CHAPTER 51
Caster refused to let Mark go even as he tried to sit up, brushing aside his attempts to make sure he was not harmed.
It had been the longest half hour of his life, one that he’d spent with all his attention on the slowed rate of Mark’s heart.
The moment its volume increased would perhaps be the happiest of his life.
All fear that he had lost the one person he loved beyond reason had disappeared into a relief so strong he was unsure he could stand.
“Where is he?” He heard Cy’s question, but the meaning escaped him as he continued to reassure himself Mark was OK.
“He got what he came for,” Riley said, and Caster looked at his best friend.
Riley was paler than he’d ever seen him, which increased his fear that perhaps they had not escaped the Underworld unharmed.
“We have one more thing to do…” His words ended on a sigh so uncharacteristic of Riley, Caster’s worry increased.
“Yes, we need to find her,” Edie said, moving to stand next to Riley as if to offer her support. “Amara, Amelia and I will do it.”
“Everyone, get some rest. A few hours at least,” Marcus said. “The house remains protected?”
Riley nodded, still seeming more tired than Caster had ever thought one with so much power could be. But Marcus was right; they needed to take a breath, gather their strength. Even with just the Power of the Water, Ethel could not be underestimated.
“Are you OK?” Mark’s whisper drew him away from the fear and worry still roiling around in his mind.
“Are you?”
Mark nodded, reinforcing his affirmative reply by pushing to his feet.
The steady beat of his heart grew stronger with each passing second, and his mind remained closed as it had been before he’d travelled to the Underworld.
Caster was proud of him for holding on to that barrier despite what must have been a terrifying experience, but as he led them to their room, there was no mistaking the palpable change in Mark. Something was different.
His hands found Mark’s hair as soon as their door locked out the whole world, keeping the witch and all their problems out of reach for now. Caster wanted nothing more than to reassure himself that Mark was here, still alive, still his.
Mark moaned with each pass of his hand through his hair, his eyes drifting shut.
“No, baby. Look at me. Let me see you.” The words weighed on Caster’s tongue. The darkness of the Underworld was a memory to him, a moment he vowed to banish out of his mind. Yet, he’d allowed the most important person in his life to visit that awful place.
Mark opened his eyes. The amber of his animal battled the brown of his human form, and Caster frowned.
“Are you OK?”
Mark pushed closer to him, his body pressing against Caster’s. The intense battle of need their proximity often aroused rose from the fore, fighting for his attention the longer they remained close. But he wanted to reassure himself of Mark’s safety more.
He pulled at his hand, leading him to the couch.
Until he accepted the comfort the piece of furniture provided, Caster had underestimated how tired he was.
Some of his fatigue was a consequence of failing to feed, but he couldn’t think about that right now.
Mark’s mind remained closed, and as much as he wanted him to be in control of that barrier, the loss of that intimate connection brought him unwanted sadness.
That sadness disappeared a minute later when Mark laid his head on his shoulder, still saying nothing, his mind still shuttered.
“Tell me?”
“I did it.” His voice was a hoarse whisper, as if he too was too tired for the moment. “I closed it. It felt…”
Caster was jarred by the sudden release of a flood of Mark’s consciousness into his own. Thoughts of a strength, more strength than Mark ever believed he could possess, were tinged by confusion. He wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer.
Mark startled him by sitting up. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would I have that power? What good does it do?”
Caster wished he had an answer, but he too had wondered the same since the moment he encountered Pierce and all his power. Demons were meant to remain cloaked by the Underworld, separate from the living. Yet they had so far encountered two very powerful ones who seemed quite at home in this world.
“I don’t know, my love.” He tightened his embrace. “I’m just glad you came back to me.”
Mark settled back into the comfort of their closeness and sighed as if he too felt the bone-deep tiredness that Caster battled. “I feel stronger. Like my wolf is now somehow larger, more powerful.”
“Good. We’re going to need that.”
Mark hummed, sleep calling to him, and Caster gave in to the need for rest as well. He led them to their bed in silence. They undressed with the palpable change in Mark’s status a weight between them, and settled into each other without much fuss.
Mark closed his eyes and drifted away in a few minutes, his body the perfect fit against Caster’s.
It took a while for Caster to ease the barrage of thoughts flying across his mind.
He was certain Pierce couldn’t be a good thing for this world.
Yet, he seemed to be the better of the demons the Underworld held in place.
Perhaps Mark’s power was meant to ensure they couldn’t find a way to their world.
There was comfort in that. His strategic mind and gentle heart made him the perfect person for such a role. Caster only hoped it wouldn’t prove too much for him.