“The system didn’t catch it,” Kyron says. “They flagged five of us, but they missed you.” He’s looking at Trey. “And they definitely missed her.”
“She wasn’t in the system,” Locke says. “She couldn’t be flagged.”
“Neither could I. Not for that.” Trey’s voice is rough. “My mark was already messed up. They weren’t looking at me the same way they were looking at you.”
I don’t say anything. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it—all of us, in the same place, at the same time.
We never even knew.
“This is fucked up,” Rane says, but there’s no heat in it. Just exhaustion. “This is really, really fucked up.”
“It’s something,” Vaelor agrees quietly.
The conversation doesn’t pick back up after that. Not really. Rane clears the plates. He goes to the kitchen and comes back without them. Kyron asks if anyone wants anything. Normal things. Quiet things.
But no one leaves.
Beckett puts music on—something low and soft, barely there. Vaelor dims the lights. Kyron stretches out on the floor with his arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Trey stays where he is. Back against the couch. Close enough that there’s no mistaking he’s there.
I curl deeper into the cushions and watch them settle in around me.
Locke’s still in the chair, but his posture has softened. His eyes are closed, though I don’t think he’s sleeping. Beckett’s head is tipped back against the wall.
I keep waiting for someone to get up. To say goodnight. To go to their room.
No one does.
Rane stretches out on the floor near Kyron. Vaelor shifts in the armchair, getting comfortable. Trey’s breathing has gone slow and even against the couch.
They’re staying.
All of them. Here. With me.
“Same time tomorrow?” Rane murmurs from somewhere to my left.
A few murmurs of agreement. Someone might have saidyeah. Someone else might have grunted.
I don’t know if they’re talking to me.
But I hope they are.
My eyes are getting heavy. The warmth is soaking into my bones—not just from the blanket, but from them. From being surrounded. From knowing that if I close my eyes, they’ll still be here when I open them.
For the first time in fifteen years, I don’t feel like I need to watch the door.
I close my eyes.
The door’s right there. I don’t look at it once.
Chapter 27
Nova
I wake up slowly.
I lay there with my eyes closed. My body feels better than it did yesterday, less ache and more… warmth. Solid warmth everywhere.
