Page 59 of The Demon of the Wood

“What for?” Kaemon asked, grimacing as they pulled the arrow out and Aife hastily placed a towel over the hole. He still felt blood drop onto his head.

“The king has been bartering for an alliance with us for ages. Dryston has been working on the terms recently as well. He will provide protection for us against the Hunters and confer with the Guild there to ensure your safety.”

Enid came in front of him, her hands were covered in blood, but she seemed unconcerned. Kaemon wondered, not for the first time, who precisely his sister had become in the decade of their separation.

“You will be safe here. You and Melina both,” she said. “I’m too afraid of more attacks if I were to take you two back to the Darkened City, with only us. I will write to Dryston and have him bring soldiers here to protect you.”

Kaemon furrowed his brow heavily. “Enid, that is dangerous. We only stopped the war with them a little over a decade ago. Tensions are still high. We can’t come back with force like that when we just let them alone again.”

Enid pursed her lips. “It will only be to escort you two back.”

Kaemon nodded, his fingers tangling in Melina’s hair. The trip back to the House of Shadows would require a great deal of flying. With only the two of them, and him holding Melina, it would be too dangerous. And with the poison and the wound in his wing again, he wasn’t certain he could make the flight. He still wasn’t fully recovered from the last attack, all the wounds lingering for a bit longer. They were clearly being targeted. This was the best bet.

“Assuming I can convince Dryston of that…” Enid muttered the words, making a face.

Kaemon raised a brow. “What is that look about?”

She shrugged. “Dryston is… well, he’s Dryston. If I can convince him to not march straight to the human king and demand justice for the Hunters, that will be good. You remember how bossy he was.”

Kaemon laughed, then groaned as it hurt. Enid rushed behind him again, helping Aife with the wounds, as if she’d forgotten until then that her brother was bleeding out. Kaemon smiled. She’d always been easily distracted.

Melina looked at him, and their eyes locked. “I’m not leaving you.” Her voice wobbled as she said it. “And you can’t leave me again.”

He squeezed her arm. “I won’t. We will stay together.”

She nodded, her face relaxing.

“You’ll both be safe,” Enid said. “I promise it. I’m not letting anything happen to either of you.”

Kaemon craned his head, wincing, to look at her. Enid had a fierce look on her face, a promise in her eyes. He felt the tightness in his chest lessen. He knew she meant it, and he knew that Aife and Jorah would protect them, too. This was his colony, and that’s what they did. They would have to be careful and figure things out as they came, but he wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

Epilogue: Melina

Kaemonsatontherock beside the stream, slowly stretching his wing out, the tension clear on his face. Melina wrung her hands as she watched.

“You look like you’re holding something back from me,” Kaemon said, smiling as he glanced up at her.

She sighed. He could read her so well. “Maybe you shouldn’t push yourself so much? Your wing is still healing. You will get its strength back soon enough.”

He shook his head. “I love how concerned you are for me, Melina.” His eyes shone as he looked at her, that love she felt nestled in her ribs reflected in his eyes. “But I need to at least stretch it. I don’t want it becoming stiff or it will take longer to get the mobility back.”

She nodded. “Okay, but don’t go too hard. Be gentle with yourself.”

He bounded off the rock and scooped her up into his arms. She let out a yelp of surprise that tumbled into laughter as he nuzzled his face against her neck.

“You’re sweet, Melina.” His breath whispered across her skin, making it pebble and her breasts feel heavy.

She placed her hands against his bare chest, pleasure wrapping around her at the feel of it. They had been intimate with one another so many times already she’d lost count, but still his touch and his skin and his nearness made her pant with desire. His lips met her neck, sending a thrill of heat to her core, wetting it.

She tilted her head, giving him more access and his teeth grazed the skin there, making her shudder and squirm to face him. He set her on her feet, pinning her against the trunk of a large tree, his lips trailing kisses along her face, nipping at her ear as he did.

“You’re perfect, my love,” he groaned.

“Oh, Kaemon,” she whispered, her eyes closing and her toes curling from his attention.

His hands wandered across her body, hungry and desperate. He squeezed her breasts, and she moaned. He pressed to her, grinding his erection against her hips.

“Do you feel how much you turn me on?” he asked, his voice gravelly and desperate.

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