A thump echoed through the quiet. “Ouch! Jeepers . . . watch it, would you?”
Henrik’s lips twitched. Probably not the smartest reaction, but hell . . . he couldn’t help it. Cosmina didn’t sound happy, and the fact she directed her displeasure at Thea tickled his funny bone. Somehow, though, he wasn’t surprised. Unafraid to speak her mind, Cosmina packed a wallop when she wanted to . . .
Man-eating plants included.
“Blast and damn, Thea.” A slap reverberated in the alcove as Cosmina swatted vines away. “Be careful of my arm.”
The air stilled, growing colder. Thea growled. “Hurt.”
“Naught time won’t heal,” Cosmina said, tone switching from annoyed to soothing. “Now . . . where did you put them?”
“Bad men.”
“Nay, Thea. Good men. They protected me at White Temple and mean you no harm.” A scrape, then the shuffle of boots on frozen earth drifted in the dark. Henrik tilted his head, listening, interpreting each noise and . . . aye, definitely. Cosmina was now on her feet. “I’m sorry I did not ask for safe passage. You know I always do, but we are being hunted by—”
“Halál of Grey Keep.” Violence shivered through the forest. Roping vines twisted, reaching up to brush Henrik’s cheek. “Bad man.”
“Very bad man.”
“No like.”
“Me neither. But Henrik and his friends are not like that.”
A pause. The darkness expanded, stealing his breath, tightening its hold, enclosing him inside his own head. Pressure built between his temples. Henrik clenched his teeth. His comrades twitched, reacting to the mind-bending pulse as the forest took a breath. An ominous rattle followed. Baring invisible fangs, Thea turned to stare at him. Pure conjecture, considering he couldn’t see anything? Mayhap, but Henrik didn’t think so. The magic in the air told the tale. And as she hissed his name, Henrik held his breath and stayed very still. No sense provoking the thing. Thea oozed potent power and the menace of predatory intent. Otherworldly. A force to be reckoned with . . . an intelligence rooted deep in the earth. The kind he’d only felt once and knew could only mean one thing.
Thea belonged to the Goddess of All Things.
Supposition? Or fact? Henrik bet on the latter. The theory made a certain amount of sense. Cosmina, after all, lived inside the Limwoods. Not something just anyone could do. As a member of the Blessed, Thea recognized her for what she was: a servant of the goddess. Someone who played on the same side. A woman to be protected and cared for as the deity decreed.
Henrik cleared his throat. “Cosmina?”
“Oh thank the goddess.” A rustle sounded as Cosmina turned in his direction. Still somewhere to his right, she paused mid-step. He didn’t blame her. ’Twas too dark to see anything. “Henrik . . . are you all right?”
In a manner of speaking. Strung up like fresh kill, his position didn’t exactly inspire confidence. “All in one piece, but ’tis too dark. I cannot—”
“Thea . . . some light, if you please,” Cosmina said, providing what he needed before he asked.
Henrik frowned. Some light? Any at all would be good. The thought echoed, bouncing around inside his head an instant before a low hum cut through the quiet. Pinpricks of light blinked on, illuminating the darkness. He squinted, vision adjusting to the sudden glare, and . . . good Christ. An army of lightning bugs, the drone of tiny wings buzzing above the roll of writhing vines. Blood rushing in his ears, hanging upside down six, mayhap seven, feet from the ground, his gaze swept the enclave. Surrounded by dense forest. Hemmed in by creeping vines. Deep in the heart of the Limwoods. A place most had never seen, never mind survived.
A soft whinny pushed through, capturing his attention.
Henrik glanced left. He breathed out in relief. Clustered together, the horses stood to one side, spooked and still, acting like living statuary, frosty air puffing from their nostrils. Alive with movement, vines slithered around the edges of the large den, blocking any chance of escape. And Cosmina? His gaze landed on her. Just feet away, she stood in the center of the dell, one arm cradling the other, looking pale but so beautiful his throat went tight.
The lightning bugs’ glow grew more intense.
Her brow furrowed. Her lashes flickered, and she turned her head away from the radiance, almost as though the light hurt her eyes. Which meant one thing. Her vision continued to improve. Was returning little by little. Now full recovery was just a day or two away. At least, he hoped so—for her sake and his too. He liked the woman he’d met inside High Temple, the hellion who’d held him at knifepoint and threatened him with supreme skill. Odd, he knew. But no matter how strange his reaction, he couldn’t deny the tug . . . the need to know her better and see just how good she was with a blade.
“Hey,” he said, his focus fixed on her.
She glanced his way. No longer white but pale green, her eyes met his. She squinted as though unable to focus, then blinked. The flutter of movement drew him tight. Made her even more appealing—if that were even possible. With her hair tumbling in disarray, she looked like a siren, making him surrender to the libidinous pull.
Breaking eye contact, she glared over her shoulder. “Release him. The others too.”
The vine closest to Cosmina snapped its tip. The quick flick reminded Henrik of a disobedient child turning up its nose.
Cosmina pursed her lips. “I mean it, Thea.”
A soft snarl gathered speed until it throbbed in the enclave. An instant later, the creepers loosened, and with a flick, sent him spinning arse over heels. Cold air slapped against his face. Henrik cursed, and twisting in midair, fought to get his feet under him. No chance of that. He hit the ground with a thud. Pain streaked over his shoulder. His teeth clenched on a curse, he flinched as his comrades thumped down beside him, but didn’t hesitate. With a quick flip, he jumped to his feet and, ignoring the threat of creeping vines, strode across the clearing. Cosmina met him halfway, limping into his open arms. Settling like a gift, she nestled in as though she belonged against him.
Blowing out a pent-up breath, he enveloped her in his embrace and set his chin atop her head. “Are you unhurt?”
She nodded. “Are you? Thea can be a touch rough and—”
“A touch?” Henrik snorted. Christ. If that was only a touch, he didn’t want to be around when Thea unleashed the true extent of her power. “How far to your cottage?”
“From here?”
“Aye.”
“A day and a half on foot. Mayhap less. I wasn’t in a hurry when I walked it.”
Well, he was now. Hurrying seemed like an excellent idea. A secure place to rest and recoup. Time enough to regroup and come up with a game plan. The strategy ticked all his boxes. The sooner he found a safe haven, the better off he—and everyone else—would be. But as he turned toward the horses and told the others to mount up, he sensed Thea following him. Green tentacles slithered around his feet. He froze mid-stride.
“Ignore her.” Cold nose pressed to the hollow of his throat, Cosmina shivered. “She’s all show.”
Not quite. In fact, not even close. “Not going to happen.”
“Ever,” Shay said.
“Fascinating,” Kazim murmured, watching the vines slip across the ground. He held his hand out to one of the tentacles. Magic thrummed, heating the air. The creeper rose like a cobra from a basket, coiling around his arm. Kazim hummed in welcome as Thea stroked his skin, then reached up to caress the side of his throat. Dark eyes alive with pleasure, Kazim’s mouth curved. “Fantastic. She’s beautiful.”