Page 64 of Beautiful Madness

Not really.

ChapterThirty-Four

With everything that hadhappened, Eli and Lennon seemed to pale in comparison, though they wouldcertainly be tracked, captured, and killed.

But I didn’t care about them atthat moment. I cared little about anything other than the fact that I wasalive, and Jared was holding me.

It felt like it’d been amillion years since I’d been in his arms.

“I’m so sorry about Wyatt,” Imurmured. “And all the wolves we lost to the caves.”

He squeezed me tighter and saidnothing, but his sorrow drifted from his very pores.

When we emerged from the cavesand found the road, Aaron was waiting for us. I wasn’t surprised even a littlebit. His stare dropped from Jared to me, and shock lit his eyes. “My dear,” hesaid. “Oh my.”

“She’s fine,” Jared snarled.

“Of course,” Aaron agreed, thenhurried to open the back door, more flustered than I’d ever seen him. “Clotheswaiting, sir,” he said. “Drinks, as well.”

Jared gave him a nod and handedme into the warm, dark car, and as I huddled on the seat, impatient for him tojoin me, he took a moment to murmur something to Aaron before climbing inside.

I slid onto his lap, realizingonly when I felt his warmth that my body was as bare as his. The power hadburned my clothes away the moment I’d dropped inside it. My demon blade,though, remained. Nothing could burn it away. It drank the heat much as I drankthe power used against me.

And now that I was a littleless distracted, I realized something else. My hair was gone. I slapped my handto my head, crying out when I touched only smooth, bare skin.

Jared gently pulled my handaway. “It will grow back,” he said. “You’re a wolf. You’ll shift, and your hairwill grow back.”

It would, and fast. “It doesn’tmatter,” I murmured. “You’re here.”

“Because of you,” he told me.“We’re all here because of you.”

And he was right about that inways that maybe he didn’t mean. “I let Bastien take Joe,” I said, and finally,there with Jared, I could allow myself my doubt. My misgivings. “I gave Joe tothe master vampire.”

He slid his fingers over myarm. “Then Joe will live as he wanted to live.”

I stared at him. “You knew?”

“Yes.” The edges of his eyescrinkled as he smiled. “He attempted to convince me to turn him. He said youwould forgive us both.”

“I would have,” I whispered,licking tears from my lips. “I would have.”

“That was not the time, Kait.”He closed his eyes and said my name again, as though tasting it. Savoring it.“Kait.” Then he looked at me, tightening his embrace. “Now he will protect youas he always wanted to. He’ll be a pain in the ass.”

I laughed, which sounded morelike a wet hiccup. “If Bastien can save him.”

“He told you he could?”

“Yes.”

“Then he can.”

The utter belief in his eyeseased my mind. He was right. Joe would live on to be a pain in the ass, and Iwould not lose him. He would likely lose Max, though.

Exhaustion roared over me soabruptly that I sagged against Jared and fell into a sort of dazed half-sleep,the warmth of the car and his body providing an indescribable comfort. Hedressed me in a thick, warm shirt, fed me sips of water, and once, when we werenearly home, he murmured, “My wolves have captured Eli and Lennon. Before werest, we will kill them both.”

I roused myself. “Yourconnection with the pack…”

“Stronger than it ever was.” Hestared down at me, his eyes glittering almost eerily in the darkness. “Themagic that held me has changed me.”