“I really wanted to hate him,” he hisses in my ear, “but he’s too fucking nice.”
I chuckle and nod as I open the SUV door, flooding the cabin with light as all three wait expectantly.
Cato smirks at Bash’s hand. “Do we even want to know?”
Bash glares and ignores his best friend, and Ego is the first to step out into the clearing. Cato follows, comically taller than her, and Sakane brings up the rear, using Cato’s bulk to hide.
By this point, the rest of the village has deemed it safe, and everyone has come out to be nosy. Cameron is in the thick of things, and Sprocket is already talking a mile a minute to Bash, while shooting curious glances at Ego by his side.
Samuel waves from across the way, and I return the gesture as Daiwyn slinks away from the group to return to the safety of her mate.
She looks better than the last time I saw her. More alert, and brave enough to stand with the others in the face of potential danger.
Nyx and Reyes wait near the woods, and while Reyes is on guard, Nyx is relaxed as he watches everyone. In the weeks I’ve been gone, his cheeks look fuller, and there’s a peacefulness in his demeanor that he struggled to find before now.
I take a deep breath, soaking in the sweet smells of the forest as I watch my worlds intertwine. It’s not a collision like I thought it might be, but a peaceful merging of the lives I’ve lived.
Past, present, and future, existing in a harmony I never thought possible.
Bash looks over his shoulder and smiles, and I realize I’m standing alone—removed from the group as I so often find myself. He reaches for me, and I fight the burn of tears as it hits me.
I’m no longer the outsider.
No longer in the cold, staring through this window of warmth that always felt so unattainable.
He offers me an opening.
An invitation to belong.
I take his hand and step forward, shedding the mask that's hidden me for a lifetime. It falls into the ashes of my past, forgotten, and I move on, focused solely on him. I take my place at his side, and as I look around the faces of this newfound family, I know I am home.
Xeni
Lightfiltersthroughthewindow as I raise my arms in a stretch, forcing myself awake with a long groan that echoes softly in the quiet room. I reach beside me, fingers searching the cool sheets, but I already know Bash is up and about.
For the first few days we woke up in the village, he’d stay here until I was awake, then would dote on me until I dragged my ass out of bed. He’s always been an early riser while I amnot, so I finally told him it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if he starts the day without me.
I take a quick shower and wash away the remnants of sleep, then get dressed in an oversized sweatshirt from Bash’s drawer. A smile crosses my lips as I step out into the trees, the fresh air crisp as I hug my torso against the morning chill.
Bash’s voice reaches me over the others, carried on the breeze, and I follow it to the large brick building in the center ofthe village. It was once just used for storage, but the open space provides the perfect place for research. Sunlight fills the room through the tall windows in golden streams.
A few tables and chairs have been moved to a corner devoted to their studies, with papers and notes scattered across the surfaces. I step inside the doorframe to find him and Sprocket almost head-to-head, bent over a table and talking animatedly as they review the research spread around them.
“Have they had any luck yet?” a voice behind me asks.
I glance over my shoulder at where Reyes stands, staring into the building too.
My gaze moves back inside, and I’m surprised to find Nyx curled up in an armchair, curiously watching them work. Bash catches him peeking and waves him over, and Nyx smiles softly as he joins him. His brows furrow in concentration as he nods yes or shakes his head no, and a tinkling laugh leaves him as Sprocket says something that makes them all smile.
“I’m not sure,” I say with a sense of contentment buzzing warm in my gut.
In the weeks since we’ve been back, barely a moment has gone to waste. Bash jumped straight into his research, and there was something comfortingly familiar about watching him, Sprocket, and Aryn collaborate again. They always made a good team. Now they work for what’s right, and their hearts are fully engaged.
Reyes steps forward to stand beside me. “Nyx told me about Bash’s theory, and how he thinks it all comes down to intention.”
“Yeah, he’s been stuck on that for a while. He believes the connection to the rifts exists only when the subjects allow it.”
“It would make sense,” Reyes muses, gesturing toward the three of them. “If the prophecy went down the way it’s been told, and it’s up to the mates to make a difference in this world, it would have to be their choice. I don’t think the Fates would’veallowed it to be forced, given they were the ones who closed them.”
