Something wet landed on my arm.
Blood.
I swore under my breath. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing,” she mumbled.
“Nothing, my arse.”
Bracken appeared out of nowhere, chittering furiously at me like this was somehow my fault. I ignored him.
I followed the group as we all loped up the lane toward the castle, Gloam keeping pace at our side, while a crow flew over our heads.
“I’m fine,” Liora said again, quieter now.
I barely glanced down at her, just needing one of these magickal women to see to her injuries. “You’re bleeding on my jumper, lass. I wouldn’t call that fine. And I can feel you shaking.”
“I nearly watched my sister get trampled by demon water horses and then a dragon or whatever that was tried to storm out of the loch,” she said, voice wobbling. “Of course I’m shaking.”
Fair point.
I cupped the side of her face, thumb brushing just under the cut at her temple. She flinched, then relaxed into it, eyes closing for a heartbeat.
“I’ve got you,” I said quietly. “All right? I know things are…difficult. Between you and Zara. Between you and me.” My chest tightened, but I forced myself to keep going. “But I’m not going anywhere. Not after tonight. Not ever, unless you kick me out yourself.”
Her lashes fluttered. For a second, something like longing flashed across her face, raw and bright.
Then she swallowed it back down.
“Let’s just get to the castle.”
I wanted to push. To demand she look at me properly. To tell me what was breaking her apart inside.
Instead, I pressed a kiss to her forehead, gentle, unable not to touch her.
“Soon,” I murmured. “We’re going to talk. You and me.”
She didn’t answer.
But her hand cupped my wrist, fingers tightening for half a second before she let go.
It was enough to keep me breathing. Because, this woman, this brave, beautiful lass, was my heart.
I love her.
Over the last few days, all I’d thought about was her and her pain. I’d missed her laughter too, her light, but I’d also just missed being with her in silence as we walked the woods. I just needed to figure out how to convince her that I wasn’t going anywhere. Picking up my pace, I followed the beleaguered crowd up the hill.
MacAlpine Castle had seen its fair share of gatherings over the years, but I doubted it had ever hosted one quite like this. The castle loomed against the now-dark sky, its stone walls glowing warm with light. It should have felt comforting, but it didn’t.
It felt like we were limping back to a fortress between sieges.
Archie parked as close to the back entrance as he could manage. The moment the truck stopped, Hilda took charge.
“Right, all of you, inside,” she ordered. “Don’t track half the loch across my floors. Wipe your boots.”
We obeyed instinctually as we followed everyone down the hall and into a large lounge.
I carried Liora straight through to a couch and looked up.