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He’d also scented me, and his lips had touched the side of my neck. I hadn’t quite recovered from either. I thought I had the rest of the day to get it together. Instead, I had to get my shit together right the hell now.

Bram pulled up outside the funeral home, and Ren jogged out. As he passed the driver’s door, he bumped Bram’s fist through the open window, then climbed in the back beside me.

I forced myself to act normal. It didn’t totally work, though, because my face heated to painful levels. “Hey,” I said when he glanced my way.

“Hey,” he said and rubbed his palms on his jean-covered thighs.

“Glad you could come,” Mags said as Bram headed off.

He flashed her a grin and settled back. Bram and Ren were the same age, and being familiars for the same family, they’d become extremely tight over the years. Mags, Bram, and Ren were more than friends; they were family. After what happened to Ren, he’d distanced himself, but he’d slowly been letting them back in, or at least he’d been trying.

Mags put on the stereo, and I tried to think of what the hell to say. Was I supposed to make small talk now? “Thanks for this. I hope we didn’t pull you away from work?”

He shook his head. “It’s all good.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” I said and tried not to fidget.

“I know what’s in that part of the forest,” Ren said without looking my way. “No fucking way I’d let you go there without me.”

I stared at his profile. He made it sound like he was doing this for me, not as a favor for Bram. I didn’t know what to say, so I pulled out my phone and pretended I had important shit to do. Well, I kind of did. I spent the rest of the drive replying to clients and confirming and making appointments.

We turned off the main highway and started up a dirt road that took us deeper into the forest.

“I would’ve thought Rome would be here,” Ren said low.

“Why’s that?” I asked and inwardly cringed. Because you implied he was your mate, idiot!

Ren frowned and opened his mouth—

“Hey, Ren?” Mags said, turning down the music, and thankfully interrupting. “Did you ever go out past Bleak River?”

They started talking, and I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. I was a dumbass for implying anything was between me and Rome, but now wasn’t the time to clear the air and utterly humiliate myself.

“We’ll drive as far as we can, then walk the rest of the way,” Mags said a little while later, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “You’ll be fine, Jaz. We got you,” she added, obviously seeing the fear on my face.

They were forced to walk because of me. Bram would usually fly Mags to Agatheena’s and avoid the danger completely. “I won’t lie. I am kinda nervous.” That was a complete lie, I was so nervous I wanted to puke. “Wish I had wings like Bram.”

Bram’s dark eyes stayed on the road. “Asked Talon. He was gonna carry you in, but he got called to a job with my brothers.”

A low rough sound had me spinning to Ren. His expression hadn’t changed; his gaze trained straight ahead. Had he just…growled? I’d hung out with Bram’s brothers a few times—they were good guys. I mean, they were all assassins, but then so was Bram. They were no threat to me. I had to be hearing things.

The road grew bumpier the deeper we drove. Bram did his best to avoid the potholes, but it was getting harder. Finally, he pulled the car off the road—it was more a track at this point—and shut it off. “We’ll walk from here.”

We all got out. Mags slung her bag over her head, which was no doubt well stocked with face-melting potions, and both Ren and Bram strapped massive knives to their thighs. “Got one of those for me?” I asked, only half joking, while silently freaking the hell out.

“You know how to use one?” Bram asked, not joking in the slightest.

“Ah, no.”

“Then no knife for you,” Ren said and closed in, kind of crowding me. “Stay close.”

I gave him a thumbs-up, even though this was very much a thumbs-down situation and I’d much prefer to get back in the car and get the hell out of this forest, but Zinnia needed me, and I’d do anything to make sure she could come home again.

We headed off in silence, and all three of them surrounded me. Their demeanors changed completely as we walked through the forest. They were on guard, scanning our surroundings, and every now and then Bram would tilt his head in an extremely birdlike manner, listening for any demons that might be coming too close.

This was my first time in this part of the forest. Where I’d gone with Zinnia was bad, but this place was next level, and the farther we went, the louder it became. Roars and screams and barks, none of them of this world, all of them demon, or some other creature.

“Why would anyone want to live out here?” I said under my breath.