Then fire flickered across her skin, only to die on a harsh scream.
She couldn’t access her energy.
But she wanted to.
She saw me as the enemy and I couldn’t blame her, but I needed her to fucking hear me.
Zaya is safe! I roared into her mind. I sent her to Noxia. All right? She’s fine.
Valora’s fight slowed, my words finally breaking through.
“I intercepted her the other night.” The words were a breath against her ear. “I gave her some of my blood to heal her enough to walk. And then I gave her to Grigory, who assured me he would nurse her back to health.” He wasn’t thrilled about it, seeing the halfling demon as well beneath his station, but one look at the woman’s face had him rethinking his position.
Valora had gone completely still. “Prince Grigory?”
“Yes.” I loosened my hold on her wrists, lifting onto my elbows on either side of her face.
She stared up at me with an odd mix of wonder and distrust. “Prove it.” The dare in her tone had me narrowing my eyes.
“You don’t believe me?” After bathing her for hours? Healing her back to health? Giving her access to all the information she needed to destroy this kingdom?
“No.” A flat response.
I nodded. “I see.” Well, that was one way to kill my erection.
I rolled off her and walked over to the painting hiding the old passageways and pushed it aside.
“Where are you going?” Valora demanded, not following me.
I didn’t reply, already inside and searching for the bag I’d hidden nearby. The communication device I needed sat in an exterior pocket, making it easy to find, and by the time I returned, it was to find Valora sitting up in the middle of the bed with her brown locks tousled over one shoulder.
A beautiful sight.
Naked.
Wet.
Angry.
Mmm. Too bad we couldn’t channel that emotion into something more worthwhile.
I tossed her a shirt from my wardrobe. “Put it on.” Harsh words because I hated saying them, but I wasn’t about to let Grigory see her naked. I dialed the code I knew would force his response and waited for the device to ring.
Humans called them phones.
But in the Underworld, our tech was a little more advanced.
Grigory’s face appeared above the console, a pillow outlining his head. “What’s wrong?”
A feminine voice complained as my friend shifted, clearly having been in bed entertaining.
“I need you to put Zaya on,” I said flatly.
“What?” He shook a manicured hand off his shoulder. “Hold on.” The scenery changed as he shifted from the bed, the angle telling me he was putting on a pair of drawers.
A female whine had him growling an apol
ogy. “Go play. I’ll be back.”