"He isn't back yet!"
Herod swore under his breath. "Gather all the soldiers. Hold them off until I am done here," he said with the calm of a man who had clearly lost grip on reality. "After that, it should be easy."
"Yes, Your Highness." The guard bowed then bolted.
Herod turned back to Dennis, his annoyance now bubbling into full-blown arrogance. "You didn't think it through, did you?" he sneered. "You brought your people all this way to die."
Dennis didn't respond. He just smiled wider, and for some reason, that smile got under Herod's skin. His jaw twitched. His eye twitched. His entire soul twitched.
Infuriated, Herod turned back to Ava, now desperate to reclaim his illusion of control. He reached for the zipper of her gown. The dress slipped to the floor, pooling around her feet. Ava stood tall, shoulders back, spine straight. She didn't look at Herod.
She looked at Dennis.
And Dennis, silver chains and all, gave her a wink. We're going to be okay, his eyes promised.
