Page 152 of Demon's Beauty

“I’m pretty confident I am,” she says. “Besides, someone needs to shake things up for Esme and the rest of—”

Magick crackles through the woods around the coven hall, buzzing and electric, a familiar pulse of power that’s always served as a warning.

The wards around the Veil have been tripped.

My eyes lock with Marianne’s and she opens her mouth to say something, when I feel it.

A lurch in the center of my chest. A hard tug, drawing me toward the forest.

My mouth curves into a grin, and I laugh out loud before dashing off, calling back to Marianne over my shoulder.

“Tell everyone I’ve got it,” I say, already certain who’s waiting for me in the woods. “And there’s no need to worry. The demon who tripped the wards is here for me.”

49

Finn

It’s damnable magick, whatever these witches have surrounding the Veil.

Absurd, truly, that they’d go to such lengths to stymie an innocent visitor from another realm.

I curse under my breath as I get my third nasty shock. Whatever kind of barrier spell they’ve cast, it does not appear to have any weak points or anywhere I can slip through. At least not unless I want to put myself into a world of pain.

I’m judging whether it might just be worth it to suffer, when a familiar voice calls out to me from the twilight forest.

“Finn?”

“I’m here, sunshine!” My cheeks ache with the force of my smile, with the joy of knowing my mate could feel me just as keenly as I feel her and came here to find me. “I can’t exactly come out and meet you, though.”

“I know,” she says with a laugh as she appears in the clearing. “Sorry. These spells are nasty little bits of Esme’s handiwork.”

“Don’t—” I start to warn her as she reaches the edge of where the invisible barrier begins.

Soleil, however, is unaffected.

She passes right through it, no sign she’s feeling the same ill effects I am.

Still, my heart lurches to see her in danger. I rush over and meet her just at the edge of the clearing, sweeping her into my arms and pulling her away from the magick.

“I’m okay,” she murmurs against my neck. “Really, Finn. Crescent witches are immune to the barrier.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I mutter back, squeezing her even tighter. “I’d want to hold you like this, regardless.”

She lets out a soft laugh, and I finally set her down.

“Are you alright, otherwise? How did things go with your coven?” I’m not sure if I have the right to ask, but not knowing might kill me.

“Things went really well.” A wide, beautiful smile lights up her face. “I spoke to Esme and got her to see reason.”

“Good,” I make myself say, because itisgood. It’s great, actually, that she’s getting everything she wanted, everything she’s worked for. “I’m happy for you, sunshine. And I meant what I said before.”

Her brow furrows. “Said about what?”

“I want to be there for you.” The words come in a rush, tumbling forward now with no way for me to stop them. “However you need me. Whatever that looks like. I want to be there, if you’ll have me. I know we don’t have anything figured out, and I know I might not be what you hoped for in a—”

Soleil’s lips meet mine, effectively silencing me.

It’s… confusing, but I’ll never pass up the opportunity to kiss my witch, so I let the rest of my questions melt away.