Kane laughed again, throwing his head back this time and squeezing my shoulder. We started to walk again before he answered. “I’m not saying it’s all roses. But, yeah. I put her first. I love her more than my own life. If I wrong her? I do whatever it takes to fix it and make things right again. I can’t tell you how many foot rubs and apologies I’ve delivered in the past few months. But she can feel what I feel. She knows what I meant and that the apology is sincere. Once that bond is sealed… things get both simpler and more complicated.”
“It sounds really fucking complicated.”
A small, knowing smile. “The best things in life are. You feel up to a run? We’re not far now.”
“I’m ready.”
And I was.Olivia
Iwoke up on a small cot, staring up at a rocky, natural ceiling. It took me a hot minute to figure out where I was and how I’d gotten there, but when Fiona’s no-longer-blue face appeared above me, it all came back to me.
“Hey, bestie! You were out for the walk back to the caves. But good news! Gael’s gonna make it. I’m pretty sure that as soon as you’re semiupright again, Leigh is going to pounce on you and never let go. I convinced her that would be rude to do while you were still unconscious.”
“Thank you.” The words were a bit croaky, and a second later, a little tin cup appeared, condensation on the sides letting me know whatever was inside was really, really cold. And I wanted it so badly, I shoved myself upright in one motion.
The room spun, and I instantly regretted it. But Elodie was there like magic, propping me up with her ridiculous maiden strength, and after a moment, it passed. I chugged the entire cup of icy cold water and held it out for another.
As it turned out, wielding magic was ridiculously draining. I didn’t know how Bri managed to make it look so easy.
True to her word, the second Fiona backed away to refill my cup, Leigh was at my side, sobbing and hugging me with crushing force of her own.
“Oh my Goddess, I don’t even have the words to tell you how grateful I am. Brielle says you saved his life. Whatever magical rabbit you pulled out of the hat reversed the worst of the damage and kept him stabilized until Elodie could run him here. He’s going to need a few weeks of healing and rest, but he’s going to live to see our daughter’s birth. Really, you saved her too. All of us.” Leigh sobbed on my shoulder, and I patted her back, an intense gratitude filling me as we rocked together.
That was how the men found us. Their bulk easily filled the goblin-made doorway to this little pocket of the cave.
“Is everything okay? Brielle told me Gael had stabilized…” Kane glanced sideways, walking up with Lucien.
Elodie intercepted him with answers as Leigh pulled back, sending me an apologetic look as she wiped away her tears, then followed them over to Gael’s bedside.
That left just me and Lucien.
His stare was hot enough to burn right through me, a wildfire of emotion contained in those glowing orange eyes, and at the moment, I was ready to let it consume me whole.
He didn’t speak, just knelt at the foot of my cot, taking my hand.
“Olivia, my hellcat,” he added with a grin, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be deserving of you. Your light shines brighter than anything I’ve ever seen before. You’re kind and caring, smart, and painfully gorgeous. I’ve got it on good authority that I’m going to keep screwing up, probably for the rest of our lives. But I promise you, if you give me the chance, I’ll always make it up to you. I’ll learn, for you.”
“Luce, what are you saying?” I asked, a tremor rolling through my body as he continued to speak.
“I’m asking if you’ll bond with me. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man you deserve, and??”
I leaned forward, cutting off his words with a breath-stealing kiss.
He threaded filthy fingers into my hair, tilting my chin and driving us deeper, tasting, loving, promising without words. When I finally pulled back, I rested my forehead against his. “Yes. Yes, I’ll bond with you.”
If I lived to be ten thousand, there would never be a sight better than his dirty, battle-smudged face with that wolfish grin, as if I’d just promised him the moon.
He looked at me like I was important, as if to him I was the moon, and the stars, and the whole damn sky.
Olivia
Cheers erupted from our pack mates, bouncing off the walls of the small cave, and we separated, laughing. Goddess, it felt good to laugh after how terrible a night it had been. Though, by now, it was probably tomorrow.
The sound of a throat clearing repeatedly interrupted the well-wishes from our pack mates, and we all turned to see Batten, our goblin host, standing in the doorway.
It looked much less ridiculous with an occupant whose size it was intended for.
“Please come with me.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked into the pathway.
After a quick shuffle, those of us who were able followed her out of the cave, back into the woods. The breaking dawn was comforting after the long night of fear. Almost as if the sun were saying, See? You survived.
Questions raced through my mind, but when we entered the elder goblin’s yard, they all vanished. Was she going to boot us out for bringing trouble to their doorstep?
We’d done our best to help, but there had been serious damage to their city, and I’d seen goblin bodies mixed in with the attackers. They’d lost friends and loved ones.
I swallowed hard, my eyes going misty as I stared at my shoes.
Everything about this had been messed up from the start. And while we’d all been joyous at surviving the battle, we were nowhere near completing the war. Without the goblins’ piece, it wouldn’t matter if we got the other four. The ODL would keep coming, and without the combined might of the packs fighting with us… It was a dark, dark future.
Batten helped the goblin elder down her front steps, lending her an arm for leaning as she crossed the distance between us.
This time, Batten also ran back inside and retrieved a chair for her.
As soon as she was settled, she began to speak. “I have had many interesting reports of all the things that have transpired since your arrival yesterday.” Her fingers were steepled just under her chin as she gazed blandly at us, as if she was waiting for one of us to wax eloquent about the battle.
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