I weakly smiled. “That’s high praise coming from you.”
“I may not see eye to eye with him, but I can admit he’s a skilled warrior. His determination to make it home to you will make him even stronger.”
And then, I heard it.
Footsteps on the front porch, followed by a key working the lock.
With my heart stilling and lungs constricting, I looked at the door just as it opened. And as Maddox stepped across the threshold, a sound tore from my throat, and I lunged at him.
He caught me against his hard chest. “I’m home.”
I started crying, expelling the gut-twisting fear I’d felt since he’d left the barracks on horseback. I could finally breathe again.
“I’m home,” Maddox repeated, cupping the back of my head—cradling it in his large palm. “I’m safe.” Musk, sweat, and the scent of dried blood masked his usual warm spice, but in that moment, nothing in the world could smell better.
“What happened out there?” I asked.
He drew back and wiped at my tears with his thumbs. “Nothing for you to—”
“Stop saying that!” My sudden burst of irritation came unexpectedly. But I was tired of him treating me like a child. “You can’t keep me in the dark forever, Maddox. I was there when Neville died.”
“I know.”
Briar closed the door and locked it. He looked so drained, the dark circles under his eyes worse than ever. “In short, several knights from the Third Order were lost today. As were some from the Second.”
“Some from the Second?” I felt sick. “Callum? Quincy and the others? Are they—”
“They’re alive,” Maddox said gently. “Baden took an arrow to the chest, but it thankfully missed his heart. Briar healed him. He’s resting in the medical ward now with Duke, who insisted on staying with him through the night. Callum is bruised and scraped but is otherwise unharmed. Quincy dislocated his shoulder while tackling one of the bandits from horseback.”
“I popped it back in place and gave him a tonic to help him sleep,” Briar said. “He’ll be good as new by morning.”
“He tackled one of the bandits?” Damn. Quincy was a total badass.
Maddox nodded. “We killed many of them before they started to retreat. I gave the order to capture one for questioning, and Quincy didn’t hesitate before taking action. Upon our return, the bandit was handed over to the knights of the First Order and taken to the castle dungeon.”
“Do you think the bandit will talk?” I asked.
“If he knows what’s good for him, he will.” Maddox winced.
“You’re hurt,” I said, forgetting about everything else.
“I’m just sore. While I was locked into combat with two of the bandits, a third threw a dagger that lodged beneath my armor. Nothing too serious, so get that worried look off your face. The physician patched up my wound at the clinic.”
“And now you need to rest so it can properly heal,” Briar said with a snap to his voice. “Just as I’ve told you a hundred times.”
Maddox’s lips twitched, and he rubbed at his left shoulder. “A hundred and two, if memory serves me well.”
Briar rolled his eyes. “Yet, you still insist on being a pain in my rear.”
Maddox’s smile turned cheeky. He then regarded Lake. “Thank you for staying here with Evan.”
“You don’t need to thank me for that,” Lake responded, standing several feet away. He had stepped aside once they’d come in. “I care for his well-being just as much as you do.”
“I highly doubt that, wolf.” His tone was on the softer side, though, instead of the derisive one he often used with Lake. Looked like my captain was making progress too. “But I suppose having you around isn’t all bad.”
“Maddox,” Briar said, eyes narrowed. “You need to—”
Maddox cut him off with a sharp exhale. “Rest, I know. By the gods, physician, you’re worse than a mother hen.”
