They looked up, startled, but didn’t reply. As soon as they’d lowered Selma to the ground, they retreated back to the safety of their Sanctuary.

Cowards. But it didn’t matter—they had brought her out to him, and that was all he cared about.

Kain was by her side in seconds. He knelt on the ground so he could examine her himself.

She was still breathing, and when he checked her pulse, it seemed to be getting steadier. They’d gotten to her in time.

“What happened, little one?” he whispered, gently stroking her hair away from her face. Now that he could touch her and see she wasn’t in overt danger anymore, the terror bubbling in his stomach was settling. Still, until she opened her eyes and spoke to him, he would not let his relief distract him from his need to keep her safe.

As gently as he could, he lifted his human mate so she was resting against him. Underneath the worry, there was relief at having her with him again. Every part of his being had felt the loss of her when she crossed through the barrier, and now every part of him felt her return. It was intoxicating.

The low hum he made just for her rumbled from his chest before he even realized what he was doing, but he made no attempt at quelling it. It was the sound a male made to soothe his mate, and at this moment, it didn’t matter that she’d told him goodbye. She was still his to protect.

“Selma, wake up for me, my precious.”

The soft cooing he couldn’t hold back, however, and the sound of it made him cringe. He’d overheard Thomren do that for Meredith on the few occasions he’d been allowed into their home after Thomren claimed her, and the ridiculousness of speaking to a grown woman like that had made him roll his eyes at his second-in-command.

As it turned out, it wasn’t all that easy to control.

“I take it she’s your mate?”

The clear, feminine voice rang across the silent road and made Kain’s head snap up. His muscles tensed and his lip curled in a snarl. Without taking his eyes off the faintly shimmering blonde woman who’d just stepped through the barrier, he got to his feet in front of Selma, hunched over and ready to repel an attack.

She wasn’t the first goddess he’d seen, but she was the first one who’d snuck up on him when he had been too preoccupied to notice.

“Why are you here?” she demanded. Though she didn’t take a defensive stance, she was watching him closely. “Did you follow the girl?”

“I brought her here for protection, but your barrier harmed her. I swear by the stars themselves, if you have injured my mate, I will rip your heart out through your throat!”