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“I’m well enough,” Lazarus answered.

I swung around, eyes narrowed. “Are you? Are you really?”

“Yes.” Lazarus held eye contact, no hesitation in his answer. “The scars will remain, but my stamina has returned and I will be back to one hundred percent by the time we confront Jaakobah. I will not be a burden.”

And just like that, all my anger leached from my body. “I have never considered you a burden.” My heart hurt simply considering that’s what Lazarus thought.

“Perhaps not,” Lazarus consented. “Most likely I am projecting my own fears onto you, lending those fears more power than they deserve. The scars are bad enough, not being able to protect you and⁠—”

“The scars aren’t bad at all, at least from my perspective,” I honestly answered. “As for the rest…” I shrugged. “We protect each other.”

Lazarus opened his mouth, as if ready to argue, before snapping it closed and giving a single nod. “You are correct. Forgive my own insecurities.”

Closing the distance, I pressed our lips together. Lazarus’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me in close while a satisfied rumble thundered through his chest. Soothing warmth spread through me as my blood traveled further south, thickening my cock. Reluctantly pulling away, I pressed our foreheads together and whispered, “There is nothing to forgive. Except maybe you allowing me to sleep for so long,” I tagged on.

“Again, I offer no apologies.”

My stomach grumbled about the same time I noticed the pressure in my bladder. Pushing away, I slid my legs out from under Vi and Blu’s playful tumbles, extracting myself from the bed. “Looks like part of my body needs emptied while another is begging to be filled.”

“I will make you a sandwich while you clean up,” Lazarus offered while picking up the girls, placing one on each shoulder.

Rumbled laughter filled my chest as I asked, “Which one’s the devil, and which is the angel?” I pointed to Vi and Blu.

“They’re both heathens,” Lazarus answered. “And they’re both divine.”

“An excellent mixture,” I said, slipping into the bathroom to relieve myself. Once finished, I washed my hands and splashed some water on my face. Glancing into the mirror, I should have looked rumpled after sleeping so long. Instead, the gryphon staring back at me held a hint of my old self. Just enough of a spark that I could see what I once was—before Huxley’s betrayal and the spiral of events his actions set into motion.

The dark circles that had seemed permanent fixtures beneath my eyes had lightened. The tightness constantly tugging my lips into a thin line had softened. My amber eyes looked a little less haunted and my skin wasn’t as sallow.

Dammit. How was I supposed to be mad at Lazarus when he’d obviously been so right?

Fourteen

Lazarus

The girls were sleeping again. Vi was back in her coals and Blu was cozied up in the nest of blankets Keir had arranged on the hearth. Eldon had gotten up and shared a small meal with Keir before shuffling back into his room. Keir’s younger brother was improving physically, but his demeanor was more haunted than Elvira’s ghostly form.

Martin had just left after filling Keir in on what he’d missed while he’d been catching up on his rest. I would have liked to tuck Keir back into bed after he ate and socialized with his brother, but Keir would have none of it. Sleep had improved him, but I feared it was but a drop in the bucket considering what he truly needed.

Regardless, Keir was back to work, sorting through the Magical Usage Council’s most recent requests for aid. Frown lines furrowed Keir’s brow as he stared at one of them longer than the others.

“What is it?” I finally asked.

It seemed like it took a few moments for Keir to register my words. “I’m not certain. Could be something minor, but…there’s something here that just doesn’t sound right to me.” Keir cocked his head to the side. “Investigating will require a very unique set of skills.”

Interested, I crossed my ankle over my opposite knee and asked, “Do you have an individual with said skills?”

Keir’s nod was slow and hesitant. “I do. Jima.”

My eyebrow ridges shot up. A ferret shifter didn’t immediately bring to mind confidence and strength. While I knew Jima was a member of the council, I hadn’t given much consideration to his usefulness. Curious, I asked, “And what would those skills be?”

Keir finally glanced up, his countenance still worried. “Subterfuge. Jima’s small and his ferret form can find many places to hide. He’s proven very adept at getting in and getting out of places no one else can manage while acquiring the information required. Jima has exonerated or condemned many over the years.”

I nodded. “That makes sense.” Ferrets were sneaky. They were also notorious hoarders. Some called them thieves, but I thought that particular moniker more inflammatory than accurate. Most of the time, the objects ferret shifters hoarded weren’t valuable. They were small knickknacks of this or that.

It looked like maybe Jima had honed those instincts into something more useful. Keir’s expression was less than pleased by the prospect. I considered why, finally landing upon “you’re concerned.”

“Very much so.” Keir set the letter aside before taking a deep breath, holding it, and exhaling. “Jima hasn’t been on a mission since Huxley…since we lost so many of our friends. I think he’s ready to get back out into the field, but our losses aren’t my only concern. Here, within the barrier, Jima’s safe. But out there…” Keir made a general motion toward the area beyond the compound.