Page 102 of Fated In Forever
I knew that’s what it said, because he was snarling those same words inside my head.
Riordan and Blake froze, and I laid my hand on Malachi’s enormous, muscled forearm.
“It's okay,” I croaked, my voice weak and shaky. “Nobody is going to hurt anybody. Let’s all calm down.”
Have you been working out or something? I thought, my fingers gripping the hard as steel muscles that hadn’t been there before. In fact, his whole body looked stronger, nothing but layers of slabbed muscle and ropey tendons.
“What the fuck?” Blake straightened, spooling his shadows back, his face shining with relief. “How did you heal her so quickly?”
“Evie?” Riordan asked softly, his eyes skating over me, but every time he stepped closer, Malachi bared those very impressive fangs. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said hoarsely, wishing I had a big glass of water. “Already feeling better.”
Maybe not better, but morewhole, if that was even a thing. I squinted at the sun beyond the heavy drapes, wondering what day it was, how long I’d been out. I felt clammy, detached from my body, which was too shaky, too cold, too…weak to be mine.
“She needs to drink something, you fucking gargoyle. Move out of the way.”
The entire room vibrated from Malachi’s growl, but Blake—he of the ‘I might not live for another minute and don’t really care’ attitude—elbowed past him and poured me a glass of water, sat on the edge of the bed and tipped it to my lips.
“Drink. And then you’re going to feed,” he leveled a stare as Malachi’s growl increased about a hundred decibels. “And then we’re all going to sit down and figure this the fuck out, because if you think I’m the least bit intimidated by those horns…”
Malachi, of course, chose that exact moment to drop his cloak of shadows, and I ducked my head, both to hide my smile and my burning cheeks, but my mate was not deterred.
“…or that fucking tail, I am not. I get it. You’re back, you’re big, you’re bad, and you healed Evie.” My mate swallowed, his hand trembling from where he held the glass. “So thank you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “But if you think for one moment you can push me around, or scare me, then you can go get fucked. She makes the calls now, understand? Her, not you. If she wants you here, then you stay, but Evie runs this show, and our job is to take care of her.”
Rohr bellied up to the bed. “She is all that matters.” His fingers traced my cheek, and I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch. “Her happiness and her welfare are our only concern, and the sooner you get on board with that…the higher the chance we can make this work.”
I let Blake ease me back down onto the pillows, refusing to admit my head might be spinning—just a little. The tension that filled the room was almost as potent as the scent of brimstone, but honestly?
With the three of them around me?
I'd never felt safer in my life.
50
RIORDAN
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a blade.
But Blake and I weren’t about to be brushed aside by Malachi, even though he could take our heads with one swipe of those talons.
Malachi crouched over the end of the bed like a—yes, over protective gargoyle—his massive form radiating possessive power as that burning gaze swept between Blake and me. Shadows writhed around him, choking the room with sulfur and ozone—the threat of barely leashed magic.
Evie nestled into the pillows like a princess, her color still too pale, dark circles beneath her beautiful eyes, arms lined with those black veins that, even now, didn’t seem to be fading.
I forced myself to remain calm, even as every instinct screamed at me to get Evie away, and yet…I knew in my heart she was safe. This was Malachi—a massive, demonic, I’ve-been-pumping-iron-for-years Malachi—but he would never hurt her.
However, a crowd grew in the hallway behind us, Nikolai and his sister, an irate Finn Forge backed by his battered contingent of guards. Aisling and a host of other curious vampires I didn’t recognize.
“Everyone is going to want to stay calm.” Istraightened, holding Malachi’s stare the entire time. “No sudden moves, no weapons, no fucking magic. He can reduce this castle to dust with a thought, so let’s all just…keep our wits about us.”
I swore the fucker smiled, but it was hard to tell, given the way his lips peeled back from those deadly fangs.
“Malachi, we need to check Evie over, make sure everything is okay. Can we do that?”
“I told you, I’m fine,” she grumbled, even with those dark veins crawling up her neck and over her jawline.
