Her smile faded when her attention shifted to my chest. “What did they do to you?”
I grasped her chin and lifted her head so she had to meet my eyes again. “Nothing I haven’t endured before.”
She winced. “That’s not true.”
She pulled her chin out of my grasp and carefully clasped my other hand before lifting it. Even in the dim glow of the torches, my missing finger was obvious.
Fresh tears filled her eyes; they washed away more of the dirt on her cheeks as she gazed at the red, puckered flesh that had replaced my ring finger. It still didn’t look great, but the wound had healed. Eventually, that raw-looking skin would fade too.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I assured her.
Lightning fired through eyes that had darkened to onyx when her gaze met mine again. I smiled at her fierceness before kissing her again. “My warrior.”
“You’re not sweet-talking your way out of this.”
“It doesn’t matter what they cut from me; we know what we are to each other. A missing finger and wedding band can never change that.”
“You’re not getting away that easy.” Shifting in my arms, she dipped a hand in her pocket and pulled out my ring. “I’m sure it will fit your other hand.”
I took it from her. “How did you get this?”
“I found it in the woods.”
My gaze lifted to hers. “You saw what happened?”
“I saw.”
Closing my eyes, I inwardly winced at this. I should have suspected she’d found it after she’d lifted my hand to reveal my missing finger; she’d known without me telling her, but I hadn’t registered how she’d known until now.
That scene was a bloodbath, and if she’d found my ring, she’d also found my finger. “You never should have seen that.”
“None of this ever should have happened, but it did. And we’re going to fix it.”
I pulled her close again to kiss her forehead before slipping the band on my other ring finger. I clasped her head against my chest as I closed my eyes and savored having her in my arms. For a moment, nothing else existed; it was just her, me, and this peace only she could bring.
A distinct clicking sound opened my eyes as my forehead furrowed and I pulled away from her a little. My mouth compressed as I tried to identify what could be clicking against the stones.
“What is that?” Tucker asked.
Over Ellery’s shoulder, I spotted Ianto, Scarlet, Luna, Fletcher, and some others. I hadn’t noticed the approach of anyone else, but Tucker’s question alerted me to their presence.
They were all grinning at me, and they weren’t creating that clicking. It sounded like a chisel steadily chipping away the stone… or claws.
Luna broke away from the others and, with a delighted cry, sprinted toward Callan. He lifted her off the ground, and the siblings embraced.
“What is that noise?” I asked over their laughter and excited chatter.
Ellery rested her hands on my chest. “I’m going to tell you, but you have to remain calm.”
Those words sent a spiral of dread down my spine. How did she get here without being detected by any soldiers?
We would have known if there’d been a battle outside; it would have followed her in here.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Something you’re not going to approve of, but thankfully, it’s worked out great.”
My blood ran cold as I studied her. Not the gargoyles. Not the fucking gargoyles.
