“Yep. Nightmare fuel.” The horrifying creature known as Herbert remained in a glass jar while the female horror crawled around. I inched farther away. “Does she have a name?”
The beetles might’ve creeped me out, but Thane loved them. He loved all insects, really. As his friend, I wanted to be supportive.
“Not yet.” Thane’s brow scrunched. “I was thinking about Scarlet because of her red dots, but I’m not sure. Any ideas?”
“How about Holly? Like the leaf.” The green and red reminded me of Christmas.
Thane gasped. “Holly and Herbert! I love it.” He then did the unspeakable and gathered the beetle in his hand, bringing it to his lips for a light kiss. “What do you think, girl? Do you like Holly? Is that your name?”
The thing wiggled its antennas.
I shuddered.
Murmured voices came from the medical ward. Briar had been busy tending to the injured knights when I’d arrived. Not wanting to bother him, I’d placed my basket of goodies on the table and busied myself in the kitchen, brewing his favorite tea and sorting the sandwiches.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
“Not as bad as it could’ve been.” Thane petted Holly’s back again. The beetle inched closer to his finger. Weird to think she was trying to comfort him, but that’s exactly what it looked like. “I’m told the protection charms helped. They warded off the initial attack that took the knights by surprise and gave them a chance to counter.”
The charms differed from my necklace in that they were only good for one use, protecting the wearer from one strong attack before shattering. Which was why some of the knights had still been injured.
Briar stepped through the doorway, wiping off his hands. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, evident in the crease in his brow and slight hunch to his shoulders. He paused when seeing me. “Evan? What brings you here, love?”
“You.” I closed the distance between us. “Are you okay?”
Briar pulled me into his arms, holding me tighter than usual. “I’m much better now.”
His magnolia scent tickled my nose, and I sought more of it, pressing my face against his shirt. “How are the knights?”
“Conditions are stable. The worst is behind them.” He relaxed his hold. “Have you been here long?”
“No. Just got here about twenty minutes ago. Thane showed me his new beetle.”
Thane beamed like a proud father. “Evan named her Holly. Pretty, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Briar said. “Did you travel to the castle alone?”
“Define alone.” I projected all the cuteness I could muster to soften my incoming lecture. “I had my basket of sweets with me. They make for fine company.”
Lake had been with me, of course. He’d kept to the tree line out of sight, but I’d sensed him all the way to the castle gates. But I couldn’t say that with Thane in the room. He didn’t know about Lake.
“Evan…” Briar exhaled.
“I wanted to surprise my men with lunch.” I fluttered my lashes. “My men whom I love so very much. Especially the one who often forgets to eat.”
“You’re right about that, I suppose.” He pressed a kiss to his favorite spot—my temple.
I stepped from his embrace and grabbed the platter of sandwiches. “I brought chicken croissants with tomato, lettuce, and that raspberry vinaigrette you love. You left before eating breakfast this morning.”
“Thank you, love. You’re too good to me.”
“Just as you are to me.”
His responding smile, though tired, was so damn soft. “Will you be visiting our captain too?”
“Yep. Something tells me I’ll have an army of hungry knights to pass through before reaching him though. Say a prayer for me.”
He laughed. The sound wasn’t quite right and weighed with his fatigue, but it brought warmth back to his hazel eyes.
