36: Ada's POV

I dressed in a pair of black pants and a loose fitting black tunic that was in the depths of a wardrobe. I donned black leather combat boots and pulled my hair back in a tight braid that ran down the center of my back. While I’d never trudged through secret passage ways before, I was ready to do it tonight. Based on the small amount of time I’d spent in them with Phoenix on our first night together, a large dress would only hinder me. It would also make me more easily recognizable if caught in a hallway. 

The slender, velvet dress that Nik had wrapped around me a mere three hours earlier had been too nice to risk spoiling with cobwebs or snagging on a stray nail. 

My doors had remained locked all day. A meal tray had been shoved through a small slot in the wall, almost seeming to magically appear on a small side table. I’d moved the food around on the plate for awhile, but ultimately left it untouched. If the four of us were caught creeping about the castle tonight or at any point… it wouldn’t be the Princes who paid the price. That thought alone was enough to make me lose my appetite. 

It was the thought still clanging through my head when the painting on the wall swung open, revealing the three Princes. Darius was in the middle, dressed in a pair of jeans and a navy turtleneck sweater. Phoenix was to his left, his fire-red hair loose and free around his shoulders. He was in a pair of shorts and a shirt with the sleeves cut off, accentuating his slender, fit body. Nik was to Darius’ right. He seemed to be the most laid back of the three, donning gray sweat pants and a black t-shirt. On his feet were black moccasins. The other two wore tennis shoes. 

Nik arched an eyebrow, “Are we learning secret passages or performing a jewel heist?”

I scowled as the three of them stepped over the cut wall and into the room, “I wasn’t sure of the dress code. Now how do we begin?” 

“We spent the last few hours marking the paths from your room,” Darius inclined his head and I stepped over to him. His hand rested in the small of my back and the breath caught in my throat, “I’ll take you through the paths to the east wing and Phoenix will take you through the west,” he glanced over at Nik, who’s shadows were stirring around him, “Nik will cover the north and south tunnels. You must never use any of them without one of us present.”

“What’s to the north and south?” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my pants, scuffing my heel against the floor.

Darius’ hand went stiff on my back, “Nik will explain everything. Phoenix will start. He will lead you through the marked paths to the point farthest from the room,” he looked down at me, grape hyacinth eyes bright, “*You* will lead him back.”

His hand dropped as Phoenix stepped forward, “This painting leads to the west. Our chambers, the dining hall and the banquet halls are in this direction. There is also an exit into an alcove on the lake in this direction,” he grabbed my hand, his skin hot and dry, “Come on.”

I let him pull me through the opening in the wall, nearly flinching as it clicked shut behind me. We were shrouded in darkness and it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of light. When it did, I noticed the dozen or so lines on the wall behind Phoenix’s head. They were all marked with some form of chalk or pain, each with their own symbol. There was a red bird and a bed, a raven and a bed, and a crudely drawn hyacinth and a bed all at the very top. The first was followed by a red line, the second a depthless black and the third a bright blue. I reached around Phoenix and trailed my fingers over each line before rubbing them together. No residue came off. 

“Charmed,” Phoenix whispered hotly in my ear, “They won’t be able to be removed by anyone other than the person who added them,” his teeth nipped my earlobe, “In this instance, it was Nik.”

The following symbols were just as easily readable as the three that led to their quarters— a plate and silverware for the dining hall, a shirt for the laundry, a long table and chairs for the banquet hall, and a small mountain and water edge for the lake. There was one marked with a a dark maroon x and another marked with a dark blue. I cocked my head to the side and simply pointed at them. 

Phoenix glanced to where I was pointing behind him and then grabbed my waist with both hands, “You must only use those under dire circumstances,” he whispered hurriedly, hotly, “They lead to nothing but trouble and pain. Only use them as an option for escape when absolutely necessary.”

I didn’t feel like pressing any further about where *exactly* they might lead to. His hands kneaded my waist for a moment before dropping to his sides. Phoenix began walking down the narrow wall for about twenty feet. The pathway forked off in three directions — the one straight ahead was at the same height as where we currently were. The one on the left veered down somewhat steeply, cascading the final direction in darkness. On the right, it was shrouded in shadow. The shadows seemed to swirl and swell, nearly beckoning me by name. I glanced at the wall right beside the passage and noticed the two X’s followed by two small arrows. 

My voice was soft, “Nik spelled the passage?”

“At least until you know your way around here,” Phoenix started down the path to the left, “We wouldn’t want you to make an easy mistake.”

I rolled my eyes, “You’d think the very clear markings of direction would put you at ease.”

That earned me a chuckle, “Nik is nothing if not thorough.”

“A true spy indeed, then,” I followed behind Phoenix, noting the symbols on the entrance to the path, “Do all of these paths intersect eventually?”

He nodded ahead of me, “Eventually. Except the two to the right. Those two only have one way in and one way out,” Phoenix stopped and pivoted to face me, “Ada,” his voice was low as he towered over me. 

The step that I took to back away from him pressed my body flush against the wall, which was surprisingly clean. Phoenix closed the distance between us, his hand wrapping around the nape of my neck. My lips were dragged up to meet his, his tongue pushing between my lips and instantly dueling mine. I pushed past the initial, freezing shock in my body at his abruptness and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. Whatever awkwardness the younger prince had during our first union was gone. 

This man was claiming something that I wasn’t sure was his to take with his lips alone. They roamed down my jaw and neck, his fangs extending from his canines so that he could nip at the sensitive marking spot. My body bowed into him, a loud moan echoing through the passage. 

Phoenix froze, listening intently for a moment. After nearly a minute had passed, he placed a chaste kiss on my lips and pulled away. I could see the hard length of him erect in his shorts, twitching as glanced nervously at me. My lips had swollen slightly from the unexpected assault, but I matched his silence as he simply began walking again. 

He remained wordless as he led me down hall after hall, occasionally tapping panels and opening them. Phoenix took the time to show me the areas carved out for peepholes so that I could ensure no one was around. It must have taken an hour or two and the only area that was at all recognizable was the trio of doors that led to the three Prince’s areas. Finally, he led me down a path with a bright light at the end. The wood walls of the passage eventually turned into stone that was dense with moist moss. The passage opened up and Phoenix stepped out before me, parting some creeping vines covering a good portion of the opening. I stepped out onto a sandy beach and looked around. Somehow, we were on the opposite part of the lake that Darius and I had gone to. 

Phoenix walked to the edge of the crashing water and motioned for me to join him, “You never have to worry about anyone other than my brothers being here. No one knows about this passage, and it is the only way to access this particular alcove.”

I listened to the small waves crash against the shoreline. My fingers looped with Phoenix’s and the two of us stood, looking up at the moon. He squeezed my hand and stood, breathing evenly. I was taking deep breaths, feeling each muscle of my body relax as I stood there with Phoenix. There was no rush, no mention of time or needing to return. Just simple company in a space that belonged to no one but us at that moment.

And I realized, as my heart thudded deeply, that I was in trouble. Because Darius wasn’t the only one creeping into my heart.