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Panting lightly when I reached the top, I stopped, well back from the edge.
“Hey, let’s jump together!” Baz grabbed my hand, probably aware of my discomfort but not really caring.
I thought about getting mad at him, but he was usually extremely considerate, so I let him tug me forward instead.
“All four of us?” I curled my toes over the rocky edge, worn smooth by the years, and didn’t look down.
“Yes. Dio, take her other hand. Nic, take Dio’s hand. We’ll jump on three.”
Baz’s brothers did as he said and after seeing the wild grin on his face, I didn’t object. Letting some of his enthusiasm push away my fear, I plastered a smile on my face like when I was performing in the kid shows.
“One!” Baz swung our arms in time to his count.
“Two!” He squeezed my hand.
“Three!”
We leaped into the air.
Ember
Dio intercepted us on the way to Baz’s room. I held out my hand, and he accepted it, pulling me close and putting his arm around me.
He smelled of soap and the forest and vaguely feline. I wasn’t used to having such a strong sense of smell, but currently I wasn’t hating it. His dusky olive skin looked healthy and vibrant instead of ashen like before, and he’d shaved, but clearly intended to grow some of his beard back as he’d left his jawline and mustache, just shortened it considerably. I liked it.
“Hello, beautiful,” he murmured, his Middle Eastern accent music to my ears.
“Hey. How are you?” I hadn’t had a chance to catch up with him or Geraint after we’d escaped the corn.
“Better, and alive, thank you. We may be the first to have escaped the corn in the history of cornfields and Nightmare.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yeah.” I didn’t have to add how terrifying the experience had been. We both knew.
“I hear you got your head out of your ass,” Ash said. She was never one to pull punches. Made her a good lawyer. Though I was sure she had more tact when in a courtroom.
“I did,” Dio replied without anger.
“Good.”
“Where is Geraint?”
“I believe he went down to the stable, said he wanted to check on the horse that had carried him.”
“That must mean he’s feeling better, too,” I said.
Dio nodded.
After a quick knock, Ash opened the door to Baz’s suite when we arrived. Nic sat next to his brother, an open book in his hand. Baz lay still on his bed, maybe a touch less corpse-like than before, but still not awake.
“Luv,” Nic said.
“No change?”
“No.” Nic tightened his lips and blurred into the shadows surrounding him for a moment before solidifying. In contrast to Dio, Nic could use a shave—or however he managed his facial hair since some of his features shifted with his mood. He usually kept his facial hair short and in more of a goatee. His olive- skin was a touch pale, as if he hadn’t slept well in a while. I hadn’t noticed last night, but I’d been about done in myself. And distracted. The stress certainly hadn’t affected Nic’s ability to give me lots of amazing orgasms, though, and he certainly had seemed to be enjoying himself, too.
I left Dio’s side and touched Baz’s hand. “I think he might be a little warmer than before. And his skin isn’t as ashen. Maybe.” I sighed and bit my lip.
Maybe it was wishful thinking. Maybe not. No one replied.
