“You like my magic?”
I nodded.
“But it’s dark magic,” he said in a disbelieving tone. “You’ve seen me use it. You’ve seen how horrible it can be. Like when I used it on the crow demons in the dark wood.”
“The Shadow Crusher,” I said, recalling the name I’d given to the power. We had been surrounded by scary-as-hell demons, moments from probably dying, and he’d summoned shadows from the ground that had engulfed the crows and compressed them, leaving nothing behind but a few feathers and bone fragments. “It was amazing.”
“Anyone who’s ever learned about my magic has feared me because of it.” Rowan’s voice shook. “Yet, you call it amazing.”
“Because it is.”
Some people possessed no natural magic of their own and learned the craft through years of hard work and research. But others, like Rowan, had been born with the ability. Their magic, light or dark, was stronger because of it.
“You truly are a treasure unlike any other.” His lips brushed the base of my throat. “I envy the men who call you theirs.”
Before I could form a response, he leapt off the porch and stepped into the shadows. He turned to look back at me just as he faded from sight.
The door opened, and I whirled around to see Briar.
“Everything all right out here, love?”
“Y-Yeah.” I stepped into his arms, my emotions jumbled and confusing. “I just wanted some fresh air.”
He kissed the top of my hair. “Come on. Let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”
“Okay.”
Briar led me back into the cottage and upstairs to the bathroom. He ran hot water in the large claw-foot tub and added lavender-scented salt crystals. It was supposed to help me relax. And it did… for the most part. My sore muscles felt better, at least. My mind, however, was wired. Restless.
I couldn’t get Rowan’s expression out of my head. How sad he’d looked before leaving. The spot on my neck tingled where he’d kissed me.
Once freshly washed and tucked into bed, I focused on Maddox’s big body to my right and Briar’s to my left. Lake rested his head on my lap—his favorite place to sleep. His wolf ears twitched as the logs popped in the fireplace.
To make a relationship like ours work, no secrets could exist between us. Secrets created tension and doubt. Distrust.
“So, um. Rowan visited me tonight.”
“What?” Maddox growled. “When?”
“After dinner, when I went outside.”
A low growl came from Lake.
“Did he hurt you at all?” Briar asked, cupping my cheek. He’d taken off his glasses for bed but could see well enough without them. Everything was only a tad bit blurry for him.
“No. He just… wanted to see me.”
Briar looked at Maddox over my shoulder. They had a way of communicating without needing to say a single word.
Maddox skimmed his fingers along my jaw. “I don’t trust him.”
“Neither do I,” Briar added.
Lake glanced toward the window and growled low again, which I interpreted as him agreeing with them.
“Rowan touched me, and the necklace didn’t repel him,” I said. “That must mean something, right? It should at least tell you he doesn’t want to hurt me.”
“That only means he had no intentions of harming you inthatmoment,” Maddox responded. “Intentions can change. Men like Rowan would turn on anyone for the right price.”
