The words hit somewhere deep. I shift in my seat. “You’re right. Just… not for what it cost us.”
Kieran’s hand lands on the table near mine—close enough I feel the heat coming off him. “We didn’t lose anything that matters, Kaia. We’re all still here. Still standing.”
I shake my head. “That’s not the point.”
Finn studies me—really looks at me. “That’s exactly the point,” he says quietly.
My breath catches.
Darian clears his throat. “I’ve never seen a group work so effortlessly together. Not without years of training.”
“Speak for yourself,” Torric mutters.
“He’s right,” Aspen says quietly. “You and I might have trained our entire lives. But not together. Not like this.”
Something in my shoulders loosens. I didn’t even notice I’d been holding that tight.
Kieran speaks again, steady and sure. “We’ll find her, Kaia. For you.”
I meet each of their eyes. Conviction. Unity. No hesitation.
Tears well before I can stop them.
“Is this a group bromance I’m not aware of?” I try—and fail—to joke.
No one laughs.
Finn’s hand lands on my knee. Warm. Grounding. Mouse nudges my ankle gently.
They’re with me. All of them.
Chapter 10
Malrik
Her voice cracks on the joke.
No one laughs.
Kaia’s hand presses briefly to her ribs—quick, instinctive—before she swallows once, twice, and pushes her chair back slowly.
“I need some air,” she says quietly.
No one stops her.
Her shadows peel off immediately—Bob bristling protectively, Mouse trotting after her, others dissolving into her wake like a quiet escort.
Kieran shifts forward slightly, like he’s about to stand, then stops himself.
The door closes behind her.
The room shifts.
Lighter without her tension.
Heavier with worry.
No one moves at first.
