Page 57

“You should go after him,” Clark told Ray. “There’s probably an undead bear running around. If you could track it, that’ll give both of you something to do other than panic.”

“You won’t…hurt her?” he growled, hating how vulnerable she was, and therefore he was.

“Of course Clark won’t hurt an unconscious person,” I snapped. “Now go find the bear.”

He nodded and spun around, heading outside, leaving me to look around at the mess that no one had been noticing. Well, if I was here, I might as well be useful. I tugged my hand out of Clark’s. It wasn’t easy. Impossible, really. “You’ll need both hands to save her,” I finally said when my own efforts were doing absolutely nothing.

“I need you beside me.”

His low words sent a shiver of something delicious down my spine. But he’d refused my deal in favor of blood oaths. I mean, that was the right choice, very selfless, for the greater good and all that. But it wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear. “Too bad you didn’t take my deal. I’m going to clean up while they’re out. The bear made a huge mess. That’s my fault.”

“He tried to kill you. Is that your fault, too?” His voice had an edge of anger.

“Probably. Apparently, I’m imminently killable. Seriously, I need my hand back.”

“You don’t get it.”

I glowered at him. “Excuse me?”

“You’re the Hoar’s heir. You don’t clean up the caretaker’s cottage after they tried to kill you. Do you realize how absurd you are?”

“I’m trying to be useful!” Did he want to hurt my feelings? I’d almost died! And now he was insulting me?

He pulled me into his arms, enveloping me in his strength, warmth, and power. “Please, my darling Marigold. The light of my heart, the soul in my soulless existence, please let me hold onto you. Otherwise, I may burn everyone and everything related to this debacle to absolute ashes. It’s not easy for me to save. It’s not easy for me to forgive. It’s not easy for me to be sane in a world of madness, particularly when he took some of your precious life.”

His hand was so strong, but so gentle, like I was a precious egg, cradled in his palm. Well. I guess that made sense. He was a terrifying sorcerer. He’d have to have lots of unhealthy kill impulses when he felt the need to protect his family.

I sank against him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and closed my eyes. He felt so good. So very, very good and right and exactly what I needed in a world full of monsters and madness.

He started humming, deep in his chest, and then his voice, such a beautiful voice, sang a song with words in a language I didn’t know. Latin? Maybe. I didn’t care. I just relaxed and let him hold me like he’d never let me go.

I could have stayed like that forever, his warmth soaking into me, when a gasp and the sound of someone falling to the floor had me pulling away to turn my head and look at the person who stared up at Clark like he was an evil sorcerer who would probably kill her.

“Oh, hello! I’m the Heir of Hoar House,” I said with my most polite and warm smile.

She didn’t look at me.

“This is my husband Clark. He’s not going to let go of me because he’s irritated that your brother tried to suck the life and magic out of me, but it wasn’t entirely his fault because you were possessed or something by someone who was manipulating the entire situation. How do you feel? Are you hungry? Do you think you can eat?”

She responded by falling over and heaving black gunk with sparkles all over the floor. It smelled like battery acid and looked even worse. She heaved for a long time while we stood there, and then Clark scooped me up in a bridal carry and walked with me out the door.

“Wait! Don’t you think I should help her?”

“There’s an undead grizzly bear running around. And when she feels better, she’s going to start trying to kill us. It would be a pity to kill her after bringing her back. You’re right, that was my sister’s work. She’s supposed to be stripped of her magic and exiled, but there are ways around that. Apparently.”

I shivered and pressed my face against his warm neck. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? That I didn’t let you clean up their house?”

“That your sister is betraying what you worked so hard for.”

“Ah. To be clear, I worked so hard for you and the children, for your guaranteed protection, not for a noble cause.”

“You wouldn’t have met me if you weren’t already running around protecting people.”

“I was there for the fight, not because I’m a good person.”

“I thought you were there for a bet. Can I nap? I’m going to try.” I closed my eyes and relaxed in his arms, but the feel of him was nothing close to relaxing. I wanted to taste his skin and tug on his long hair. Was it as silky as it looked? But that would be ridiculous. He was my soon-to-be-ex-husband, and he’d never apologized for lying.