Nazreen

Chapter Fifty

Nazreen didn't stay on the stage long enough to face the repercussions of her decision. She pegged it to the side and let the shadows swallow her up. she stared at the chaos for a moment too long. People were looking for her already, but they wouldn't find her.

Not when she couldn't be seen.

Annaliese marched up to the stage, hands shaking with rage, but she wouldn't find Nazreen there either.

The doors to the ballroom had all been closed with a guard standing at each entrance. More fool them. Nazreen didn't need the doors open. She walked straight through them.

More guards lined the hallways, but they couldn't see her either.

She dropped the ring after the first bend, letting it clatter back into existence, the only sign she'd actually made it out of the ballroom.

She didn't care what happened to it.

It wasn't her problem anymore.

I feel free.

She wasn't familiar with the dungeons, but her feet knew where to go.

It was darker down there, abandoned by the rest of the castle. She didn't let the cobwebs or the darkness get to her. Prisoners moaned as if inwardly sensing her, or maybe the pain of being down here for so long was just catching up.

Maybe this was normal for them.

Where would they put Emilio?

With the cells near the front filled up, she made towards the end, following her senses.

She'd know the scent of his blood anywhere.

She located him in one near the end, where he stood with his back to the far side of the cell, giving the bars a look of contemplation.

Planning his escape?

He wouldn't need to.

She had it covered.

She slipped through the bars, materialising in front of him.

"Miss me?"

"Fucking—" He gave a start, flinching. "Don't do that again."

"How else was I supposed to get through?" She spoke quietly. There were no guards around down here to hear them, but still. "I told you to leave."

"As if I'd leave you to all of that mess on your own. Anything could've happened to you."

"And you called me stupid."

"You're my stupid."

He grabbed her by her sides and kissed her heatedly.

The day had been too long. And damnit, he nearly died when he saw that leech kiss her.

When he'd been dancing with her, Emilio had longed for nothing more than to see him dead. But he hadn't been allowed to act out. Seth said killing the vampire Lord wasn't part of the plan.

If it didn't pay off...

"Are you hurt?" She asked.

"You're not supposed to be worrying over me." It was supposed to be the other way around. He was the experienced hunter here. She was too precious.

He took her face into his hands and kissed her again, harder.

He'd replace all memories of that bastard Lord with ones of himself.

And she wasn't complaining.

He felt her smile against his mouth.

"I did something big whilst you were gone." Something bigger than she'd ever done. Something that took a type of confidence she didn't think she had in her. But she'd done it. There was no denying that. Half of Veneficus had seen her in action. "Just now, actually. I—I gave up the crown. I'm not marrying Sebastian. I'm—I'll only have you."