Deep regret pinched his lips as he leaned away. “For now, you must rest. Your strength has been diminished, and I’m afraid healing you is not a gift I possess. It’s best for you to sleep to hold on to the last strength you have.”
Magnus shut his eyes, and Nexi couldn’t help but admire him. Where Kyden was honor and intensity, Magnus was flames and danger. Tall, with his muscular frame filling out his black long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans, he burned with a passion that was impossible to ignore. With his sculpted masculine face and squared jaw, he oozed power. He was a man who would draw a woman’s gaze, and even have her doing a double—if not triple—take.
When his eyes reopened, a hint of a smile crossed his face. “Ah, good. You won’t be alone for long.” He licked his lips, and his focus went to her mouth as he traced her bottom lip.
She nearly drew his finger inside to savor his touch before she clamped her mouth shut.
His warm chuckle quivered in her belly. “I don’t mind the fight. It’ll make winning that much sweeter.” Hot magic that was damn sensual in its touch swept over her, tingling her limbs. “Please do take of yourself while I am not with you. But know, if you are in danger, I won’t be far away. No one will hurt you again, that is my promise.” Her heart swelled, regardless of the wrongness of her reaction—Magnus had proven to protect her, and she felt a little safer than she had in a very long time.
“Until next time, beautiful…”
His smoky, intoxicating eyes were the last thing she saw before she tumbled into darkness.
Chapter 17
Nexi shivered, her teeth chattering, as she shifted under the weight of something heavy on her back. She reopened her eyes to the starry sky, forcing her body to move again, noticing the warmth along her back had vanished. She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping when a form appeared beside her. After two blinks to clear her eyes, she saw someone who warmed her heart.
“Valor?” she croaked, wondering if she was dreaming.
The Patriarch of Wolves gave her a tight frown. As always, especially now, she experienced an intense sense of protection with him near. She blinked again, her mind clearing from the haze as he pressed a hand against her forehead, drawing in a long, deep sniff. His hot flesh against her cold skin telling her that she wasn’t imagining him.
He wasn’t watching her with a smile, which she figured would be in a dream. His normally kind eyes were tight with concern. “You’re not well,” he said. “My cellphone isn’t getting reception out here. I need to get you to Zia—you are drained of powers, and your fever is getting worse since I’ve arrived.” Urgency lifted his voice. “You must grab hold of me and not let go. Can you manage that?”
She slowly nodded, unable to form the appropriate questions to ask why and how he’d found her. Her entire body trembled and everything ached, her muscles burning with exhaustion. She scanned the area in her line of vision and she didn’t see Magnus any longer. Nor did she sense him, either, as she had before. The oddest sense of disappointment filled her, both confusing her and scaring the shit out of her.
Valor dropped a much-needed kiss on her forehead and then rose. Dressed in a plaid cotton T-shirt and jeans, he panted in sharp, labored breaths, indicating he’d been running. Nexi sensed the wave of magic lifting the hair on her arms seconds before Valor’s body shimmered, arms and legs shifting into smaller ones, tanned skin covering itself in fur. The balmy energy brushed against her skin and she welcomed the heat as she watched his feet soon become huge paws. In less time than it took her to draw in a breath, he had morphed into a cinnamon-colored wolf, being more the size of a pony than an actual wolf.
His low, rumbly growl comforted her as he tucked his head beneath her stomach, nuzzling her and assisting her onto his back. Using the very last reservoir of strength she had, she wrapped her arms around his thick, furry neck, resting herself against his back. He rose then, and she noticed the sun rising over the mountains and that the view was far different from the view when she arrived.
Magic made the area dead, void of any life.
She gripped Valor’s side with her thighs, and her thoughts returned to Magnus and what had happened. Her heart rejected that she had allowed him to touch her. The thoughts she experienced with him made her stomach roil. But she pushed it all away, knowing that safety had come and soon she’d be home with Kyden, where everything made sense.
Laying her head down against Valor’s soft, warm shoulder, she inhaled the deep woodsy aroma he carried. The touch of him relieved her, because no matter what Magnus had said, right now she was with someone who loved her without wanting more.
Valor howled before he lunged forward, and Nexi held on to him as tightly as she could as trees whipped by in a blur. She tangled her fingers into his fur, hearing his paws hitting the ground at impressive speeds, matched with the low hum of his breathing.
He never stopped running, nor did he slow his speed. Every time she’d start to slide off him, he’d shift his weight, jarring her back into position. Maybe Valor was right; she did feel a bit feverish, warm and cold at the same time.
It seemed like hours had passed before she noticed they approached a gas station, resting along a country road. Valor glanced around, yet even Nexi didn’t see anyone, so he moved forward toward the large tree next to the small store with lawn chairs out front.
Walking behind the tree sheltering them from the road, he lowered to his stomach. Unable to do anything else, she rolled off him, landing hard on her back. She couldn’t even entice a groan, as she drew in a long breath, catching a waft of the gasoline mixed with the pleasant scent of the maple tree above her.
The heating touch of magic once again brushed over her, raising the hairs on her arms as Valor shifted into human form—magically back in the clothing he’d been wearing before. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him until he knelt next to her, pressing his hand against her cheek. “I need to find out where we are and use their phone to call Briggs.” Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, his face barely holding any color. “Will you be all right if I leave you for a moment?” At her weak nod, he sprinted into the gas station’s store.
Nexi closed her eyes, a chill racing through her blood like no other. She’d cheated death…again. While she thought she should feel overjoyed that Astoria was dead and she was alive, there was too much confusion wrapped up in all this.
What was with this stranger called Magnus?
What was that magic she’d experienced?
Part of her knew she needed to talk about both, but right now she wondered if she should keep her mouth shut about it all until she better understood all this herself. Besides, she was too damn exhausted to particularly care.
The door to the gas station slammed open, and Valor rushed to her side as he swayed on his feet. “They are on their way.” He dropped to his knees next to her, panting in harsh breaths, his face ashen, exhausted from their journey.
She wondered who they were when suddenly she was gathered into strong, warm arms. A gasp shot from her mouth as she was forcibly pressed against a hard body, but when she inhaled musk and spice, everything became better. She wanted to grab Kyden with all her might, holding him close so he could remove all the confusion in her mind and the coldness in her heart, but her body refused to move.
“Zia.” Kyden vibrated beneath her. “Heal her.”
Nexi lifted her head in the same second Zia lunged toward her. As Zia’s hand reached out to touch Nexi’s thigh, she managed, “Valor first.”
“No,” Kyden roared, his body tense, coiled tight. “Now.”
His voice was a hard command not to be ignored, reflecting a man who wouldn’t stand for Nexi not to put herself first anymore. Nexi was too damned tired to argue, and when Zia’s magic swept through her broken body, all thoughts vanished.
Apparently, she was worse off than she realized, considering that Zia groaned with the waves of magic coursing into Nexi, sweat beginning to form on her brow. Each pulse of mag
ic bursting into Nexi hurt more than the one before it, and pain became Nexi’s constant companion, pulling grunts from deep in her chest, until suddenly it stopped.
She opened her eyes, not knowing she had closed them, and she discovered they had transported into the Council’s Foyer at some point during her healing. Relieved to be home, her focus went to Valor. He rose, rejuvenated from Zia’s healing. Nexi stared at him, so touched he came for her, but she wrapped her arms around Kyden. While questions remained, his touch was her only desire now. Astoria’s plan to kill him hadn’t succeeded, and the relief of that brought tears to Nexi’s eyes. His arms braced around her, easing the coldness deep within her.
“I’m home,” she whispered.
Kyden’s arms tightened around her. “You’re home.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and scanned the faces around her. Everyone she loved stood in this room. Even Willow rested next to Haven, lying on the ground and watching Nexi closely.
At the same time, though, she could feel something different within her, something that was simply a petrifying mess. Those thoughts she had with Magnus—why had that happened? She loved this group. Kyden’s arms were the ones she wanted around her. His love was all that she needed.
Why had Magnus’s touch made her forget that?
Tears fell down her cheeks as she fought against the building guilt, but as pure happiness spread into her, she looked toward the source. Haven cried happy tears in Finn’s arms.
“I missed you” was all Haven said.
Yet that one thing said it all. Nexi was so glad to be home; even she had wondered if it would happen. “Me, too.”
Firm hands moved her away, and Nexi glanced into Kyden’s eyes, finding something she hadn’t expected. Tears. And those tears made hers fall harder. It became clear enough that everyone, including her, had thought there was a very good chance she wasn’t going to make it home alive. Overwhelmed by emotion, she cupped his cheeks, relishing how her fever had now vanished and her body no longer ached. “I’m safe now.”
“You’re safe,” he echoed, as if needing to believe it, too. He drew in a shuddering breath, and there in the depths of his eyes showed a love so intense it said more than his words could. It made all the guilt, all the confusion about Magnus vanish, because nothing else mattered but Kyden. He rested his cheek against her chest, holding her close, and she cradled the back of his head.
That’s how they stayed for minutes that Nexi didn’t dare count.
No words needed to be said; touch was all they needed.
Only when Kyden leaned away did Nexi glance at the Council and Finn, and Kyden wasn’t the only one taken with emotion. Everyone had tears in their eyes. While she understood their emotions and sympathized with the fear of what might have been, she couldn’t quite grasp why smiles weren’t greeting her. “Shouldn’t you all be happy to see me?”
“You’re here.” Zia slowly dropped onto her knees and touched Nexi’s head like she was a ghost. Tears flooded her face, filling Nexi with the love that she thought she needed more than anything else right now. “You’re home.”
Nexi blinked, confused by the surprise rippling over Zia’s expression. “Didn’t you send Valor to get me?”
“I went to him,” Kyden said softly, drawing Nexi’s attention. His tears had dried, but raw and heady emotion still raged in their depths, touching her heart. “I asked for his help, but Valor hadn’t sent word he found you, until he called from the store.”
Nexi turned to Valor, who now leaned against the far wall next to Briggs, another wolf that Nexi loved. She’d met these wolves under dire circumstances during the Lazarus fight, and fighting against evil sometimes has a way of bonding those who fight against it. She asked Valor, “How did you find me?”
Valor moved away from wall, kneeling down beside Zia, reaching for Nexi’s hand. His touch was warm, not burning like Magnus’s had been. This was purer, and reminded Nexi of home. “Kyden, Briggs, and I went through the portal, entering every state until I caught your scent in Colorado. It was faint, but there”—he shrugged—“so I followed it, which led me to Odessa Lake.”
Now Nexi began to understand why Valor had looked exhausted. “How long did you run until you found me?”
He winked. “Awhile.”
“Two hours,” Kyden said with a grim voice. “Believe me, I felt each minute after I returned to the Otherworld to gather the witches to fight Astoria.”
“Luckily for us,” Valor explained, “the black witch wasn’t there when I arrived. But my cellphone couldn’t get reception, which was why it took so long to contact Briggs. I had to find a location with a phone.”
Nexi squirmed against Kyden’s lap, trying to get closer to him, hoping he felt her regret that any of them had to go through that, especially Kyden. Yes, it all worked out, and she was glad for that. Yet Kyden’s pain was bared, and for that she’d loathe Astoria forever for causing him such distress. She asked Valor, “How could you catch my scent from such a far distance?”
“Kyden brought me a T-shirt of yours,” Valor replied, as if this was a simple matter. “I used that to track you.”
To Nexi, this was not simple by any stretch of the imagination.
Valor smiled at her furrowed brow, his warm grin reflecting a love between them that Nexi appreciated having in her life. “Being the Patriarch comes with special abilities.” He gave another shrug, as if she shouldn’t be impressed. “Luck was on our side. The night held a slight breeze, and your scent carried on it.”
Well, she was impressed, and was stunned to realize the distance he’d traveled. More tears welled in her eyes, her voice catching in her throat. “I don’t think I can ever—”
The warmth she was used to seeing in Valor crossed his features. “I’m glad I found you before it was too late.” He placed both hands around hers, holding her tight. “I imagine if any more time had passed things wouldn’t be as happy as they are now.” Then he gave a sweet smile that was so entirely Valor.
Sometimes Nexi was so surprised by him. He was a werewolf that could rip her to pieces in a second flat, but a man who was gentle and loving. He placed her hand in Kyden’s, then stood and headed for the portal’s door.
Nexi looked at Briggs, who waited at the portal. He gave her a grin that could charm any woman right into his bed. Plus, the mysterious twinkle in his amber eyes always held something special, Nexi thought. She understood why Kyden loved these werewolves, and she held the deepest affection for them as well.
“Glad to have you back, darlin’,” Briggs said.
“Thank you,” she replied. “You and me both.”
Briggs winked, then followed his boss.
Valor opened the door’s portal, and Nexi’s thoughts were reeling, but not enough that she didn’t remember what this meant. “Valor.” He glanced over his shoulder, lowering his foot that was about to walk through the portal. “That’s twice now.”
He cocked his head. “Twice?”
“Twice you’ve saved my butt. Once when you helped with Lazarus. Now again with Astoria.” She leaned her head against Kyden’s shoulder and smiled. “You better start asking something of me soon or our numbers are gonna be a little uneven.”
The side of his mouth curved into a delicate arch. “I prefer our numbers be uneven and you being safe.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she did nothing to stop them. That dark power that had overtaken her almost made her forget these supernaturals. Yet how could she? For all she’d been through, everything she’d lost, she gained so much—friends who loved her in ways that she would never be ungrateful to have in her life. “Thank you for finding me.”
Without another word, and clearly not wanting the gratitude, Valor and Briggs walked through the portal. The door slammed closed behind them, and Nexi vowed that whatever Valor needed from her, she’d do—no matter the cost to her.
Silence surrounded her, so Nexi rose out of Kyden’s lap, but Kyden immediately grasped her hand
. She stared out to the others, no one said a word, and soon the quiet became daunting. Kyden must’ve realized something, because he reached for her face, turning her to him. Then his mouth was on hers, and the remaining coldness vanished right out of her body.
This is where I belong.
His body cradled hers and his mouth moved across hers with a raw edge, leaving no misunderstanding that he was overrun with emotion. The hardness of his lips displayed what it had cost him that she’d gone missing for so long. He was her protector, her strength. Something she usually fought against to prove something to herself. Now she couldn’t care less what she needed to prove to anyone. She soaked in that knowledge that he was her heart, her safety, and her lover. In their kiss, she gave over all of herself to him now, asking for nothing in return but his touch and his love.
By the time he stopped kissing her, Nexi’s cheeks were warm, and she barely heard someone clearing their throat. She turned, finding Zia smiling at them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need to know what happened.”
Next to her, Talon nodded. “Is Astoria dead?”
Nexi sighed, knowing she had a duty to explain, but all she wanted was to be alone with Kyden in their bed, so he could remind her that she belonged to him. That whatever Magnus had said wasn’t true. That whatever darkness she tasted tonight was a trick that Magnus had done.
No part of Nexi could believe that any of that belonged to her. Her soul was too good; she believed that. And now, more than ever, she suspected that Magnus had used magic to force that darkness inside her. She didn’t know his motives. Nor did she particularly care right now.
She heaved another sigh. “Magnus showed up and helped me kill her.”
A surge of fear swept through the soul bond, drawing Nexi’s gaze to Haven. Her soul-sister’s eyes widened and she whispered, “Magnus, as in the Lord of the Underworld?”
Nexi bobbed her head. “Yep, that Magnus.”
Kyden tucked a finger under her chin, garnering her attention to him, and his eyes searched hers. “Why was he there?”
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