Chapter 34
T he only foil to a restless mind is an exhausted body. As soon as camp was set, Emer closed her eyes and embraced the stillness that so often eluded her.
For Calder, however, the quiet forest was too loud. It was a quiet that made him think of Death, a sound he knew well, and the accompanying sensation of balancing on the edge of a blade.
Death and the Morvran were partners locked in a timeless dance—some years, it took from him; some years, it walked beside him. With the Elder of Endings having granted Sea Ravens their talents, whether Calder liked it or not, Death was his kin and, therefore, never far.
Rubbing his thumb into the palm of his other hand, Calder watched Emer’s chest rise and fall where she lay next to him. Her ability to sleep soundly with a monster on either side of her warmed a long-since neglected space in his cold chest.
He told himself that he wanted to preserve the lack of fear she had come to have, but he could hear his own lies in the quiet—he wanted her to believe that he could protect her. Regardless of what lurked in the shadows, it was no match for the indignation that lurked within him, and he was ready for a fight .
Whatever transpired, Keane and Calder agreed that it would remain between them and the stars that watched. Emer deserved her peace, or at least the possibility to hold on to it for as long as she could. Much like his mother before her, Emer seemed to earn people’s aggression simply by existing, and just like before, the Raven would protect his redheaded girl.
Calder’s eyes went black as he called upon Alabaster, who soared high above the canopy and it did not take him long to find evidence ofthe uninvited guest following them. This was the second time someone had come for her. He hadn’t bothered to interrogate the men from the alley, but this new stranger would satiate his need for blood and answers.
He sat up, and Keane, who’d been lying opposite Emer, halted the coin he had been rolling along his knuckles.
“Someone is coming for her.”
There was no need for Calder to elaborate further for Keane also noticed the man who paid too much attention to Emer in Invengarry.
While Calder silently rose from the bedding, securing his weapons, Keane began to pace. Subduing his magic as he had been so far went against his nature, and every part of him was humming at the potential for release. He cracked his neck and flexed his hands as his magic gnawed deep in his bones. Although his power could be dispelled by other means, violent outlets were his favorite and the ones he and his magic were most adept in. Keane needed to fight.
There were many nights when the energy stirring within him and the restlessness that accompanied it caused him to question the deals he made and the power he amassed. Tonight was not one of them. Violent thoughts had Keane’s magic purring, and he rolled his shoulders in response, his cold expression curling into an even deadlier smile.
“Shall we draw lots to see who plays first?” The Fae’s tone was low and sadistic .
Calder shook his head and let out an amused huff, Keane’s sharp smile reminding him so much of Banner.
After securing the space, the men nodded to each other and made their way through the tree line and into the woods.
Since Emer had come into their lives, both had fought their baser tendencies for violence, and in the light of morning, they would gladly return to the men who drew smiles and laughter from her lips. Tonight, however, under the cover of darkness and at a distance great enough that the screams would not find her, they would become every bit of the monsters they were.