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We pushed the two large mattresses together, and I helped settle the two of them together on top. The bed and blankets were all plush and soft—softer than any blankets I’d ever felt. They seemed comfortable, but I didn’t lie down with them yet. I’d wait until I could close the door and push the hutch in front of it.
“Come sit, Braz,” Florin said. “We’re safe here.”
I grunted, not wanting to burst his bubble. How he could possibly think it was safe, I didn’t know.
He sighed and leaned back into Theon, who was spooning the fae.
Jedrek came back and didn’t step into the hut. He passed me the trays of food, gave me a nod, and walked away. After setting the trays down, lighting the lamp, and pushing the hutch in front of the door, I finally sat on the edge of the bed and sniffed all the food and drinks.
My nose wasn’t as good as Nica’s, but I was sure I’d smell any poison they’d laced in our food. I didn’t smell anything, so I gave my companions their food, and the three of us ate in silence. I could hear the noises from fae walking around and conversing outside, but even that was slowing down with the late hour.
Once I cleaned up dinner, I finally lay beside Florin on the bed with Theon behind him, hugging his waist.
Florin sent me a hesitant smile before reaching out and resting his hand on my chest. He whispered, “I’m okay.” He glanced away from me for a moment, and I sensed hesitancy from him, maybe even some nerves. He didn’t meet my eyes when he spoke again. “I… look very different, don’t I?”
“You look just as beautiful now as you always have, shortcake. You’re gorgeous,” I said without hesitation. It was the truth. He always looked beautiful because he was a beautiful person on the inside, and that showed on the outside.
Theon leaned up on his elbow so he could see me over the top of Florin’s shoulder. He sent me a fond smile, like he was proud of me or something, and I sent him one back.
Since Florin seemed unsure of himself, I very gently ran my fingertips over the blue lines on his arm, saying, “This looks pretty… very striking.” Then I gently ran my fingertips over one of his horns. They were small—the smallest I’d seen on any fae we’d come across—so they barely had any curl to them. They were black and shiny and very hardy. If they continued to grow, they could be a forceful weapon. “These are stunning, too.”
Florin’s eyes flicked up to mine, so I sent him a smile and whispered, “You grow more and more beautiful every day, Florin. More and more lovely.”
He stared at me for a long moment before his chin began to wobble, and he pushed forward, burying his face in my chest and gripping my tunic like he was afraid I’d move away from him. But that was the last thing I wanted to do.
So I scooted closer and hugged him to me for a long moment, then tilted my head up to meet Theon’s gaze. My angel smiled at me, and I smiled back before pulling him close. Theon leaned over the top of Florin to place a soft, sweet kiss on my lips before he settled down behind the tiny fae, and we tangled our arms and legs together. The two of us held Florin tight, keeping him safe between us.
My two sweet companions fell asleep soon after that, and I held them both, safe in my arms, all night long. I didn’t sleep a wink. I wasn’t about to let the fae come in here and surprise us. I wasn’t going to let them hurt Florin or Theon ever again. I’d protect them with my life if I had to.
18
Nica
“Holy shit!” I said as I flew back, my feet skidding along the dirt. My arms came up, and I ducked behind them—an automatic reaction to the lava mountain exploding.
“Hurry, hurry!” Wey urged Kasper as the old gargoyle yanked the door open.
Stepping closer, I peeked over Kasper’s shoulder, and my eyes widened. Inside the small door was a chest that took up the entire space. It was the only thing inside.
My eyes moved back to the lava mountain, er, volcano—dammit, Wey—and I sucked in a breath. Lava overflowed and slowly moved down the mountain, catching trees on fire before burying them in its liquid entirely. It was as if the lava ate everything in its path, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be in its path when it got here.
We needed to hurry before it caught up to us.
Kasper reached in to grab it and grunted when it only wiggled a tiny bit. “I need your help, Weylyn.”
Wey stepped up and grasped one handle while Kasper held the other, and together, they pulled the chest free.
Kasper turned to me, asking, “Can you make it down the mountain before…?” He nodded his head toward the incoming lava.
“Yeah.”
Before I could shift, Wey’s gaze raked the area, and he blanched. He turned to me, concern written all over his face. “I’ll carry you out, Nica. It’s coming too fast.”
That was sweet, but it wouldn’t work. He couldn’t carry me and the heavy chest, and we needed whatever was in that trunk.
I winked at him, dropped the bag of keys, and shifted before he could do anything else. Scooping the bag of keys up in my mouth, I took off as fast as my paws could carry me. Wey cursed behind me, but I knew without me there, he’d help Kasper fly the chest out of there. So I concentrated on running at full speed.
Close to the bottom of the mountain, I caught up to a group of shifters and roared at them to get their asses moving. They hesitated, but when I gestured at the incoming lava and roared again, they got the message. Idiots. I didn’t know what they’d been doing or what they were thinking, but I was glad they got their feet moving.
