As Penelope’s body gave way, crumpling toward the earth, strong arms caught her mid-air, preventing her from hitting the cold, unforgiving ground. The suddenness of her collapse had sent a jolt of panic through Richard, and his heart pounded in his chest as he cradled her limp form against him. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her golden curls spilling over his arm like a cascade of sunlight. Her breathing was shallow, her skin pale, and for a moment, fear gripped him — fear that he had lost her, that she had slipped away before he could reach her.
“Took you long enough,” Lucian’s voice drawled lazily from above, cutting through the tension like a blade. Richard’s gaze snapped upward, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the figure perched on the thick branch of an ancient oak. Lucian’s
