She laughs and brushes hair over her ear.
The kettle finally cooperates and Anna pours water over the tea bags, steam rising between us. She brings both mugs to the couch and curls up in what has become her spot, the corner with the best view of the fire, close enough that I can reach out and touch her whenever I want.
I want to touch her constantly. I’m not sure that will ever change. The logs crackle and I stoke the fire. Then I settle on the couch.
Dinah jumps up and curls in Anna’s lap, purring loud enough to hear across the room. My female strokes the kitten’s fur and checks her phone, scrolling through messages. The updates have been coming in steadily over the past few days as the conspiracy unravels across news networks and law enforcement agencies.
“Rebecca says David Klein is cooperating fully,” Anna reads. “He’s giving up everything—names, dates, financial records. Senator Vance’s lawyers are scrambling but there’s too much evidence. Larry Aldridge is trying to claim he didn’t know about any of it, but no one’s buying it.”
I take a sip of tea. “Good.”
“And...” She pauses, her expression softening. “Jonas Webb’s family released a statement. They thanked me for not giving up. For making sure the truth came out.” Her voice catches. “He has a daughter. Did I tell you that? She’s twelve now. She was only nine when he died.”
I pull her closer. “You gave them answers. That matters.”
“I hope so.” She sets down her phone and exhales slowly. “It feels good to me, helping them receive closure. It’s strange. I spent three years running, hiding, looking over my shoulder every single day. And now it’s just... over. My DIY Witness Protection is over. I’m free.”
“Dr. Anna Lee exists again.”
She looks up at me, eyes bright. “Dr. Anna Lee exists again. I can use my real name. I can contact my old colleagues. I can...”She trails off, shaking her head in wonder. “Everything feels possible for the first time in years.”
“What do you want to do?” It’s a question I’ve been waiting to ask. We’ve danced around it since we returned from the cave, both of us focused on immediate things. We had to give statements to human law enforcement and let our bodies recover from everything we put them through. But now the dust is settling, and the future stretches out ahead of us.
Anna is quiet for a moment, absently stroking Dinah’s fur. “I want to stay here,” she says finally. “At the commune. With you. That’s... that’s not even a question anymore.”
Something warm blooms in my chest. “Good. Because I wasn’t planning to let you leave without me.”
She smiles. “Very possessive.”
“Very.” I blink with surprise when the kitten moves off Anna’s lap and leaps onto my legs, requesting a pet. It never ceases to amaze me how much attention this creature requires. “What about teaching? I know how much it means to you.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” She shifts to face me more fully, and I can see the spark returning to her eyes, the one I notice when she speaks about literature, rare books and the things she’s passionate about. “I can’t go back to Black Oak. Even if I wanted to, I might have to leave midway through this next school year, and that’s not fair to the students.”
I keep my expression neutral. We both know why she might have to take that time off. “That makes sense.”
“So I’ve been thinking about reaching out to my old university. About teaching online.”
“Online?”
She shrugs. “It makes sense. I’d still get to teach, still get to work with students, but on my own schedule.” Her eyes are bright now, excited. “I could design courses around rare books and medieval literature. Maybe Garlen could help medevelop something new about human-orc historical relations, using primary sources from both sides. There’s so much material that’s never been properly analyzed...”
“That sounds perfect for you.”
“I think it could be.” She grins. “And this summer, we’re going to Truckee.”
I raise a brow. “We are?”
“We are. For about a month. We’ll stay in your old room, with Ellie and Garlen. I can spend time with my best friend and you can spend time with your cousins and Dane and we’ll bring Dinah with us because apparently Loki loves cats.”
I consider this. A month in California with Anna, reconnecting with family, watching her relationship with Ellie flourish now that she doesn’t have to hide anymore. “That sounds good,” I admit. “I’d like to see Garlen’s new life there. And Zoe will be excited to meet Dinah.”
“See? Perfect.” Anna settles back against my chest, satisfied. “And then we come home. Here.”
“Home,” I agree.
She tips her head back to smile up at me. “I like how that sounds.”
“So do I.”
