“Fine,” Theo grumbles as he strides toward me. He grabs my waist and hoists me against him before covering my mouth with his and plundering my mouth with insistent strokes of his tongue. My insides melt, and my brain short circuits.
“Put Calamity down,” Hart drawls. “We need to head back to find the rabbit.”
Rabbit, schmabbit. That can wait.
“Plus, we left Gwyneth behind,” Nash adds.
I drag my mouth away. Okay, that cannot wait. It’s probably the only thing that can drag me from the arms of my knights. Possibly sausage, depending on how hungry I am.
I lead the way out of the cave and find Malachi already on his horse, offering me a hand. Hart’s hands grab my hips, and in a flash, I’m saddled in front of the happy twin. The other knights leap onto their horses with a balance and grace I will neverpossess. We each have our strengths, and those things are not mine.
Malachi makes a clicking noise, and his horse breaks into a trot, the bouncing making me grimace.
“What’s wrong?” Malachi asks.
I squirm, trying to find a better position. “It’s uncomfortable.”
“Try straightening your spine but relaxing your shoulders.”
I do as he says, wondering why he thinks that will help. It doesn’t.
“Still uncomfortable?” he checks.
I nod and grimace as the horse jostles me around. “Yup, but it’s fine. I’ll manage.”
“It’s over half a diurnal back to the castle,” Malachi reminds me.
“I’ve endured worse.” I can’t think of what right now, but I’m sure I’m right.
The sun reaches its pinnacle in the cloudless sky, and an icy undercurrent in the air nips my skin and tugs on my hair. I cast my gaze around, seeking something familiar. An expanse of jagged mountains rises at our backs, which house the healing pools and crystal caves, and up ahead, a shadowy forest sprawls before us. The weight of curious eyes watching us unsettles me, making me shiver.
“Where are we?”
Malachi fumbles around in the satchel hooked to the saddle and withdraws a red cape, settling it over my shoulders to protect me from the chill. “We are on the edge of the Forbidden Forest,” he explains.
“Never heard of it.”
“Why would you? It’s where the villainous rejects hide, the ones Far, Far Away won’t entertain.”
“It’s part of So Far Away?” I wonder.
“Yes, and if we had the time to take the long route around, we would. But between Malice stalking you from another realm, an Idol waiting on you to rescue him, and a sister with a capon and a rabbit problem, we thought it best to get back as soon as possible.”
I fall silent as Theo drops behind us. Hart flanks my side, while Nash continues to blaze ahead. They are surrounding me. I’d argue that they need not bother, but I’m learning that one, they wouldn’t listen to me, and two, I’m finding far more danger than I’m used to handling.
I press my lips together as I swallow a whimper of pain.
“Daphne,” Malachi utters in my ear. “I can sense you are hurting. Riding is tough when you aren’t used to it.”
“It’s not the riding that’s the problem,” I grumble.
“No?”
“It’s my floof.”
Nash’s head snaps around. His gaze drops to my belly before flashing at Theo. “You did hurt her.”
“Hey, there was no pain,” I grumble. “Don’t start fighting on my behalf. It’s just that my floof was unused, and now I’m asking it to bear my weight.”
