“There you are,” she said quietly. “Your parents are settling into their space. Come on—let me show you where your Faction will be sleeping.”
My Faction.
The words hit differently now.
Heavier.
More complicated and infinitely confusing.
Tanya touched my shoulder—warm, steady—and led me deeper into a branching tunnel. It widened into a room half-lit by glowing crystal clusters embedded in the walls. Bedrolls have already been laid out—supplies stacked in neat bundles.
All five of my men are there.
Waiting.
Nathan rose first, his expression shifting from cautious to alarmed the moment he saw my face. “Nexi—” he breathed, quickly crossing the space.
Jet pushed off the wall behind him, eyes flicking over me in a clinical, terrifyingly quiet assessment. Oren’s shadowsare already curling around his ankles, restless and sensing something wrong. Zeke and Zane look like they’re halfway shifted, jaws clenched, pupils narrowed.
Chloe stood off to the side with Oliver and Deshawn—but Pantar lifted his head, growling low, then nudged Chloe hard.
She blinked. “Oh—uh… right.” She made a gagging noise, then she grabbed Oliver and Deshawn and whispered, “We’ll… give you a minute,” before Pantar herded them out the opposite passage.
The door flap fell shut behind them.
I briefly wondered about Kharox and where he’s staying, but the room filled with energy, and I put my focus entirely on my men.
Dangerous.
Electric.
Every single one stared at me.
Nathan reached me first, his hands slid to my waist as if he was terrified I’d disappear if he didn’t hold on. “You’re shaking.” His voice sounded rough. “What happened?”
“I’m okay,” I lied.
Jet moved closer, eyes dark. “That’s not an answer.”
Zane inhaled sharply, his gaze snapped to my neck. “She smells… different.”
Zeke’s voice dropped. “Adrenaline. And something else.”
Oren’s shadows lashed the floor. “Who touched you?”
My breath stuttered. “I?—”
But Nathan pulled me in, cradling the back of my head, his forehead pressed to mine. “Tell me you’re not hurt,” He murmured, voice shaking with barely controlled fire.
“I’mnothurt.”
Just haunted.
Changed.
Jet’s fingers brushed my arm—light, but a spark shoots down my spine like a live wire, as I remembered what it felt like to have his mouth on me.
“Someone kissed you.” He bit out.
