Page 60 of Malicent (Seven Devils #1)

He should not be protecting me. I should be protecting him , but I’m weak again.

I swore I would never be that girl again.

Let me in, the Nightmother coos.

The trill in her voice taps up my spine like clawed tips against bone. Her claws scrape up my neck, over my skull. I have to fight the force of her attempts to roll back my eyes.

Sheep for slaughter…sheep for slaughter…

Her laughter builds as she tastes the blood around me.

No.

I am not weak. I am rare. Chosen. I will kill them all.

Kill, kill, kill them all!

Her voice claws at my chest, rising like a fever. I begin to let go. My body slackens, letting the Nightmother take over. My eyes finally roll back and oblivion swallows me. Decadent, like the richest chocolate. Decadent, like death and decay.

Cage barrels through the trees. His presence breaks my focus and my eyes snap forward, my world light once again.

My collar ignites. The searing pain lances through my throat in response, cutting off the Nightmother’s rise.

“Le Strange, do not make me deal with you in the middle of all this!” Cage roars.

Chaos spills in behind him as shadows writhe, shaping into blades—dozens of them, each with their own mind.

They launch like missiles, piercing the surrounding charging Edaxes with ruthless precision.

He charges on the queen, taking her head-on.

With her damaged back leg, her movements are unsteady and choppy. Cage takes full advantage.

He slashes at her left flank, his flame-wreathed blade carves through the flesh. The stench of burning meat floods the air.

Howling and thrashing, she becomes increasingly desperate.

His next blow drives the long sword deep into her side, and the flames on his sword surge.

She erupts.

Silver and black flames consume her body, roaring upward in a column of heat and fire. All around us, the other Edaxes wail in a sympathy of pain as if tethered to her soul.

One by one they collapse. Their legs buckle and their bodies twitch until the woods fall silent.

Oliver is still gently petting my hair.

My throat burns from the collar. With the Nightmother gone again, she recedes into the dark recesses of my mind. I can no longer feel her stirring.

I’m too tired to check my injuries. I can feel them splintering all over my body. The ground shudders as the alpha finally collapses. The odd dreary presence she emitted dissipates, cleansing the air.

Cage sheaths his blade and strides across the ruined space between us. Trees stand snapped in half, some splintering from force of impact while branches lay flung and fallen across the ground.

“Oliver. Let me in.”

Oliver glares and keeps the shield intact.

“I can break this,” Cage says, voice low and on edge. “Either let me in to help her or I will break it.”

I rasp, barely loud enough to be heard. “Ollie…let him in.”

Oliver reluctantly obeys. The shield fades, but he refuses to move from my side.

I can feel his distress like a storm of emotion echoing through our bond. It’s making everything harder to bear.

“Ollie…I’ll be okay. How about you go back to our room and get it ready for me please? Can you do that? I try to smile. “I need wine and a bath.”

I need them—but more than that, I need him to believe I’ll be okay.

“Of course, me missus. I will prepare your arrival.”

He presses his cheek to mine and plants a soft, dry kiss. He shoots Cage a final warning look before warping out of sight, the air cracking faintly where he vanishes.

“We’re going to have to train you without magic,” Cage says, crouching beside me. He begins checking my body for damage. His fingers press gently at first and then proceed with more confidence.

“I was overpowered,” I grumble back, wincing. “I also recall you using a ridiculous amount of magic during that fight.” “And?” he says flatly, “I can wield magic and still not suck with a blade. Those two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

I glare at him but my strength to argue is fading fast.

“I’m going to carry you.”

I don’t have time to object. He slides his arms beneath my knees and shoulders and lifts me without effort. I bite down a cry threatening to escape but I clench my jaw instead.

Cage holds me close, careful to avoid putting pressure on my ribs. His warmth bleeds into my chilled skin. Instinctively, I curl closer, seeking anything but the pain eating through me.

I breathe in his smoky pine scent. It’s familiar, almost calming. It distracts my thoughts. His heartbeat drums steadily beneath my chest.

I start to drift—half asleep, half clinging to consciousness.

“Millie,” Cage says softly, “open your eyes for me.”

I do. Barely.

He’s watching me. Has been, maybe for a while.

“Let me in,” he murmurs. “I can take it all away.”

I tense. The idea of him in my mind— rooting around, seeing who I was, what I am, what I want —is too much. It’s unnerving. Especially when he is unaware of my reasons for being here.

He senses my hesitation.

“Think of it as a fun new way for me to suffer,” he says smirking, trying to be playful. “I’ll take the pain for you.”

“I can endure pain.” My voice is low, rasping. I close my eyes again, unwilling to let him in. Not that far.

“Fierce as ever,” he mutters. “She can endure pain and near-death…but can’t handle someone helping her.”

His voice is different now. It’s soft but laced with something darker. Bitterness?

I don’t have the strength to tell.