“Oh, they are definitely dead,” Maxim told him.
Cain drew in a breath through his nose. “It’s almost as if danger finds that coven wherever they go.”
“Or as if Wynter’s a magnet for it.” Dantalion shrugged at Cain. “After all, she attracts you. You’re probably the biggest danger there is.”
That wasn’t something that could be denied.
Entering his chamber a short while later, Cain found Wynter curled up on a chair reading a tattered paperback—casual, relaxed, at ease … like she hadn’t earlier engaged in a battle.
Her head snapped up as she sensed him, no lines of stress on her face, no lingering anger at having fought for her life. “You’re looking very fierce right now,” she said, her brows lowering.
He was feeling fierce. Closing the distance between them, he said, “Stand.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she slowly set her book down on the bulky armrest and then just as slowly pushed out of her chair.
“I hear you ran into some keepers in the woods,” said Cain, unable to keep the thread of ire out of his voice. He peeled off her tee and examined both her left shoulder and her chest. Whatever wounds she’d earlier sported were gone. The skin was completely unmarred.
“My injuries weren’t too bad. Nothing Anabel’s brews couldn’t fix.”
Cain’s back teeth locked at the easy way she’d dismissed the wounds. “Yes,this time.Next time you might not be so lucky.”
She frowned. “It wasn’t luck. It was skill. And I’m not sure why you’re mad at me, but shake it off. It’s not like Iwantkeepers on my ass. Or like I took on a whole squadron of them by myself. I had backup, and there weren’t many to take down.”
Irritation buzzed through Cain. He slid his hand up her chest to collar her throat while bunching his free hand in the hair at the back of her head. “Don’t make light of this. Don’t act as if the incident was a minor issue. An attack on you willalwaysbe far from minor to me, no matter how much backup you have.” He paused, his nostrils flaring. “That’s twice now I’ve been notified that you were targeted while I was none the wiser.”
Her frown smoothing out, she played her fingers through his hair. “The protective routine shouldn’t make me all tingly, should it?”
A ribbon of amusement unfurled inside him. “You know, most people get nervous when I’m pissed off.”
“Most people don’t have my perverse libido.”
He let out a long breath and shook his head, releasing her. “The keepers weren’t the only ‘visitors’ we had from Aeon today. Two males also came, though the parties seem to have traveled here separately. One was sent to convince you to come home—a male witch by the name of Rafe.”
Her face brightened. “Rafeis here?”
A black jealousy threatened to rear up inside Cain, and his creature coiled as every muscle tightened. “This man means something to you?”
“Not inthat way,” she said with a shudder. “He’s like family. I owe how well-trained I am to him. In which case, I also owe him my life ten times over. You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“No, purely because I sensed that he didn’t want you to return to Aeon. He asked me to tell you to take care of yourself, and to pass on an apology for his failure to alter Esther’s plans.”
“What? That’s dumb, I don’t hold him responsible.”
“He seems to feel that he could have done more for you. I sent him and his conduit friend home. But not before I had a talk with Lailah via the conduit.”
Wynter’s eyes sharpened. “Interesting. What did you and Lailah talk about?”
“Several things. Mostly you. The Aeons have worked out that a curse is at the source of the environmental degradation.”
“I figured they would eventually.”
Cain studied her face carefully as he expanded, “Someone whose magick is dark like yours told them that your death wouldn’t be enough to undo it; that more than dark magick weaved it.”
Wynter didn’t betray her emotions with even aflickerof a micro-expression. It was as impressive as it was frustrating.
“You said that only your destruction would end it.”
“Uh, no,Azazelsaid that. Or presumed it, I should say. I simply never corrected him. And before you ride my ass about lying by omission, bear in mind that it will only make you a hypocrite—you do the omission thing, like,allthe time.”