“That part sounds right,” I muttered.
Koa rose from the floor, but only to kneel like some storybook knight, torn t-shirt and all, watching Seri with that terrifying focus he usually reserved for beheading things.
“Andme, beloved?” he whispered as if asking for a blessing.
She turned her face into my neck, and I felt the shape of her answer before she spoke, her lips moving against my pulse point.
“Evening primrose. Like honey. Sweet and gentle.”
Koa’s inhale shuddered, and I knew why. Mom had kept pots of the flowers on her windowsill, cheerful yellow blooms she’d tend as if they were her infants.
Like holding sunshine in your hand, she’d told us once, pressing the petals to our noses.
“Mahalo.” Ko’s hand moved slowly as he brushed a curl away from her face, his eyes full of reverence. “Thank you, sweet girl.”
Zane collapsed next to her legs, arms splayed. He watched her with a kind of quiet satisfaction that was rare for him. Normally, he couldn’t stay still or quiet for more than two seconds, but here he was, perfectly content, like he’d found exactly where he was meant to be.
And I supposed he had.
Weallhad.
“Cute, Seri. Real cute. Cas gets midnight beauty, Mount Koa gets grandma’s sachet drawer—”
“Zane.” Koa’s warning held no heat.
“—and I’m out here smelling like a candle clearance rack. Typical.”
A giggle. Tiny. Almost inaudible.
And something shifted in the air, sharper than the tang of salmon drying on scattered plates, heavier than the weight of our beloved trusting us enough to relax amid us, three strangers and apex predators who could have shredded her between one heartbeat and the next.
Zane stilled, his cheek smushed against her thigh, and Ko’s gaze locked with mine over her head.
No words needed.
The same realization punched through all three of us at once: This fragile creature in my arms wasn’t just a wounded bird we’d patched up. She was the missing gear in our machinery that we hadn’t realized was grinding itself to scrap.
And we’d raze cities before letting anything chip at her teeth ever again.
Brumous broke the moment as he padded over, his paws thumping softly against the floor. He pressed his chin on the bed, his blue eyes darting between us like he was trying to figure out if he was allowed to join.
“Shoo,” I murmured. “Don’t come up here.”
He came up here.
As he gently licked the jam from Zane’s ear, both Ko and Z automatically reached to pet him, and I scowled at all three of them.
“Youarejealous of him.” Ko’s grin stretched wide.
“Immensely.” I fixed Seri’s slipping blanket. “I’msothreatened by a fluff ball.”
“Called it, didn’t I, Ko? ” Zane pulled Brumous down to lay on his chest, covering today’s atrocity of a shirt:I’m here. You’re welcome. “Delicate cycle, extra fabric softener. That’s our Simmy.”
“That name’s hers!” I snarled. “Onlyeverhers!”
Seri shifted in my arms at my volume, her inhale sharp when the movement tugged at her injured arm. I adjusted my grip, carefully avoiding the bandage peeking beneath her sleeve.
“Easy,” I murmured, more command than comfort.
