Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

The armor was heavy and confining. Kora hated everything about it. But wearing it gave her exactly the kind of anonymity she had hoped for. Citizens nodded wary greetings or ignored her altogether. Despite that, she felt exposed. As if those who looked at her would have her face branded on their memory. Why hadn't she gotten the helm? Sure , it would've been heavy to cart out with the rest of what she stole, but it would have hidden her face. The boots she had believed would be a good fit were actually too small. They scrunched her toes and made walking painful—like everything else about the uniform.

As she neared the gate, Kora's heart hammered wildly against her ribs—part in trepidation but also with a thread of anticipation. Eagerness to fulfill her duty. She forgot about her feet as she approached the gate to the next level. The guards glanced at her uniform and let her through while continuing their conversation as if she wasn't there. Which was fine by her.

Almost exactly the same scenario played out while getting to the top level. The ease of it left Kora edgy. She tensed, waiting to hear the sound of boots running up behind her. But none came. She kept her steps even despite wanting to run. Her plan was working.

Kora gave the palace the side-eye as she walked down the street. She drew in a deep breath and waited for her hellhound senses to kick in. Just like when she faced the soldiers the other night, she caught the scent of evil. It was faint, but there was no mistaking that it came from the palace. The scent would lead her to Villette .

But that was for after she got into the palace.

More people strolled the gardens today. She expected the battle to stay within the palace, but she couldn't guarantee that. Villette would try to get away. And if she ran, Kora would follow. She wouldn't have a lot of time to take down her enemy. A dragon was near. Kora had to be alert for its arrival.

Because while she might have Villette's scent, the dragon could get hers.

An image of Derek flashed in her head. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live. And while she would never say the words aloud, she wanted more time with Derek . To explore if there could be a future.

She slammed the door on those thoughts. It was suicide to dwell on such things when walking into battle. There was only one thing she should focus on: finally ending Villette's reign of terror.

The uniform continued to make Kora unnoticeable to nearly all. She felt eyes on her as she approached the main gate. She nodded to the soldiers standing guard. They responded in kind, saying nothing to stop her. Kora's stomach churned with nerves. It was the reason she had forgone any food. Just in case.

She tried to remember the things her family had taught her about battle. After so many years of not using her abilities and trying to forget she was a hellhound, those recollections weren't easy to bring up. And when she did, they were fuzzy and difficult to piece together. There was no denying that hiding her true nature had damaged her abilities and put her self-trust in serious doubt.

There was no changing any of that now. She would have to trust whatever instincts remained when she stood before Villette .

Kora reached the far end of the palace and followed the curving path around the side. Almost immediately, she encountered a black iron gate. A guard stepped from behind the tall wall of stone shooting out from either side of the gate. He let her inside without a word. Her breathing came fast, and she sought to calm it lest he notice.

She passed him and stayed on the path. It was more crowded than she had considered. Other soldiers and servants walked to-and-fro, going to different buildings. Kora headed toward the palace. No one spoke to her, much less looked her way. Everyone was busy with their duties.

Her steps quickened when she spotted the door that led inside the palace. Within moments, she was standing on the servants' floors. She inhaled and coughed as the stronger smell of evil hit her. She swallowed and hurried out of the way when the door opened behind her. Men and women garbed in simple servants' clothing hurried about the area.

Kora continued to be overlooked except when she got in someone's way. She hastily walked deeper into the wide hallway and peered through the open doorways to the rooms beyond. There were three different kitchens, a room where silver serving pieces were stored and another where gold serving pieces were. There were at least four different rooms for food storage. She also saw what looked like a dining area where the servants could take their meals.

She continued deeper into the area and spotted servants carrying trays up a flight of stairs. She followed them to the landing, where a section of the wall opened like a door. It was easy to spot once she saw it. And if there was one, there were more. She looked up to see the stairs switch back several floors above her. No one was around, so she slipped out from behind the secret panel.

The instant she stepped out, she found herself within the palace. A tall, wide corridor stretched as far as she could see on either side. The smell of evil slammed into her, so pervasive it made her reach for the wall to hold herself up. She gagged at the stench. Kora stumbled away from the hidden door and tried to right herself.

It took several minutes before she could breathe without retching. A deeper worry slid through her because there were three distinct scents of evil. One far above her, and two deep within the mountain.

The silence of the empty room was deafening. Derek stared at the bed—where he should've been with his arms around Kora .

He should've returned to her sooner. He should have told her what he'd discovered. He should have shared everything. But it was too late for should haves . She was gone.

He looked through the open door of the wardrobe to the deep blue gown hanging there. His eyes narrowed when he spotted her blue clothing folded and neatly put away along with her black outfit. She hadn't gone after Villette naked. She'd said she had a plan. He had foolishly believed he had time to earn her trust so she would share it. But trust went two ways, and he had given her very little of his own.

Derek ran a hand down his face, feeling the full weight of his mistakes. He had unsuccessfully attempted to walk two diverging paths. All along, he'd known he would have to choose. He had expected to find some truth before he had to make that decision. He had never waited before. He was decisive. Certain .

Undeniably clear on his decisions.

But that was before Kora got into his blood and wound herself around his psyche. Her single-minded focus should've told him she wouldn't wait. She had given him time. She had been patient. And he had tarried for too long. It didn't help that he had told her Villette was weak. Of course, she'd gone after her target.

He certainly would have.

" Fuck !" he shouted, clenching his hands in frustration.

The decision he had been so hesitant to make was upon him. Did he leave Kora to her fate, whatever that might be? Or did he fight alongside her?

He looked at the bed she had meticulously made, smoothing the covers with nary a wrinkle in sight. The lust that had brought him to her that first time had grown, shifted. He hadn't realized that every time they touched and kissed, each time their bodies joined, a bond had cultivated, strengthening and expanding until it was firmly settled within his heart. Uniting him with her now. And forever.

The realization of the feelings he hadn't acknowledged—or had even been aware of—shook him to his core. Nothing else mattered but Kora . Not his promise to Villette .

Not even the dragons.

Kora couldn't decide which scent to follow. She hadn't thought there would be more than Villette's . She wouldn't get a second chance, so she had to choose wisely.

One up. Two down.

Villette had chosen to build Stonemore along the side of a mountain, with the palace at the peak. She liked to be on top. There could be an argument to head up. And yet, her uncle had been convinced that Villette used the actual mountain to conceal much of her activities. It made sense that someone would dig tunnels for escape. And if they did, then Villette might have a place below to hide.

Two scents below. If Kora followed the stench down, she might indeed face off with Villette . She might also find herself battling two enemies.

" Come on," she whispered to herself. " You can't stand here debating forever."

She looked up and decided to check that first. But her feet wouldn't move. She inhaled deeply and slowly released it. Looked like she was headed down, then.

Kora walked to the left to look for stairs. She went farther into the palace in her search. Over the next thirty minutes, a few soldiers passed her, but she ignored them. Thankfully , they didn't talk to her.

Whenever she saw someone dressed in finery, she hid. The soldiers might ignore her, but that may not happen with others. Kora was trying to be quiet as she walked another long corridor, but the armor clinked incessantly, announcing her to all. Thankfully , the palace was filled with noise that seemed to come from everywhere.

She turned a corner and spotted someone who looked very official, their steps quick and determined. Kora ducked behind one of the enormous columns and flattened herself against it. The armor on her shoulders struck the stone loudly. She held her breath, waiting for the official to call out, but they didn't. Kora slowly and silently moved around the column as the individual passed.

Kora let out a sigh when the woman's footsteps grew distant. She was done searching. If she didn't ask someone, she might be here for days. And every moment wasted looking was one in which she could be discovered.

She stopped the next servant she found. The young boy was tall and reed-thin. His dark hair was cut to his scalp, and his clothes looked as if they were meant for someone years older given how they hung on his body. He carried a tray laden with food.

" Need some help?" she asked with a friendly smile.

Dark eyes ran over her. " You'd drop the tray with all that armor."

She found herself laughing. " Most likely. I'm trying to get below, but I got turned around in all the hallways. Which stairs lead down?"

" Down to the servants' quarters? Or down inside the mountain?"

" The mountain."

He nodded firmly. " Follow me."

She fell into step with him. After a few moments, she said, " You shouldn't be carrying that. Someone older should help."

" I've worked hard to get to this position. It's coveted by everyone. I'm happy to carry food around instead of some of the other jobs I've had."

Kora hadn't considered that. " My apologies. I meant no disrespect."

" None taken." He suddenly halted and jerked his chin to the hallway on the left. " Take that until you find the stairs. They'll lead you down. Hope you know where you're going from there. We aren't allowed below."

" Thank you," she said.

But he was already gone. Kora turned to the left and started walking.

Derek caught Kora's scent the moment he materialized in the palace. He followed it through a maze of passages. It would be easier if he knew where Villette was. Then he could wait there for Kora .

His strides lengthened until he was running. The urgency to reach Kora drummed through him. He had never felt such dread before. Such foreboding. Panic at what might become of Kora drove him harder, faster.

" Wait for me," he pleaded.

But he knew it was too late.

The narrow staircase was tucked into a corner. She had walked the hall the boy told her to take three times before she found it. The steps descended in a spiral that seemed to go on forever. She didn't encounter another soul. Torches hung on the walls, casting meager light upon the stairs. The air became cooler and damper the deeper she went while the scents of evil grew stronger with each step.

Kora's thighs burned by the time she reached the bottom. Just as the stairs had begun, they ended, hidden in an alcove. She had stopped counting them after four hundred. She paused at the landing to get her bearings—and give her legs a much-needed break.

She peeked around the corner and looked down a tunnel. The scents split. One to her left and the other to her right. The one to her left was closer. She decided to check that one first. Her shoulders squared. She was closer than anyone in her family had ever been to getting Villette . Closer than any hellhound had been in centuries. The ghosts of her people stood at her back, watching and waiting.

She couldn't fail them.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel her brother to her right and her uncle to her left. How she wished Kayden and Rylan were with her.

Kora stepped out of the alcove and turned left. The evil odor washed over her, making it easy to follow. It took her down a narrow tunnel to a door that stood ajar. Inside , she heard someone moaning in pain. Kora quietly approached and peered through the crack. The room was dark, other than a fire. She saw the edge of a bed and someone's feet as they moved them about.

She nudged the door wider. The rest of the bed came into view as it sat against the far wall. A naked woman with blond hair writhed on the mattress. Burns covered her arms, chest, and face.

The woman stilled as if sensing that she was no longer alone. She turned her head to Kora . Blue eyes locked on her. A moment later, the burns disappeared, but it took the woman considerable effort to hide them. This wasn't just anyone. She suspected it was Villette .

But she had to be sure.

" Get out," the woman ordered.

Kora shook her head.

" No one disobeys me."

Four words, but in them, Kora knew she had found her target. Something in the voice gave it away. The tone and inflection. The anger. Kora removed the vambraces from her arms and let them drop to the floor.

" Who are you?" Villette demanded.

Kora removed the greaves and cuisses from her legs, followed by the breastplate. She welcomed the fire that raged within her as smoke curled around her right before flames erupted over her, burning her clothes away. " The one who is here to end you."

She moved into the room, ready to kill. Three steps in, the floor fell out from beneath Kora .