And slowly, conversation by conversation, the anger continues to fade. Not disappearing, not yet, maybe not ever completely. But transforming into something I can carry without it poisoning me.
When I finally emerge from the chamber, Harlow and Ambrose are waiting in the corridor. They take one look at my tear-stained face, at the peace that's replaced the tension I've been carrying for weeks, and pull me into a hug without asking questions.
Their love and relief washes over me. Even across the greater distance, Stellan and Jade and Skye respond to my emotional shift, their joy at sensing my burden lighten.
"He wants to meet you," I tell Harlow and Ambrose when we finally separate. "And he wants to come back to Phoenix Sanctuary with us. Help with the reforms, teach students who are struggling with unusual essences, stand against Dmitri openly instead of hiding."
"Then let's introduce him to the family," Ambrose says with a small smile. "We've got room for one more."
The rest of that day and the next blur together in the best possible way. Dante meets Harlow and Ambrose properly, bonding with them over shared experiences of loss and survival. He's fascinated by Harlow's death-sight, by the way Death's Champion exists between worlds. And he spends hours with Ambrose discussing contracts and prices, two people who understand sacrifice in ways most never will.
He teaches me advanced divine techniques, shows me how to channel my balance nature more precisely, how to use the black threads as tools instead of fearing them. The ancestral voices that have been whispering through my power become clearer, guides rather than chaos.
And he agrees to return south with us, to help protect Phoenix Sanctuary, to stand against his brother's legacy of corruption and control.
"Wait," I say on our second day, something finally clicking. "You said Dmitri. Your brother?"
Dante's expression grows complicated. "Not by blood. By bond. We were raised together in the same divine household, trained together, thought of each other as brothers for centuries. Until he decided that divine bloodlines were too dangerous to allow and started the purges. Until he murdered my mate and tried to murder my son."
"He was your brother and he killed my mother?"
"Family can be complicated," Dante says quietly. "And some betrayals can never be forgiven. Whatever love I once had forDmitri died the day he gave me that ultimatum. Now he's just the monster I've spent a hundred years hiding from."
I process that, adding it to everything else I've learned. Dmitri isn't just a corrupt Council member. He's my father's former brother, someone who betrayed family bonds in the worst possible way.
No wonder Dante hid. No wonder he was so afraid.
"I should have done this a hundred years ago," Dante says on our last night in the mountains, as we prepare to leave in the morning. "Should have stood up to Dmitri, should have fought for your mother, should have protected you directly instead of from a distance. I was a coward."
"You survived," I counter. "You kept me alive. And now you're doing what you couldn't do then. That's what matters."
Stellan, Jade, and Skye’s presence reaches me from Phoenix Sanctuary. Their relief that we found Dante and that the reunion went well. Their excitement at meeting him. Their love reaching across the distance.
Tomorrow we head home, bringing the network's first connections with us.
And I bring my father with me.
28
SKYE
IfeelthembeforeI see them.
The bond marks on my arm flare warm, all six connections humming with increasing intensity after three days of aching separation. I'm standing at the main gates with Stellan and Jade, having sensed Rumi, Harlow, and Ambrose approaching for the last hour. The sensation grew from a distant whisper to a growing pulse, and now it's a full symphony of connection that makes my power sing with relief.
Three days. It shouldn't have felt so long. We've only been bonded for a matter of weeks total, but the separation carved a hollow space in my chest that nothing could fill. Echoes of their journey reached me through our connections. Rumi's emotional turmoil during his reunion with Dante. Harlow's quiet vigilanceas he kept watch. Ambrose's steady drain as he wrote contract after contract to keep them safe.
But echoes aren't the same as presence. Aren't the same as touch and proximity and the complete harmony of all six of us intertwined.
"They're close," Stellan says beside me, his fire dancing with barely contained excitement. His orange eyes are fixed on the northern path, scanning for the first glimpse of our returning mates. "I can feel Rumi's joy from here. Whatever happened with his father, it was good."
"About time something went right," Jade mutters, but there's no real bite to his words. His demon form is partially manifested, tail twitching with impatience, purple eyes bright with hunger that has nothing to do with feeding and everything to do with needing his mates close again. "Three days is too long. We're not doing that again."
I don't disagree. The sanctuary functioned fine in their absence. Tamara proved more than capable of handling daily operations. The Council observers arrived yesterday and have been meticulously documenting everything, their reports presumably heading back to Eugene and the rest of the Council. Liz continued her student council duties with apparent dedication, though Jade reported she still does that thing where she glances toward exits at odd moments.
Everything ran smoothly. But smoothly isn't the same as complete.
"There," Stellan breathes, and I follow his gaze to see golden wings catching the afternoon sunlight.
