"Leave it," he demanded when I bent to grab the basket. "I will come back for all of this later. "Let's go get you a bath," he added, tempting me with something he knew would make me happy to get back to the house.
His arm went around my shoulders, hauling me into his side, which made walking awkward, but I didn't want to pull away.
We both did so, though, instinctively, a few yards before the edge of the tree line, knowing we couldn't be caught.
Making our way in the house, we intended to walk past the group in the living room to go up the stairs for my bath, but Ace called to Ly, making us both deflate a bit as we turned.
"You," Ace said, pointing toward me.
It wasn't an overly aggressive gesture.
But something in Lycus responded to it, his wings bursting outward, one wrapping around me, pulling me closer to his body.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Ace said, eyes widening, lips parting. "You can't be fucking serious, Ly," he added.
"What the hell is going on?" Drex asked, swirling his whiskey, but his body had gone tense.
"You fucking idiot," Ace raged, gaze on Ly, tone accusing.
"Ace, babe," Red said, perfectly arched brow raising, "you gonna let us in one what is going on?"
"This fucking idiot Claimed the witch."
"Claimed," Red repeated, brows furrowing, seeming to have no idea what that meant.
My gaze moved around the room, seeing confused looks on all the other's faces, uncertainty in everyone except Ace—and as the eldest demon, that made sense—and, of all people Minos. And if I wasn't mistaken, there seemed to be pain in his eyes as well. Almost as if he knew what Claiming was, and had experienced it. And possibly lost it.
"Yes, Claimed, Red," Ace said. "Am I the only one who paid attention to our history?"
"Apparently," Aram agreed. "The fuck is Ly going all batty for?"
"He fucked the witch," Seven guessed.
"It's more than that," Ace said, shaking his head. "They're bonded now. Even in human form, the demon part of him will protect her at all costs. Right down to his own life."
"Oh, fuck," Drex said, sighing.
"Yeah," Ace agreed.
"How will we use the witch now?" Drex asked.
"Exactly," Ace agreed.
Beside me, nestled close because his wing insisted upon it, Lycus was stony silent. And just... stony. His whole body was rigid.
I couldn't tell how he was feeling about this whole situation. Was he a willing participant, in a cognitive, aware way, or was this some primal instinct he had no choice but to follow through with?
Did he want this?
Did he want me?
An undeniable ache started across my chest, spread upward, closing around my throat, snaking up the backs of my eyes where tears formed.
Around me, his wing tightened, as if sensing my turmoil, responding to it, wanting to ease it. And as sweet as that was, I wanted to know if he wanted that.
"Witch," Ace started.
"Lenore," Lycus corrected, tone rough.
"Fine," Ace sighed. "Lenore. Why don't you go up and take a bath?" he suggested. "I can smell Ly all over you," he added. "Ly and the rest of us need to have a talk."
"Ly?" I whispered, worried. About him. About what might happen if he was alone with them.
"It's okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "Go take your bath. I will come up in a bit," he assured me, his wing dropping, allowing me to move away.
I kept my gaze on the gathered demons as I made my way up the stairs.
Well, all but Ly.
Who wasn't looking at me.
My stomach tensed, but I made myself keep walking.
Up the stairs, into his room, into the bathroom where I drew the water, put in some lavender-scented soap Ly had brought me, then stripped and climbed in.
I went ahead and stressed from there, listening to raised, angry voices, wondering what was being said, what was being done, how Ly and I would fare through this new development.
I had just finished re-running the water when I heard footsteps on the stairs, down the hall, through the bedroom.
I opened my eyes to find Ly standing there in the doorway, looking ragged, tired.
Seeing me, his nostrils flared slightly, his eyes going redder, his wings moving out.
"We need to talk."
"About?" I asked, feeling my belly tense.
"About what happens next."
Chapter Sixteen
Lycus
Ace spewed facts at the lot of us for the next twenty minutes, things that we must have learned at some point, but when life was immortal, things got shaken from the brain, replaced with more pertinent information.
Demons were capable of Claiming a mate.
It wasn't something that happened often. In fact, Ace—who had been around for much longer than any of us—had only heard of it happening a handful of times.
His gaze had slid to Minos while he spoke. And Minos's gaze was downcast, guarded.
"I think it happens here more often," Ace mused. "Back home, we are busier. We have missions. There isn't time. But when we come up here, when we are stuck here as long as we have been stuck here, when the mind gets idle, and defenses get low, that is how it can happen."