Abaddon’s chuckle follows us down the hallway.
And as Remus carries me toward our room—toward our future, our forever—I catch a glimpse of myself in one of the many mirrors lining the corridor.
I’m glowing. Literally glowing from the inside out.
But that’s not what makes me stop and stare.
It’s the look on my face.
The girl looking back at me isn’t scared or uncertain or resigned to whatever happens next. She’s not waiting for permission or hoping someone will finally choose her.
She’s radiant with power and purpose and absolute certainty.
She chose this. She claimed this.
She’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.
THIRTY-SIX
Several days later
ROMULUS
“You’re really okay with this?”I ask, facing forward in full control of our body—everything except our mostly regrown tail, which Remus has claimed as his domain.
I hold up a hand mirror, angling it so I can see my brother’s face on the back of my head. He’s using our tail to position his own mirror, and the whole setup is absurd enough that a month ago, I would have refused on principle alone.
Now? I’m just grateful we can talk.
The shower runs in the background, Lo-Ren’s off-key humming drifting through the bathroom door. She’s singing something about umbrellas and rain, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
“If you want to keep arguing it,” Remus growls from his mirror, “I’m happy to switch back.”
“No, no.” I say it quickly. Too quickly, perhaps. “I’m just... surprised, that’s all.”
And that’s the understatement of the millennium.
I’ve been surprised about a great many things since I woke up several days ago. Since I realized my brother had not only defeated an undefeatable interdimensional threat but had also chosen—chosen—to heal me instead of finally being free of his greatest burden.
We don’t share memories anymore. A side effect of whatever he did up there in space. So I don’t know the exact details of his battle, or the precise moment he made his choice. But I know the result.
He absorbed the Devourers’ life force and gained power that would make our father weep with envy. Power that could reshape worlds and unmake reality itself.
Then… he decided toshareit.
Not just the power—though that alone would be extraordinary. He’s sharing control of our body. We switch on a schedule now. An actual, negotiated schedule that Lo-Ren helped us work out on her phone’s calendar app, complete with color-coding and reminder alerts.
It’s the most civilized thing we’ve done in five thousand years.
“Did you get a personality transplant out there in space?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Our newly regrown tail—shorter than before, still developing its full length—whips around and slaps me across the face.
“Hey!” I glower, rubbing my cheek where it stings. “I’ll take that as a no.”
Remus’s laugh shakes our shared body, a strange sensation that I’m still adjusting to. We’re not both conscious all the time—thank the gods, that would be utterly maddening. But Lo-Ren suggested these designated communication sessions, time carved out specifically for us to talk to each other directly rather than through passive-aggressive action and reaction.
I glare at him in the mirror. He looks bored, examining our tail like it’s the most fascinating thing in existence.
