“So what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen in all your years?” she asked, tilting her head as much as the web would allow. She tried really hard not to rub her cheek against his chest, which was part of the reason she was attempting to pull back a little from him.
Roan’s pause was telling. “Define ‘weird.’”
“Like . . . strangest magical creature. Most awkward diplomatic incident. Most ridiculous shaman fashion disaster. Surprise me.”
He huffed. “There was a year when the Kingdom of Hooves king decided kilts were the new official uniform for their warriors. Some of the older males refused to wear anything under them. It was . . . a problem.”
Maddie barked a laugh, her ribs aching. “Seriously? How did they expect to go into battle with their, umm, well, goods so vulnerable?”
“Goods?” he repeated, amusement lacing his tone.
“Would you rather me use anatomically correct terms?”
“No,” Roan answered quickly, making Maddie laugh again.
“Okay, your turn,” Roan said after a moment. “Weirdest thing you’ve ever done.”
She thought and decided against several immediate situations because, no. Then grinned when she found one that wouldn’t completely embarrass the crap out of her. “I once triedto make a grilled cheese sandwich with a clothes iron in a hotel room. I was twelve. Set off the fire alarm. My mom was not impressed.”
Roan’s chest shook with silent laughter, and the sound made something warm bloom inside her. “Remind me never to leave you alone with household appliances.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Maddie replied, grinning. “I’m a menace. Ask Lola. She still won’t let me near her kitchen.”
There was a pause, and Maddie felt the mood shift—a heaviness settling over them. “Do you think they’re okay?” she asked, voice small. “Lola and Katy?”
Roan was quiet for so long she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. “They’re fighters. If anyone can survive, it’s them. And they have help: Callon, Gage, Nico–even that damn demon. They won’t stop. Neither will I.”
Maddie closed her eyes, letting herself believe him. If nothing else, Roan never lied. He was too honest for that—sometimes painfully so. Okay, mostly painfully so.
She tried to keep her mind on lighter things, but the darkness pressed in, and her thoughts always circled back to Roan. He was mysterious, brooding, ancient—and yet there was something vulnerable there, just beneath the surface. She found herself wanting to know him, all the hidden parts he kept locked away.
At one point, she asked, “Do you ever get tired? Of being responsible for everyone else?” She’d gotten the feeling earlier when they’d talked about him being a representative for his kingdom that he wasn’t entirely happy with his life.
His silence was answer enough. She could sense the tension in him, coiled tight, as if he was bracing for a blow.
“It’s okay, you know,” she murmured. “To let someone else take care of you. Just for a little while.”
Roan didn’t respond, but his grip on her tightened, ever so slightly, and she felt a flash of something powerful and protective pass between them. Heat filled her insides as she allowed herself to rest her cheek against his chest and soak up the moment. Roan didn’t seem like the affectionate or gentle type, but she got the feeling that if he allowed himself to care for someone else, like a mate, she’d be the luckiest girl in the world. Roan would protect her with everything he was, and she’d get to see a side of him that no one else would. Maddie found herself longing for that and being jealous of that girl.The girl that doesn’t even exist, or at least isn’t in his life,she told herself and then addedyet.It didn’t ease the longing in her. The heart wanted what it wanted. And apparently hers was becoming quite attached to a brooding supernatural male old enough to be some distant, distant, way, way distant grandparent.Okay, let’s not think about that either, Maddie. Things off the table are body, heat, smells, and age.Good grief. She was thankful that one of his superpowers wasn’t mind reading.
The next time the spiders came, with the small amount of light that pierced the darkness, Maddie watched Roan’s face as he drank the nectar. She noticed the way his eyes dulled, the way his magic, if that’s what she was feeling, seemed to flicker and fade for a moment. She filed it away—one more puzzle piece in a picture she was desperate to solve.
Hours passed and they both dozed in different intervals.
When they were both finally awake at the same time, Maddie asked, “What’s the first thing you’ll do if we get out of here?”
Roan’s answer was immediate. “There’s no ‘if.’ We will get out of here. And I’ll take you somewhere safe. Somewhere with sunlight and clean air. Then I’ll come back and burn this place to the ground.”
She was silent; then, “What if I don’t want you to leave?”
He hesitated before quietly admitting, “I won’t let those responsible for this, for causing you fear and pain go unpunished. I’ll come back. If that’s what you want.”
Maddie bit the inside of her cheek, trying to decide how much vulnerability she was willing to show, then decided what the hell, it’s not like she’d ever meet someone like Roan again. “I do.”
Roan’s head dipped and she swore he pressed a kiss to her head before saying, “I don’t think I could stay away even if you demanded it.”
Roan tried not to dwell on the ache in his limbs, the dullness in his magic, or the fact that Maddie’s body felt so perfect in his arms, even if they were wrapped up in spider webs. He focused on her voice, on the stories she told—about her childhood, her mother, the tiny apartment in Queens where she’d learned to be tough and quick-witted and just a little bit wild.
He told her about the other kingdoms—their rituals, their rivalries, the way magic wove through everything like an invisible thread. He found himself talking more than he meant to, sharing things he hadn’t told anyone in decades. She was easy to talk to—when she wasn’t driving him crazy. He realized, with some self-deprecation, that as long as he had her full attention and didn’t have to share her with anyone else, he wasn’t annoyed or on edge.
