“Stay with me.” Her nose found my earlobe and hid behind it. “Please don’t leave me.”
My lungs forgot their function. Koa made a sound like a piano wire snapping. Zane’s throat worked around unspoken words.
Brumous solved the tension by vomiting half a salmon canapé onto Ko’s thigh.
With a muttered curse, he headed for the bathroom, the pup jumping down to trot after him, tail wagging with obvious pride in himself.
“To be fair, he’s probably never had such rich food,” Zane justified as he scooped up the soggy mess in a tissue and tossed it into the trash can.
Seri’s fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt. Her eyelids fluttered once, twice, before closing, and I stilled as her breathing deepened.
Koa emerged from the bathroom, took one look at her, and let out a contented sigh. Brumous copied him, then went over to curl up on the blanket he’d claimed as his own. As Ko resumed his place at the foot of the bed, Zane’s fingers brushed Seri’s ankle. The swollen one.
I’d need to take a look at that after she woke up. Could be sprained. Dislocated. Broken. Achilles tendon ruptured—
She murmured in her sleep, burrowing closer.
My arms locked around her of their own accord, one hand tight on her thigh, the other palm flattening against the knobs of her spine. I memorized the weight of her against my chest. Lighter than a kevlar vest, heavier than every kill I’d ever logged.
The sun crept past the windows, but I didn’t move. Wouldn’t move. Didn’tdareto move.
Let the world send its monsters. Its traitors. Its poison-hearted Dark witches.
We’d build a fortress stone by stone to keep her safe.
And we’d bury anyone who dared to breach it.
14. Speaking of Monsters
Seri
The sunlight filtering through the drapes was soft, almost hesitant, as though it was afraid to be there. I blinked at the unfamiliar room, then remembered where I was and smiled just a little.
Evermere.
My new home with my newhusbands. The word still felt foreign, like a too-big shoe I hadn’t quite grown into yet.
Yesterday, they’d found me on their doorstep, battered and broken, in the aftermath of Amabel and Eluned’s cruelty. A few hours later, I’d woken clean, bandaged, and cocooned in a bed so soft, it felt like sinking into a cloud.
And then they’d introduced themselves: Casimir, Zane, and Koa. Three men who were now mine.
And I hadno ideawhat to do with them.
My body ached as I swung my legs over the side of the bed, but it was a dull ache, manageable. I glanced down at the bandage wrapped around my arm, crisp and white, and felt a pang of gratitude. I was clean, cared for, and wearing Koa’s white t-shirt. It still smelled of evening primrose, his mate scent, and I breathed it in greedily.
I shuffled to my suitcase, which sat against the dresser. I didn’t know how it got there, but I was grateful to have it. Digging around, I found an old t-shirt dress in soft lavender, wrinkled but familiar. It wasn’t much, but it was mine. I frowned at my bare feet. My only pair of shoes was missing, probably lost in the chaos of yesterday. My feet looked small and pale against the hardwood floor, vulnerable in a way that made me shiver.
“Brummy,” I called softly, turning to the wolf pup who’d been watching me with wide, curious eyes. He trotted over, his tail wagging in slow, deliberate arcs. “Go fetch one of them, okay? In case I need help.”
He tilted his head, ears pricked forward, and I smiled a little as Casimir’s stern words from earlier echoed in my head.
“Letting that animal watch you in the bathroom! He’s a boy!”
I opened the door, and Brumous bounded out with a happy yip, his claws clicking against the floor as he disappeared down the hallway only to stop at the top of the stairs and start howling.
Well, I guess that will work, too.
The mirror above the bathroom sink showed a version of myself I barely recognized. Yeah, my face was still pale and my gray eyes still held shadows, but there was a spark in them I hadn’t seen in a long time. I splashed cold water on my face, the shock of it sharp and invigorating, and brushed my teeth with the toothbrush someone had left for me. Feeling slightly more human, I left the bathroom and found Koa and Zane waiting for me.
