“Could it come to war?”

He sighed. “None of us want that, but some of the courts are itching for a fight, and the way we exposed them is as good an excuse as any to start one. If some fey act out the way they want… Well, it’ll mean a lot of death.” He shrugged. “But if Cosette wanted to deliver her warning anyway, then you couldn’t have done much to stop her. It’s just a shame you were recognized together.”

“You’re telling me. It was absolutely nuts. I have zero desire to go out into the world for a while.”

He plopped down on the bed and pulled me with him. “It’s been a day.”

I huffed. “Kind of. Yeah.” I had a million worries and questions running through my head. What did Cosette mean about my darkest hour? About the Irish pack? Would there really be a war between the Weres and fey? It was a lot to take in.

Donovan pulled me until my head was resting on his chest. He opened the bond wide, and I felt his steady calm. I wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, but he was back to feeling upbeat.

I sat up enough to look at him. His eyes were closed, but he wasn’t asleep. The guy was just chilling. After a day like today? “How do you do that?”

He cracked an eye open, then closed it again, giving me one of his easy smiles. “Come on now. We were just getting comfortable.”

I dug a finger into his side. “No, really?”

He sighed. “When you’ve seen as many days as I have, you know there’ll be tough ones. Each time you go through something, you never know how you’ll reach the other side. But you will. And this time, I’ve got you. Whatever it is that Cosette’s goin’ on about… It doesn’t matter. When it comes, we’ll get through it. And on the other side of it, we’ll be together. That’s all that matters.”

If I told anyone that Donovan was a total softie, they’d say I’d lost my mind. But he was sweet. “You actually believe that?”

“More than. I know it.” He tugged me, but I stayed where I was, looking down at him.

He shook his head, sitting up on his elbows. “All right then. If we’re not after sleep, how about some food. I’m half-starved.”

So was I. Only suddenly, looking at his crooked smile and glittering blue eyes, I was hungry for something else.

“If that’s what you’re after, I can make it happen, too.” The gravel in his voice set my heart racing.

I swallowed. “Maybe we should get food… My father…” Yeah. He wouldn’t be happy if anything happened before the ceremony.

“Aye. That’d be wise.” Donovan rose from the bed and held a hand out to me. “How about you show me the way? I’ve never been to your home before, and it’s right massive.”

I laughed. “Let’s go, handsome.”