As the details clicked into place, Callum laughed. Hard.
“Keep laughing, rabbit.” Rowan sneered at him. “I’ll throw you in the oven next.”
“Are you okay, Ro?” I approached him and tried my hardest not to smile. I hated that he’d burned himself, but doing so while trying to steal bread was almost too much for me to handle.
He cocked his head to the side, lips curving up. “Would feel better if you kissed it, little treasure.”
“My pleasure.” I grabbed his hand and lightly kissed it. “Better?”
Amusement shone in his topaz eyes. But so did a love so deep I could’ve drowned in it. “I’ll live, I reckon. Can’t say the same for the bread. The pup threw it in the floor.”
Lake huffed. “Youthrew it in the floor when you tried to run away with the pan and burned yourself.”
Rowan rolled his eyes. “The lies you tell. Just like when you lie about me cheating.”
“Because you do.” Lake smacked him with his tail.
“Not that I’m complaining…” Maddox entered the kitchen, hair damp from his bath and shirtless. “But why are we hitting the thief?”
“Spy,” Lake said before whacking Rowan again. “And it’s because he needs to learn some manners.”
As I helped Lake finish cooking, the others set the table. Duke and the other knights were hitting the tavern that night to let off some steam now that the mage had mostly been deal with, so it’d only be me and my men for dinner.
Briar joined us just as the food was done. He’d been reading over more documents from the magical academy. Keeping his mind busy. The attack had really shaken him.
Shaken all of them.
As we ate, I caught their gazes roaming to me, then quickly darting away. When I coughed, all of them jolted from their seats. Their protectiveness had skyrocketed.
“I’m okay,” I reassured them for what felt like the millionth time.
The five of them relaxed and continued eating.
Unfortunately, that tension returned not long after we ate dinner and retired to the small parlor. I cuddled on the couch between Maddox and Callum, while Lake knelt in front of me.Briar took the armchair near the window, and Rowan sat on the rug in front of the fire, knees drawn up.
“Something’s been troubling me.” Briar rested a hand near his mouth as he stared at the fire. “Concerning the dark mage.”
“Callum told me he might’ve used a sleeping spell,” I said.
Briar nodded. “Also quite troublesome, however, something else has me out of sorts.”
“Spit it out already, Specs.” Rowan stoked the logs. “We haven’t got all night.”
Briar looked at me. “When you took the blast upon yourself, the mage could’ve easily taken Prince Sawyer and escaped. Yet, he approached you instead. I keep asking myself why.”
“The same has crossed my mind,” Maddox said. “He was there for the prince, so why delay his mission?”
The world then came to an abrupt halt, freezing the breaths in my lungs.
“You’re the one. I sense it in your blood.”
“Oh my god,” I said, feeling the bottom drop out of my stomach.
Lake flipped around to me. “Evan?”
“What is it, love?” Briar sat up higher in his chair. “Did you remember something?”
“Y-Yeah.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I think so.”
