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“Let me try.”
She looked at Brian, who had crouched beside her. She acquiesced when he gently nudged her up, walking away from the center but avoiding Maddox as the arousal still throbbed in her system. Ruby hung her head, shame flickering when Brian successfully made his body glow before he made sparks and directed them to the barrier. The cheers became deafening as their surroundings glowed. The warlock, in turn, became positively joyous, his handsome face proud of what he had done.
“It’s all right, Ruby. You didn’t need that.”
An arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer. The heat that intensified within her had her fisting her hands, but there was no defense against the man who refused to stop believing in her.
“Mad…”
“We will find what you need. Not here,” he promised.
His low voice caressed her senses until she was dazed and could only grip him back—a mistake as an electric current started from her fingers and tingled in places it shouldn’t. Ruby bit back a sound, disoriented from the consequent disappointment and desire. When Kin walked toward her again, she used him as an anchor to come down from her high and slowly eased herself away from Maddox.
“It’s official. Your companion Brian is our savior. That means you three are also under his protection.”
Maddox grunted.
“Yes.” She nodded, then followed Kin to a stone seat. “Who was your first settler here?”
“My great grandfather. He stumbled upon the Otherworld and met my great-grandmother, who had also been stuck here. She was trying to find a way back to the human world when she met him and changed her mind.” He smiled at the look on her face. “And before you assume, no, we are not inbred offspring. Our savior, the powerful being, already had a group of followers with him—humans he discovered who were also stuck here, and had chosen to stay at his promise of a good life. And he kept that promise until his death.”
“But why stay here when the barrier is the only thing protecting you?”
“We have heard stories of the human world from our ancestors, where there’s a lot of luxury but also a lot of danger. You have to understand that this is the society we grew up in, and there is no guarantee that we would survive the change. We have our needs met here and we enjoy being secluded and at peace. Frankly, with the stories we hear about how other islands are often at war and filled with hate, there is no other place we want to be in.”
It made sense, especially when her island came to mind, reeking with judgment and her sisters miserable, no matter how they tried to hide it.
“I understand.”
“I’m glad you do.”
“Do you have any source of energy other than the soil and what your protector left behind? Is there any particular area on this island that might hold what I’m looking for without harming your home?”
This time, his answer wasn’t as prompt. A contemplative look settled on his face before he nodded.
“There might be. But it’s a long journey, and you need to rest first. You also need to give us this moment to process our savior’s return and prepare for the final ritual.”
Discomfort skated in her bones that they were letting these people hope too much, but the memory of Brian successfully harnessing energy relaxed her.
“Of course. And thank you.”
They were given food and drinks, which Brian tried first to test for poison and heartily approved of. She ate quietly in a corner, observing the tribe’s routine as the kids were ushered into the tree houses to sleep while the adults lingered behind. A small crowd had gathered around Moon, who was flustered over the attention while excitedly telling them pirate stories. A few women had approached Maddox, too, one bold enough to touch his arm and feel his muscles.
She seethed over it, wanting to march over to them and snatch that wandering hand. She looked away, refusing to give in to her jealousy and reminding herself that he was just her friend.
“Are you okay?”
Brian provided the distraction she needed, so she eagerly patted the space beside her until he sat down.
“Yes, I’m good. I’m just watching them having fun and not believing our luck. But you had a lot to do with that.”
“I guess so.”
“You do,” she insisted. “You cemented their faith in their home and drove their worries away.”
“I suppose I did.” Brian noticed the awed looks shot his way and graced them with his charming smile. “They eat this up so easily, don’t they?”
“Hmm…what?”
