“Thank you for tonight,” I murmur against his chest. “I needed that. We all did.”
“Yeah, it was good,” he agrees, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my back. “Seeing everyone laugh and… be normal for a few hours. I forgot how much I missed that.”
“Tomorrow everything changes,” I say quietly.
He presses a kiss to the top of my head. “But tonight is for us.”
I tilt my head up to look at him in the dim light. “Are you scared?”
“Terrified,” he admits without hesitation. “But not about the mission. I’m scared about losing you.”
“You won’t,” I promise, reaching up to touch his face.
“Oh, I almost forgot, while you were away, I got Cade to admit he has feelings for Aurora. And did you see Dante and Nasha today? I think there’s something going on there too,” I say, and he chuckles.
“How would you feel if Cade and Aurora got together?” he asks, more serious.
“Honestly? I’d be thrilled for them. They both deserve to be happy, and I think they’d be good for each other,” I say, and he releases a breath like he’d been holding it. “Were you worried I’d be jealous or something?”
“Maybe a little,” he admits. “Aurora’s your best friend, and Cade’s… Well, I know he’s important to you to. I wouldn’t want things to get complicated.”
“The only thing that would complicate things is if one of them hurt the other,” I say firmly. “Aurora would definitely keep Cade in line though.”
“Poor bastard has no idea what he’s getting into,” Malachilaughs. “She’ll probably set him on fire the first time he leaves his socks on the floor.”
“Literally,” I agree, grinning. “But he’d be good for her too. She needs someone who won’t back down from her intensity.”
“And Dante and Nasha?”
“They make sense. He’s steady, and she’s fierce. He doesn’t try to dim her fire. She brings out something lighter in him.” I pause, thinking about Dante’s story tonight. “Plus, they both understand loss. That creates a bond you can’t fake.”
Malachi scratches his temple. “It’s weird how we all ended up here. My father’s actions brought us together, but somehow, we built something good from all the bad.”
“Maybe that’s the only way real families happen, not through blood or convenience, but by choosing each other when everything else is falling apart.”
“Promise me that if Cade screws this up with Aurora, you’ll let me handle it before she kills him.”
“Deal. But only because I like Cade and would prefer he stay un-incinerated.”
“There’s been something on my mind I want to talk to you about,” Malachi says, and I sit up to face him.
“What is it?” I ask, searching his features.
“You didn’t have to sit up,” he says, sitting up himself and leaning back against the headboard. “The brand. The Volkov crest my brother burned into your back.” He starts, his jaw ticking like it’s difficult for him to talk about. “Would you like to get rid of it?”
The possibility never really crossed my mind. “How?”
“We have Aurora’s essence now, plenty of vials of it made into Avidian. I practiced using it the other day, and I’m confident I could heat the brand enough to destroy it and then give you one of the healing vials like you used before when the wolfhurt you. It would heal to where you’d be left with barely a small scar,” he says.
I don’t know why I never thought of it before. I could have asked Aurora to do it herself, but then I’d have to show her and talk about it. I’d rather not relive it, and something about the way people look at you differently when they hear such stories… Not that Aurora would look at me differently. She’s been through a lot too, but I still feel almost ashamed of it, which is silly, considering it was out of my control.
“Let’s do it now,” I tell him, and his eyes widen.
“No, Kat. You’re drunk, and it’s going to hurt. I thought about asking Nasha to take your pain and give it to me while I do it, but then I didn’t think you’d want me telling her about it and involving anyone else,” he says, and I cross my arms, relieved he didn’t ask Nasha.
“I can handle the pain. I’m not even drunk anymore, and I know it’s going to hurt. I remember how it felt the first time. If anything, the alcohol will be good at dulling my senses,” I tell him, and his lips press together in a flat line like he’s mulling it over.
“Kat, this isn’t something we should rush into. Even if you’re sobering up, your judgment might still be affected. And doing this right before the mission…” He runs a hand through his hair. “What if something goes wrong? What if it doesn’t heal properly and you’re dealing with an injury during the infiltration?”
