Chapter 18 How Madness Breathes #2
Screeching like a wounded animal, Eluned thrashed against the enchanted cord, trying to break free, trying to reach me with her clawed fingers.
I didn’t flinch or say another word. There was nothing left to say.
I turned away, feeling strangely light, as if some invisible weight had finally lifted from my shoulders.
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you, worthless!” she shrieked.
As her screams grew louder, wordless howls of rage and frustration, Casimir straightened from his position against the wall, face unreadable. Koa’s eyes blazed with pride. Zane gave me a small nod, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.
I motioned for them to walk out ahead of me and waited until they were crowded outside the door before I paused at the threshold, just for a moment.
This was the closing of a chapter, the end of a story that had defined me for too long.
Beyond this room lay a future untainted by her shadow.
With a smile, I stepped through and pulled the door shut behind me, and the soft click of the latch felt like the period at the end of a very long, painful sentence.
And just like that, I was free.
“That was chef’s kiss, sugar booger!” Zane grinned like a cat who’d just watched a bird break its own wing.
“Very impressive, Serafina Cimmerian.” Koa took my hand and squeezed it gently.
Casimir only watched me, sharp-eyed and thoughtful.
“Are you satisfied, my love?”
“Yes.” I exhaled. “Yes, I am, Simmy. Very satisfied.”
“Good.”
#
The library welcomed me with the comforting scent of leather-bound books and wood polish.
After a hot shower, I’d opted for soft black pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt instead of another dress.
The cold lake water hadn’t helped my constant chills, and I craved warmth, so I’d stolen one of Zane’s hoodies, partly to warm me up, but mostly for the comfort of his night phlox scent.
It made me think of his crooked grin, his wildness, and his messy red hair.
My husbands were waiting for me in the library, Zane and Koa also freshly showered and smelling much better than they had half an hour ago.
“She stole Steve!” Zane announced dramatically to his brothers, pointing at me. “Of all the hoodies to pick, she made a great choice.”
I looked down at the plain navy blue fabric, which wasn’t even printed with one of his usual crazy slogans.
I’d learned that his entire wardrobe was a treasure trove of silly statements, each more outrageous than the last. His current t-shirt, for example, read, “Therapy isn’t enough. I need to bite people.”
“It’s just a normal hoodie, Zoodle,” I said, puzzled. “Why is it named Steve?”
“Because everything Zane loves gets a name,” Koa explained, his lips quirking. “His motorcycle is Beatrice, his assault rifle is Lurleen, his favorite game system is Herbert, and apparently that hoodie is Steve.”
“We have more important things to discuss than Zane’s quirks,” Casimir said evenly.
He stood near the crackling fireplace in Professor stance: Arms crossed, shoulders squared, chin up. His long blond hair was pulled back into a messy bun at the nape of his neck, and he wore a gray henley that looked tailored to his lean waist.
Zane patted the space between himself and Koa on the leather couch. I settled between them, and without thinking, my fingers sought theirs, twining together in a motion that had become as natural as breathing.
“Where’s Brummy?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen my baby since our return from the basement.
“Still outside with his prize,” Zane laughed, his thumb stroking absently across my knuckles. “That crawfish claw is going to be his favorite chew toy for at least another hour.”
“Seri.” Casimir gaze locked with mine. “Which of us should handle Eluned’s primary interrogation? Who do you think would be most effective with her?”
My eyebrows flew up. Yes, I’d known Eluned far longer than any of them, but they valued my opinion on something they’d probably done a thousand times before?
That warmed something deep in my chest. I wasn’t an expert on my husbands yet. We’d been married just under three weeks, after all. I was, however, comfortable enough with them to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, I trusted them implicitly.
“Zoodle, of course. He can find the cracks in her madness and widen them.” As Zane smirked at them triumphantly, I quickly explained my reasoning.
“Koko, she’d drive you to lose your temper so you’d kill her quickly.
” I squeezed his hand to soften the words.
“And Simmy, your logic won’t work on someone who has no reasoning left. ”
“I have better composure than Zane. He’s likely to sink to her level and get distracted with petty exchanges.” Casimir looked mildly insulted, and I rolled my eyes.
“That’s the point! It takes a little crazy to understand crazy.”
Koa’s laughter was like warm honey, and even Casimir covered his dry bark of a laugh with the back of his fist. Zane made a sound that was half-offended gasp, half-laugh, looking both insulted and proud. Slinging his arm around my shoulders, he pulled me closer with a wolfish grin.
“Flatter me more, darling,” he purred.
“You’re unpredictable in a way that will keep her off-balance. You understand how madness breathes.”
“Damn.” Casimir let out a low whistle. “Very insightful, little wife.”
“I could keep my temper, beloved,” Koa protested, even though he didn’t sound like he entirely believed it himself. “I won’t let her get to me again.”
I turned to meet his eyes, remembering how they’d flashed with fury in the basement. He might want it to happen that way, but everyone in this room knew it wouldn’t. And then there was the other issue…
“If for no other reason, then for my peace of mind. Please, Koko?”
“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown.
“She tried to make me believe you were being,” I searched for the right words, “intimate with her earlier.”
Understanding dawned on his face, followed quickly by horror.
“Seri, I would rather castrate myself than ever—”
I laid my fingers on his lips, stopping the words.
“I know that. Every fiber of my being knows the depths of your loyalty.” I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, just a ghost of my lips across his skin. “I never doubted you for a second. But she doesn’t… I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t want her to even think she can hurt me anymore.”
“Damn right she can’t.” He melted into me, and I dug my face in his throat, greedily inhaling his evening primrose scent.
“You heard our wife,” Casimir declared with a curt nod.
“I did, and don’t you worry, sunshine. I’ll make her sing like a deranged canary,” Zane promised, already getting to his feet. The prospect seemed to excite him, like a cat about to toy with a mouse.
Which, to be honest, he was.
Shifting me a little in his arms, Koa pulled a small glass vial from his pocket, holding it up to the light where it caught the sun streaming through the windows.
“Oh!” I held out my cupped hands. “I finally get to see your spy eyes!”
He smiled at my enthusiasm, thumbed off the cork, and extracted two of the little things. He handed one to me for examination and flicked the other at Zane.
I could hardly believe he’d created such a marvel of delicate engineering, the perfect blend of technology and magic. It looked like a bug with red eyes and clear, gold-veined wings, small enough to sit on the tip of my finger. Tiny gears clicked almost imperceptibly as it turned in a slow circle.
“Koko, they are amazing.” I swiveled my eyes to his. “You’re a genius!”
“They record both video and audio.” Koa’s undisguised pride made me smile. “The feed transmits directly to my laptop, where it’s automatically saved.”
“Does it feel anything?”
“Only my crushing guilt over surveillance capitalism.” His smirk faded at my expression. “No pain, Seri. Promise. All magic and gears.”
“So you’ll be watching Zane the whole time?” I returned the spy eye to his palm.
“Hell, yeah! I want a front-row seat.”
“You just wanna watch me crack her skull open figuratively before you do it literally.” Zane set his spy eye on his shoulder.
“I am also interested in the results,” Casimir admitted, “purely for strategic purposes, of course.”
I looked at these three men who had become my world in such a short time. They were capable of such tenderness with me, yet so ruthless with those who threatened what they loved. That should have frightened me, but instead, it made me feel safer than I ever had before.
Teeth, I thought. I have someone with teeth willing to fight for, and with, me now.
“I trust you to do what’s necessary,” I said, “but it’s not something I want to witness.”
I didn’t need to say anymore. They understood. They would protect me from the uglier aspects of this life we shared, not because they thought me weak, but because they respected my boundaries.
“I’ll work on my ward while you’re busy,” I decided. “It will be a good time to focus without you all distracting me.”
“Sweetheart, husbands aren’t meant to be ignored,” Zane teased as he gave me a quick, fierce kiss. “Wish me luck, sunshine.”
“You don’t need luck, Zoodle!” I told him with more confidence than I’d have thought possible even a month ago. “You’ve got this!”
With a wink, he disappeared through the doorway.
“Seri, Ko and I will be in the security room if you need anything.” Casimir leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “Keep your phone with you. You don’t know how badly I want to scold you for not having it on you to call us this morning.”
“I think I might be able to guess how badly.” I wrinkled my nose and looked around. “It’s here somewhere.”
He rolled his eyes before laying his own phone on the desk beside my ward designs.
“It’ll unlock with your fingerprint or facial recognition. All of our phones will.”
The gesture was so casually intimate, such an easy sharing of something personal, that it momentarily took my breath away. Three weeks ago, I’d owned nothing but the clothes on my back and a few hidden treasures. Now I had husbands who shared everything they had without hesitation.
As Casimir left the library, Koa gave me one long, lingering kiss before he, too, stood and walked toward the door. He paused and looked at me over his shoulder, the soft late morning light turning his skin to caramel.
“I can stay if you want. It’ll be recorded for me to watch later.”
“Go,” I laughed, making a shooing motion. “I’m fine, I have work to do, and I know you’re dying to watch Zane live.”
With a little nod, he left, and I settled into one of the plush armchairs, pulling a book on protective magic from the stack I’d set aside yesterday.
“They fuss too much,” I murmured to the empty room, but it wasn’t exactly a complaint.