Bay of Sighs (The Guardians Trilogy 2)

“They’re safe,” Sasha assured him. “Give them a little longer. They’re safe. They’re happy. We all have to face what’s coming soon enough.”

“If the man can’t get it done in two hours—”

“Put a sock in it,” Riley advised Doyle. “Not everybody just wants to knock one out and be done.”

“Two hours was the deal,” he insisted, and Bran nodded when Doyle pointed to the hourglass.

“Exactly.”

“It’s barely ten minutes more. And they’re safe. There’s no need to— They’re coming.”

At Sasha’s words, Doyle got to his feet, reached for his sword.

“No, not her. Them. Sawyer and Annika. So everyone relax.”

Even as Sasha spoke, they were there.

“I could’ve cheated,” Sawyer said immediately, and his grin could’ve lit the entire island. “And done a time shift.”

“He wanted to, but I said it was a kind of lie, and we had a night of truths.”

“Yeah, we did.” Still grinning, he hugged Annika close to his side. “Are we grounded?”

“Time matters,” Bran began.

“Don’t have angry.” Annika spun over to hug Bran. “I’m too happy for angry. Sawyer loves me.”

“There’s a news flash,” Riley commented.

Still hugging Bran, Annika frowned at Riley. “I know this voice is . . . sarcastical.”

“Just sarcastic,” Bran corrected.

“Sarcastic. You know he loved me?”

“If you just figured it out tonight, you’re the only one here who didn’t. But yay—sincerely. Now, since the kids are back, I’m going to get some sleep.” Riley looked up at the moon. “I won’t get any tomorrow night.”

“Sawyer needs sleep, too. We had much sex and he should rest now. He’s ready to dive again,” she told Doyle. “But because of the sex, it’s good to wait one more day.”

Riley rolled her eyes, kept walking. Doyle rose.

“I’m going to take a last patrol. Get that rest, brother. Another day for the dive, but you’re in for full training tomorrow.”

“Right. Well, we’ll go up, get that rest.”

Sasha looked after them with a sentimental smile. “That’s why their happiness kept ringing like bells.” She rose, took Bran’s hand. “No point in being annoyed with them. All’s well—right now much, much more than well. And we should get some rest, too.”

“So we will. After much sex.”

To amuse her, he floated them both up to the terrace, and into bed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

In the chamber inside the palace inside the mountain, what had been Malmon ran up the wall, across the ceiling, down the wall, over the floor—a monstrous hamster on a wheel.

He ran for hours, occasionally snagging one of the birds in a clawed hand, consuming it. Often more for amusement than hunger.

More rarely than that, as he ran, chortling, something would flash inside his mad mind. Images of colorful rooms, plush beds, of a man with golden hair in a dark suit staring back at him in horror, as if through a fogged glass.