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“Only bruises.”
She smiled, her expression strained but genuine. Before I could stop myself, I had brushed a tangled lock of hair from her face. “We made it.”
Falling back, she spread her arms, laughing out loud, her eyes shining with fever. “We’re alive, you asshole cats!”
I grinned, her elation so contagious, soon we were both laughing with a wild, reckless joy that echoed through the dark forest. And then, without warning, our laughter turned to something else. She reached for me, her fingers tangling in my hair, and pulled me on top of her.
Our lips met in a fierce kiss, driven by the sheer relief of being alive, having survived another hopeless predicament.
“Thank you,” she whispered against my lips as I tightened my arms around her. “For everything.”
“Always,” I murmured, pressing one last, lingering kiss on her mouth before releasing her. It was in my interest to keep her docile, I told myself. Why then did I take such pleasure from her gratitude?
“Alright.” She took a deep breath and got up, groaning as her muscles protested. “Fuck, that hurts.”
I knew how she felt. We would both be black and blue tomorrow.
“I shall find some plants to soothe our aches, but for now, we must keep moving.”
She grimaced as she forced her weary body onward, but did not complain any longer. As we walked, I scanned the ground for feverfew, wild oregano, and an herb my mother calleddiflannu twymyn.It would cure her quickly unless the illness was brought on by magic.
But it was getting darker, and a dry cough jostled her chest every few steps. I needed to act soon, or she would be incapable of walking at all.
Maybe an hour later, something caught my eye. A dark figure lay motionless under a tree, barely visible in the gloom. Beth had seen it as well, and before I could stop her, she had veered away from the narrow trail we had been following.
“Stay back. It might be a trap,” I called after her. Some creatures pretended to be dead and thus lured their prey within reach.
I caught up with her and pushed her behind me, staying at a safe distance from the body. Standing still, I surveyed the area for any danger. We had probably stumbled across the body of a traveler who had fallen foul of poison plants or died from exposure. There were many ways to meet the Goddess in Gwerin.
But then he groaned, mumbling something I could not understand. Beth seemed to recognize the voice because she gasped, pushing me out of the way and dropping to her knees next to the fallen male.
“Daeary? Can you hear me?”
Daeary. Where had I heard the name before? And then it struck me. Of course. It was the incubus who had fucked and nearly killed the girl in the pool. If only he had followed through, the old king would still be alive. And yet, my blood ran cold at the thought of how close Beth had come to dying that day.
The incubus mumbled a string of syllables, his limbs twitching. I joined Beth, placing my fingers against the demon’s pulse under his chin. His skin was pale and clammy, his eyes dulled with pain. The once vibrant demon looked a shadow of his former self.
“What happened to you?” Beth asked.
“If you are a figment of my imagination, it is the most beautiful thing I could imagine in my last hours.” His voice was a soft whisper.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you hurt?” She ran her hands over his chest and under his back to check for injuries. “Where did you disappear to?”
He shook his head weakly. “I have not fed in days. But do not concern yourself. You are safe from me.”
“Fuck,” she muttered, her voice shaking with emotion. “Dyf, he needs help. Can you do something?”
I ignored her plea. Something did not add up. “You are an incubus. How are you alive if you have not fed in days?”
Daeary coughed, a wet sound like tearing silk. When he spoke again, his lips had turned blue. “Once incubi are mated, they can only feed from theircariad. I tried so hard to find other donors, but… we were attacked… had to leave the alliance...”
What insheolwas the alliance? And who was Daeary’s mate? A horrible suspicion gnawed low in my stomach.
Beth had taken the demon’s hand and bent over him. “What can we do to help you?”
I chewed on my lip, glancing from the incubus to the girl and back again. The demon was dying, that much was obvious. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out what was on my mind. “Daeary. Is Beth your mate?”
Beth’s jaw dropped, and then she glared at me. “What the fuck? I can’t believe you’d ask that. As if.”
