"Well, now I have to start over," Reverie grunted about Corbin's hair.
"What—why?"
Dorian pushed up to the log, leaning in beside Reverie. "Can I help?"
"No," they both said at once.
He pouted, and the pair laughed as they shook their heads.
"Don't give us that look," Corbin countered.
"Those adorable eyes will get you nowhere," Reverie said.
His pout turned to smolder, and Nyssa watched Corbin force himself to look away.
"I think they get me lots of places," Dorian said in a low voice.
Nyssa snorted, and Reverie met her eyes.
"Come get your brother," Reverie said playfully.
"I think you're handling him just fine," Nyssa countered.
Reverie smiled and turned back to Dorian and Corbin, and Nyssa watched as a grin lit up her brother's face. One he'd been absent of even the day before. As though his coming back had allowed his heart the freedom to enjoy and recognize happiness again. A burden lifted from his shoulders.
Nyssa's heart hurt at the way they both looked at him. Not with just the lust that every other person he'd dared entangle himself with had always looked at him. But rather with love and admiration.
World shattering happiness she wondered when her brother would finally feel.
Nadir laughed at whatever his friend had just said upon coming to sit beside them. But Nyssa didn't hear much of the conversation. Nadir simply held her hand as he chatted, and Nyssa watched her loved ones. She caught sight of Bala and Lex talking down by the surf, Lex twirling the bamboo stick in her hands as Bala laughed at whatever she'd just said. A few of the Venari and Honest stood around them, and Nyssa realized perhaps it was a drinking game underway.
Nadir was right.
This was the night she wanted to memorize.
Her eagle screeched overhead then. She started to smile up at him until she heard the word he called down to her.
Wyverdraki, he called.
Her body chilled, and she squeezed Nadir's leg.
"Hey," she said, shifting in her seat. "How exactly do your people feel about the dragons?"
Nadir frowned at her. "Pretty terrified, actually."
"Oh." Nyssa started to stand. "You might want to get them off the beach then."
"Why?"
"Because they're coming."
The words had hardly left her before she heard footsteps running towards them—Bala.
Venari were starting to dart away from the edge of the beach and to the dunes. They'd heard the beasts' wings on the wind, and they were calling out to the Honest to back off the shores. Bala's eyes met Nyssa's.
"You heard them?" Nyssa asked.
Bala nodded. "So did the rest of my people. The dragons never come to the beach."
