Page 101 of Caretaker

Chapter Thirty-Four

“His masters will keep him occupied for a while.” Amias licked the tiny puncture wounds on my wrists and they sizzled, then closed. “But he will return.”

“When?” I started to stand, and though I had the energy of a dozen bloodhunters, I didn’t push my men away when they propelled me to my feet. They needed to help me. They needed to touch me. And I understood. “You acted as though he was on your heels as you fed me.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “My urgency was not about the raging demon—it was about the dying bloodhunter.”

He was happy. His joy shone in his dark eyes, played at the corners of his smiling lips, and danced around every word he spoke. He was thrilled.

I was his.

And he was mine.

I caressed Silverlight’s hilt, then turned away from all of them and pulled her free, crying out with joy when after a few brief heartbeats, she gently expanded. I was pretty sure she had forgiven me.

I smiled and gave her a squeeze before putting her back to bed. Even powerful, magical swords needed to rest. Then I turned to the men, who watched me in silence.

Only Rhys had fled.

And he wouldn’t have gone far.

He would think about the changes in his own circumstances. His secrets were no longer totally his own, and though I didn’t know exactly what that meant for him, I knew he would need time to deal with it.

I was Lady of the Way Station. I was the Caretaker. And settling into that house, on that land, with my men beside me, was suddenly all I wanted.

It felt like fate.

The men circled me with their arms and their love, even allowing Amias to stand with us, and for a few minutes we just breathed, connected by something that none of us completely understood.

All but Leo, who stood with his back turned, not yet part of us.

Not yet.

Amias allowed his hand to linger at the small of my back for a few seconds before he stepped out of the circle. “I will come for you soon,” he told me, as though I wanted him to come for me. Without waiting for my answer, he melted into the darkness and disappeared.

Clayton stared into the night, his gaze turned inward as he became reacquainted with himself as a free man. He looked at me suddenly, and I lost my breath at the dark promise in his eyes.

Angus, too, watched me, fierce and impatient. We would need to consolidate our bond, as I had with Shane, Clayton, and Amias.

We would need to have sex.

Goosebumps popped out on my body, and I shivered as a wave of cold heat wafted over me. I couldn’t wait, but at the same time, I was strangely reluctant. Maybe because I was afraid of what I’d see when he bared himself to me.

“Let’s go home,” I said.

Shane nodded. “I need a bed.”

“Where is home?” Angus asked. “My place?”

“No,” Clayton said. “Home is the way station.” Then he blew out a harsh breath, a breath that was heavy with tears and joy and hope and disbelief. “She’s gone,” he whispered.

“Forever,” I replied.

Angus clapped Clayton on the back. “I can’t fully trust my freedom after only a few months of captivity. I imagine it’s going to take a little longer before you’ll trust yours. But you will.” He looked at me, then. “We all will.”

Maybe my freedom was different.

I would find my freedom in my captivity.