“Ungh,” Ryan said, watching me with heated eyes.
“Does that happen every time?” Lady Tina asked Justin.
“Yes. And even when we have time for it, it’s still awful.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind going first,” I said cheerfully. “Especially since you’re all gung ho about going into the Shit Tunnels.”
“You capitalized that, didn’t you,” Justin said, peering into the sewer.
“Sure did. That’s how you know it’s gonna suck.”
“Fine,” Justin said, squaring his shoulders. “I am the Grand Prince of Verania. We are going to save my father, our King. I will lead the way.”
“Into the Shit Tunnels. Just say it. Say into the Shit Tunnels.”
“Into the Shit Tunnels,” he snapped at me and then disappeared into the sewer. Lady Tina huffed out an annoyed breath, hitched up her robes, and followed the Prince.
I whirled on Ryan while we had a moment alone, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and kissed him fiercely. He grunted in surprise, but his mouth opened immediately, his tongue in my mouth, hot and slick. I ground my hips
against him as his hands found their way to my ass and pulled. I gasped into his mouth as I tightened my grip in his hair.
“What was that for?” he asked as I pulled away, his eyes hooded and dark.
“That was for saying no to sex and making sure we got a good night’s sleep last night like an asshole. Don’t you know anything about dangerous missions? You’re supposed to have life-affirming sex before you go.”
He rolled his eyes, but if the bulge in his trousers meant anything, he was not unaffected. “We’re going to be okay,” he said. “As long as we stick together. You don’t go doing anything stupid or half-cocked. Understand?”
I scoffed. “When have I ever done anything stupid or—”
“All the time. Like, everything you do. It’s literally who you are.”
“I’m not—”
“Promise me, Sam.” He’d lost the shine of lust in his eyes. Dammit. He was being serious, and I couldn’t blow him or blow him off. “You promise me that you’re gonna stay by my side.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sure.”
He jostled me a little. “Sam.”
“I promise.”
He searched my face, trying to decide if I was being truthful. I gave him the ol’ Look-How-Precious-Sam-Is eyes, and he nodded slowly. “We’ll have time. After.” And he kissed me, swift and sweet, and disappeared into the sewer.
Before I followed, I looked up at the night sky above, the stars twinkling brightly. “You better take care of them,” I said quietly. “No matter what. Justin and Ryan. Lady Tina, if you have time. Nothing can happen to them, or you won’t like what I’ll do.”
I thought maybe David’s Dragon flashed a little brighter, but it could have just been what I wanted to see.
I turned and went into the sewers.
AND IMMEDIATELY gagged because dear gods.
“What do the Darks eat?” I moaned, covering my nose and mouth. “Their feelings? Sweet molasses, this is terrible.”
It was like getting hit with a wave of spoiled meat and evil. The air was thick and heavy, and I was pretty sure vomiting was an acceptable reaction to our current predicament. The others were similarly affected, breathing shallowly through their mouths. They stood upon a wooden walkway that had been constructed atop a noxious stream of water and many other things I didn’t want to think of. The sewer was dark, but we couldn’t risk lighting a match or a torch, given the gases rising from below us. I snapped my fingers, and a little burst of light exploded above my hand and began to flit around like a fairy.
The brick walls and ceiling were wet and dripping, covered in a blackish moss that seemed to grow all around us. I waved my hand toward the darkness ahead and the light shot forward, leaving a thin trail behind it.
“The quicker we move, the faster we’ll be out of here,” Lady Tina said.