My lip trembled as I took the necklace, running my fingers over it before I clutched it in my hand.
Kade traced my lips with his thumb before rising from the bed. He ran his fingers through my hair, combing out the knots we’d created together. “Now let’s go before I never let you out of this bed.”
Exiting our sanctuary, we walked hand in hand down the stairs toward the tavern. Kade smiled at me when he caught my gaze. Our hearts were full, our bond and bodies satiated. It was as though something had clicked into place when I first admitted what he was to me during our battle at Mount Legion. But last night, it fused together, unbreakable. I touched my chest with my free hand.
Hope flickered, enticing and expanding. If I could bring Kade back from the darkness lurking beneath his skin, maybe there was a way we could defeat Thames and the evil plaguing our lands.
Before we took the last few steps down the stairs and walked into the main tavern room, I stopped, pulling on Kade’s hand. “Are you ready for this?”
He kissed the top of my head. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Come on, let’s go cause chaos.” He threw me a wink before continuing down to greet everyone.
He stood at the bottom of the stairs, sending shadowy tendrils toward Jax, Raya, and Storm, who all sat together eating their breakfast. As his shadows poked Raya’s ankle, she dropped her spoon into her porridge and let out a yelp, splashing the food all over Storm’s arm.
“What in the actual fuck?” Jax laughed as he bit into another apple. He looked up and his grin morphed into shock as he dropped the fruit, which clattered to his plate.
Storm shoved his chair back, turning toward us immediately. His shoulders sagged in relief as he looked Kade over. When he met my gaze, we shared an unspoken sentiment. We’d both missed him, and the relief in his eyes reflected back in mine. I gave him a soft smile as he exhaled sharply.
Raya jumped up from her chair, knocking it over as she ran to Kade. “You’re okay?” The pained expression on her face was riddled with a combination of guilt and relief.
She moved to kneel before him, but Kade reached out, grabbing her arm and wrapping her in a hug. “I’m okay.”
Raya pushed herself back. “I’m so sorry. Everything is my fault.” She wrung her hands with a nervous energy so unlike the hardened warrior she portrayed. “I couldn’t fight him. I hurt you. I hurt Storm. I hurt Lana. I don’t know how to fix what I’ve done.”
Even without knowing Raya for long, I knew this was not a side seen by most. The guilt caused by the events at Mount Legion had weighed heavily on her this entire time. While noneof us would ever blame her for what happened, she needed to know thatKadedid not blame her.
“Raya.” He grabbed her hands. “You are not at fault for anything. There is nothing to apologize for and I will not have you thinking otherwise. As someone who is intimately aware of what it’s like to be controlled by another, you are a true warrior for fighting as hard as you did. As you can see, all of us are in one piece. We’re together again.”
Raya bowed her head and stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself. Hopefully with his forgiveness, she could stop destroying herself for things she had no control over.
Storm came forward to greet Kade. The two embraced momentarily, clapping each other on the back. “Happy to see you again, brother.” Storm smiled.
“It’s good to see you too.” Kade pulled him in again. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”
Storm cleared his throat and took a step back, coming to stand on the other side of me. I rested my head on his shoulder, knowing if anyone understood what the separation was like, it was him.
Kade positioned himself to speak to all of us. “Thank you for everything you all have done to keep each other safe. To keep Lana safe. I will be forever grateful.”
A warm tingle skittered down my arms. I would never grow tired of looking at this man and knowing he was mine.
Jax approached Kade and playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Enough of the mushy stuff.” He waggled his brows. “How did you escape?”
Kade motioned for all of us to sit at the table as he pulled an extra chair over for me. I didn’t miss how he moved it to be practically on top of his own.
Possessive mate of mine.
“Thames is worse than we even imagined.” His expression turned sour.
“Just what I wanted to hear,” Jax moaned, a disgruntled look overtook his features.
Kade shot him a look. “He has taken over Mysthaven and placed himself as ruler and is creating an army of dark ones. While we knew that’s what he was doing through my father’s confession, I think it’s much more than just an army. There’s something happening at Firestone.”
An army of dark ones was terrifying enough to deal with, but the thought of Thames having some sort of secret up his sleeve sent chills up my spine.
“What is Firestone?” I asked.
Kade’s hand came to rest on my leg. “It’s a volcano in Mysthaven. It hasn’t erupted in our history, or at least that I’m aware of, but the place is still avoided by most.”
“By all,” Jax corrected, clearing his throat. “Unless you have a death wish.”
