“Why can’t he just make himself smaller?” I ask, climbing off the couch to help Cas to his feet. Standing, he keeps his head tilted to the side, the mismatched weights on his head constantly pulling him off-kilter.
Fritz explains, “He won’t be able to do any magic or change into his mortal form for weeks until his antler regrows.” His pained expression watching Caspian suffer matches mine.
“I’ll be alright, my Dove,” he assures me, lifting my hand to kiss the back of it. “My body needs to be in this form and lend all of its energy towards my healing.”
“Oh, well, shit. How are you supposed to get home like that?” Isla asks, arms folded across her chest in the residual anger from Eamon’s lecture.
Caspian laughs, his loud chuckle sounding almost perfectly normal, “I’m assuming that’s why he allowed us to stay until nightfall. Much easier to blend into the night sky like this.”
Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense. But how will we get to my car?
I voice my concerns at Eamon’s declaration, “I’m really not sure I feel comfortable leaving Isla here by herself if the hunters are going to be after her now.”
“She’s not going to be alone,” Fritz tells me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and gifting Isla a sympathetic smile. “She’s got Eamon.”
And while I don’t think that’ll be a comfort to her, it is to me. She might hate Eamon, but he’ll keep her safe, and that has to be enough.
We head home the moment night falls, not waiting to see Eamon’s furious face again. As long as he will take care of her, everything will be fine. Even if she’s pissed about it, at least she’ll be protected.
Packing Caspian’s massive form into the back of an all-black SUV was almost too much to bear. He was helpless without the use of his powers, stumbling over himself because of the off-center weight.
But several grueling hours later, we made it home and collapsed onto the bed we share, tangled together andfinallyat peace. The demons in my head will never be silent, but for now, they’re sated. And until my boys agree to help me track down and kill Alastor, it’ll be enough.
Drive
Caspian
Fritz slaps me on the back, “Okay, you got this Cas.”
I’m sure my nerves are written all over my face, but I do my best to grin back, “You sure?”
“Of course he’s sure!” Bel jumps into my arms, planting a big, sloppy kiss on my cheek. “You’re going to be amazing.”
I let her kiss my cheeks as long as she wants, blessing me with little bits of luck with each one. I run my fingers gently down her stomach, even lower still, grazing against the new scar on her inner thigh. She tenses, yelping and pulling away.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her.
“It’s just…” her cheeks fill with blood, “It’s sensitive.”
Fritz cackles, attempting to pry her from me and nuzzling her neck, “What do you meansensitive?”
After a brief pause, she answers quietly, “I mean it like… still stings, but it kind of tickles and kind of feels good and kind of makes me really horny.”
He raises his brows, excitement evident, “We are definitely exploringthatlater. But for now, we must let our Caspian leave the nest. Off to great adventure. A grand, life-altering quest. A-”
I hold up a palm to stop his rambling, “Please, Fritz. You are making me more anxious.”
Bel extracts herself from him and places a hand on my cheek, instantly calming me. “You’re going to be great. Now, go! Or you’re going to be late.”
With a sigh and a kiss on her forehead, I nod and leave our home.
The entire elevator ride and walk through the casino, my heart pounds in my ears, nearly overwhelming every other sense. I’ve only been able to transform back into this form for a day or two now, finally feeling more like myself. The agony of growing back my lost antler was unbearable. The burning anditchingconstantly.
I shake my head, focusing on the task before me. I have three hours to prepare the entire menu proposal. I’ve already spent countless hours preparing my things at the house, thankful that they didn’t require my prep work be done down here where anyone could have seen me cooking as a giant demon. That would have been difficult to explain.
When I enter the gorgeous kitchen, I breathe out a sigh of relief. Something about a steel kingdom such as this around me just brings me a sense of peace. As I turn on the various ovens and things I’ll require, I pull the last of my items through theAetherto me, setting them on the countertop.
A few hours go by in relative silence. The only sounds are the clings of cookware and the sizzling of food. Most of these items I’ve made so many times now that I could cook them in my sleep if need be. Bel and Fritz are so sick of pesto focaccia that I think they’ll kill me if I dare to prepare it again.
