CHAPTER 34
The pain in his body lessened the longer he remained in Mark’s embrace.
He sighed, aware of all the dust that had been Damien’s house still on his clothes and body but unwilling to do anything about it.
They’d lost another property to the witch and her army, but the last thing Caster wanted right now was to deal with the threat.
Mark must have sensed his distress, snuggling deeper into his arms, his breath a warm tickle on his neck. Caster needed this just for a moment, and then he’d be ready to face his responsibilities again.
“Tell me what happened?” Mark’s whisper floated across his sensitive bones to draw all the pain away.
He kept his eyes closed, holding on to Mark with all the strength he could muster. “It was so fast. I am not sure. But she is more powerful.”
Mark moved, and although it was the last thing he wanted to do, he let him have just enough space to look at him. “Amara said she followed me into the Underworld. I had just asked her to…”
Caster sat up, the now minor ache forgotten. “That’s what Bastian said. Right before…” He shook his head, renewed urgency pushing his pain further into memory. “Tell me everything.”
Mark responded with a nod. “I didn’t get much before the room was shaking. She said that Ethel must have followed me to the Underworld.” He shook his head. “The problem is, I don’t remember anything.” He caught Caster’s gaze, his determination unmistakable. “I asked her to send me back…”
“No!” Caster didn’t know much about the realm of the dead, but he knew the Underworld was not a place one went willingly.
Mark sighed. “You and Dean…” Frustration tore away at the relaxation they’d found.
“I have to. We have to find out what happened those three days I was out, or we have no hope of fighting her.”
He reached for Caster’s hand, his touch lacking the urgency Caster expected.
“It is scary. I will admit that. But I… we can’t keep waiting for her to come to us.”
He squeezed. “We have to gather the tools we need to take the fight to her.”
Caster squeezed his hand back, unwilling to climb out of the pit of despair his argument brought, but also certain of the truth of his words. “OK. It seems you’ve thought about this. What do you propose?”
Mark’s smile pulled him out of his despair for a moment, the fear that he would lose him unwilling to relent. “Amara seems powerful enough, but I think Riley should do it, if he is able. I want you to come with me.”
He nodded. There was little chance he would let Mark do this on his own.
Mark lowered his gaze, his hand still gripping Caster’s. “I am so scared. I fear for my wolf, of what Zeke can do now…” He looked up. “But I love you. I love everything we’ve built, and I don’t want to lose that. I want to fight for it.”
Caster was overcome with the overwhelming dual need to comfort him and reassure him in equal measure.
Mark opened up to him as soon as their lips touched, and he realized he needed the same reassurance.
As the familiar taste of Mark settled in his heart, hope bloomed.
Perhaps they could come together to end this considerable threat for good.
Perhaps there was the slight chance they could be happy; they could have their forever.
Mark pulled back first, a warm smile on his lips as he too accepted the call of the present moment.
Mark’s smile widened, his hands rubbing at the layer of dust on Caster’s shoulders. “You’re filthy.”
Caster would never feel anything but endless joy watching Mark find his own. He looked down at his clothes, unable to regret the mess that now covered their once pristine bed. “The witch did drop Damien’s house on top of me.”
Mark's smile fell, and he regretted his choice of words. “Are you OK? Is Kyle? He didn’t look very good.”
Caster nodded, even flexing his arms to look for a pain that was long gone.
“I will admit it was a lot more pain than I am used to, but I’m fine. Kyle and Julian took the brunt of it, but they’re OK.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know how Riley did it, but he got us out. All of us, even though we weren’t in the same place.”
“What did Bastian want?”
“Hey!” He waited for Mark to meet his gaze, regretting the worry that had since overcome his joy.
“I only didn’t tell you about the meeting because I wanted to protect you from him.”
His hand found Mark’s cheek, reveling in the way the love of his life accepted the simple touch with a sigh.
“And I couldn’t let Damien go alone. He’s been through too much.”
“And now his house is gone.”
Caster smiled. “He has many more.” He pushed off the bed and reached for Mark’s hand. “Help me get clean?”
Mark’s smile returned as he accepted Caster’s hand. He nodded towards the door. “You think they’ll wait for that? They all seem primed to go after her, right now.”
“Kyle has orders to keep everyone out of this room until I tell him otherwise, even Mother.”
Mark laughed, and Caster patted himself on the back.
Nothing had changed. That witch would still have to go through him to get to Mark, and Caster was not about to make it easy for her.
As for Zeke, his fate was already sealed.
There was room in Mark’s life for only one of them, and he couldn’t imagine an existence, here or in the Underworld, without Mark.
Zeke had lost that fight the moment he chose to attack Mark. His death was a foregone conclusion.