Warily Diamond and Hugo stared at each other, the sound of their breathing barely audible above the raucous noise of the inn below.
Hugo let go of Diamond’s gloved hand and stared down at her. “Right. Start talking,” he said, his voice ominously low as he fought the urge to crush her into his chest.
CHAPTER 18
Diamond’s wet clothes stuck to her skin, making her itch mercilessly.
“What d’ you mean?” she asked sulkily, although she knew exactly what Hugo meant. She had disregarded his advice to stay away from the disused docks. That was twice she had wandered around the city at night on her own. It was his fault. She had awoken just as her door clicked shut behind him. It had been impossible to settle again, especially when the storm raging outside had done nothing to calm her nerves.
Diamond had hastily dressed. She’d had no idea where Hugo had gone, but she wanted to know why he had snuck off under the cover of darkness. She worried it was something dangerous. Her anxiety, tinted with mistrust, won. Stepping out into the storm, it had not been a surprise when a trace of his magic lingered in the air. Nervously, she had followed it.
He was staring down at her, waiting for an answer.
“I, err, wanted to see where you’d gone. Make sure you were safe,” she sputtered, chewing her bottom lip. His eyes widened in disbelief. Diamond fidgeted, rubbing madly at her itchy arms.
“You wanted to make sure—gods damn it, Diamond! I’m a Queen’s guard! Of course I’m safe. You mean you nearly got yourself killed—again—because you wanted to make sure I was safe!” he blustered incredulously.
Sighing dramatically, Diamond turned her back on him, throwing her wet cloak over the back of the wooden chair, then she collapsed on the side of the bed to hide her embarrassment. “No, I didn’t nearly get myself killed again. I’d already beaten both of them when you stepped in,” she bit out, crossing her arms indignantly over her chest. It was impossible to stop shivering.
Hugo smiled widely.
Diamond’s mouth dropped open.
“Yes, you had,” he agreed softly. His silver-specked midnight eyes shone. His voice was not harsh like she had expected, but rumbling and soft. His gorgeous, toe-curling smile transformed his severe face like it had done every evening for the past two weeks. Her mouth dried out as she ran her eyes over his tall, muscled frame. He was right: her worry seemed ridiculous now that he was standing in front of her, looking so damned healthy. His lips stretched wider, his scar twisting upwards. He watched her studying him. Heat flamed across her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze.
“I wanted to know why you left me,” she whispered, suddenly feeling foolish.
Hugo sighed and flung his cloak on top of hers. “I didn’t leave you. I came to visit a friend,” he said.
Mortified, she rolled her eyes, then cringed. “Oh no, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. I shouldn’t have followed you. Sorry,” she babbled, wishing the floor would swallow her whole.
Hugo flung back his head and laughed. Her pulse jumped, and a shiver of pleasure skittered up her spine at the richness of that sound.
“Will you stop that,” he chuckled, sitting next to her and nudging her with his shoulder.
“Stop what?” Gods, she felt so stupid right now, but it was almost worth it to see him smile.
Hugo caught her face with his strong fingers. Turning her to look at him, he held her eyes with his. “Assuming that I’m sneaking away from you to jump into bed with some other woman,” he drawled with a crooked smile. “There are no other women,” he whispered, close enough now that his breath warmed her lips.
Diamond couldn’t breathe—or move. Her heart banged so hard against her ribs that it was painful. A flush crept over Hugo’s cheeks, and his throat bobbed. Heady and overwhelming, magic scorched the tiny amount of space left between them.
“Sorry,” Diamond mumbled breathily as he slowly let go of her face. His fingers shaking a little, he brushed a drop of water off her temple. Diamond frowned. “So what friend were you visiting?” she asked. “No offence, but I didn’t think you had any friends; well, you know, proper friends,” she said, biting her lip.
“Thanks!” he replied sarcastically, although he was smiling again. “Tallo is my friend. So is Jack.”
They were both shivering now. Standing up he paced over to the door and turned the key in the lock. Diamond’s eyes grew wider as the lock clicked. Pulling off his worn outer clothing, Hugo unfastened his light leather armour and dropped his sword scabbards and weapons on the chair. The linen shirt he wore underneath was sodden and sticking to his skin. Powerful muscles rippled across his chest and shoulders as he undid the small buttons that secured it around his wings. Wriggling a little, he pulled it off.
Unable to tear her eyes off his beautiful, sculpted body, Diamond watched him turn away and hang his shirt on the back of the door to dry. The view of his wide back and heavily muscled shoulders left her flushed, but it was his wings that stunned her. She had never been brave enough to study them this closely before; besides, when not armoured, they were usually tucked in tight to his back.
Lamplight bathed the thousands of tiny feathers, giving them a beautiful midnight blue sheen. Like liquid silk, she thought, unable to tear her eyes away. Except they weren’t simply blue. Diamond tried not to gasp at the greens, reds and purple hues that shimmered among the sapphire. The beautiful silver whorls that had glowed so brightly the day of the guardian’s attack on Valentia now created a soft radiance that illuminated the stunning colours.
Unconsciously, she curled her nails into the bed clothes. Her fingers twitched with an overwhelming urge to touch him, all of him. She wanted to run her fingers over the entirety of his wings just to see if they were as silky and smooth as they looked.
Hugo folded them until they were astoundingly flat, almost as if he could pull them inside his skin to make them smaller. That shifting movement revealed a pattern at the joint of each wing that looked like scales. As beautiful as his wings, the silver and sapphire scales followed the ridge of muscle down either side of his spine and disappeared to a point under his waistband.
Her mouth tightened into a thin line as she noted the many scars that crisscrossed his back and shoulders. Her heart lurched, sickened by the pain he must have suffered throughout his life. She wondered how many battles, how many enemies—whether real or invented—had he fought for the vile Queen.
Hugo twisted that gorgeous body around, presenting his naked chest to her hungry eyes.
Breath hitched in her throat. Oh! By the goddess, where do I look now?
Suddenly the floor boards became very interesting.
“I came to see Gorian,” Hugo said. Three strides ate up the room, and Hugo flung his leg over the wooden chair, straddling it. He propped his forearms on the high back. When Diamond looked up again, he smiled at her. She felt his magic reaching out, brushing her cold face. Her heart beat faster, and her magic stirred.
“Gorian is the only person in this city that I trust,” he told her quietly.
Diamond stilled and cocked her head to one side, ready to listen. It was unsettling to see Hugo as someone with friends and secrets, not just the Queen’s servant. He paused, pursed his lips and made an unsure a face. She gave him a small smile. “Go on,” she encouraged. Against her will her body started to shiver again. The room was warmer than outside, but her clothes were saturated and sucked heat from her.
Hugo stood up. “Come on. You need to get those wet clothes off,” he said.
“What? No. I’ll keep them on, thanks.”
“Oh, for pity’s sakes, Diamond, you’re shivering and wet through! I’m not suggesting you undress in front of me. I’ll wait outside. Get undressed and wrap yourself in a blanket before you get hypothermia,” he told her, a concerned frown creasing his brow.
When the door clicked shut behind him, she pushed herself off the bed. He was right: she was frozen. With numb and clumsy fingers, she fumbled with her boots, pulling them
off with difficulty. Peeling off her wet clothes, she hung them over the washstand to dry. Even her pretty underwear came off. It was all soaking.
Wrapped in one of the roughly woven blankets, she let him back in. Quickly, she scurried across the floor in her bare feet to sit on the bed again.
There was no hearth for a fire and a fierce draft blew through the gaps in the old window frame. Her fingers were white and her toes numb.
Hugo unlaced his leggings.
Diamond nearly choked with embarrassment.
A soft chuckle escaped him at her expression. “Diamond, stop looking at me like I’m going to eat you alive. Close your eyes if my nakedness bothers you that much,” he drawled.
She hastily squeezed her eyes shut just as he pulled off his remaining wet clothes. She refused to open them again until she felt him grab a blanket and he said, “There. You can relax now.” Grinning widely, he finished wrapping the blanket tightly around his waist. Goose bumps covered his mottled skin.
“You’re cold,” she stated, biting her lip.
“So are you,” he replied, walking confidently around to the other side of the wooden double bed. “Get in,” he said, lifting the sheet and blankets.
Diamond blushed furiously and shook her head. A huge gust of wind howled around the inn, rattling the old walls, as well as the windows.
“Diamond, get in. We are both cold. Please, trust me. I only want to keep us warm.”
The softness of his voice washed over her, melting her insides along with her embarrassed protest. “I do trust you,” she whispered, giving a watery smile. She realised that it was true.
“Well then?” He smiled, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
The old bed creaked as they climbed in. As her feet hit the icy depths, she shuddered. The bedding was freezing and slightly damp against her exposed skin. Even bringing her knees up to her chest did no good. Her feet felt like blocks of ice. The wool blanket was rough, but she would not take it off to feel the sheet next to her skin, not with them both being naked.
It wasn’t the most comfortable bed in the world. The mattress was lumpy and hard, but at that moment it felt wonderful. Diamond was exhausted, her muscles aching from fighting and shivering.
Hugo lay on his side facing her. Bending his elbow, he rested his head on his hand. Diamond blushed again, cursing her fair complexion and hoping the light was dull enough to hide it.
“Relax,” he said, his voice an amused whisper.
They remained quiet for a few minutes, just studying each other. Diamond wanted to dive under the covers but instead made herself return his scrutiny. His dark hair was still pulled back tightly, exposing his chiselled features. His lips curled in a gentle, indulgent smile that sent a wave of heat through her insides. And she would never tire of looking at his beautiful eyes.
“Why did you come here so late at night?” Diamond asked curiously, trying to fill the silence and distract herself from her bizarre situation. The sight of his naked chest just inches from her made her stomach do somersaults. Shocked, she realised how much she wanted to touch him. Curling her fingers into fists, she bit her bottom lip but held his eyes.
Hugo brushed an errant strand of hair from her mouth. Helpless to stop it, a shiver of pleasure tingled wildly down her neck and through her body. That smile spread into his eyes at her reaction.
“I have a lot to tell you, Diamond,” he said, his voice husky, if a little shaky. “But before I do, promise you’ll hear me out before you respond.”
CHAPTER 19
Hugo sounded unsure, completely unlike himself.
Anxiety tightened Diamond’s stomach. “I promise,” she nodded.
He took a breath. “It’s hard to know where to start,” he said, silencing her with a look as she opened her mouth to speak. “Shh, you promised. Please believe me when I say I had no idea what was going to happen that day in the throne room. I am sorry for—well, becoming so distant from you.” He swallowed and his voice lowered. “It must have been so hard for you to learn General Edo was the one who betrayed you and your father.”
Diamond squeezed her eyes shut against the awful memory of that dagger plunging into General Edo’s flesh. An old feeling of panic tightened her throat, but she took a breath and pushed it away.
“I had no idea the Queen was going to take your mother’s necklace that day either, and for my part, I am sorry. I am sorry I ever brought you to this city.” Sadness and bitter regret crossed his face as he hesitated. “The Queen is such a heartless soul. She has ordered me to torture and kill people with far less magic in their whole bodies than you have in your little finger. Her plans for you will be cruel, and I fear somehow she is going to use me to hurt you.” He swallowed, looking at her warily, like she might flee.
Diamond looked right back, her gaze not wavering. She knew what Hugo was, what he was capable of. The regret in his voice and the sadness in his eyes were enough for her to believe he was sickened by the acts he had been made to do in his life.
“I know what you are, I’ve always known,” Diamond said. She did not understand what all this meant, why Hugo was here with her, telling her these things. It didn’t matter, a quiet joy was growing in her heart that he was. Bravely, she wrapped her fingers around his and held on to his calloused hand. “I’m willing to trust you, even though common sense tells me I shouldn’t. It’s true you brought me to this city, I have even hated you for it, at times. But I don’t anymore.” She contemplated their joined fingers. If only the fragile relationship that had been building between them could be held together so easily. “If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be together now.” Her voice shook a bit, and she looked up through her lashes at him. “I have been trying to figure out why the Queen allowed you to train me. From the way she touched you in the throne room, I wouldn’t have thought she’d want you near any other woman.”
Diamond’s face flushed as that last comment came out. To cover her discomfort, she quickly continued. “She must know how much time we spend together. After all, Attion reports back to her.”
“Not on everything, he doesn’t,” Hugo answered.
Diamond raised her brows. “Really? Why not?”
Hugo smiled. “Once he was blinded by loyalty and fear, but Attion’s perspective is different now,” Hugo told her. “I don’t want to discuss Attion, I want to talk about how we are going to get you away from the Queen.”
Diamond sighed, her shoulders slumping even as she hid her surprise at Hugo’s words. “It’s not possible. Look what happened the last time we tried to leave. I can’t help but think she is simply playing with me—with us. I don’t understand why she needs me as a weapon. Not when she has an army under her command. And not whilst she has you. You have magic, Hugo. Why can’t you be a weapon for her?”
“My magic is different to yours. I can hone weapons from it. I can use it to cloak myself in darkness. I can absorb the magic of others. That’s how I manage to bring them back to the city. I can make them weak enough not to fight—for a time. But I cannot cause destruction on such a massive scale as you seem to be able to do with yours,” he told her.
“But if you train me—a magic wielder—to kill, surely she believes I will become a threat to her.” Diamond’s voice dried up as she tried to word her next question. “Do you think that’s why she wants us together; so you can kill me when she is ready for me to die?” Her eyes dropped from his face, praying to Lunaria for the right answer. Whatever else Hugo was, he wasn’t a liar.
He squeezed her hand. “Look at me. I am likely damned for all the things I have done in my wretched life, and I am truly sorry you have to ask that question of me.” His voice was heavy with regret. He swallowed hard. “But I promise, I would rather die than follow that order.”
Diamond’s shoulders drooped with relief, a breath escaped her lips. Slowly, giving her time to pull away, Hugo lifted their entwined hands and tenderly brushed his lips against the soft skin on the inside of her wrist. For the briefest momen
t, Diamond felt her pulse beat against the warm caress of his lips. Warm magic slid across her chilled skin. In response, hers slowly bloomed. A flush crept across his cheeks and silence settled between them. Both of them seemed unsure of what to say next.
Hugo coughed to clear his throat. “As soon as the battle with Ragor is finished, you need to get away from here. If we win, the Queen will want her prize: you. If we still live but we lose, she will want her revenge. On both of us. I have found passage on a ship. It leaves this dock the morning of Winter Solstice. It will sail with the early morning tide. Gorian will arrange it for us.”
“What? But where is it going? I don’t know anything about living anywhere else.” Panic slammed into her at the thought of ending up alone in a kingdom she knew nothing about.
Hugo smiled and put his fingers over her lips, staunching her words. It was hard to fight the urge to kiss them.
“I said us. I’m coming with you.”
“Coming with me?” she stammered. “But the Queen won’t let you go. She’ll hunt you down.”
“Yes, she will,” Hugo agreed quietly. “And eventually whoever she sends will find me.”
“Surely if we run far enough and fast enough, she won’t find us,” Diamond countered.
Hugo’s sapphire eyes darkened. “She will. The Queen can track all her guards. Wherever they go, she can find them. When we are young, she takes our blood. Do you know of the Acolytes?”
Diamond nodded. “Yes. Rose told me of them, and of the Prevost, their leader who answers only to the Queen. Rose knew an Acolyte who gave her a potion to heal my broken bones. It was disgusting!” She grimaced. The memory of tincture of petrified fire toad was not pleasant.
Hugo chuckled at the look on her face. “The Prevost of the Acolytes casts a spell on a phial of our blood, which the Queen keeps. A drop of our blood dabbed on a map, any map, will lead to us. It’s why none of us can ever leave.”
“So she will hunt you down and force you back—or kill you?” Diamond breathed.
A Bond of Blood and Fire Page 12