I felt him smile. “I will be.”
After kissing him one last time, I made a quick stop in the bathroom to brush my teeth and then walked to my room, finding Briar and Maddox in bed waiting for me. Both were shirtless. Both equally delicious, just in different ways.
“Get over here,” Maddox said, patting the empty spot between them.
The blood heated in my veins. I recognized that look. The moment I crawled into bed, he was going to rip off my clothes, pin me down, and devour every inch of me. And fuck, I wanted to be devoured. By both of them.
They didn’t disappoint.
Afterward, I lay in a sweaty heap between their equally sweaty bodies, the three of us fighting hard to catch our breaths.
“I think you killed me,” I panted.
“Then how is it possible I’m still being blessed by that mouth of yours?” Maddox responded, poking the corner of my lips.
“I’m a ghost. An alien ghost. And I don’t think I come in peace. I come loudly and usually with a few curse words thrown in.”
Briar’s body shook with a laugh as he snuggled against my other side.
My eyes closed as the seconds passed, our breaths slowly evening out. Briar smoothed his fingertips up and down my arm while Maddox pressed his lips to my brow. I was almost asleep when they started talking.
“Briar?” Maddox’s voice was soft.
“Yes?”
“I struggle to wrap my head around what he told us. I believe him, of course.” Maddox petted my hair. “But it’s difficult to imagine the kind of world he described. One without magic, demi-humans, or any of the things we see every day here.”
“I agree it was quite the shock,” Briar responded. “In the beginning, anyway. Perhaps it’s easier for me to understand since I’m more familiar with magic.”
“One of the only areas you best me in.”
Briar snorted. “Must you always be competing against me?”
“Only in jest,” Maddox said, and then his voice took on a serious edge. “Why do you think he chose to leave his world?”
“I’m unsure.” Briar held me tighter. “Yet, I’m thankful, whatever the reason. Now that he’s with us, I can’t imagine a life without him.”
“Neither can I.” Maddox pressed his muscled body against mine. I loved how he made me feel so small. “The magic that brought him to us… it can’t be reversed, can it?”
There was a pause. “Nothing is impossible when dealing with magic. Lupin needed the power of the summer equinox to potentially reverse the spell. But Evan chose to stay with us. I don’t foresee that changing. Do you?”
“No.” Maddox’s big arm curved around my stomach. “He loves us as deeply as we love him. I believe that with my entire being.”
“As do I,” Briar said. A brief silence followed. “You met with the king today.”
“I did.”
“Tell me something, Maddox. This conflict with the bandits. How serious is the threat?”
The breath stilled in my lungs. I wanted to know the answer too. But I was supposed to be asleep. Before either of them could suspect I was being a little eavesdropper, I faked a sleepy sigh and snuggled more into Maddox’s chest. It would be awkward for them to know I’d been awake the whole time.
“You know I’m not at liberty to give details,” Maddox answered, caressing my cheek. “All you need to know is it’s nothing my knights and I can’t handle.”
“Fair enough,” Briar said softly. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I may not be strong in terms of physical strength, but I’m knowledgeable in many areas of magic. And today, I finally managed to craft a strong protection charm. Or, at least, I believe it’s strong. I’ll need to fully test it to be certain.”
So badly I wanted to throw my arms around Briar and congratulate him. He’d been working so hard on that spell. But I was still supposed to be asleep, so I fought the urge. Barely.
“I knew you could do it,” Maddox said in a lighter tone. One that reflected the pride he felt for our physician’s success.
