Page 6 of Mated to the Mad Marquess

Do you smell that?Solis asked.

Malcolm breathed deep, the scent of sulfur—the scent of Hell—filling his nostrils. The sharp cry of a hawk preceded its appearance, darting above them. This bird was too big, too smoky black to be a normal bird.

Demon familiar,Solis warned.

“She really is a witch.” Malcolm studied his mate with new eyes. He’d thought Harrow had been making a slur when he called her that before, but Hrafn was in fact an immortal who had given a piece of her soul to another—a witch with a familiar.

The hawk cried at them and spread its wings in an unmistakable threat display.

“I’m putting your mistress back,” Malcolm said calmly. “Leave me to it, then I’ll go in peace.”

The hawk squawked as though dissatisfied with the answer. Solis grew to an intimidating size, twice as tall as Malcolm, a warning the demon heeded. The hawk kept close as the marquess carried Hrafn toward the cottage, but the demon-bird didn’t attack.

Malcolm circled her home, realizing too late that there were no doors, only the shuttered windows her agile body could fit through. As he debated with himself what to do next, Hrafn stirred in his arms. Her familiar called to her, coaxing her awake.

Her lashes fluttered open.

“You’re home,” Malcolm said.

Hrafn moved with the speed of a striking snake, plucking a short blade from the top of her tall boot and pressing it to his throat, hard enough to draw blood.

Oh, we definitely need to keep this one,Solis cooed.

Malcolm held her gaze with his. He stood motionless as droplets of his blood dripped down his cravat. “I mean you no harm. I’m going to put you down now.”

But even as he said it, he stood there holding her, knife at his throat, neck burning. Crimson darkened his cravat, but he was too consumed by the feeling of connection to let her go. The blooming bond thrummed in his chest begging to be nurtured, to be near her, to learn her.

If he put her down, how would he learn her?

Slowly Hrafn lowered the blade. Her eyes bounced from him to his shadow hovering close, not behaving the way shadows should.

Her next strike was twice as swift as the first. She punched Malcolm square in the nose, dropping him to the ground. She hit so hard he lost his wind. Wings fluttering, Hrafn landed on her feet, then she dove through the open window. Her screeching demon-hawk swooped in after her, and the shutters slammed shut.

Dazed on the ground, Malcolm blinked at Solis floating over him, a blurry haze of darkness.She didn’t slit our throat. That’s a good sign, right?

Malcolm rolled in the dirt groaning, certain of two things as blood dripped down his sinuses into his throat: his nose was definitely broken, and he’d never wanted the company of a woman more.

* * *

Malcolm held his cravat to the top of his lip, wiping it clean of blood. Thanks to his unique heritage, his nose had healed too fast and a little crookedly as he made his way back through the woods to the place where he’d left his estate manager behind. He didn’t look forward to having his nose reset later. He’d call upon the local tooth-puller. The mortal was known for being a good bonesetter, in addition to handling dentistry.

Malcolm’s hand went to the pocket of his waistcoat, patting it.

We kept one of her feathers,Solis said approvingly.

Malcolm stroked it with his thumb, then he took it out to examine it once more. Thick and dark and satiny soft, it reminded him of her lashes as they lay across her cheek.

Smell it, Solis said.

“Are we so sentimental?” Malcolm asked, feeling foolish.

Today we are. It’s not every day one happens by a mate, especially not us. Go on. I want to know what it smells like.

Before he could, he heard a rustle in the brambles, and he hurriedly stuffed the plume back into his pocket.

“Harrow . . .?” Malcolm squinted through the trees. “Sacred stars, what happened to you?”

The mortal was naked, covering himself poorly with a branch full of maple leaves. His mud-brown hair stood out in strange patches. He looked like he’d been run over by a herd of wild unicorns, then rolled in the dirt and sat on by a giant.

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