I freeze, my hands still gripping Kaia's hips as Finn steps into the room. Kaia lets out a startled yelp, trying to roll off me but getting tangled in the sheets. She ends up sprawled across my chest, her face blazing red as she buries it against my neck.
“Well, well, well,” Finn drawls, leaning casually against the doorframe. His green eyes gleam with mischief as he takes in the scene. “Looks like I interrupted something... delicious.”
I half-expect Kaia to scramble away, stammering apologies or excuses. Instead, she lifts her head slowly, fixing Finn with a glare sharp enough to cut steel. Her shadows coil protectively around us both, their movements deliberate yet tinged with amusement. Her shadows sharpen for a moment at the intrusion and then slowly start reaching out for Finn. Drawn to him as much as she’s pulled to me.
“Finn,” Kaia says, her voice dangerously low. “Get. Out.”
But Finn, being Finn, only grins wider. He steps further into the room, shutting the door and dropping into my desk chair with exaggerated nonchalance. His boots hit the desk as he props his feet up, radiating defiance. “Why would I leave,” he muses, “when the view in here is so much better?”
I should be annoyed at the interruption. I should be embarrassed to be caught like this. Yet all I can focus on is the way Kaia’s flushed skin glows, her tousled hair framing her face like a halo. Even disheveled and glaring, she’s breathtaking. But then there’s Finn, sitting there with that infuriating grin. My thoughts flicker to him and the way his confidence electrifies the air. I bite the inside of my cheek to rein in the surge of something I’m not sure if I’m ready for.
“Finn,” I growl, sitting up and pulling Kaia protectively against my chest. “This isn’t the time for your games.”
Finn's grin widens, his green eyes sparkling with wicked delight. “Oh, but I think it’s the perfect time,” he counters, resting his hands behind his head. “You two were about to make some... fascinating decisions. As your dear friend, I feel it’s my duty to ensure you’re thinking clearly.”
“Void help me," I growl, but even as I hint for Finn to leave, part of me can’t tear my gaze from the way his green eyes gleaming with unrelenting mischief. The current between the three of us is undeniable, crackling with possibilities.
Chapter 66
Kaia
I’m caught between mortification and lingering desire, my body still thrumming with heat even as embarrassment floods my cheeks. Malrik’s arms tighten protectively around me, the tension in his muscles unmistakable. But there’s something else—a spark crackling in the air, growing sharper under Finn’s watchful gaze.
“Thinking clearly?” I manage to sputter, my voice higher than usual. “What are you even talking about?”
Finn’s grin softens, his mischief giving way to something rawer, more vulnerable. As he moves closer, my breath catches at the intensity in his emerald eyes. “I’m talking about us, Kaia. All of us.”
My heart pounds so loudly I’m certain they can both hear it. Shadows coil around us, reflecting the atmosphere. Even Bob seems unusually alert, his inky form rippling like the surface of a storm-touched lake.
“Finn…” Malrik’s voice is low and warning, though I can feel the subtle shift in his posture. He angles slightly toward Finn atthe same time I do. The current between the three of us crackling like fire on dry leaves.
Finn takes a steadying breath, running a hand through his tousled copper hair. “I mean it. I have feelings for both of you. And I’m pretty sure you both feel the same way about me.” His gaze flicks between us. “Just like I know you’re crazy about each other.”
The silence thickens, heavy with possibilities I hadn’t dared to consider. Malrik’s arm tightens around my waist again as Finn steps closer, his usual confidence softened by something vulnerable.
“You can’t just burst in here and say things like that,” I manage, though my voice lacks conviction. The Heart of Eternity seems to hum against my throat, in sync with my racing heart.
“Why not?” Finn challenges, standing just close enough that I can see the flecks of gold in his green eyes. “Because it’s complicated? Because we’re in the middle of a crisis? Or because you’re afraid I’m right?”
Malrik’s fingers twitch against my side, his voice gruff. “Finn…”
“No,” Finn says firmly. “I’m done pretending. Bob’s been trying to tell us for weeks—haven’t you, Bob?”
To my utter disbelief, Bob nods solemnly. Patricia and Finnick bob in agreement behind him, their shadowy forms almost smug. A laugh bubbles up in my throat despite the tension.
“You’re taking relationship advice from shadows?” I ask, but the words don’t carry the bite I intend. They’re too close to the truth, and my shadows have always known me better than I know myself.
“They see everything,” Finn says, his voice softer now. “The way Malrik watches me when he thinks no one’s looking. The way you light up when I make you laugh. They see how we all orbit each other like stars caught in the same gravitational pull.”
I swallow hard as Finn kneels beside the bed, bringing himself level with us. His proximity sends my pulse racing again. “Tell me I’m wrong,” he says, his voice gentle but unrelenting. “Tell me you don’t feel this too.”
Malrik exhales sharply, his voice rough. “Of course we feel it.” He glances at me, his silver eyes searching. For a moment, I think he might stop, but something in my expression—maybe the way my breath hitches—seems to give him the answer he needs. “But that doesn’t make it simple.”
“When has anything about us ever been simple?” Finn counters, brushing a strand of hair from my face. His fingers tremble slightly—a crack in his facade that twists something in my chest. “We live in a world of shadow magic and time-traveling Valkyries. Maybe it’s time we stopped expecting things to make conventional sense.”
I lean into his touch before I can stop myself, and Malrik’s sharp intake of breath sends a thrill down my spine. The air hums with tension, and my shadows tighten their protective cocoon around us.
“What exactly are you proposing?” I whisper, though I think I already know the answer.
