We felt the charge of energy at the same time. I spun and saw the air between me and the window warp.
Aydun stood. “About time. I thought I’d starve to death.”
I couldn’t even respond to that bit of fuckery as a streak of crackling silver appeared like a bolt of lightning, lengthening and widening. My godsdamn heart lurched as I felt her before I saw her, the eather in me pulsing just beneath my flesh.
Poppy walked out of the tear in the realm, her gaze darting across the chamber, skipping over Aydun before shooting back to him. Her delicate brows lifted as she took a step away.
“Your husband has the temper of a rabid cat,” Aydun said, striding toward the opening.
Poppy’s head jerked back as her gaze swept over the Fate. “Uh…”
Aydun gave me a one-finger salute as he entered the opening. Once he was through, the tear closed behind him with a faint pop.
I hadn’t moved. I was cemented to where I stood, the air locked in my chest.
Blinking, Poppy turned her head toward me. “Were his…nipples pierced?”
Her voice, warm and velvety, snapped me into action. Everything but her disappeared.
I closed the distance between us in less than a heartbeat. Energy hummed over my fingers as I clasped her cheeks. “Don’t,” I rasped, my voice strained and edgy as I breathed in her sweet, soft scent. “Don’t youeverdo anything like that again.”
“Cas,” she whispered. “I’m—”
I hauled her against my chest, muffling her words and forcing her onto her tiptoes. A shudder rocked the entire length of my body as I slid a hand through the silky strands of her hair, my fingers tangling in the loose braid.
Her heartbeat echoed in my chest as I looped an arm around her waist. Straightening, I lifted her so that her feet no longer touched the floor. She clutched my shoulders, holding on as I walked us backward on unsteady legs. Sitting on the edge of the bed with her nestled in my lap, I held her close, feeling her warmth and assuring myself she was safe, whole, and here.
“Cas,” she whispered.
I exhaled roughly, pulling back as I cupped her cheek. I took in every inch of her face, not missing a single freckle or scar. My gaze swept down, following the strands of hair that had escaped her braid and were stuck under the collar of her robe—
My stare shot back to her throat—to the faint red marks there. They resembled fingerprints. Anger froze the blood in my veins. My gaze lifted to hers. “Who did that to your neck?”
She lifted her fingers to the bruises. “Damn it, I was hoping they’d fade.”
“They didn’t,” I bit out. “Who did it, and where are they?”
Her shoulders tensed. “I’m okay.”
“That’s not an answer, Poppy.”
She let out a sigh, her back bowing slightly. “They’re somewhere you can’t go—”
Eather thrummed in my core. “Wanna bet?”
“Actually, I don’t.” She touched my jaw, and I leaned into the warmth of her fingers. “I’m okay. I swear.”
Relief and frustration fisted in my chest, forming a fucking mess of emotions. She wasn’t being honest with me.
“The lack of a straight answer tells me otherwise.” Gripping her hips, I started to lift her from my lap.
She grasped my shoulders, refusing to move. “It was an Ancient.”
I halted, waiting for her to elaborate.
“They were what—”
“Aydun told me what they were.”
