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“Just breathe,” Lyric whispered. “Draven won’t release Cas until he calms down, which will happen sooner if he sees you’re not dying on him.”
“Not dying,” I rasped on the next exhale. “I depleted … too fast.”
“Oh, really? You didn’t tap into your lifeforce at all? Just some energy?” Lyric pushed, cynicism coating every word. The female kept her hand on my back while she continued berating me.
“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, Raven. Every hole on your head is bleeding, including your eyes. It’s freaky as shit. You’re lucky it’s not blood that makes me gag during this pregnancy or I’d be hurling my lunch all over the place, probably aiming for you as payback.”
Lowering to sit my rear end upon my heels, I wiped across the tender skin under my lashes. Dark red smears stained my fingers.
That’s a first.
Lyric’s fingers moved to the artery in my neck. “Your pulse seems okay and I don’t sense anything to panic over. You look pale and puny, but you’re not in any danger. Do you want Casimir?”
My eyes widened and she laughed.
“To come closer, you freak.”
It was then I saw the two demons across the way. Draven was on his back in the pebbled dirt. Casimir was also on his back, but instead of lying on the ground, his back was on top of Draven’s chest. The Shadow Lord had Casimir’s arms in a full-nelson hold and his legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
The look-alike cousins were glaring up at the sky, mouths pinched tight and faces red. They looked like two younglings who got caught fighting by their mother. Or maybe a stercus beetle stuck on its back.
A startled laugh escaped my throat. Then another. Then an outbreak. Two male heads lifted in my direction.
“No offense, girl,” Lyric grimaced, “but you look creepy as shit braying like that with all that blood on you. Have you ever seen one of those horror movies they have in Earth Realm? Or even know what a movie is? Or maybe heard of a psychologist?”
Laughing even harder, my obliques cramped.Accursed Aether!Did someone suck all the oxygen out of the atmosphere?
I snorted, surprising myself, which made me snort again. My cheeks started to hurt and I fell over to the side, holding my ribs. Luckily, I soon felt the cathartic release of endorphins merging with the magic in my bloodstream.
“Shit. Mr. Overlord?,” Lyric called out to Draven. “I think she’s lost it. Or maybe she’s having a seizure. Let her mate come over here and fix it. I’m crazy but this is starting to weird me out.”
Casimir tapped his cousin’s arm and was immediately released. He was at my side in an instant, checking me over, wiping away what he could. My guffaws melted, reduced to random tremors under his inspection.
Thankfully Casimir didn’t try to get me to stand. He sat on the ground and pulled me onto his lap, situating me sideways.
“Whatever that was,” he softly spoke against my temple, “I didn’t like it. I don’t want you to do it again.”
“The maniacal laughing or the other thing?”
My joke fell flat. The concern on his face remained.
“Is that an order?” I asked.
“If I recall correctly, giving you orders results in me being on the receiving end of your firepower. So no, it’s not an order. I’d very much like my balls to remain as they are. I’m simply making my opinion known.”
“Are you listening to your cousin, Big Guy? You should take some notes,” smirked Lyric. Draven rumbled something in reply and she blew him a kiss.
I leaned into Casimir’s chest, tucking my head under his chin. “If I do it again, I know where to stop. It got a little away from me.”
“You think?” he huffed.
“Lyric wouldn’t have let me keep going.”
His embrace tightened. “I know but it isn’t making me feel better. At least you didn’t have to get stabbed, even though you look like you did.”
Draven walked over and squatted in front of us. “You look like shit warmed over. Worse, actually, but since lying is quite a challenge for you, we’ll trust you really do know where to stop next time.”
Casimir growled but I didn’t have the energy to be offended. I knew I looked exactly like the mess Draven described and my mate had every right to be rattled. Luckily, I didn’t feel any alarm or anger through the bond.
