Kate’s quiet snoring was a welcome sound as she finally drifted off to sleep. Forrest and I ate in silence, but I wasn’t hungry, not anymore.
“You should get some sleep,” Forrest murmured quietly. “We’re safe here.”
“Are we?”
“If you want to keep watch, have at it, but I’m telling you, nothing is going to come for us in this grove. It’s protected by my kin.”
I stared into the darkness around us and smiled. “That’s why you wanted to come here.”
“The tombs of my ancestors aren’t far off, and there’s always one patrol in the area.” He shrugged as he settled back and closed his eyes. “Figured we could all use a rest. See you in the morning.”
“Yeah, morning.”
I poked at the dying fire as Forrest’s breathing steadied and he fell asleep next. My body was weary, and I told myself to get some shut-eye, too, but every time I leaned back to close my eyes, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I was wide awake, staring up at the mass of stars overhead, looking down on us. I couldn’t explain what was wrong, but I felt strange, as if a part of me was suddenly hollow.
The letter written by Broden—by me—lay on the grass close by, but the idea of looking at it again made my chest tighten. There’d been blood on the parchment. He’d written it with whatever strength remained. Who attacked him? Had it been the traitor? Who was it?
I was desperate for answers so much my head throbbed, and I was more anxious than ever to track down the sorcerers and pry the answers out of them any way I had to.
It was strange, the situation I found myself in. Forrest was opening up, learning to relax and embrace his past self, but every passing moment, I sensed myself becoming rigid, paranoid almost about Kate and Forrest.
When Forrest told me he assumed I was Kate’s protector, I knew without a doubt he was right.
But what he forgot to realize was I was his protector too. It had been my job to keep them both safe, and in reality, I’d failed on both counts. I’d let Celandine sacrifice herself in an attempt to trap the plague, so the rest of the realm could prepare for the coming war, and Malcolm… Malcolm probably left Broden behind, possibly because he was already wounded in battle and had no choice. He’d gone out there on his own, and probably been killed. Their blood was on my hands.
What if I failed again?
Or worse? What if I turned into Raghnall in my fight to save them? I prided myself on not being a thoughtless killing machine like so many other demons, but I scared myself for a moment back in the great hall.
Kate whispered in her sleep, and I jerked my gaze toward her to catch her staring at me. “You’re a terrible liar you know,” she whispered.
“And you’re supposed to be sleeping.” I stabbed at the embers. “What did I lie about?”
“You said you were fine. You’re not.”
“Go back to sleep,” I growled, but she started to sit up. “What are you doing?”
“Well, either you come here, or I’m coming over there, so make up your mind.”
I saw the resolve on her face, and rolling my eyes with an over the top dramatic sigh, I climbed to my feet, dragged my bedding to her, and laid back down. She rested her head on my shoulder, her hand finding mine.
“You going to tell me?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Go back to sleep,” I stated.
“Still a shitty liar.”
“I’m not lying, I’m merely not answering your question, love.”
I felt her smile against my shoulder as she shifted again, curling closer.
“Same difference. We’re going to get through this together, you know. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
Her words hit me hard, and I wanted to argue with her, but when I glanced down, she was already back to sleep.
“Too bad that’s my job, love,” I whispered and kissed the top of her head. “And I’ve already failed you once.”
Before all this started, I knew exactly who I was, and I made my way doing what I could. The bastard half-demon son of Raghnall, Demon King. I was a trickster, a decent fighter, and alone in this fight against the darkness.
Now it wasn’t just my life at stake, and it wasn’t even the whole fate of the world on my shoulders that bothered me. Kate and Forrest would need me to be strong before the end, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that our end would be just as tragic as those of our past lives.
Eventually, sleep overtook me, and I found comfort in having Kate so close, and even Forrest. This was how it was supposed to be.
I just wished I could know it would remain this way, forever.