Page 152 of Ballad of Nightmares

Millie’s lip quirked as she exchanged a proud glance with Sam, and then she held out her arm to Ana. “I’m so glad he decided not to kill you,” she said. “You’re going to make quite the asset. Come on,” she said with a nod to the door. “I’m the best healer in this little menagerie. I’ll get you cleaned up.”

“Milliscent,” Sam drawled in a warning tone.

But Millie just winked at him. “What’s wrong? Is Daddy afraid I’ll hurt my new Queen?” She laughed. “I’ll be gentle.”

“I certainly hope not,” Ana chimed in.

Sam stared between them, unsure of if he was ready for these two to become the friends he knew they would more than likely be. Rolfe clapped him on the shoulder.

“We’ll make dinner,” he said with an upwards nod.

Rolfe attempted to speak with Sam as he put three whole chickens in the oven with lemon and rosemary, along with potatoes, stating that they deserved a hearty meal after the slaughter they’d just had. But Sam was so distracted that halfway through, he went to the bottom of the stairs and paced for the next hour.

“Fucking Death,” Millie muttered when she finally sauntered down. “She’s alive. She’s home. What more do you want?”

“How is she?” he asked sharply.

Millie smiled softly. “Taking a nap,” she said. “She passed out while I was stitching her. You forget mortals can grow so tired, Samarius.” She reached the bottom of the steps then and gave his cheek a quick pat. “She’s fine.”

Though Sam wasn’t keen on leaving her alone. Not after…

“Boss, no one is getting into the castle,” Rolfe said from the edge of the hallway.

Sam’s already tense body tightened more at the mention of it.

“Sam.” Millie grabbed him by the shoulder, jerking him out of his protective daze. “She’s okay,” she assured him. “Come on. She won’t wake up for at least an hour or so,” she said, tugging his arm.

“She’ll wake up somewhere she doesn’t know,” he argued. “I should wait on her.”

“Sam, we have to talk business,” Millie said, her voice growing snappy. “Rolfe—“

Rolfe stepped up and clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’ll watch her, boss.”

Mille wrapped her arm into Sam’s. “Let’s chat.”

Despite the growing knot in Sam’s stomach, he followed her back into the kitchen where she turned the kettle on. She didn’t speak until she had a cup of green tea in front of him, as if she needed him to settle and be calm.

“I sent the video to my contacts in the Spine first,” she said. “Then to the ones in Firemoor. They tell me Prei has been sitting in his makeshift office staring at the screen ever since.” She turned to him, head tilting. “What did you mean?” she asked, and Sam finally looked up from his cup. “When you said ‘to the worm who thinks he can take this world’? Who? Prei?”

Sam’s fingers knotted around his cup, but he didn’t answer.

“Sam?”

“I don’t think he’s who he says he is,” Sam answered. “But until I know for sure, I don’t want you worrying.”

The answer didn’t leave room for questioning, and Millie didn’t push it.

For a while, he stirred his tea, replaying everything that had happened in the last few days, how tired he was. And with Ana upstairs, all he wanted was to go curl in that bed beside her. Hold her as he’d done so many times, and answer every question she had. Though, he knew he couldn’t. He knew that would have to wait for another day.

Sam had to look twice down the hall as he saw movement in the corner of his eyes. Ana and Rolfe were coming down. Rolfe was smiling as he said something to her, and Ana eyed him sidelong.

Sam immediately pushed to his feet to meet them. He gave Rolfe a grateful nod, and Rolfe squeezed his shoulder as he walked on past into the kitchen where he pulled the food from the oven.

Ana’s smile lifted into her tired eyes when she saw him coming toward her.

“Hey,” she said, her voice soft.

Sam wrapped a hand around her cheek and took her fingers into his with the other. “Hey,” he whispered.