“Och!”
I looked over my shoulder and saw the silverkin swarming around my own mother. Ever since they had helped her recreate the brugh, they’d decided that she liked them again. One thing was certain—they definitely liked her.
“Micah!” Mom shrieked. “Call off your beasties, or I’ll turn the lot of them into candlesticks!”
“Now, Maeve,” Micah drawled, slipping his arms around my waist, “they only wish to welcome you. You’re the first queen they’ve ever hosted.”
“So that’s what this is about,” I murmured. “I thought they already knew.”
“Apparently, your mother’s royal status first came to their notice while they helped her with the brugh,” Micah replied. “You should have seen them while you were missing—they swarmed about her like bees to their queen, comforting her as best they could.”
“And Mom didn’t melt them down?”
“She worried we might need them to find you.” Micah tightened his arms around me, and we watched the silverkin herd their queen inside. Max and Sadie followed close behind, asking how long it would be before the little silver beings could have some sandwiches and chips ready. My own stomach rumbled, but I was content to stay in Micah’s arms for a bit longer.
Suddenly I felt a tingle at the small of my back, where Micah’s fingers were pressed against my mark. Then his fingers moved, and the tingles followed. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Helping you heal.” Micah dragged his fingers up my back and over my shoulder, taking his time as he traced his fingers across my neck and, finally, to my cheek.
“Healing how?” I asked.
“Your metal,” he said, stroking my battered cheek. Suddenly, the stinging pain was gone, though a few aches remained. I touched my face and felt smooth, unmarred skin. I had known that one’s Element could help them heal physical injuries, especially after what had happened to Micah at the Goblin Market, but I’d never thought to heal myself.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“Later, I will help you with the rest,” he said. I felt another series of tickle-tingles as the copper worked its way from my cheek back to my mark. “For now, I just want to hold you.”
“I missed this.” I shifted and rested my newly healed cheek against his chest. “I want to stay like this forever.”
“Good, because I am never letting go of you.”
“Ever?”
“Ever.” He lifted my chin, his face suddenly serious. “Unless, of course, there is something you must do. Something very important to you. Something that might be dangerous.”
I bit my lip. “Like helping the resistance.”
“Yes.” He sighed. “If this has taught me anything, it is that I cannot keep you from doing what you think is right. Your decisions are yours alone.” I felt his arms tighten around me, and I curled my head into his chest again, breathing him in as he spoke. “But please,” he said softly into my hair, “whatever you decide to do, please tell me. I may try to change your mind, but ultimately, my love, all I want is to help you, and to be with you. I want to make sure you survive to come back to our bed and be in my arms again.”
My eyes began to sting. No. I didn’t want to cry, not now. “What if when we fall asleep, I roll off the bed?” I pressed, blinking the moisture away.
Micah grinned. “I would wake and lie on the floor beside you, holding you in my arms again.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
Hmm. We should test these theories. Laughing, I slipped free of his grasp and ran toward the manor. After all the stress of the past few days, I needed a bit of play. If the way Micah lunged after me was any indication, he needed some playtime, too. It wasn’t too long before he caught me and we tumbled onto the soft grass together.
“Micah,” I said as he nuzzled my neck, “I’m filthy.”
“I don’t care,” he murmured. I tried wiggling away, but he seemed to enjoy the wiggling.
“I need a bath!” I mean, I really needed a bath. I could smell my own hair, and that was just wrong. “You could come with me,” I suggested.
“Or I could drag you behind the bushes.”
“Micah! Those bushes don’t even reach our knees!”
“Good thing you’re filthy. We’ll blend in with the ground.”
I swatted his shoulder, twice, and he rolled off me, giving me the illusion of freedom. As soon as I sat up he yanked me on top of him and continued his attack from below. A harsh voice from above sliced right through my squealing and Micah’s laughter.