Atlas’s breath catches.Finn’s eyes darken.Kael’s hand pauses mid-stroke before continuing slower, softer.
“You okay?”Kael murmurs, voice deeper than before.
“Yes.”My voice is a whisper.“I just—”
I don’t finish.
I don’t have to.
Finn leans in, his forehead brushing mine for a second, feather-light.“We’ve got you, Wren.”
Atlas presses a little firmer against my leg, heat burning through the blanket.“Sleep,” he says again, but the word comes out like a promise and a warning and something I feel everywhere.
Kael shifts closer, his thigh brushing the side of my hip through the mattress.“We’ll stay until you’re out.”
“You always do,” I whisper.
“We always will,” Finn answers, no hesitation.
The tension builds—hotter, heavier, tender and terrifying.
I breathe them in.
Kael’s hand rubbing slow circles on my arm.
Finn’s thigh touching mine, steady and warm.
Atlas’s hand on my leg, protective and claiming without crossing a single line.
I don’t know how long I stay awake.
Minutes.
Hours.
A lifetime.
Eventually my breathing evens.Their hands stay on me.Their bodies stay close.
Kael rests his forehead lightly against the top of my head.
Finn’s fingers stroke my wrist until the tension drains out of me.
Atlas stays at my feet, unmoving, vigilant, as if daring the world to try me again.
Before I fall asleep, I whisper into the dark, “I’m not scared when you’re here.”
Kael hums softly—approval.
Finn smiles against my cheek.
Atlas’s hand tightens gently on my leg.
“We know,” Kael murmurs.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Finn adds.
“Not tonight,” Atlas finishes.“Not ever.”
