A Battle of Blood and Stone (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 4)

“Yes,” he agreed. “We are going to go searching.”

Because they were partners in this.

Finley reached out and gently brushed along his forehead and over one eyebrow with a fingertip. “You’re worried.”

“It’s a constant these days,” Carrick replied with a wry smile.

“I’d like to be one of those girlfriends right now who say ‘honey, you look tired—you should come back to bed,’ but we both know you’re not tired and you don’t need the sleep. Lay your worries on me.”

Carrick stared at her for an overly long period, but mostly settled on her eyes.

They fucking did him in every time.

Pushing her hands away, Carrick covered the tops of her thighs with his palms. The softness of her skin wasn’t distracting but oddly comforting to him right now. She was offering her heart to him, and it was something he had not gotten enough of since they met.

He definitely wouldn’t worry her about his worries over their future. They’d face that together at some point.

But Finley was his partner in every way, and so yes, he was going to lay his worries on her. It was something they had always done in every past life she lived. She was his sounding board, always lending a quiet, nonjudgmental ear, and if she couldn’t give advice, she’d give all her support.

This was exactly what he needed.

“I’m worried about Lucien and how he’s going to take the news that we need the Blood Stone, and, more importantly, that we need him to lead us there to get it.”

“Because Charmeine is supposedly trapped inside?” Finley guessed.

Carrick merely nodded, giving her thighs a light squeeze.

“But wouldn’t he want to use this attempt to try to rescue her? I mean, maybe she can be freed.”

“Maybe,” Carrick agreed thoughtfully. “But we don’t know that. I’m wondering why he’s never made an effort before to rescue her. Micah is still a fae and can be killed by Lucien, so why didn’t he go back for her after he was cast out?”

“Maybe Micah threatened to kill Charmeine if he did,” Finley suggests. Then a light bulb goes off, totally apparent in her expression. “You’re worried Lucien is going to refuse to help us to protect Charmeine.”

“It’s crossed my mind,” Carrick woefully admitted.

Finley frowned slightly as she pondered. “But what kind of life does she have in that stone? Wouldn’t he be willing to risk it to save her?”

“What if she doesn’t need saving?” Carrick countered. “What if Micah eventually let her out, and she’s fine?”

“That’s a long shot,” Finley muttered, but then her expression softened as she stared down at Carrick. “You’re still worried about something else. More than just the mechanics of how this is going to work.”

She was astute, but more than that, she was pulling on their connection to come to that conclusion. Finley may not have real memories of their times together, and they’ve only known each other a handful of months in the now, but she knew him.

Knew him to his core.

He nodded, taking her hands in his to hold, then letting them fall back down to her thighs. “I’m not so much worried, but I do wonder if Charmeine is the reason Lucien is the way he is. I mean, he had it harder than Maddox and me because the gods used him in ways they didn’t use us, but they built us tough, you know? We have a conscience and feelings, but demi-gods know how to shield themselves.”

“So maybe it was him falling in love and losing her that made him such a loner and hard to get close to rather than the work he did for the gods?” Finley surmised.

Carrick’s smile was wry as he nodded. “And now I’m going to ask him to confront that again.”

“And yet, you have no choice,” Finley murmured sadly.

“No choice at all,” Carrick agreed. “You’re my priority. Helping you thwart this prophecy and keeping you alive. If I have to sacrifice my brother’s feelings, then so be it.”

Finley leaned forward, her expression filled with pain for his dilemma. “I’m sorry.”

She bent further, placing her mouth against his for a soft kiss.

“Don’t be,” Carrick assured her when she lifted. But she didn’t sit back—rather, she leveraged herself with her hands to his chest to stare down at him. “I’m not going to have regrets about it.”

“And if we’re able to get him to take us to Micah’s realm, and we’re able to get the Blood Stone, then what?”

“We protect it,” Carrick replied with a low growl emanating in his chest. Because Carrick had been considering something since his time with Rune. If Finley had to go up against Kymaris to stop the ritual, a good way to keep her safe would be to get the Blood Stone and prevent the ritual from happening.

“Then what?” Finley asks.

“Then we hunt Kymaris and destroy her.” Of course, Carrick wasn’t sure how that would occur. Did the prophecy mean Finely would have to do it, regardless if the ritual occurred? In order to be prepared, he’d have to assume so. Her fate might just depend on whether she could beat Kymaris in a one-on-one battle, and while Finley had come a long way in her physical training, she knew nothing about her powers or how to use them. She was at a horrible disadvantage right now.