“Very well,” Maddox said to me in a less snarly tone. His blue eyes burned with annoyance though. “Who do you wish to escort you? Me or him?”
Briar looked at me. Both waited for an answer.
The decision was… difficult. In more ways than one. Looking at them, remembering their kisses, their soft groans, and the feel of their touch—one calloused from years wielding a sword and the other gentler but no less effective in sending fire through my veins—I couldn’t choose between them.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
“Well, you know what they say…” I put my hands on my hips, going for a confidence I sorely lacked. “Two is better than one. I mean, I know I can take care of myself. Obviously. But I’d feel safer with both of you beside me.”
That was the truth, at least. I felt safer, as well as something… inexplainable. As Maddox had said the night he kissed me, it felt like we’d known each other longer. Our minds were strangers, but our hearts felt familiar. Connected. Mine did strange things when I was around both of them.
“Besides,” I added, “you two make a great team. A knight to protect me from evil rogues and creepy things and a super-skilled physician to heal me if I trip over my own two feet and scuff my knee. Or if I run face-first into a knight’s armor. Again.”
Briar snorted a laugh. Maddox’s cheek twitched. The tension between them had mostly dissipated. For now.
“Allow me time to wash up from my travels,” Maddox said before walking toward the door. “I’ll meet you at the front gate within the hour.”
He left the clinic.
Thane breathed a notable sigh of relief. Did the captain intimidate him? Not that I could blame him if so. Maddox was a wall of muscle and snarl that struck fear in the hearts of probably anyone who got on his bad side.
“Before we go, I have something for you.” Briar returned to his desk and opened the drawer. He handed me a small bag.
“Money?” I asked after peeking inside. “Why?”
“Payment for your work here in the clinic. Even as a temporary arrangement, surely, you didn’t expect to work for free.”
“I didn’t really think about it, honestly. I was just happy to help you and Thane.” The bag held a bunch of copper coins with a few silver ones mixed in. It was one good thing that had come from reading through the dull-as-hell history book: I had a basic understanding of how the currency system worked. “Thank you.”
“No, thankyou.” Briar lightly grazed the backs of his knuckles across my cheek. “For everything.”
“You’re firing me, aren’t you? Is it because I ate all your fig bread again?”
Thane chuckled.
“With the emergent situation behind us, I no longer require your assistance.” Briar’s hand slid to my nape, and his fingers played with the back of my hair just as a smile played at his mouth. “Though, I hope you’ll still come to visit me.”
“Eh. I’m sure I’ll stop by.” I grinned up at him. “That fig bread is too good. I can’t stay away.”
“Ah, so it’s the bread that draws you here.” He winked. “I should have known.”
We shared a smile before he put away the hardback he’d been reading. Something about rare herbs and their medicinal uses. Getting out of the clinic would do him some good as well. He worked way too much.
I pocketed the coins, excited to finally explore the kingdom. What excited me most though? Spending time with the two men who’d, most definitely, taken over my thoughts. And maybe started to worm their way into my heart too.
***
“Took you long enough,” Maddox said as we met him at the front gate. He had changed out of his uniform and into an ensemble of black on black—a thin, long-sleeved shirt that hugged his torso almost like body armor, with a shoulder garment that clasped across his chest, a belt with his sword attached, and black pants tucked into boots.
And fuck me. He was wearing black gloves as well, like the kind worn by swordsmen.
“You said within the hour.” Briar placed a hand at my lower back and guided me forward. “I believe we’re right on time.”
Maddox sneered as his gaze dropped to my back—specifically, to the hand resting there. He moved to my opposite side. “You can ride with me.”
“Ride?” I asked before seeing the two saddled horses. “Oh.”
