“What was it this time?”
“The Night of Falling Stars.”
Mordecai pauses, and I see the memory return to him in real time. “That…is not something I want to remember.”
“No. That night and a million others, I could do without.”
“She said that he would save us.”
“Yeah, but does she mean us or us?” I move my arms, encompassing the entire camp.
“I have no idea, but it looks like Cadel’s story was right.”
“He remembers everything, doesn’t he?”
Mordecai scrapes his fingers through his hair. “Yes, I think he knows it all. Sometimes, when I see him looking at her, I can see something in him breaking. I can’t remember what she told me in my dream, she said she needed to speak to me, but it’s blank every time I push for it.”
“Same,” I say with a tired sigh. I grunt and stand up, feeling my stomach jolt. “I remember my sister. It’s unfathomable that I would have forgotten her. She stayed behind and covered for me when I left. I watched her fall. I knew it was her, even though I didn’t know her. My soul recognized hers.”
I close my eyes, trying to swallow past that wave of grief again. Gods rarely die, so losing each other leaves a strong grief that humans feel; after all, there are so many more years of memories, of feelings. Sorcha was my twin, too.
“Let’s go find the others, see what they are up to today.”
Theo storms out of the closest tent, turning and growling. “You are letting your feelings impede things. We need to get everyone out of here.”
“No, it can wait another day!” Bear snaps.
“One more day might be a day too many. Are you okay with having all these lives on your hands? Bear, its setup, we’ve got a whole village hidden enough that people can live there; we just need to move them there.”
“Not yet,” Bear says in a rush. “It’s not time yet.”
“When will it be time?” Theo shouts. “We’re running out of time. They can’t run; there are children here. We need to get them out before they come for her.”
I glance at Mordecai, wondering what he thinks about what he just heard. His hands are clenched into fists, and he’s staring intently.
“I’m not ready yet. Tomorrow. It will be tomorrow. One more night.”
Theo’s face softens. “One more night, but no matter what happens, I’m taking them out of here tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Bear whispers and retreats into his tent. Theo disappears without ever looking back at us.
“The politics of this camp are interesting, no?” I murmur.
Mordecai takes my hand. I’m startled, but it feels right and natural, and I relax into it, moving closer to him.
“If I told you to take Kaida and leave, would you?” he asks low under his breath.
“I remember how much I loved you,” I murmur to him. “I remember in all our lives how much I love you.”
Mordecai turns and pulls me closer. Our lips meet, and I fall into his kiss willingly, losing myself in it. This alpha has been by my side since the day we agreed to come down here with our omega. It’s been us against the world.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling myself up on my toes so I can reach better.
“Hmm.”
I break apart and find Sophie and Mia standing there smiling at us.
“So, it’s like that, is it?” they tease.
