“We got you, brother,” Koa said. “We got her. We got each other.”
“You’re… You’re all… alive?”
“We are,” I assured him. “I’m real. Koko’s real. Zoodle’s real. We love you, Simmy, so much.”
“What brought you back?” Koa wrapped an arm around Casimir’s neck and dug his face into his throat. “I know you could hear us, but what helped you find your way home?”
“Beloved… said my name.Hername. Hers and… hers alone.”
“Simmy?” Zane howled. “That’sit? Not my fang-rotted telepathy, not my moon-damned swan song, butSimmy?”
“Not another word,” Koa warned, his voice muffled against Casimir’s neck, and for once Zane listened.
I stayed pressed against Casimir’s side, unwilling to break contact for even a second, and something told me I wouldn’t be allowed to for quite a while, anyway. His arm curved around my waist, his palm splayed against my lower back.
“We should move you somewhere more comfortable.” I leaned back just enough to meet his gaze, my thumbs wiping away the wetness on his cheeks, but he shook his head, pulling me closer.
“Not yet. Just stay. All of you.” His free hand reached for Zane’s arm as he rubbed his cheek on top of Koa’s head. “I need to see you. Need to know you’re safe.”
His vulnerability hit my heart worse than a bullet.
“As long as you want,” I promised. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Brumous settled his head on Casimir’s lap, eyes watching him intently. After a moment’s hesitation, Casimir’s hand dropped to the wolf’s head, fingers sinking into the dark fur. His breathing gradually slowed, his grip on me easing from desperate to merely urgent.
“Amabel?” he rasped eventually.
“Secured,” Koa said. “Not going anywhere.”
“Good.” The single word carried such cold intensity, it made me shiver.
“Later,” I decreed. “We’ll deal with her later. Right now, you need rest. Zoodle does, too. We’ll take care of you both, right, Koko?”
“Right.” Koa’s lips trembled, but it was still a smile.
“I love you,” Casimir whispered. “I love you all. My‘ohana. I thought—”
“We know, but it wasn’t real, Simmy, and we all love you, too.”
“Even if Koala Bearneversays it out loud.” Zane tossed his long leg over my back and wormed one arm between my chest and Casimir’s.
“I say it out loud more thanyoudo,” Koa retorted.
“I don’t think so.” Zane sniffed into Casimir’s hair. “I said it last fall when—”
A groan from across the room interrupted him. Amabel was stirring, and Koa’s rumble shook all four of us.
“Want me to close her eyes again?”
“No,” I sighed, suddenly exhausted. Lying on Casimir’s chest, I gripped handfuls of Zane and Koa’s tactical vests. “Let her see what love looks like and what‘ohanareally means.”
27. To Go Awry
King Lucian Ro?u
I adjusted the cuff of my silk shirt and glanced first at Sebastian, then Kaori, both of whom were pretending not to notice my impatience. Three times in the last hour, I had checked my phone for missed calls from any of my Cimmerian sons. The silence was beginning to wear on my patience.
“Dad, staring at your phone won’t make it ring,” Sebastian said, his hazel eyes meeting mine with a hint of amusement.
