Page 108 of Until the End of Ever
I opted to stop mentioning Ronan as the kid clearly found that subject uncomfortable. “Come on. Let me feed you, thank you, and make sure you're safe for a while while these things are still in the underside.” As he didn’t budge, I added, “I'll bake your something."
He considered. "With chocolate?"
I nodded. "And I can make you a hot chocolate, too."
"Fine," he snapped, dragging his feet as I practically raced over the bridge.
I jumped into Lucian's arms the moment the door opened, hitting him hard.
"Oh, thank the Fates," Lucian breathed into my hair. "What the hell happened?"
I was too busy crying into his shirt again to manage a word.
I’d kept myself together just fine until now but the moment I was safe in his arms, I lost it.
"I saw her in the Hall of Truce," Adrian said with a shrug. "I recognized her from the town meeting, so I distracted the woman who was making her walk and got her here."
The boy explained the last hour.
Clever man that Lucian was, he removed my shawl, lowering my sleeve to look at my runes—his, burned, and the binding spell rewritten in black, angry marks.
"Fuck,"Lucianbarked, making Adrian jump. "Sorry, kid. You did good. Great. I'm just…worried. Come in, come in."
Half carrying me, Lucian took us to the closest room, the drawing room where he'd greeted us that first day I spent in the manor.
He swore under his breath. "All right, we know what to do. Kid, what's your name?"
"Adrian."
"Adrian. Are you hurt anywhere?" I heard Lucian asked.
I honestly should speak, offer the poor boy the food I'd promised, but all the fear I had to swallow hit me with a vengeance the moment I was safe in Lucian's arms.
"Not a scratch," the boy replied.
Lucian's bottle of ink, metal quill, and pain potion floated on top of glowing blue runes.
"Hungry? Thirsty?" he pushed, preparing the bottles and flasks on the coffee table.
The kid's eyes widened. "I could eat. Kleos mentioned chocolate?"
Zazel ran into the room, rubbing against my leg maniacally, both confused and desperate to comfort me. As usual, his presence was enough to help me breathe, relax, stop fretting a little.
"Hot chocolate," I sniffled. "And chocolate cake. I owe him my life. I owe him my freedom. I owe him all the chocolate." I cried harder, bringing Zazel to my lap.
"Bloody fury, calm down. It was whatever."
Lucian presented the green flask to me, and I tilted my head to let him pour the contents in my mouth. And then he was destroying and rewriting runes all over again.
"Hang in there, kiddo. Kleos bakes the best—well,everything. We have leftover lasagna from yesterday, and as soon as she's better, she's going to make you the cake of your life," Lucian promised for me.
I'd nod if I could.
"Lasagna sounds good."
"Follow the rune to the kitchen, ’kay? There's some in the oven already. Help yourself."
"Wicked." Adrian ran after a glowing rune as Lucian kept working, steady and confident as ever.
