a grimace. “There’s a painting on the second floor. A cored Seraphim surrounded by two muscled up Erinyes. You know it?”

 Letty grimaced, then nodded. “I do.”

 “I stashed some shit behind it. Think you can get it to the artificer downstairs?”

 “I can, but after we get you two out of here. Come on.”

 Seven and Valith exchanged onest lingering look, then nodded to one another. “Don’t you dare get yourself killed or re-cored, Sev. I’ll bring your ass back just to kill you if you do.”

 Seven shot her a teary grin. “Same to you. Say hi to Safina for me.”

 “Will do.”

 They finally tore their gazes from one another and Seven headed further into the Silver Swallow at a brisk pace. Letty wrapped around my arm again, encouraging Valith to do the same to blend in. Valith shot me a re, giving me a pretty good idea of what she’d do if I didn’t keep my hands to myself, and I inclined my head.

 Between the low cowl of my hood and the Dark Elves on my arms, nobody so much as spared us a second nce. In no time, a tall Lycanine was ushering us out a side door. She exchanged a brief, crushing hug with Valith, leveled a few threats at me, and then we were gone. We stopped long enough for Valith to throw some clothes on, then we were on our way home.

 About halfway, Nariko appeared out of the darkness to let us know she’d sent the others back as well. When we reached the front doors of the manor, Valith finally allowed herself to breathe. “Seriously,” she said, “thank you. It’s nice to know you’ve actually got my back. I know you promised before, but knowing it is different.”

 I patted her shoulder. “I told you, I take care of my own. If you’re going to risk your life on my behalf, then you can be sure I won’t abandon you. The same goes for anyone in my household.”

 She nodded, her throat bobbing once, then pushed ahead to enter. It was early morning, still a few hours from sunrise, so the house was mostly silent. The only people visible were three individuals taking up one of the couches in the main hall.

 Safina sat in the middle, her head bobbing back and forth as she tried to fight off sleep. To her left, Noelle was curled up in the crook of her arm fast asleep. On her right, Rhani was syed out with her head resting on Safina’s breast and Safina’s hand pressed to Rhani’s back. Rhani’s eyes were half closed, but they shot open when they saw us.

 “You’re back!” she cried.

 Safina shot to her feet immediately, bringing both girls with her and looking around, startled. Noelle made a disgruntled sound, still wrapped around her arm and holding on for dear life, but Rhani just looked thrilled.

 As soon as Safina’s gaze locked on us, she stormed over with the girls still in hand. “Thank the gods you’re both safe. Val, I was so worried—” She cut off when she tried to step forward and hug Valith, only just then realizing her arms were still filled. She looked between them all, growling deep in her throat.

 Valithughed so hard tears started leaking out of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Safina, resting her forehead on Safina’s chest. “Never change, Blue.”

 “Ste’s thrilled you’re safe,” Rhani said, waggling her brows. “You should probably know that I can look through Festus’s eyes, too.”

 I sighed. “Figures. Well, before you get carried away, you should probably know Karn’s cors use magic I’m fairly certain is based on the Jailer’s de. For now, let’s put understanding them at the top of your priorities.”

 She nodded, eyes wide. “I’ll get right on it.”

 “She’ll get right on it after she sleeps,” Safina rified. She still seemed annoyed she couldn’t scoop up all three of them at once, but Valith still leaning on her appeared to soothe her inner dragon. “You were barely staying awake a minute ago.”

 Rhani scoffed. “Hello, pot, meet kettle!”

 Safina just frowned. “I don’t know what that means.”

 “It means,” I interjected, “that we should all go get some sleep. I know I’m exhausted.”

 “Not too exhausted, I’d think,” Rhani said, fluttering hershes at me.

 Safina looked at the stairs, biting her lip, then down at Valith. “Stay with us tonight? My dragon is still freaking out a little that you were in trouble and I couldn’t get to you.”

 Valith hummed. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

 Safina’s shoulder’s hunched. “Good. That’s really good to hear.”

 Soon enough, we were all upstairs in the big room. I went to the dressing area and grabbed some clothes to sleep in. “I don’t know about you all, but I really need to wash the smell of brothel off.”

 But when I turned around, Safina was standing at the edge of the bed with a wide smile, her tail swishing behind her. Everyone paused, watching as she toed off her boots and stepped down into the pit. She took a few steps in, then lifted her hands straight out to her sides and fell forward. She hit with a bounce, sinking into the piles of nkets and mattresses. She made a delighted sound and rolled, eyes facing straight up, sying her limbs out in all directions.

 “It just keeps going…” she said softly. Then she rolled over again and started manically pulling nkets and pillows towards her.

 Rhani looked like she was doing her best to hold in herughter. “Looks like you might have been onto something about that nesting. Maybe we should—eep!”

 Safina’s tail shot out lightning fast, catching Rhani’s ankle and yanking it out from under her. Rhani barely hit the mattress before Safina grabbed her by the leg and abducted her into the pile of nkets and pillows she’d made. Rhani squealed and iled her arms, though she didn’t do anything that looked remotely like trying to actually escape.

 “Zaren, heeeeelp!” she called.

 “Yeah Zaren,” Safina said, her eyes glittering with amusement, e help her.” She burrowed deeper into the towels, her tail flicking, daring me to get within reach.

 I couldn’t help butugh. “I would, but there’s a nice hot bath calling my name right now. There’s plenty of room, though. Someone,” I looked pointedly at Rhani, “made sure there was more than enough room for everyone, giant, pretty, muscr Half-Dragons included.”

 Safina’s pupils narrowed. “A bath?”

 I nodded. “You don’t even have to let go of Rhani.”

 She licked her lips. “And… you’ll be there?”

 “If that’s something you’refortable with.”

 She looked around at the nest she’d made, then came to a decision. She popped up, throwing Rhani over her shoulder. “Bath it is, then.”

 “Safina!” Rhani pleaded with augh, “I don’t have any clothes to change into!”

 Safina swatted her on the rear, shutting her up rather effectively. “We both know it won’t stay on for long anyways, I’m just saving time.”

 Rhani shot me a heated look, and after the day I’d had I couldn’t help but adjust my pants. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Rhani. Her switch was flipped, and suddenly she was putty in Safina’s hands. Shaking my head, I threw my clothes over my shoulder and followed. Valith patted my arm. “I’ll send the others on in when they get here. And…”

 She stepped in close. “Take care of my friend, Zaren. She’s got a lot of love to give, and she’s been through far too much pain already. If you hurt her, then I will end you.”

 “Duly noted. And don’t you worry either, we’ll have Seven free and clear before long too.”

 She blushed, then cleared her throat. She turned on her heel and strode out of the room without another word, leaving me alone in the room with Noelle, who still hadn’t said a word. Silently, she walked over and pressed her face into my side, grabbing two fistfuls of my shirt. “I hate not being able to go in with you,” she said softly.

 I ran my fingers through her hair and she hummed. “I know, Noelle. It won’t be like this always.”

 She breathed in deep, and I knew she was inhaling my scent. “I know, but I am still frustrated. I hate being so different I can’t even walk outside.”

 “We’ll get there,” I promised, “until then, I’ll just have to make sure you’ve got enough friends at the manor to never feel alone again. And, when the timees to storm the castle, you’ll be right there at my side.”

 “Yes,” she said firmly, finally looking at me with intensity in her crimson eyes. “I will.”

 I smiled. “Let’s go see if Safina let Rhani undress herself, shall we?”

 The corners of her lips turned up. “And you can finally see Safina naked. I wonder how her dragon will react when she sees you wearing just as little.”

 Apprehension and arousal warred within me, but I couldn’t deny I was at least excited to see Safina enjoying the bath. There was something so pure about how fully she enjoyed the little things like beds and consistent meals. I pressed a kiss to the top of Noelle’s head, then she took my hand and led me into the bath. We’d only made it a few steps before we heard Rhani’s delighted squeals.

 “Guess Safina got impatient,” I said, and Noelle’s grin widened.

 “Understandable,” Noelle said with a shrug. “She’s already waited plenty long if you ask me.”

 Rhani squealed again, then there was a loud ssh, and I felt my own smile widen. “I couldn’t agree more.”

MillionNovel

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Jailbreak