For a second, I thought he wouldn’t hear me. That the void in his eyes would swallow him whole. Then his grip loosened, his shoulders dropped a half inch, and the black in his eyes finally faded.
“There you are,” I exhaled. “Welcome back.”
“Koa?” He swallowed hard, fixed his gaze on the wall behind me.
“I’m here.”
“Koa?”
“Still here.”
“Don’t let me…”
“Never,” I vowed when he trailed off. “Me and Zane and Seri, we got you, brother. Now and forever, we’re right here with you.”
21. How to Bleed
Seri
I woke up nestled against Zane’s chest, his heartbeat a steady drum beneath my ear. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but here we were, his arm heavy around my waist, his breathing deep and even. I didn’t want to wake him, not when his face looked so peaceful, all the sarcasm and mischief smoothed away.
Carefully, I extracted myself from his embrace, freezing when he mumbled something and shifted. A strand of his red hair fell across his forehead, and I resisted the urge to brush it back. He wasn’t the kind to take a nap, so he obviously needed the rest. When he settled again, I crossed the library, my bladder screaming at me.
As I padded down the hallway, Brumous appeared from somewhere to bump his wet nose against my thigh.
“Just need the bathroom, pup,” I told him with a scratch behind his ears.
He trotted after me and waited outside the door. Once I finished my business, I splashed water on my face and tried to tame my hair with my fingers. The person staring back at me from the mirror looked different. Brighter eyes. Pinker cheeks. Less haunted. It was still strange, seeing this new version of myself, the one who wasn’t constantly watching shadows for threats.
My lips curved into a small smile. It was amazing what a handful of weeks of safety and love could do for a girl.
Opening the bathroom door, I nearly collided with Zane, who was slouched against the wall next to Brummy, one knuckle rubbing sleep from his eye. His red hair was a tornado of bedhead, sticking up in at least seven different directions, and I laughed.
“What’s so funny?” he rasped, voice still graveled with sleep.
“Your hair is staging a rebellion.” I stretched up on tiptoes to smooth down an especially defiant tuft.
“Has been all my life. Thought you’d ditched me for a more comfortable bed, moonbeam. Gonna start tying bells to you.”
“You looked peaceful.” I smiled, something warm and bubbly rising in my chest. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Yeah, well—”
He was interrupted by the appearance of Koa, who came around the corner with perfect timing.
“There you are,” he said, eyes softening when they landed on me. “Cas is in the security room. Ready to go over some stuff?”
“Please tell me there’s beer.” Zane pushed off the wall.
“And wings. Knew you’d want them,” Koa told him with a grin, then tucked me under his arm. “Got some things to share with you, beloved. You up for it?”
“Mm-hmm.” I stretched up and kissed the edge of his jaw, earning a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.
Along with Brummy, we made our way down the hallway, Zane dramatically yawning every few steps. The security room had undergone quite the transformation since I’d first seen it. My husbands had moved their small arsenal to another room they called the armory, and all their lab and medical equipment to a third space designated as the med bay. Now, the security room looked more like a high-tech office, filled with computers, flat-screen monitors, and gaming-style chairs that looked far too comfortable for a space dedicated to protection.
In the center of the room stood a large holographic table, my favorite piece of tech in the entire mansion. Four gaming-style chairs surrounded it, one of which was occupied by Casimir, his tablet clutched in whitened fingers. He’d pulled his long blond hair back in a tight braid at some point, and the rigid set of his shoulders and the hard line of his jaw told me everything I needed to know about his mood.
“I see Sleeping Beauty finally woke up,” he remarked without looking up, but there was no bite to his words.
