Reaper exhaled, then buried his face against Cian’s neck, his shoulders hitching. Cian held him, one hand tangled in his hair, the other pressed to the small of his back, grounding him. The bond hummed between them, and the storm of violence receded under the force of their connection.
After a long moment, Reaper pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. “You ate him.”
Cian blinked, then snorted. “We spat him out.”
Reaper’s lips twitched, just for a second, thenhe sobbed out a laugh, pressing his face back into Cian’s shoulder. “Fuck, I love you.”
Cian stilled as the words hung between them, bright and brutal as a blade’s edge. He’d known… he’d felt it come through the bond. But hearing it aloud made his chest ache. He tightened his arms, his voice rough. “I love you, too.”
Reaper huffed and clung harder, like he was trying to crawl inside Cian’s skin. Like he never wanted to let go.
Never letting you go.
You are mine.
I am yours.
He scooped Reaper up like he weighed nothing and turned toward the path back to Dún Fianna.
Reaper’s fingers curled against his chest, his breath evening out as the adrenaline faded. “We’re gonna have to tell Viper, Trace, and Fionn,” he mumbled.
Cian grunted. “They’ll understand.”
“Yeah, but they’re still gonna bitch about it.”
That pulled another laugh from him. “They’ll get over it.”
Reaper was quiet for a long moment. “Thank you.”
He pressed his lips to Reaper’s temple, tasting salt and sweat and the faint metallic tang of blood. “Always.” His head shot up when the sound of pounding hoofbeats shattered the silence, pressed a kiss to Reaper’s lips, and lowered him to the ground. “Time to face An Rhí.”
Fionn, Oisín, Darragh, and Viper pounded over the brow on the hill, and their horses reared and pawed at the air as they hauled back on the reins to stop them from running Reaper and him over.
Fionn’s gaze dropped to Reaper, then flicked over to him, his expression unreadable. “You reek of blood.”
Cian didn’t slow. “Not mine.”
Oisín scanned the area behind them. “The door’s magic flared. We felt it.”
“Aye.” Cian glanced at Reaper. “It did.”
Darragh crossed his arms, his mouth twitching. “You dragged something through.”
“A problem. One that no longer exists.”
Viper’s eyes narrowed. “Reaper’s problem past?”
“Yes.” Cian stopped, finally, letting the weight of his glare do the talking. “Reaper’s past followed him. A man who thought he owned what is mine.”
Fionn exhaled through his nose as if striving for patience. “And?”
“And I removed the problem.” Cian tilted his head toward the door behind them. “Permanently.”
Viper’s brows shot up. “You took him out?”
“In Tír na nÓg.” Cian was careful to point out. “Not on human soil. None of Trace’s laws have been broken.”
Viper blinked at him for a moment before he barked out a laugh. “Well, that’s one way to handle it.”
