A pause, heavy with understanding. “You’re right,” Nico said quietly. “I’ll keep things steady here. We’ll talk soon.”
“You did whathadto be done,” Roan said, his voice low. “You did right by your people.”
Nico’s exhale was half laugh, half sigh. “Guess I’ll try not to screw it up now. Stay safe, Roan.”
The line clicked off. Roan tucked his phone away and let the weight of the day settle over him. Outside, the sun hung low, turning the edges of everything to the early purple of the coming night and making the world feel, for just a moment, softer.
He turned to face the group, feeling every eye in the room settle on him—even Maddie, who had been pretending to be fascinated by a loose string on her jeans.
He cleared his throat, glancing around at the faces gathered in the kitchen. “As you all heard, that was Nico. He’s working on restoring order in Chaos and we’re holding off the council meeting until the kingdoms get a little steadier. He wanted everyone to know things are handled—and we’ve got a plan for what comes next.”
Gage, sprawled on a barstool with a look that said he’d seen enough for one lifetime, snorted. “Yeah, well, I could use a few days where ‘order’ isn’t just another word for ‘barely contained disaster.’”
Callon, standing with Lola tucked under his arm, let out a tired huff of amusement. “Same here. Taras is probably convinced we all fell off the edge of the world.”
Katy, never one to miss a beat, propped her boots on Nox’s kitchen table and flashed Maddie a sly grin. “Honestly, Maddie,you survived webs, chaos, and—let’s be honest—Roan. That’s impressive. You deserve a medal. Or at least a margarita.”
Maddie grinned, finally relaxing into the easy comfort of friends. “I’m adding ‘web designer’ to my pizza waitress resume. You know, since I’ve now been fully wrapped in my work.”
A wave of laughter swept the room—Lola’s bright and musical, Gage’s deep and rumbling, even the panthers offering up real, if reserved, smiles. For the first time in days, the tension truly began to lift.
Roan folded his arms and fixed Maddie with a look that he knew was all possessive affection. “You’re not going back to that job. You belong with me, by my side.”
She arched a brow, voice full of mock innocence. “Oh, so now I’m your assistant, huh? Should I start taking messages and bring you coffee? Or maybe get you a little bell to ring when you need something?”
He didn’t flinch. “You’re not my assistant. You’re my mate. And if anyone’s ringing a bell, it’ll be you—when you want pizza delivered.”
“Damn,” Katy said, drawing out the word. “Where’s my bell, Gage?”
Gage smirked. “The only bell you’re getting is one to wear around your neck, so I’ll know where you’re at and what you’re up to at all times.”
“Good to know all this saving people hasn’t changed you, Gage,” Maddie said, shaking her head at the Dire wolf.
“Nope, he’s still a grumpy ass, introvert,” Katy huffed.
Gage reached over and chuffed her chin. “And you love me just the way I am.”
Katy’s cheeks flushed. “Maybe.”
“So what’s next?” Lola asked, looking around the room at everyone.
Roan slid his hands into his pockets, mostly to keep from wrapping them around Maddie’s waist. “Madeline and I will need to make the rounds to the kingdoms and meet up with the shamans, Crowley excluded of course.” He glanced at the Kingdom of Fangs shaman who stood in the doorway.
“Yeah, I think I’m caught up,” he nodded.
“There are many who have no clue what’s been going on,” Roan explained.
Roan watched as Katy and Lola exchanged a look, both shaking their heads. “You two better not get yourselves captured again,” Lola mock-scolded, “Some of us would like a break from watching our males fly off for dramatic rescues.”
Katy chimed in, dry as a desert, “But if you do, at least make it interesting, with more of the making out and less of the being wrapped up in spider webs by psycho, ancient spider shifters. And I expect popcorn–the homemade kind, not that microwave crap.”
“I feel like you’ve thought about this way too much in the short time frame from when you opened my car door until now,” Maddie pointed out, her brow drawn low.
Katy shrugged one shoulder. “I told you your personal life is totally my business, that means even when you’re off doing shamany things in other kingdoms. It’s the girlfriend code. Need I remind you the page number and clause?”
“Please, god, no,” Lola groaned, shaking her head and holding up a hand as if to stop her friend from speaking.
Drystan, leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed, allowed himself a small, genuine smile. “We’ll try to keep things boring while you’re gone. Although, Wyatt does have a tendency to stir up trouble.”
