“Big,” Byron said, smirking. “Yeah. I am.”
Even in the tension, a small laugh passed through the room.
Corey added. “I’m about Byron’s size, so that rules me out too.”
Byron chuckled under his breath. “Not quite my size, mate.”
Nick arched a brow, grinning. “I mean… he’s about a foot shorter and definitely not as—”
“First of all,” Corey interrupted sharply, “I’m six foot. How tall are you, Byron?”
“Six-seven,” Byron replied easily.
Corey pointed at him. “That’s not a whole foot, that’s seven inches. So, stop exaggerating.”
Byron shrugged, smug as ever. “Close enough.”
Ethan laughed, shaking his head, while Nick rolled his eyes and went back to folding the suits carefully into their protective cases.
The brief humour faded as the conversation shifted back to tactics.
Davina spoke next, “I know you’ll be worried about me, but I can fight from the woods. Use the forest as my weapon. They won’t even see me coming.”
Corey’s head snapped around. “Absolutely not.”
Davina smiled gently, not arguing, but the look in her eyes said enough.She’d already made up her mind.These people had saved her life, and she wasn’t about to stand aside while they fought for hers.
“Let’s just focus on preparation,” she said quietly, to keep the peace.
Before Corey could argue further, a rich, savoury smell drifted through the air, warm spices, herbs, and roasted vegetables.
Mary’s voice carried faintly from down the hall: “Dinner’s ready!”
Even amidst tension, the aroma stopped them all for a second.
Corey sighed. “Food might help. Everyone, take a break. Ten minutes.”
They made their way back to the dining room, the air heavy but comforting with the smell of Mary’s cooking. Lucy was stirring on the sofa as they entered.
Byron was the first to notice. “Hey,” he said softly, crouching beside her. “You with us?”
Lucy groaned, pushing herself up. “A whole bloody day,” she muttered. “Remind me never to rejig someone’s mind again.”
She blinked at Byron, her eyes still a little dazed. “Did you know you can rearrange someone’s thoughts? You can take things away, bend them, fix them?” Byron Said no, “but no one warns you that youfeelthem too.” Lucy added.
Byron frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she said tiredly, “I didn’t just see Michael’s memories. Ilivedthem. I saw my parents. I saw myself as a child. It was like a nightmare on loop the same images repeatedly. My mind’s still sorting through them all.”
She pressed her fingers to her temples. “It’s like it unlocked something in me, fragments of my own memories, mixed with his. It’s chaos in there.”
Byron reached out, steadying her shoulder. “How do you feel now?”
“Weak,” Lucy admitted. “But better. Hungry, though. Is food ready?”
“It sure is,” Mary said, appearing in the doorway with her usual warm smile. “Come on, let’s get you fed.”
They walked slowly toward the dining room, Lucy leaning lightly against Byron’s arm. The table was already set, candles flickering, food steaming in bowls across the surface.
