A beat later, Maddox stepped into the medical ward. His expression lacked all emotion, like he was a mere shell of the man he was. But as his gaze found mine, his face crumpled and he rushed over, dropping down beside me and cradling my head.
“Sweetheart. I…” Tremors traveled through his body before an anguished sound rumbled in his chest. “I feared you’d never… feared you were…”
And then, he broke down. Cries that shook his entire body.
“Maddox?” I croaked, panic filling the space between my ribs. “Look at me, big guy.”
He held me tighter instead, tears landing on my skin. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, sweetheart.”
Steps sounded before Briar and Callum appeared, their expressions matching my other men. Relieved but pained too. They darted over to the cot, taking turns caressing my hair and pecking kisses anywhere and everywhere they could touch.
Maddox finally calmed, but even as his cries eased, he kept hold of me, petting and kissing my hair.
A memory tried to form. Panicked shouts. Roars of anger. Flashes of colored light. And pain. So much pain.
“I was attacked,” I rasped. “In the royal garden.” Then, I shot upward. “Prince Sawyer! Ban and Finnian. Are they okay?”
“Easy, love.” Briar guided me back down and grabbed my hand, pressing a shaky kiss to my knuckles. “Apart from Finnian’s mild concussion and shallow wounds on Ban’s back, all are alive and well.”
“Because of you,” Rowan said, jaw tightening. “The prince said you dove in front of the guards, blocking the attack. Foolish boy. You could’ve been killed. Gods, you nearly were. When we found you, you were so still, Evan. We thought you were…” Shaking his head, he pushed to his feet and walked over to the window, keeping his back to me.
He didn’t need to finish his sentence.
Maddox brought me closer, saying nothing. Callum sat beside him and lightly rubbed my forearm, a tremble in his hand. When his brown eyes lifted to mine, something agonizing tore through them. He opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it again.
Briar examined the bandage on my chest with a deep frown before moving to my sides. My torso was wrapped like a mummy, so it was hard to see the extent of the damage.
“Wait.” I lifted a hand to my neck as bits and pieces of the attack came back to me. “My necklace. It…”
“Shattered.” Briar went over to the bedside table and grabbed something. After a slow exhale, he brought it to me.
Tears filled my eyes as I held the necklace. Well, what was left of it. The stone was cracked down the middle, and the wood casing it was all but destroyed, most of it splintered and missing large pieces. The strap it hung on was frayed and scorched.
“How?” A lump lodged in my throat. “I thought nothing could break it.”
“No magic is omnipotent, I’m afraid.” Briar placed his hand over mine. “Any enchantment can be undone under the right circumstances. You were hit by a force of immense power that would’ve instantly killed anyone else. Your stone took the brunt of the spell but couldn’t block all of it.”
Lake whined and pushed his face against my bicep. At the window, Rowan balled his hands into fists. Shadows swirled at his feet.
Once again, I’d gotten myself into a situation that had worried the men I loved.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a shaking cry. “I should’ve been more careful and shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t blame yourself, sweetheart,” Maddox said in an unexpectedly soft tone. “You did nothing wrong. The fault is mine. I thought you’d be safe at the castle. I didn’t expect...” Hepressed his face into my hair and made a soft sound that yanked at my heartstrings.
“As much as I love seeing you bent out of shape, oh mighty captain…” Rowan glanced back at us with a chilling expression. Dangerous. And aimed at no one but himself. “This is my fault. That bastard tricked us, leading us in one direction before going to the castle. I should’ve realized sooner.”
“Reign detected his magical energy.” Callum lowered his gaze to my bandaged chest, pain filling his eyes again. “We couldn’t have known it was a trick.”
“The mage must’ve used a decoy spell,” Briar said. “They’re only good for a short period of time but are nearly impossible to distinguish. The best strategy against someone like Reign.”
“I think Draven tried warning me.” I looked at Rowan. “I saw him before the attack. He mentioned my necklace not being strong enough to protect me from everything.”
“He told me he spoke with you.” The shadows at Rowan’s feet retreated with the defeated slump of his shoulders. “Another one who blames himself. He was keeping watch over you and failed to notice the bastard in time. Said the mage had no presence.”
“The decoy.” Briar nodded. “The mage put his energy into it, leaving him all but undetectable. Until he was ready to act, then he summoned that energy back to him.”
“What happened to him?” I asked. “After I was hit, he came over to me, I think. But I don’t know what happened after that.”
