Page 74 of Discovered Magic
“Did you fall through a portal, too?”
Royal’s surprised jerk gave him away.
She gasped. “You did!”
“Shh. Keep your voice down. The others may be on the other side of the fire, but noise carries in these caverns.”
“Tell me.”
“No,” he replied succinctly. “Go to sleep.”
“I can’t. My thigh hurts too badly.”
“Want to lift your skirts for me to take a look?” His offer was jam-packed with sexual innuendo, and Abbie’s entire body grew warm.
“Stop it,” she warned. “I’m engaged, and I love Wilder.”
“Is he one of those people searching for you who I’m supposed to fear?” he taunted softly.
An unexpected sob caught in her throat. Brought on by the burgeoning emotions of worry and sorrow. Had she and Wilder suffered two years apart only to meet an end like this? Her to die at the hands of renegades while he bled out on a sidewalk in The Devil’s Backbone? The fucking place should’ve been called The Devil’s Armpit!
“Rein it in, Fire Cat. Grief is just as good as fear for our resident energy vampire.” He cradled her against his chest, rubbing small circles on her back. His actions were at odds with his gruff warning to get it together and encouraged her to cry. “Shhh, Abbie, it will all be okay,” he promised.
The urge to rail at him was severe, to tell him she’d be back in Perdition Ridge, finding out Wilder’s fate by now, if they hadn’t accosted her. Yet after learning what the Freakazoid in the corner could do, she had no choice but to shove it down.
Searching for a distraction, she asked, “How long have you been in this time?”
“Seems like forever,” he confessed. “At least two years now.”
She stilled. Two years was a helluva coincidence. “Where were you when it happened?”
“My brother Silas and I were climbing?—”
Her mouth dropped the instant she registered why he seemed familiar. “I remember you! Wilder and I were going up as you were coming down. We passed you in the middle.”
“That was you? Jesus. We were all fucked that day, weren’t we?”
What were the odds? But her recall had to be faulty, because there were five people in his group that day. Three men and two women.
“Did the others fall through the portal, too?” she asked quietly.
“Only Julia.” By his tone, she was someone important to him. Or had been, anyway. But there wasn’t another female hanging with these guys, and it didn’t speak well for the woman’s chances.
“Who was she?”
He glanced toward the corner, and Abbie followed his gaze.
Morcant had curled into himself and fallen asleep.
Thank the Goddess for small favors.
“She was my sister-in-law.”
“Was?”
“The portal kicked us out in different places along the canyon over three days. Julia was first, apparently. We found her body just outside this cave’s entrance.”
“Oh my god!”
