Savannah and a few of the cousins visited in the hospital after they got back from the raid, and even though Savannah wanted to break my skull for making her queen without asking, she still hugged me and whispered she was glad I pulled my head out of my ass long enough to recognize that going with Nick was the better option. Nick preened at that, so I knew I’d be hearing more about it later, and I’d have to find a creative way to pay Sav back for giving him something to tease me over.

Then Eloise marched in, her arm bandaged and in a sling, with her husband and two of his brothers in tow, and made sure Nick and I were okay while the lions waited mostly patiently near the door. Benedict looked furious enough to chew rocks, leveling a dark gold daze at where Nick still lounged in the hospital bed. “She wouldn’t rest until she was certain you were both fine. So now that she’s seen that, perhaps my mate will go back to bed.”

Eloise whirled, her eyes flashing silver, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing as all three of the lions looked very much interested in the ceiling or floor or Smith or anywhere that wasn’t in Eloise’s line of sight. Her hand shook as she jabbed a finger at Benedict. “Look, you. I knew this bitch way before I ever knew you, and it’s hos before bros in my world right now. She needs my help and her mate needs my help and I’m going to help them whether they want it or not. I’m not made of china and I’m not going to break and yes, I may have cut myself a little deeper than I planned but that’s what stitches are for and I’ve got a sling and I’m fine. Just fine. Which you will not be if you keep bitching at me and getting in my way!”

I blinked, sitting up from where I’d been resting next to Nick. “Did you just say ‘hos before bros’?”

Edgar Chase looked dangerously close to laughing, rolling his lips in until they disappeared in his beard as he pinched his nose and looked at the ceiling.

Eloise’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to me. “Don’t you dare. You’re not allowed to make fun. I’m still not over you letting me think you were dead for weeks on end.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” I said, and slid to my feet so I could gingerly hug her trembling form. “I mean, ho. I’m sorry, ho. I’ll do better next time.”

She dashed tears from her cheeks as she hugged me back and then pulled away. “Is he okay? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. I tilted my head at Nick, who grinned like the Cheshire cat. “And you can probably ask him yourself.”

“Oh, I’m not speaking to him,” she said. Nick snorted at the same time Benedict did, and Eloise’s scowl turned fierce enough that her hair twisted free of its ponytail and curled around her head in snake form. I tried to smooth the snakes down but she wasn’t having it. “Everyone with a penis is getting on my nerves, Lacey. I swear to Zeus, I am going to make someone pay for all the bullshit that’s been going on lately.”

“I’m sure you will,” I said. I frowned at Nick but hugged Eloise to my side so I would walk her over to where her mate waited closer to Smith’s bed. “He’s fine. We’re sorting out what to do next, but I should tell you before anyone else does — I abdicated the throne. Savannah is the new hyena queen as of this morning. I don’t know what I’m going to do next, but I’ll stop by when you’re feeling better so we can catch up. Okay?”

Her eyes went wide and bright and then the tears spilled over and she nearly choked me in another hug. “I’m so happy for you! I still hate him because he’s kind of an ass, but you’re not the queen and you can finally travel and see the world and I’m so happy for you!”

When she started bawling, I inevitably started bawling as well, and I started to agree with her ‘hating everyone with a penis’ stance as the men rolled their eyes. At least Edgar was smart enough to excuse himself into the hallway before he did so, though neither Benedict nor Atticus were clever enough to follow suit. I gave her another squeeze and helped turn her so she could notice her mate’s rolling eyes, and the tears dried up immediately. I patted Eloise’s back and promised to call her in a day or so, then she chased after Benedict and his little brother while demanding to know what they thought was so funny.

A groan rose up from the ErlKing, and he pulled a pillow away from his face. “And to think I’d begun to forget why I didn’t like the gorgons. She is... quite a handful, that one.”

“Yes, she is. It’s good for them. Kings of the jungle need to be reminded there are other fierce creatures in the world.” I paused near his bed, uncertain whether he wanted to talk more or just go back to sleep. Maybe he was still crazy. “Are you — well?”

“No,” he said.

I blinked. Well, at least he knew that. He was a step ahead of the rest of us.

Smith didn’t bother to sit up or even open his eyes. “Most of me is focused on keeping the darkness at bay. My nature is more comfortable in a certain... mode, but it is not one that would be beneficial for this world. It is also the reason why I am shocked you found a witch willing to assist in freeing me.”

“That’s a long story, and mostly Nick’s to tell,” I said. “Can I get you anything? Is there anything that will help you win the battle?”

“Time,” he said. “And not being alone. I should be reminded of the way things are now, not the way things were. I am afraid my memory is not what it used to be, and after so much time in the between place...” He shivered, tensing, then his expression relaxed and he dragged the pillow back over his face, muffling his words. “It is best to be reminded of the good in the world.”

I agreed with him wholeheartedly. I wandered back over to sit next to Nick, leaning against him as his palm rested flat on my stomach, and he smiled. “What do you want to do now?”

“Keep Smith company for a little while,” I said, feeling exhaustion roll over me. “Take a nap, maybe. Then figure out where we’re going first.”

“Sounds like a perfect plan.” Nick scooted over in the bed so he lay on his side and could spoon me as I crawled under the sheets, and he adjusted the pillows and everything until we were snuggled and warm on the hospital bed. He buried his nose in my hair and inhaled, and murmured something that was lost as my eyes drifted shut. Other people came and went but I hardly noticed, listening only to the steady thump of his heart and the soft rustle of his breath.