Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole

Author:Courtney Cole [Cole, Courtney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Historical
ISBN: 9780615487076
Publisher: Lakehouse Press
Published: 2011-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Pothinus lunged forward quickly and grabbed my arm, moving surprisingly quickly for someone of his girth, and yanked me along the hallway back into the same direction that he had come from.

“You don’t need to hold onto me. I’m coming with you willingly,” I pointed out as his fingers dug into my arm… the same arm that Tehran had bruised. I ruefully realized that it was still sore.

He glanced at me.

“Perhaps,” he conceded, withdrawing his arm. “But if you scream, I will kill Iras in front of you and then it will be your turn.”

He smiled a sadistic smile that made his neck rolls scrunch together. I took note of the rivulets of sweat that ran from his neck and dripped onto his clothing. The man was a pig.

“I’m sorry Tehran got killed,” I said cheerfully as we walked along.

With each step, his breathing became more and more labored. I realized that the exercise was difficult for him, considering his ridiculously enormous belly. I briefly wondered if being a eunuch contributed to a weight problem, before returning my attention to the matter at hand.

“No, you’re not,” he snarled, glaring at me.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m not,” I answered agreeably. I wasn’t sure why I was provoking him, but I couldn’t seem to help it. He was scum.

We had not encountered another person yet, a fact that was beginning to give me pause. He opened a doorway on the side of the hallway, which led to another steep set of stairs leading downward. I was correct. He had been hiding in the bowels of the building.

We made our way carefully down the stone stairs, but it was difficult as they were poorly lit. Pothinus grabbed a torch from the wall as we passed and held it in front of us to help light the way.

“Is Iras here?” I questioned again. “Where are we going?”

An earthy, musty smell clung to the inside of my nose and got stronger the further down we descended. It seemed as though I could almost hear water trickling from somewhere, but I couldn’t see where.

“Don’t worry about it,” the eunuch growled. “You’ll know when we get there.”

Apprehension began a slow build in my stomach. The further down we got, the further we got away from anyone who could help me if I needed it. The notion was unsettling at best and I quickly felt to see if my bloodstone was still hanging around my neck. And of course it was. I would have noticed if such a large rock had dropped off.

“Your queen is a nuisance,” he announced quietly as we continued feeling our way down the stairs. “Do you have any idea how long she and I have battled for the throne? She’s like a pesky fly… never giving up.”

“Is that what this is about? Have you somehow managed to cheat death… because you want the throne?” I couldn’t conceal my amazement.

“Don’t you know?” He stared at me with conceit. “I thought you knew everything.”

“Oh, I’m just a girl who’s always in the wrong place at the wrong time,” I drawled.

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