“Your solution is to fight demons with a stick?” Rowan rolled his eyes. “You really are a mess. A total, clumsy mess of a boy who can’t even clasp a cloak correctly. Here. Let me fix it.” He stepped closer and fiddled with the fastening at my neck. When a surge of warmth spread through me at his touch, settling in my core, I did my best to ignore it. “There. Now if you die, you’ll at least look good doing it.”
“Wow. I appreciate the confidence.”
“I told you before. I tell it like it is. And you, little treasure, are no fighter.” Rowan glanced at Briar, who had moved closer to me. “I’d do as Specs here says and leave while you still can.”
“I can’t,” I responded. “I won’t.”
Rowan ruffled the back of his dark-auburn hair and sighed. “Figured as much. Then at least take this.” He withdrew a small dagger from his belt. How many did this guy have? “It’s tiny, like you.”
The dagger had a leather wrapped handle with a blade measuring five or so inches. It was way better than a stick. “Thanks.”
“That’s a loan,” he said. “So expect to return it to me. Meaning, don’t get yourself killed.” With a cocky curve to his lips, he grazed his fingertips along my jaw. “Your face is much too pretty.”
Briar pushed against Rowan’s chest. “Take your hands off him.”
“Ah, don’t get your knickers in a twist, Specs. I’m leaving.” Rowan put his hands up and took a step backward. His topaz eyes moved to me. “Remember. I’ll be expecting that dagger back. It’s special to me.”
He then leapt up into the nearest tree.
“Dammit!” I exclaimed, gaze sweeping through the branches in search of him. “He still has my freaking necklace. I should—”
Briar pulled me in for a kiss. His lips trembled on mine. “I love you.”
The gravity of our situation pressed down on me again. It had momentarily lifted while talking to Rowan, but as everything came back into focus, things didn’t look good for us. Demons continued to swarm us. The knights were injured and running on fumes. Lake’s movements weren’t as quick now as exhaustion weighed on him too.
As for my necklace? Rowan could have it. What would a protection stone do for me now anyway? My men didn’t have one. And if any of them fell, well…
Don’t think about it.
“I love you too.” I pushed my face against Briar’s neck. Magnolia blossoms and springtime. The center of my chest burned. A burn that rose up my throat and settled behind my eyes. “Do you remember our first kiss? You were outside stealing flowers.”
When he laughed, it was croaky. “Picking them, not stealing.” He held me tighter, his body quaking. “The Night Kisses only bloom beneath the light of a full moon. Little did I know something in me would bloom that night too. My love for you.”
“And you say Maddox is a sap.”
Another laugh. It cracked a little.
Hudson yelled as one of the bird-lion beasts sank its teeth into his leg, yanking him off his feet. As he slammed to the ground, a second one sprang forward and bit into his bicep, tearing at his flesh. Callum drove a sword into its skull before striking at the other.
Quincy was still on his knees, body swaying with the effort to stay upright. Duke and Anton fought off demons left and right.
“I need to help them,” Briar said, his expression fixing into a strong determination. He embraced me again. “Stay here. If a demon gets close—”
“Stab them.” I nodded to my dagger. “Got it.”
Briar, after glancing at me one last time, darted toward the knights. He went to Quincy first and placed both hands over Quincy’s stomach wound. Light radiated from his palms. A demon lunged at Briar’s back.
“Briar!” I cried out.
Callum struck the demon down before it made contact. Briar nodded to him before swinging his satchel around and pulling out a glass vial. He had brought healing tonics with him. Smart cookie. He gave one to Quincy before rushing over to Hudson, who was moaning in pain, blood pooling from several deep gashes.
My chest hurt so much. None of this seemed real.
More than anything, I wished it was a bad dream and that I’d wake up to see my men in bed, safe and sound. I would then attack them with kisses and cuddles and stay that way for hours. Just grateful they were alive. Grateful we weren’t in a demon infested forest about to be torn to shreds.
But we were.
I then searched for the two men who owned a piece of my heart. I found my wolf first.
