He lifted his gaze to where she stood, frozen. Tossing the dagger away, he crossed to her and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in the crook of herneck.
“You did this,” he whispered, voice raw and thick with emotions. There were no words to describe this rush of gratitude, of sheer happiness sweeping through him. “You healed me—savedme.”
Her arms tightened around him, and her shoulders shuddered. He stilled. But at the wetness on his bare chest, anxiety brutally hacked his joy. “Shae?” He cupped her face in his palms. “What’swrong?”
“Nothing,” she whispered, her eyes wet. “I’m just so happy. I dreamed of this, wanted to be everything for you, and now…now, it’s finally happened.” More tears slippedfree.
Gently, he wiped her wet cheeks with his thumbs. “I’m eternally grateful for whichever Fate decreed this. And that it’s you. I love you, my beautifulwildcat.”
He put his mouth on hers in a tender kiss, and she melted intohim…
“Guess you don’t need me around any longer,” Týr’s dry voice came fromafar.
Shae pulled away from him, making Dagan growl. A deep red flooded her cheeks. “You make me forget myself,” shemuttered.
Hell, he’d forgotten about Týr, too, but he refrained from sayingso.
The warrior grinned and picked up the scattered sandwich he’d dropped on the small table near the door. “Man, this is a mess.Later.”
“Týr,wait.”
He lifted a dark blond eyebrow and smirked. “What? You want athreesome?”
Even through the years, the bastard hadn’t changed with that dry—at times annoying—wit. But, hell, Dagan had really missed his old friend. He snorted. “Yeah,right.”
Laughing, Týr headed for thedoor.
“Thank you,” Dagan saidquietly.
The warrior glanced back. Nodded. One corner of his mouth quirked. “I’ll be around for a while before I leave for patrol again. Need anothersandwich.”
Dagan understood exactly what he meant; he’d wait until he knew all was safe with him and Shae. “Iknow.”
Týr froze. The shock and pain crossing his face at those two words—as if Dagan had yanked him out from an abyss—felt like a kick in his gut. So much hurt and enmity through thecenturies.
“I need my sandwich,” Týr muttered and walkedout.
* * *
As the doorshut behind Týr, Shae turned to Dagan. “I’m glad you found your friendagain.”
He nodded, his expression brooding. “All that agony, rage, and animosity for something I could have ended eons ago. But given the mess I was, I couldn’t see clearly. I was too steeped in bloodlust andanger.”
“You mended things now, and that’s whatmatters.”
He stroked her upper arms and lowered his brow to hers. “I think you had to come into my life and whack me upside the headfirst.”
Shae smiled and lightly ran her fingers over his healed wound. Then said softly, “I was so scared when you started shaking. Are you sure you’reokay?”
He brushed her hair away from her face. “Yeah.”
“But you didn’t feed longenough.”
He pressed his lips to her pulse in a tender kiss. “Stop worrying, I’m good fornow.”
But she recalled the horrid demon-bolt wound on his side and knew it always carried an evil taint until completelyhealed.
“Dagan—” She pushed away from him. He was too distracting when she was trying to think. “You should feed a little more. It will give me peace of mind.” She gestured at the scab on his torso. “That wound still carries astain...”
