“One rogue werewolf is child’s play for us, Seri. Trust me.”
“Yeah,” I chimed in. “We’ve handled worse before breakfast. Literally. I mean, just the time Cas tried to make pancakes was more difficult to survive than Claudio will be.”
Cas scowled at me, but Seri let out a small laugh. It was a rare thing, hearing her laugh, and I’d do just about anything to keep it coming.
“I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.” She hesitated, her fingers twisting in the hem ofmyhoodie.
“You’re not a burden, Seri.” Cas’ hand on her shoulder tightened slightly, his green eyes softening. “You’reours. And we protect what’s ours.”
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she ducked her head, but I could see the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
Brumous chose that moment to plop down at her feet, panting like he’d just run a marathon instead of chasing a car for thirty seconds. I reached down to ruffle his ears.
“Don’t worry, Brummy,” I murmured. “We’ll make sure Claudio regrets ever laying a finger on our girl. Right, boys?”
“Right.” Ko flipped his dagger with practiced ease, catching it midair.
“Right.” Cas nodded, his thumb caressing Seri’s neck.
She looked between us, her gaze lingering on each of us in turn. There was still a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, but also something else. Something warm and trusting that made my chest ache in the best way possible.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Anytime, sweetheart.” I leaned in close enough to see the faint freckles dusting her nose before I kissed her, swallowing her soft gasp of surprise.
“I’m next for a kiss,” Koa declared, but Cas looped an arm around her waist and pulled her away before I was even finished savoring her soft lips.
Then he took off, the bastard, our beloved tucked under one arm like a football. We chased after him, Brumous trotting with us, asSeri’s laughter rang through Evermere, and I felt a surge of determination.
Claudio Kane wouldn’t stand a chance.
Not against us.
And definitely not when we were fighting forher.
28. Over the Threshold
Seri
My bare feet made no sound against the polished wood floor as I paced outside my husbands’ bedroom door. The cuffs of my t-shirt nightie trembled in my grip. How long had I been worrying the fabric? Somewhere between my lonely bed and here, my courage had dissolved into jelly-kneed hesitation.
It had been four days since Angelo healed my injuries. Four days of being waited on hand and foot by three gorgeous men who now wore matching gold bands on their fingers, bands just like mine. My husbands. The word still felt strange on my tongue, but the evidence was there every time they brushed their fingers or knuckles over my face, my neck, my arm, my knee. Every time they kissed me or held me close. Every time they looked at me with those heated gazes that made something inside me twist and flutter.
This morning, Zane had actually licked my ankle as Casimir was slipping my socks on. The sensation had sent a shiver up my spine, and the smirk he’d given me afterward told me he knewexactlywhat he was doing.
Their constant attention had been overwhelming at first, but now Icravedthem and wanted to be with them at night, too. Breathing in their scents and feeling safe snuggled in their warmth, surrounded by their heartbeats.
That was okay to ask for, wasn’t it?
My strength was far from fully recovered, but I felt much,muchbetter. My fingers traced the place where I could still occasionally feel phantom pain from the siphoning. The fatigue came and went, sometimes my mind blanked entirely, and my magic remained frustratingly absent. Still, I was stronger than I had in a long time.
I twisted the gold band around my finger, remembering how, just five days ago, we’d stood together and exchanged vows. I wasn’tsure I was ready yet to be a wife in the full sense of the word, but I felt ready to go at leasta littlefurther than kisses and light touches. The mate bond drew me to them physically as well as emotionally, and I knew the same was happening with them through the beloved bond.
“And they won’t do anything I don’t want,” I whispered to myself, pressing a palm over my thumping heart. “Koko said so.”
“Beloved, we will never pressure or rush you into that. Don’t doubt that we desire you because we do, but we’ll wait for as long as you need us to. When you’re healed, when you’re ready, and not before.”
The promise hummed through our bond, warm as the summer sun.
