They paled, hurriedly busying themselves as Luna slipped her gloved hand into mine. The black-haired guard walked over to us with the keys, eyeing me carefully. As I met her black eyes, her name came to me. Darcy. I didn’t remember her being assigned to work in the dungeons, but Gareth must have recently given her a new work assignment.
Leading us to the thick black door marking the entrance to the prison, Darcy asked, “Do you need an escort, Prince?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I know the way.”
Pinching her mouth shut, the guard unlocked the door. Handing me the keys, she stepped back and bowed. “Safe travels, Your Highnesses.”
I narrowed my eyes at the vampire. She was… strange. There was something about her that made my stomach twist. She hadn’t been at Castle Sanguis for long, but that didn’t mean much. It was impossible to know every single vampire in existence. Still, I made a mental note to ask Gareth about her the next time I saw him.
Pushing the door, it swung open on well-oiled hinges. My worries about Darcy moved to the back of my mind as the scent of unwashed bodies, stale blood, and other bodily fluids slammed into me.
The screams grew louder, as sounds of death and pain echoed through the massive dungeon. They called to the shadows in my veins, that pulsing darkness that was my constant companion. Beside me, Luna stiffened. She leaned against me, tightening her grip on my fingers.
I whispered, “Don’t worry, darling. I’ve got you.”
Our footsteps echoed on the stone floor, the sound adding to the symphony of agony that made up Ravenwood Dungeon.
Beside me, Luna studiously kept her eyes ahead, ignoring the silver-lined cells on either side of us. That was probably a good idea.
After we turned down a hallway and passed another guard station—this one was occupied by vampires who were actually doing their gods-damned jobs—Luna whispered, “Why didn’t we shadow in?”
I lowered my head, pulling her close to me. “There are dozens of wards around the dungeons. No one can shadow in or out. It’s too dangerous.”
As if to confirm my words, a rattle came from a cell up ahead. Luna sucked in a breath, and I held her close against me as we passed the cell.
I peeked through the door, eyeing the prisoner. A pale elf with long, stringy chestnut hair and swirling green tattoos on both arms banged his hands against the silver bars.
“Let me out!” he screamed, his voice hoarse as though he had been yelling for days on end. “I never did anything to you or your queen! The earth needs me! I need my magic.” He sobbed. “I’m innocent!”
Luna’s fingers squeezing mine. When the elf was out of earshot, she asked, “What did he do?”
“I don’t know.”
There were far too many prisoners for me to know all their crimes by heart.
After that, there were no more words between us as I led us through silver-lined passageways. Gripping the hilt of my sword with one hand, I kept my eyes wide open as I led Luna deeper into the prison.
The dungeon had a way of altering time. Every minute that we navigated the winding passageways felt like five. Eventually, we were so deep within the earth, the sun was a mere memory. The scent of snow and ice on the wind was replaced by pungent, stale air laced with traces of blood. The screams were fainter, and down here, the prisoners were more subdued.
This far from the surface, most of them had been here for centuries. We passed a vampire who was a mere husk of themselves—their body was shriveled on their cot, the low moan coming from their chest the only sign of life.
If the prisoners managed to catch a rat, they could eat it. Otherwise, blood rations were few and far between.
When we were deep in the earth, I pulled us to a stop in front of a solid silver door marked with an engraved IV.
This level was the reason I was armed. A lit lantern hung on a hook by the door, and I grabbed it, handing it to Luna.
Pulling my wings back into myself, my shadows squirmed beneath my skin. They were just as nervous as I was about this. I ran my tongue over the tips of my fangs, wishing I’d had a drink to help curb the hunger twisting in my stomach.
There wasn’t any time. The sooner we got out of here, the better. Even the guards weren’t foolish enough to venture this deep into the dungeons unless they were feeding the prisoners. We were alone. For now.
“I need you to listen very carefully,” I whispered to Luna, keeping my eyes on the silver door. “This part of the prison is dangerous.”
My wife snorted. “I think the danger is implied.”
“Consider this part worse than the rest.” Tightening my grip on her fingers, I turned and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “If I give you the order, I need you to run.”
Shock filtered through the Binding Mark, and her hand stiffened. “But—”