My breath hitched.
I turned, heart hammering, and reached for the doors.
The old handles were warm under my palms. The wood sighed as it gave way, and the doors creaked open with all the ceremony of a fairy tale.
And there they were.
Standing in the moonlight just beyond the threshold, framed by the ivy-wrapped arch and the faint shimmer of the active wards.
Stella. Keegan. Ember. And Frank.
My knees almost gave out.
Stella beamed first, with her red lips pinned in an eternal smile. “Did you think we’d miss your grand reopening?”
I laughed, loud and teary, throwing myself down the steps without hesitation.
My dad barked a loud, snorting, and enthusiastic noise and charged up toward me, all flapping jowls and bulldog determination.
“Dad!” I cried, dropping to my knees as he hurled himself into my arms, wriggling and huffing, knocking into my ribs with his joyful bulk.
“I told him he didn’t have to gallop,” Ember called from the path, smirking as she adjusted her bag. She was dressed in soft moss-green layers and carried herself like someone who had always known the woods better than the walls of any building, even though she could float through them all.
Keegan.
He hadn’t moved.
He just stood at the edge of the steps, his eyes fastened on me as if they were anchored there.
And stars help me, I felt it.
The familiar pull tugged softly in my chest. His presence knew where I began and ended, and wanted to meet me in the middle.
I swallowed, unable to look away.
“Keegan,” I said, breathless.
He stepped forward, the overhead light catching the edge of his half-smile.
“Took your time opening the place,” he said, voice low and warm.
“Took my time?” I echoed. “Where have you been?”
His gaze softened. “I never left. Just waited for the doors to open.”
I didn’t realize how fast my heart was pounding until I stepped toward him.
And then he reached for my hand, quietly…gently, and that was it.
The rest of the world slowed.
“You felt it too,” I whispered. “The shift.”
He nodded once. “We all did.”
Stella rolled her eyes behind him. “I was in the middle of mixing herbal blends. Ember was packing up an unruly inn guest. Keegan was staring off into the trees like he’d heard a voice. And Frank just barked and made a break for it.”
Frank gave a confirming woof.
