I couldn’t get close enough to him. I ran a hand through Hal’s soft strands, while the other gripped his knife tightly as I hooked it on his shoulder, tugging him closer.
Hal’s hips ground into me, and a breathless moan escaped me. A pulsing want I had never felt before took root deep in my core, demanding more. My hips rolled to meet his as I burned from the inside out, heat pooling between my legs. Hal’s hand traveled down my hip, gripping my thigh, pulling my leg up.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Kane’s voice sounded to my left.
I felt like I had dived into the cold river. Hal pulled away from me, but his hand remained in my hair. “I didn’t ask for your opinion earlier, and I don’t need it now.”
“Those cuffs only scramble her chip for so long,” Kane barked, stepping closer. Hal released my leg, guiding it gently back to the ground. “Her Mate is killing people. We can’t afford to make mistakes.”
“I’m going,” Hal said, grabbing my hand. He didn’t look at Kane as he led me away down the tunnel.
“Find me after,” Kane shouted. I turned to see Kane’s glowering frame, fury staring back at Hal and me. I shivered at the rage in his gaze, burning into my back as we walked away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
HAL AND I REMAINED SILENT THE REST OF THE JOURNEYthrough the tunnels. The energy between us had shifted. For better or worse, I didn’t know, but he didn’t let go of my hand. As we approached the round entrance I had come through, he led me to the corner, his calluses scraping against my hand. There was a gap in the stone that was almost undetectable.
“Through here, come on.” Hal entered the gap, pulling me with him. My shoulder brushed against the cold stone before it opened to a spiral staircase.
“Where are we going?” I asked, the temperature dropping as we descended.
“Under the river, there’s an entrance on the slum’s side,” Hal told me as we entered a long, damp tunnel. “You really came down through the river entrance?”
“It’s the only entrance I saw on the plans. I wanted to make sure you knew about the ambush. I can’t swim,” I admitted. “I panicked, but then Bri found me. She helped me in before knocking me out.”
Hal shook his head. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I didn’t know how else to find you. I didn’t think you were coming back.”
Hal paused, turning toward me. “I only did that because I thought it was safer to leave you alone. Clearly, I was wrong, since you’ve taken to careening off ledges.”
I yanked my wrist from Hal as an electrical current shot through my arm. Hal looked between me and the cuff.
“We need to hurry,” Hal said, grabbing my hand and picking up his pace. “Your MIND is about to be active again.”
I glanced down at the cuff. “How do these work?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. That’s Gerald’s thing. I want you to keep one, though.”
We reached the top of the stairs. There was a wooden door to the right. Faint sunlight from the surface trickled in through the crack. My grip on Hal’s hand tightened, and his thumb brushed the back of my hand reassuringly.
“Will the Illum know that I came down here?” I whispered, thinking of the last thing Tabitha had said. They planned to eliminate anyone who helped.
“They shouldn’t,” Hal reassured me.
“But if they do?” I asked, because it wasn’t elimination. It was death, and there would be no coming back from that. On this side of things, that was a different kind of fear.
Hal’s hands came up to cradle my face. “Then I will come for you.” I trembled in his arms at the resolute determination reflected in his starburst gaze. He tucked me into him. His steady heartbeat was a song of its own, one that was quickly becoming the sweetest sound.
“Will I see you again?” I breathed into his chest.
I felt his lips brush the top of my head. “Yes, there are no more goodbyes,” he said into my curls. “It will be a while, though. We have to handle this threat.”
“You will be safe?” I pulled back to see something I didn’t know how to register reflected in his eyes.
“Don’t worry about me. Here.” He pressed two buttons on the cuff on my right hand before moving to the left, my wrist engulfed in his grip. “Don’t come back to the Underworld, do you understand?”
“But—”
