Chapter 40 Olivia
FORTY
Olivia
Iwoke up on a small cot, staring up at a rocky, natural ceiling. It took me a hot minute to figure out where I was and how I’d gotten there, but when Fiona’s no-longer-blue face appeared above me, it all came back to me.
“Hey, bestie! You were out for the walk back to the caves. But good news! Gael’s gonna make it. I’m pretty sure that as soon as you’re semiupright again, Leigh is going to pounce on you and never let go. I convinced her that would be rude to do while you were still unconscious.”
“Thank you.” The words were a bit croaky, and a second later, a little tin cup appeared, condensation on the sides letting me know whatever was inside was really, really cold. And I wanted it so badly, I shoved myself upright in one motion.
The room spun, and I instantly regretted it. But Elodie was there like magic, propping me up with her ridiculous maiden strength, and after a moment, it passed. I chugged the entire cup of icy cold water and held it out for another.
As it turned out, wielding magic was ridiculously draining. I didn’t know how Bri managed to make it look so easy.
True to her word, the second Fiona backed away to refill my cup, Leigh was at my side, sobbing and hugging me with crushing force of her own.
“Oh my Goddess, I don’t even have the words to tell you how grateful I am.
Brielle says you saved his life. Whatever magical rabbit you pulled out of the hat reversed the worst of the damage and kept him stabilized until Elodie could run him here.
He’s going to need a few weeks of healing and rest, but he’s going to live to see our daughter’s birth.
Really, you saved her too. All of us.” Leigh sobbed on my shoulder, and I patted her back, an intense gratitude filling me as we rocked together.
That was how the men found us. Their bulk easily filled the goblin-made doorway to this little pocket of the cave.
“Is everything okay? Brielle told me Gael had stabilized…” Kane glanced sideways, walking up with Lucien.
Elodie intercepted him with answers as Leigh pulled back, sending me an apologetic look as she wiped away her tears, then followed them over to Gael’s bedside.
That left just me and Lucien.
His stare was hot enough to burn right through me, a wildfire of emotion contained in those glowing orange eyes, and at the moment, I was ready to let it consume me whole.
He didn’t speak, just knelt at the foot of my cot, taking my hand.
“Olivia, my hellcat,” he added with a grin, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be deserving of you.
Your light shines brighter than anything I’ve ever seen before.
You’re kind and caring, smart, and painfully gorgeous.
I’ve got it on good authority that I’m going to keep screwing up, probably for the rest of our lives.
But I promise you, if you give me the chance, I’ll always make it up to you. I’ll learn, for you.”
“Luce, what are you saying?” I asked, a tremor rolling through my body as he continued to speak.
“I’m asking if you’ll bond with me. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man you deserve, and—”
I leaned forward, cutting off his words with a breath-stealing kiss.
He threaded filthy fingers into my hair, tilting my chin and driving us deeper, tasting, loving, promising without words. When I finally pulled back, I rested my forehead against his. “Yes. Yes, I’ll bond with you.”
If I lived to be ten thousand, there would never be a sight better than his dirty, battle-smudged face with that wolfish grin, as if I’d just promised him the moon.
He looked at me like I was important, as if to him I was the moon, and the stars, and the whole damn sky.