Lake lifted it to show us. “Nearly healed. Give it another hour and you won’t even know I was bitten.” As a demi-human, he healed a lot faster than ordinary humans. The puncture marks were mostly closed. Only dried blood remained.
“Briar can take a look at it when he comes home,” Maddox said. “Just in case.”
Lake smiled into the back of my hair. Maddox’s concern touched him. He then kissed my nape. “I’ll brew you some coffee. It always makes you feel better.”
He stepped toward the counter and grabbed my favorite mug. A strong wind pushed against the cottage, and rain came down hard.
“Ev?” Callum stepped into the kitchen and came over, taking Lake’s place from earlier. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I nuzzled Maddox once more before turning to do the same to Callum, breathing in his familiar scent of vanilla bean and sunshine. It grounded me. “I’m a mighty muffin lord, remember? Thunder is no match for me.”
“Aye.” The tenderness in his brown eyes did strange things to my heart.
“Who won the brownie-eating contest?” I asked.
“I did, of course.” He beamed with a smile, adding a burst of sunlight to combat the raging storm. “Quincy could only fit three in his mouth before laughing. I managed five.”
“Before laughing? Uh-oh. I take it there’s mushy bits of brownie all over the floor?”
Callum flashed his dimple. “Loser had to clean up the mess.”
I shook my head. Silly boys.
After the coffee was ready, we retreated to the parlor and sat beside the fire—me between Maddox and Callum on the couch, while Lake sat on the floor in front of me, tipping his head back in a silent request for me to pet his silver hair.
Duke, Quincy, and Baden joined us in the parlor, bringing another platter of brownies, along with an assortment of cookies. Mainly oatmeal raisin and lemon white chocolate.
“The three of you can plan on sleeping here tonight,” Maddox told the knights. “The storm doesn’t seem like it’ll be letting up anytime soon.”
“Yes, sir.” Baden nodded to him.
“Such a pity.” Quincy exaggerated a sigh and patted his belly. “That means we’ll be here come breakfast.”
Duke smirked from the top of his mug. “I’m sure you’re tore up over it. Forced to eat all those cake pans.”
I nearly spewed my coffee. Quincy loved pancakes, but the first time I’d made them, he couldn’t remember what they were called. Of course, his brothers in arms wouldn’t let him forget that slip of the tongue.
Cake pans for life.
The storm continued outside, less intense than earlier. Once the front came through, the wind died down some, leaving a steady rain and the occasional rumble of thunder. Nothing severe, just as Lake said. The knights bantered, and the air felt so light. Heaviness found me again, though, as I glanced toward the window and thought of Briar. He still wasn’t home.
“Anyone need a refill?” I asked, rising from the couch with my empty mug. “Tea? Coffee?”
“I’ll take more ale, if ya have it,” Duke said.
“Coffee for me,” Baden chimed in. “The brown sugar blend you brewed this time is addictive.”
“Any more of these?” Quincy asked with his mouth full of the last lemon cookie.
“I’ll see what I can find,” I said with a short laugh and exited the parlor.
In the kitchen, I brewed more coffee, found a half-full tankard of ale, and hunted for sweets. Anything to keep me moving. Because thoughts about Briar and the mercenary were making me restless. Anxious.
“There you go pacing again,” a voice said from the shadowy corner near the pantry. “Keep it up and you’ll wear out the floorboards.”
I halted in step. “Ro?”
“The one and only.” The darkness swirled before Rowan stepped from the shadows. And lord help me, he was wearing his spy clothes: dressed in black from head to toe with a hood pulled up over his hair. A thin black mask covered his face from the nose down, showing only his topaz eyes. “Miss me?”
