Page 39 of Caretaker

Yeah. I was doubting that pretty hard.

Rhys climbed in. “I have a lovely house for you to look at today. Do you have time right now?”

“Yes,” I answered. “I suppose. Then I need to see if I can pick up Mrs. Bennett’s trail.”

“You don’t sound confident,” he noted.

“If I don’t find her, Angus is going to die in there, Rhys.”

“Trinity.” He reached over to squeeze my clasped hands. “We appreciate that you’re our human. But we don’t expect you to free Angus from a human’s prison. Not even Angus holds you responsible for that.”

“It doesn’t matter if you expect it. It’s something I have to do.” It was true. I had to protect them. If one of them was missing or suffering or imprisoned, I had to do everything in my power to fix it. “I have to.”

“Because you see us as yours,” Clayton murmured.

“Because you are mine,” I replied, fiercely. Then I darted a look at Rhys, embarrassed. “I mean—”

“You mean,” he interrupted, smoothly, “that we are yours.”

Clayton leaned forward, and the scent of him, that lovely cake scent, made me forget that I’d just told Rhys he belonged to me. I inhaled deeply, pulling it in, letting it comfort me.

It took me back to the cabin in the woods, when he’d been free of Miriam and had spent every second of that freedom with me. Loving me.

I glanced back and met his stare, and I knew he was thinking about it, as well. His eyes darkened, but I saw no sign of the demon who crouched patiently inside him, waiting, plotting, preparing.

I hadn’t told Clayton I’d seen the demon. I wasn’t sure I should. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was right. Maybe I’d simply seen what I’d wanted to see.

“Why are you stranded?” Clayton asked.

I cleared my throat and looked away. “I spent the night at Shane’s apartment. When I woke up, he was gone.”

“He’s rough around the edges,” Rhys said. “But his regard for you is obvious.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”

“You are the reason he’s still here,” Clayton said. “Shane Copas is a wanderer. He is too restless to stay in one place. But for you, he will stay.”

“For us,” Rhys added, gently. “We are everything together. When we are separated, it is as though we’re missing fragments of ourselves.” Again, he reached across to squeeze my hand. Only that time, he didn’t let go. “It is why you feel you must free Angus. You need him back with the group.”

“And that’s why he’s suffering a little something extra,” I realized. “Because he needs to be with us.”

Both men nodded.

“But why?” I asked.

Finally, Rhys shrugged. “Who can say?”

“Why don’t you guys feel the need to free Angus?”

It was Clayton who answered. “We do.”

Rhys squeezed my hand a little harder. “We feel the need, but we are powerless to fight alone. When the time comes for you to free him, we will be there.”

After that promise, we lapsed into a thoughtful silence until Rhys spoke again.

“Angus and I are the only two you haven’t yet bonded with.”

It took me a few seconds to understand what he meant. And when I did understand, my breath caught in my throat and my stomach began tossing with excitement.