“And you?” I asked softly, taking her hand.“Who looks after you?”
Her fingers curled around my palm, soft and warm.
“I manage fine,” she said with a smile.
I tightened my grip and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I’ve missed ye,” she sighed, leaning into me as though she hadn’t realised how much.
“It won’t be long, my sweet. I’ll come for you tonight,” I murmured.
Her finger traced slow circles over my chest, catching on the brass button of my coat.
“Ah’m missin’somethin’else inside o’me,” she whispered, closing the distance.
I groaned.
Wulfric rejoiced.
The bond surged between us—hot, and insistent.
If her brother was still watching, I was a dead man walking.
Chapter 30
Euphemia
He kept his promise and came for me in the dead of night. When the gentle yet persistent tap sounded at my window, I was ready. My clothes and shoes had been donned earlier in the evening. I swallowed my excitement and focused on moving as quietly as a mouse as I slipped outside.
You mean as quiet as a wolf, Madadh corrected as I reached the door.
Yes, I replied. We’ll need to be back before anyone wakes.
The moment the door opened, we scented him before we saw him. He didn’t hesitate—lifting me from the ground and crushing me to his chest, nuzzling his face over his mark as though he needed the reassurance as much as I did.
“Euphemia,” he whispered, the word heavy with longing and pain.
We felt it through the bond—from both man and wolf. Madadh flinched at the intensity, not repelled by it, but answering it with a deep ache of her own. One she had hidden from me.
I buried my face in his scent and held him tighter, as though that alone might steady us both.
He didn’t say a single word as he slipped an arm beneath my legs and carried me toward Eilidh House. As we drew closer, the warm glow of candlelight spilled through the windows. I was already preparing to chastise him for being wasteful—until I saw the tree.
I kicked my legs until he set me down, then shoved the door open and raced into the parlour.
I had heard whispers that the English king had brought strange Christmas traditions north, but nothing had prepared me for this. The room looked… magical.
Thaddeus must have chosen the largest tree he could find. Candles were fixed to its outward branches, their small flames flickering and glowing in the dark. Other decorations caught the light and sparkled softly. I gasped, reaching out to touch the dried fruit pieces that dangled from the boughs.
He came up behind me, his arms sliding around my waist and locking me gently in place.
“Do you like our first Christmas tree?” he murmured.
I nodded, suddenly overwhelmed by emotions I didn’t yet have names for.
Instinct made me turn to him. I reached up and cupped his face, and when Wulfric’s eyes flashed, I pulled him close until our mouths met. I smiled into the kiss as a deep, low growl rumbled in his chest. Madadh answered it instantly, and our hungry mouths clashed.
Thaddeus groaned, his hands sliding from my waist to my buttocks, gripping me hard as he ground his cock against my belly. Our scents thickened between us, deepening until the hunger became unbearable—until it drove me to claw at his breeches.
