DARLINGTON
The fountain whispered behind us. Water falling. Flowers floating. Moonlight turning everything silver and soft.
Samantha sat between us. Her body was relaxed now. Not tense like before. Not shaking. Just... peaceful. Her head rested against my chest. Her eyes were half-closed. Her lips were still swollen from our kisses.
Finnian was at her feet.
He had pulled off her shoes. Her bare toes curled against the cold stone. He held one foot in his hands, his thumbs pressing gently into her arch.
"Your feet are beautiful," he said. His voice was soft. Almost reverent. "Like the rest of you."
She let out a small laugh. "My feet?"
"Every part of you. Even the parts you do not think about."
She wiggled her toes. He kissed each one. One by one. Slow. Deliberate.
"You are strange," she said.
"I know."
She shivered. "My feet are cold."
Finnian spread his wings. The silver feathers wrapped around her legs, covering her feet, her ankles, her calves. Warmth seeped through the fabric of her dress.
"Better?" he asked.
She nodded. Her eyes were wet again. But she was not crying. Not really.
Inside my head, my wolf was pacing. Not restless. Not hungry. Just... present. Watching. Waiting.
She is ours, he said.
I know.
Protect her.
I will.
Keep her safe.
I am trying.
Try harder.
I did not answer. I just held her.
My hands moved along her shoulders. Slow circles. Gentle pressure. She leaned into my touch like a cat leaning into sunlight.
"I will protect you," I said.
I kissed her temple.
"I will keep you safe."
I kissed her cheek.
"I will never let anyone hurt you."
I kissed the corner of her mouth.
She turned her head. Her lips found mine. Soft. Brief. Then she pulled back.
"Your brothers," she said. "What about them?"
I glanced at Finnian. He was still at her feet, his silver wings wrapped around her legs, his eyes fixed on her face.
"They are idiots," I said.
Finnian's head snapped up. His silver eyes flashed.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me."
Finnian started to rise. His wings unfolded. His hands left her feet.
I held up my hand. "Chill, man. I am not finished."
He stopped. But he did not sit back down.
I looked at Samantha. Her eyes were wide. Watching. Waiting.
"They are idiots," I repeated. "But they are my idiots. And they love you too."
Finnian's expression softened. Just a little. He sat back down. His wings wrapped around her legs again.
Samantha looked between us. "And the tormenting? You promised tormenting."
I laughed. It was a soft sound. Almost warm.
"We will tease you. We will chase you. We will drive you crazy." I paused. "But we will never hurt you."
"Never?" she asked.
"Never."
"Not even a little?"
Finnian answered. "Not even a little. The torment is... play. Games. Things that make you blush and squirm." He kissed her ankle. "Not things that make you bleed."
She was quiet for a moment. "And the curse? What if the curse makes you hurt me?"
My chest tightened.
"The curse is... complicated," I said. "It lives inside us. In our blood. In our wings. Sometimes it takes over. Sometimes we cannot control it."
She paled. "So you could hurt me. Even if you do not want to."
I took her face in my hands. I made her look at me.
"If the curse ever makes me hurt you," I said, "I will lock myself away. I will chain myself in the dungeon. I will not come near you until the danger has passed."
"That is not—"
"It is the only way. I would rather die than be the reason you bleed."
Finnian nodded. "Same."
She looked at both of us. Her eyes searched our faces.
"You are serious," she said.
"We are always serious about you."
She let out a slow breath. Then she nodded.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. I believe you."
Finnian pinched her waist. Gently. She yelped.
"That is for running," he said.
She swatted his hand away. "I said I believed you!"
"That does not mean you are not still in trouble."
Darlington pinched her other side. She squirmed.
"Hey!"
"That is for hiding in the flowers. You scared us."
"I wanted to escape."
"We noticed."
Finnian pinched her again. She grabbed his hands.
"Stop!"
"Make us."
She tried to push them away. But there were two of them. And she was trapped between us. Her laughter filled the clearing. Real laughter. Not the scared kind. The kind that made my chest ache.
"Mercy!" she gasped. "Mercy!"
"Never," Finnian said.
I pulled her closer. She collapsed against my chest, breathless, smiling. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were bright.
"Better?" I asked.
She nodded.
I kissed her neck. Soft. Slow.
"You are ours, Samantha."
I kissed her jaw.
"And we are yours."
I kissed the corner of her mouth.
She turned her head and caught my lips with hers. Kissed me deeply. Then pulled back.
"Yours," she whispered.
Finnian's hand found hers. He laced their fingers together.
"Ours," he corrected.
She looked at him. Then at me. Then back at him.
"Ours," she agreed.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
The fountain whispered. The moon glowed. The white flowers floated on the water. Samantha rested her head on my chest. Finnian's wings covered her legs. My arms wrapped around her shoulders.
We did not speak.
We did not need to.
---
Then I heard them.
Footsteps. Armor. Voices.
Guards.
They were coming this way.
I sighed. "We have to go."
Samantha sat up. Her eyes were confused. "What?"
"Guards. They are patrolling the maze. They will find us soon."
Finnian unfolded his wings. The night air rushed in. Samantha shivered.
I set her on her feet. Her bare toes touched the cold stone. She wobbled. I steadied her.
"Go to your room," I said. "Sleep."
She nodded. But she did not move.
I kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow, we start over."
"Start over?"
"Yes. No more running. No more hiding. No more sneaking around in the dark."
She looked at Finnian. He nodded.
"We will find you," he said. "Tomorrow. In the daylight."
She swallowed. "And if I run?"
I smiled. It was a small smile. But it was real.
"Then we will chase you. And we will catch you. And we will tease you until you beg for mercy."
She laughed. That real laugh again.
"Maybe I will run, then."
"Maybe you will."
She turned and walked toward the path that led out of the maze. Her bare feet made soft sounds on the stone. Her white dress disappeared around the corner.
I watched her go.
Finnian stood beside me. His silver wings folded behind him.
"She is going to run," he said.
"I know."
"Are we going to chase her?"
"Every time."
He nodded. Then he spread his wings and launched himself into the sky.
I followed.
The wind caught my dark wings. The palace spread out below me. The maze became a pattern of green and shadow. Somewhere down there, Samantha was walking barefoot through the corridors, heading to her room.
I watched until I could not see her anymore.
Then I flew higher.
And I made a promise to the moon.
I will protect her.
I will keep her safe.
I will never let anyone hurt her.
Even if it kills me.