Page 115 of Shattered Jewel
Heart hammering in my chest, I glance at the men one last time, confirming they’re still asleep before sneaking out of the room and into the corridor, though I can feel, rather than see, Kaspian’s slitted eyes following my every naked move.
Walking through one of the archways, I take in Sasha’s makeshift bed on the living room sofa. It appears she’s slept all afternoon and into the evening. Considering what I’m putting her through and how many gummies she ate, I don’t find that surprising.
She’s sleeping serenely, her dark curls splayed around her gold-hued face like a fan.
I find my clothes folded neatly on an armchair, as if one of the guys found them strewn all over the hallway, collected them, and positioned them for me to find later.
A flush creeps up my neck as I picture one or all of them, bringing my underpants to their nose and mouth and inhaling deeply, understanding exactly what occurred to have made me tear my clothes off.
I shake the image away and pick up my clothes, unfolding them and sliding on what is still in one piece—my underwear, shirt, and hoodie, when I notice the strange lightness against my belly.
I’d stashed the amulet in my front pocket and I don’t feel it there anymore.
As both hands scramble under the soft fabric, my heart starts pounding. As if each beat echoes the word, gone.
No. I won’t believe it. It has to be here. It can’t just…
I pull off all my clothes, flipping them inside-out and shaking them as if the ruby was hiding in a hidden pocket I didn’t know about.
Nausea coats my throat as I grope every inch of it, praying for the solid thud of the jewel against my hand. But all I find is lint and an old ticket to a nightclub.
“Sash? Did you put the ruby somewhere?”
My voice is louder than necessary, but I’m choking back panic.
“Huh? Wha…?” Sasha pries one eye open.
“The necklace with the ruby,” I clarify while pushing to my feet and searching the living room. “Did you put it somewhere when you found my clothes on the floor?”
“What? No. What are you doing? Where am I? Are you naked?”
Terror rises faster than logic as each surface, shelf, and couch cushion is searched and I come up with nothing.
Our half of the ruby Heart is gone.
Chapter 28
Elara
“Tell me again what happened.”
Kaspian sits in a corner chair of the bedroom we’d been sleeping in, moonlight streaming through the windows, catching the fine strands of his hair, and turning it into a nebulous aura.
I stand in front of him like a shamed schoolgirl, my fingers tangled together and trying not to curl into desperate claws.
“The amulet was in my hoodie’s pocket,” I say. “I’ve kept it on me at all times ever since you … gave it to me.”
Tossed it at me, more like, but I don’t want to get into semantics when surrounded by four just-woken-up, and therefore half-feral, men.
Sasha’s at my side, blanket wrapped around her shoulders and blinking blearily at all of us.
“Tell me again why you gave that necklace to Elara, Kas,” Cav says to Kaspian, arms folded while he leans against the headboard and parrots Kaspian’s exact warning tone he unleashed on me. “When I entrusted it to you to keep safe.”
Cav doesn’t mention that he must’ve seen me wearing it when they all claimed me at the same time. Maybe he assumed I’d give it back to Kaspian after our fun. It’s not as if Kaspian issues ignored orders.
Kaspian sighs, resting two contemplative fingers on his chin. “The Sovereigns circle closer, as much as we keep them at bay by being their good little assassins.”
Assassins.