Page 43 of All Hallows Trick

“You were there. You’d protect me.”

His words sent a lance through my heart, so fine and delicate I couldn’t tell if it was hurt or pleasure or surprise. “I can’t protect anyone, Madde. I don’t have magic like you all do, and I’ve never been physically strong. Maybe I should start training to fight.”

“Definitely. You’d be hot in all that training Lycra.” He groaned. “And trainingleather.”

My laugh this time was less rusty, my chest a fraction lighter. “Leather fetish. Nice.”

“Only on you. I haven’t wanted anyone else since I died. But you’re missing the point. You don’t need muscles to protect me. You wouldn’t let anyone hurt me, I know you wouldn’t.”

“No,” I murmured. He was my darkness, my faithful companion. My friend, I realised. “I wouldn’t.”

A smile parted his mouth, perfect teeth on show, blue eyes sparkling. He was so handsome I had to look away. Looking at himhurt.

“And you do have magic, now at least. You can change into a magnificent creature and rip people to shreds. That’s better than any light show or play of shadow. You’re glorious. Tigress, lioness, jaguar…ess.”

I snorted. “Is that a word?”

He was still smiling when I looked back at him, his eyes gentle on my face. “A hundred percent.”

I tore my gaze away, my stomach swooping with sudden nerves. I watched the town at the base of his castle, unable to help scanning for a tall man in a top hat and black coat watching us. There was no one, as there’d been no one each time I’d searched since that night. But he was out there; why else would he watch us? I thought it was someone sent by Nightmare, hadthought it was Alastor finding a new way to torture me, but what if he had been watchingMadness,not me?

“Who would you need protecting from, Madde?”

When he spun abruptly away from the window, my hand shot out and I snagged his wrist, tugging him back. His skin was warm under my fingers, his pulse quick.

“Who do you need protecting from?” I repeated, a little growl entering my voice. “I thought you couldn’t ever tell me no when I wanted something. I want to know who’s threatening you.”

Conflicting emotions flitted across his face, each one faster than the last: reluctance, dark glee, fear, arousal, panic, affection. Eventually, he settled on reluctance, but there was a gleam to his eyes that I couldn’t interpret.

“Why do you want to know?” he asked eventually.

Oh, that was sneaky. I was forcing him to voice his fears, and in payment he’d make me face the truth I kept running from.

I could let the subject drop right now, go back to looking out the window. Ignore the protective urge swelling against my ribcage.

That was different.

Different how?

You were there. You’d protect me.

I blew out a rough breath. “I want to know because you’re not just some random guy that came to help when Nightmare threatened us. You’re my darkness. There’s a connection between us and it. It matters to me. That you were there, never leaving me even at my worst. That matters. You said you’ll kill all my enemies; can’t I protect you from yours?”

I’d cross the bridge of not being strong enough to fight later. Like he said, I had my jaguar. If nothing else I could—I could do to them what I’d done to Poppy.

“And does that connection have a name?” Madde asked, a guarded hope in his blue eyes.

“No,” I replied, and watched the death of that hope in his eyes. It hit me like a dagger to the chest. “You’re just mine. No name, no title. Just… mine.”

I had no right making that claim when I had three husbands, but I couldn’t ignore the bond between Madde and I. And they knew; it wasn’t like I was confessing feelings for someone else behind their back. Not that I was confessing feelings. I was just saying there was something there. Between us.

Shit.

Madde’s whole face broke into a smile, and I squeaked when he grabbed me around the middle and lifted me into a spin, the duck blanket thing twirling around me like a circle skirt. I laughed, my head spinning a little when he set me back down.

“I respect your boundaries but I would like to note that I want to kiss you so badly my lips are goingto die.”

“Noted,” I said, waiting for the landing to stop whirling around me. “You still owe me an answer, Madness.”

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