I was nearly at the end when he lunged at my leg.
I leapt back, trying my hardest not to lop his head off with the sword poised so carefully above his neck. Brielle and Olivia both scurried behind me, edging toward the unlocked cell door.
They didn’t make it another step before he began to gurgle, blood pouring like a waterfall down his chest and shoulders.
No, no, no!
The wolf’s head rolled right off his shoulders, his lifeless body collapsing in a heap as the collar clanged to the stone floor.
Three blades covered in crimson filled the space where his neck used to be. A single tuft of thick gray fur caught in the collar was the only sign it had been worn by a wolf.
Olivia started bawling. Brielle turned her by the shoulders and led her out of the cell, murmuring quietly to the distraught healer.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but stare.
The pixie king was pure evil, and I had to stop him.
It took me a while to clear my head after the lone wolf’s gruesome death. It bothered me that we’d never learned his name. He’d be buried in an unmarked grave on pack lands, and I vowed to visit him after the war. It was the least I could do after failing him so spectacularly.
Grim, I walked down the stairs to the bunker, trying to rearrange my face into a semblance of happiness along the way. Bence didn’t know about most of what was happening, and, as much as possible, we wanted to keep this a fun adventure for him.
When I reached the main room of the bunker, the genuine smile finally came.
Bence was perched on Elodie’s shoulders, yelling, “Giddyup, Aunt Elodie!” as she raced him around at breakneck speed.
Okay, it was at most moderate speed. But his hair was blowing back, and he was giggling like a madman as she galloped, with the kind of grin that was so wide, it looked like his cheeks could barely contain it. Leigh and Patty both stood off to the side, covering their mouths as they tried to hide their own laughter at the two of them goofing off.
Elodie spotted me as she turned, her eyes going wide as she began to slow.
“Faster, Aunt Elodie! Don’t stop!”
“Uh, buddy, Uncle Valens is here, and he caught us.”
Bence turned, bouncing hard on Elodie’s shoulders as he saw me. “Uncle Walens! Come play horse with us!”
With an invitation like that, how could I resist?
I kissed Elodie first, followed by a quick kiss on Patty’s cheek and a hug for Leigh. Then Bence demanded to switch horses, and it was my turn to run around the bunker like a goofball for the better part of half an hour.
By the time he was tired and ready for dinner, I’d nearly forgotten what I came to tell Elodie. But after we both huggedhim and he was led away by his grandma, it all came crashing back in.
Elodie squinched her forehead, considering me. “What’s wrong? You were happy as could be not five minutes ago.”
I rubbed a weary hand over my face, wishing I didn’t have to tell her. Or Leigh, who stood at her side, studying me with that alpha female protectiveness of hers.
“He didn’t make it. We almost had the collar off, but he started to wake up, and…” I shook my head, hesitant to tell her the gory details, even though I knew she’d seen and dealt with her fair share of gore. I wanted to protect her from the ugly parts of life, damn it. That was what mates did for each other. Softened the blows. “I don’t know if it’s because the removal spell was interrupted, because I messed it up, or if something else triggered it. All I know is that we didn’t quite make it, and he paid the price.”
Elodie stared up at me with sadness in the depths of her eyes. “I’m sorry. That must have been awful. But the fact that thereisa removal spell is a good sign. It’s hope, even if it didn’t work on the first try.” She hugged me, pressing her cheek against my chest as she squeezed me tightly.
I felt better, even though nothing had changed. Somehow, we were protectingeach other, and it was one of the most comforting things I’d ever experienced.
Our world didn’t have to change to support each other through it. We eased the burden by just… being there. Loving each other.
I blew out a breath when she pulled back, trying to shake off the sadness and regret and anger still thrumming through my veins.
Leigh’s phone rang. “Hey, BD. What’s up?”
BD?I mouthed to Elodie, confused. She chuckled and pressed up on her toes to whisper in my ear. “Baby Daddy. It’s Gael.”
