Page 74 of The Veil of Blood and Magic

Jagger presses on even after we’ve cleared the territory, ensuring we’re deep in the forest tucked against the mountains of Caelfalls before he finds an empty cave near a stream and ducks inside it.

He starts a small fire while I gently lay the succubus down, careful of her head.

“Why isn’t she awake yet?” I ask once Jagger finishes with the fire. My lungs burn as I struggle to catch my breath.

“I don’t know,” he answers. “Maybe she used too much of her power?”

“Hmm,” I grunt, while grabbing the flask on my hip. I don’t bother telling Jagger where I’m going as I head out of the protection of the cave and to the stream.

Rain is there, drinking his fill after the hard ride, and I kneel on the bank, cupping my hands in the water and splashing it over my face and the back of my neck. I scan the area, my ears straining for any sound that is out of place.

There’s nothing but the sounds of insects and animals in the night.

The Core didn’t catch our scent.

I tilt my head back, eyes on the stars shining in the midnight sky. “Thank you,” I say, relief pouring through me. Rain nuzzles me before heading off to graze nearby.

That was close. Too fucking close.

And what the fuck are we going to do now?

We’ve clearly made our choice, but…

I don’t understand it.

Don’t understand this need to protect her even when she drives me mad.

We just protected the most forbidden monster in our realm’s history, and we can’t even blame it on being Linked.

“Hmm,” I grunt aloud, shaking my head as I dip my empty flask in the stream and fill it. I drink half of it down in a few swallows, then refill it and head back into the cave.

Jagger automatically reaches for the flask, taking a few drinks before reaching in his satchel for a strip of cloth, soaking it before handing the flask back to me. He shifts around her torn clothing, wiping off the blood from various long cuts.

My teeth grind together as I watch, glaring at every bruise and wound he uncovers.

“I killed him too quickly,” I growl.

“We didn’t have time for a capture job,” Jagger says, still focusing on cleaning her up. He gently dabs at where her lip is split, then a wound on her cheek. Satisfied with his work, he takes off his leather vest, bunching it up and tucking it beneath her head. “Her breathing is even,” he says, covering her with the cloak from her satchel. “And her heart sounds steady.”

I dip my head in a nod, taking up a lean against the cave wall next to her.

Jagger mimics the position on her other side, the two of us finally catching our breath.

“This changes everything,” he whispers after a few moments.

“Mmm,” I respond.

“What are we going to do?” he asks.

I look down at her, brow furrowed. “I don’t know.”

It’s an answer I’ve never given before.

My world feels like it’s been turned on its axis.

It doesn’t make sense, but it’s undeniable.

“She saved us,” he says. “Again. How many times is that now?”

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