Page 94 of Galen
“Castor is strong,” Alastair said, though the shake in his voice gave way to his worry. His gaze moved to me. “Where’s the ring?”
“In Galen’s room,” I answered. After hearing the low whispers coming from it—or thinking I’d heard them anyway—I hadn’t wanted the damn thing near me.
“Bring it here.”
I nodded and gently moved Gray off my lap. He peered up at me with tears sticking to his long lashes, his bottom lip quivering. Raiden plopped down on the cushion and tugged the smaller male against him. Like a little sloth, Gray clung onto Raiden’s side, closing his eyes.
The looming threat really hit me then. The men I’d come to think of as my family were all in danger. Castor was being tortured at that very moment. Powerful beings—angels and demons alike—were after the ring. A ring I was charged with protecting.
The six remaining warriors stared in opposite directions, grim-faced and silent.
I recalled the day we’d sat at the table eating chicken stir-fry. Laughter and playful taunts had filled the room. Raiden had stolen food off Castor’s plate, and Gray had nearly fallen face-first into his plate as he fought to stay awake—which had caused another string of laughs.
Would we get the chance to do that again? All of us together. Happy.
Galen met me beneath the archway leading out of the room and walked by my side down the hall toward the stairs. His silence caused more nervous flutters in my gut. His barely repressed rage could be seen in his hard gaze and the slight tremble in his hand. A hand that probably wanted to punch something.
It was moments like that when I could truly see Wrath. Not only see, but I felt it, that dark, violent side of him. But the hand that tightened in his anger was the same hand that had lovingly caressed my cheek, the same one that had slid through my hair as he’d kissed me.
I saw the darkness inside Galen. And I loved him anyway.
When we reached his room, I grabbed the ring off the bedside table. That tingling warmth from earlier returned as it made contact with my skin. I fought the urge to throw it out the window. Instead, I shoved it into my pocket.
“You’re quiet,” he said.
I faced him, surprised by how close he was. For someone so big, his steps could be so light sometimes. “You’re quiet too.”
“Yeah, but it’s common for me. You, on the other hand…” Galen closed the distance between our bodies and put his arms around me. “With everything going on, I expected you to be asking a million and one questions.”
“I can shut up when I need to.”
That made him smile, if only a little. It fell though. “This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. My life is too dangerous for you, Simon. If the demons find a way inside the veil—”
“Then we will face them together.” I grabbed hold of his shirt. “I know I’m not much of a fighter, but I played Little League baseball for, like, two years.”
Galen’s smile surfaced again. “Is that so?”
“Mhm. I couldn’t throw the ball for shit, but I could swing a bat like nobody’s business.”
“A bat, huh?” Humor danced in his eyes. “I vaguely remember you threatening me with one.”
“Oh, you justvaguelyremember it? You know for damn sure that’s the moment you fell for me.”
“I can’t argue with you there.”
I rose up on my tiptoes and kissed his neck. “I can’t say everything will be fine. I’m no psychic. But dangerous or not, I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together, big guy.”
Galen released a shaky breath. The hard exterior he kept around everyone else crumbled a little around me. His hand slid to my nape, and he buried his fingers in the back of my hair, tilting my head back to look up at him.
“Promise me you won’t do anything reckless,” he said. “We’re safe here for now, but I feel Castor’s resolve slipping.” Pain laced in his voice as he said the last part. “I fear he won’t last much longer. And we need to be prepared for what happens after.”
My eyes watered. “Will they kill him?”
The same pain in his voice reflected in his eyes. He didn’t need to answer for me to know the truth. “Just promise me, Simon. If I tell you to run, you do so without question.”
“Where would I go?” I asked, hating the idea.
“To Clara,” he answered before reaching into his back pocket and placing keys in my hand. “If I give the order, you take my car and drive like hell. The warding around Ravenwood should protect you, at least until we can fight them off. I would tell you to go now, but it’s too late. I feel them sniffing around the edge of the barrier, trying to find a way in.”
