Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The rush of blood in her ears drowned out the rest of the conversation. Kora didn't remember leaving the store. Suddenly , she was on the street, Derek's hand gently but forcibly guiding her.

" Don't say anything," he whispered. " Not now."

The faces and places she passed were a blur. She somehow put one foot in front of the other and stayed upright, even as a scream of denial rang through her mind. She kept thinking about all the children she had seen after entering Stonemore . How many had been killed because she was too afraid to finish what her family had begun? How many more were being rounded up to die even now?

She stumbled. Derek steadied her. His hold was firm and strong. Without him, she would be a puddle on the ground. He kept her from causing a scene. But more than that, he kept the soldiers' attention away from her. How much longer did she have before her magic was discovered? How many hours did she have to get to Villette with a vague, impractical scheme that was sure to end in her death?

" Kora ."

What was she doing? She had returned to face her destiny, but she hadn't planned, she hadn't learned about her enemy. She was as reckless and rash as always, running headlong toward something without so much as an idea of what to do. Villette needed to be brought to justice for more than her family. It was for every innocent life that had been violently taken on Villette's orders.

" Kora ."

Derek's voice was low and hard, breaking through her thoughts. She blinked and found his face inches from hers, his eyes searching hers. She swallowed an inner scream of denial. " They're killing children."

His lips flattened as he drew in a deep breath. " It appears so."

" Did you know?"

He gave her a hard look.

That was a nay , then. She dashed away a tear that had escaped and looked to the side. They were in a corner alcove at the end of the street, hidden from view. She wanted to curl up and cry, but there was no time for that. Someone had to take a stand for the children, and it looked like that someone was her.

" You can't stand against the priests," Derek stated.

She looked at him. " Someone needs to."

" They'll surround you and kill you along with the kids."

" Maybe ." What would the priests do when she came back to life? It was something she didn't want to think about. The thought of them killing her over and over made her sick to her stomach.

" You came to find someone. Focus on that."

Kora stepped back to separate herself from him. " And forget about the children? They're innocent."

" The practice has been going on for some time. One person will not stop it."

" It only takes one to bring about change."

His entire demeanor altered. He stiffened, and his face shuttered as he reinforced the walls around his emotions. " If you have a death wish, there are other ways to achieve that."

" Would you not give up your life for another?"

" Nay ."

She was shocked by his reply. " How …sad."

" You think that's sad?" he asked with a sneer.

" There has to be someone or something you share a bond with. Something you believe in strongly enough that you would die to protect it. Someone you love."

He looked away. " You have no bond with anyone here."

" These are children we're talking about. They're meant to be loved, cherished, and protected. None of us chooses to be born as we are. Not our hair or eye color, not the tint of our skin. The only thing we can choose is who we love and how we live. No one gets to choose whether they have magic. Why should anyone be punished for it? Especially children."

" People will always kill what they fear."

She swallowed and leaned back against the wall. " Are you one of those?"

He slowly turned his head to her. " I fear nothing."

" Must be nice."

" What are you afraid of?"

Everything . " Failing ."

" Maybe you put too much pressure on yourself."

Perhaps she had trusted the wrong person. Kora scrutinized Derek . She knew next to nothing about him but hadn't exactly opened up to him either. They had been warily circling each other since they met, waiting for the other to give in before they did. The only time the walls came down was when they were in each other's arms.

It wasn't as if she would bare her thoughts, fears, and dreams to him now. They stood in the middle of a city that had outlawed magic. For all she knew, he could turn her over. She had encountered few who didn't fear those with abilities.

" We can't stand here all day. Are you coming?" he asked sharply.

She needed to learn the layout of the city to form the beginnings of her plan. So , while she wanted to slink away and rail privately at what was happening, she had to put it aside and focus. Kora nodded, and they walked out onto the street together. He didn't place his hand on her lower back this time. She liked the feel of him touching her, but it was better this way. She couldn't allow herself to believe he cared. Derek's only concern was for himself. So , she kept some distance between them—physically and figuratively.

They leisurely strolled along the sixth level, stopping at different shops and pretending all was right with the world. She took notice of where the soldiers were stationed. They were more at ease on the upper levels without the crush of bodies and crime that happened below.

In the seventh section, she noted soldiers standing at certain gates that led to homes. Those inside must be important to have their own contingent of guards. Kora made a mental note of each location in order to steer clear of them.

To her surprise, she and Derek were allowed to enter the top level, where the palace was located. Kora stood at the base of the steps leading up to the fortress gates and observed others milling about, awe on their faces as they stared at the impressive building. She noted the open-air corridors and hundreds of arched windows. Flowers and plants of every size and color enhanced the outside of the palace, in pots or hanging from archways. Guards stood sentry everywhere her eyes touched, most notably at the gate, which was presently closed.

The palace was a stunning display of architectural style, with attention to every detail on a grand scale she had never seen before. It announced the wealth of the city and the power of the one who ruled it.

But she knew the foul entity who called it home.

Kora wouldn't be able to enter through the front gate, but she had never expected to be able to. There were other entrances. The servants and soldiers would enter by another access point. Villette wouldn't allow them to come through the front. Kora need only wait and follow one to find her way inside. That was her way in. The soldiers. No one stopped them. No one looked too closely at them. It was perfect. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before.

Stealing a uniform and getting into the palace would be easy compared to the difficult task of locating Villette .

" You can't be serious."

She glanced at Derek to find him staring at her with a deep frown. " What ?"

" You're looking for someone in the palace," he stated in a hushed voice as he faced her.

Kora flashed him the flat look he often gave her. " I've never seen anything of this grandeur up close. I'm merely taking it all in."

He snorted and put his back to the palace. " Of course, you are."

" Believe what you will."

" We should leave before someone notices your intense perusal."

" I'm not the only one ogling," she said defensively.

Derek said nothing as he walked away. She gave the palace one last look and then followed. Kora held her arms against her when a cold wind blew around them. Only the very old and very young wore cloaks against the chill. She couldn't imagine how dreadful the winters were so far up the mountain, but she wouldn't be here long enough to find out. The quicker she put her plan into action, the better for everyone.

To Kora's surprise, Derek stopped at a café for lunch. They sat outside with the mountains as their view. Sometimes , the buzz from the first four levels would reach them, but it was rare. Being so far above the others, it was easy to forget what was happening below. But she had seen their deplorable living conditions up close. Animals didn't even live in such squalor. It was just one more reason to go after Villette immediately. She wanted to sink into her thoughts and begin planning, but the way Derek watched her made it impossible.

" Say whatever it is you want to say," she told him when she couldn't take his silent stares any longer.

" I'm not sure you would listen."

Her smile was tight as she lifted her glass in a mock salute. " You know me so well."

" I know your heart bleeds for everyone. Maybe you should focus on yourself instead."

" Like you?"

He shrugged one shoulder. " Is that so bad?"

" You have nothing you live for."

" What do you live for?"

She looked out to the mountains. " For entirely too long, I lived for myself. Now …" She paused and sighed. " Now , I live to make up for my mistakes."

" Everyone makes mistakes. What makes yours so different?"

" It cost my family their lives." She met his gaze, her smile sad. " Didn't expect that, did you?"

He refilled her glass with wine. " I doubt the blame lay squarely on you."

" It does. I denied it for many years, but I've finally accepted the truth."

" Is that why you're here? To make up for your family's death by finding someone?"

She shrugged and took a bite of the delicious food. She could really get used to having food around anytime she wanted. " It's part of it."

" And you intended to do it alone?"

" I'm good at improvising."

Derek nodded slowly. " I bet you are."

The intensity of his gaze made her uncomfortable. She ate three more bites before she looked up. He still watched her. " What ? Do I have something on my face?"

" Did you lose your entire family?"

She leaned back in the chair and scratched her temple. " Aye ."

To her surprise, he didn't ask any more questions. As if he didn't want to know how they died or what she had done to cause it. Which was good because she didn't want to talk about it. She expected they would return to the inn after the meal, but Derek surprised her a second time when he took them to a clothing shop. She balked at the idea until he stopped her in front of a cloak. The blue color was so deep it was nearly black. She fell in love with it immediately.

He didn't stop there, though. A woman came out bearing an armful of gowns.

" I don't need anything else," Kora quickly told the owner.

Derek leaned close and said, " We have the gathering to attend. We need to look the part. We have a deal, remember?"

Kora wanted to refuse, but he was right. They had made a deal, and they were attending the party. Still , she was uncomfortable accepting his coin again. Yet she couldn't remember the last time she had been surrounded by such beautiful things. And she certainly had never worn anything so nice before. Her heart yearned to be carefree, just once.

She nodded in acceptance and was swiftly ushered into a dressing area. Women came out of nowhere to help her disrobe. She was given the softest underthings. They felt like a whisper of a cloud against her skin. If she left with only that, she would be dancing on air. But the owner of the shop and her helpers brought in the dresses.

Kora tried on gown after gown, each one more decadent and beautiful than the last. There was a mirror in the dressing room that she twirled in front of as everything else fell away. She was just a woman putting on pretty frocks in front of a mirror.

That continued for what felt like hours before she finally found a dress. The dark blue was accented with midnight thread and had small, silver beads sewn into tiny clusters that looked like stars around her wrists, along the hem, and following the V in front and back. Then came another flood of women pinning and tucking to ensure the perfect fit.

They brought in jewels and glittering hair combs, and even gleaming sandals, but she waved them all away. Derek was spending too much already.

By the time she came out, the sun was sinking behind the mountains. Derek rose from his seat, seemingly unperturbed by the time it had taken. The shop owner confirmed where they were staying and promised to deliver the gown the following day. Kora put on her cloak and walked out with Derek .

She shot him a glance. He threw around money as if it meant little. If she hadn't seen him pay for things herself, she never would've thought he had that kind of wealth. Why keep that to himself? Most people liked others knowing they had money. And if he kept being wealthy a secret, what other things did he hide? She wouldn't go looking to find out because he might attempt to poke around in her secrets. That didn't mean she wasn't curious, though.

The man was gorgeous, with a body she couldn't get enough of. She looked around at the other women and saw them staring. She wasn't the only one who noticed his good looks. There was no blending in for Derek . He was a man remarked on by all.

Their bodies brushed. Instantly , her breasts grew full. The fabric grazed her nipples, hardening them as her sex throbbed. Thankfully , the cloak hid all of it. The need, the hunger for Derek was overwhelming. He had that kind of hold over her body.

It was irritating.

It was also heady.

By the time they returned to the inn, the dining area was crowded and loud. She wanted to go up to the room, but he put a hand on her lower back. She shivered, wanting his touch yet hating it and the power he had over her at the same time.

" The fire should warm you," he said, his breath brushing her ear.

He was warming her just fine. He could do it even better in bed with their clothes off. His hand was firm as he steered her to an empty table near the hearth.