I hoped not. The cliff looked steep and uninviting for someone not used to rugged outdoor activity.
Kyle shifted back to human, his beautiful naked body covered in shiny sweat. “Unfortunately, yes. The car’s parked at the top of that cliff, and I don’t think I can carry you up.”
I glanced up the almost vertical face. “Well, lucky I saved enough of my magic for this moment then.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. “You can magic us up there?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can. However, I won’t have much magic left afterward.” I didn’t know that for certain, of course. I’d never needed to use all my remaining magic out here, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take to regenerate. I wouldn’t know until I tried.
Kyle shrugged, like it was a regular day. “Let’s do it.”
I grabbed his hand, did a transportation spell, and clicked my fingers. Moments later, we stood on top of the cliff, staring down.
“Wow,” he said. “That’s really handy.”
I did a quick mental assessment of my magic. It hadn’t drained completely, but the hum had reduced.
I cuddled into Kyle’s naked chest and wrapped my arms around him. “Do you think Michael and Xander are all right?”
Kyle held me tight against him. “Yeah. They’ll be all right. Xander doesn’t like to lose, and Michael strikes me as strong and intelligent.”
I chuckled, amazed at my ability to laugh at such a stressful time. “Michael doesn’t like to lose either. And Xander’s strong and intelligent, so I guess they will be okay.”
Kyle took my hand, and we walked in silence back to the car. When we arrived, he dressed in some clothes that he’d left there before I’d met them.
It wasn’t that long ago, but in some ways, it felt like a lifetime since that moment in the forest when I’d first laid eyes on my two shifters.
“So, what do we do now?” I asked. “Wait? Hide?”
“I suggest we just wait,” he said, “but let’s wait in the car. Stay warm.”
I nodded, shivering. There was a real chill in the air here. We climbed into the back seat of the old truck. I sat in Kyle’s lap, enjoying his body heat, as we waited for the other two to arrive.
The silence stretched between us, and my anxiety couldn’t deal with it.
“Tell me about what it was like,” I asked him. “Down there. Under the ground.”
Kyle kissed the top of my head and held me against his chest. “It was horrible. I’ll be having nightmares about it for years to come, I’m sure.”
“I can only imagine,” I said. “How did you two cope?”
He sighed. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Please?” I begged, looking up at him. “I wanna know.”
“Okay... well, we just had to stay calm. We didn’t have a choice. And I certainly didn’t want to die trying to dig my way out of a magicked chamber.”
I changed position, lying across him and facing him so that I could kiss his lips. “I was so worried about you.”
He nodded, his eyes shadowing. “Did you really marry Michael?”
The pain in his voice was unmistakable.
“Well...”
Kyle turned his head, staring out the window. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” I sat up and pushed open the door.