“I love you,” he whispered over and over.
The words were so difficult for him to say for so long, but he would make sure she heard them every day for the rest of their lives together. She was hiseverything,and his brother had sunk a sword into her beautiful heart. He’d almost lost her, but he’d been granted a miracle, and he would cherish it for eternity.
The water was turning cold by the time Lucien shut it off. They didn’t have any shampoo or soap, but he felt infinitely cleaner by the time he stepped out of the tub.
Steam choked the air and coated the large mirror over the sink as he opened the door. With no towels available, they dripped water across the wood floor as he carried her to the bed.
When a knock sounded on the door, he settled her on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. He made sure she was completely covered before tugging on his boxers and walking to the door. She was covered, but he used his body to block the room as he opened the door.
Declan stood on the other side with his and Callie’s bags in hand. “I thought these would come in handy.”
Lucien took the bags from him. “Thank you.”
“How is she?”
“Okay. I think she’s going to wake soon.”
“Good.”
“How’s it going with the demon?”
“It’s still unconscious.”
“We’re never going to get any information out of it.”
Declan ran a hand through his auburn hair and tugged at the ends of it. “No, but maybe, if we can get it talking, I’ll be able to sense something from it.”
Lucien’s eyebrows lifted. He’d always suspected—he was sure they all had—that Declan possessed an ability to understand and feel more than the rest of them. They’d worked together for centuries, but this was the first time Declan ever confirmed it to him.
With a jolt, he realized how much Willow had changed him. But then, finding their mates had changedallof them. They were all far different than the Defenders who existed before Ronan discovered Kadence and the Alliance formed.
They were always close, but they’d been shut off to each other and trapped in their thoughts, memories, and troubles. Now, they were closer and more open. Ronan had taken his rightful position as king, Killean was nowhere near as cold as he once was, Saxon was happier, and Declan was revealing more of himself than ever before.
And he… well, he was nowhere near the asshole he was before being taken prisoner. He glanced over his shoulder at Callie. Before her, his heart had felt like a lead weight in his chest. Now, every beat of his heart pounded for her, and he didn’t loathe the world as much as he once did.
She’d made him stronger;allof their mates had made them stronger. However, having their lives and their hearts tied into the well-being of another also made them weaker.
That weakness nearly destroyed him when he saw the sword plunge into her heart, and without her, he would become a monster the likes of which none of his brothers had ever seen. But he welcomed the weakness she’d brought into his life if it meant having her by his side.
“Do you think you will be able to sense anything from it?” Lucien asked.
Declan shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not really sure if that thing is capable of experiencing anything I could sense, but we’ll find out.”
Lucien studied Declan as he set their bags on the floor next to the door. “We’re not the same anymore, are we?”
A small smile played at the corners of Declan’s mouth. “No. Nor do I wish to be.”
“Neither do I,” Lucien admitted.
“Let us know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Lucien closed the door, stripped out of his boxers, retreated to the bed, and curled up beside Callie to draw her into his arms. He held her close while he tried not to think about how close he’d come to losing her. Even with her in his arms, he still might go mad from the memory of Yannis stabbing her if he focused on it.
Another hour passed before he felt the flutter of her lashes against his neck. When she stirred, a low groan issued from her, her nails bit into his back, and she whimpered.
“Shh,” he soothed as he ran his hands over her back. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
