And I love him too.
Different. Equal.His.
The Eds continue their endless shuffle toward the Gate. Thousands of identical shadows, faceless and patient, streaming past Kaia like a river around a stone. She stands at the threshold, wings spread, guiding them home.
She doesn’t know.
She doesn’t know what Finn did. What he’s been doing. What his magic has been screaming about since the moment she walked into his life.
But I know.
And I can’t unknow it.
His hands won’t stop trembling. His chaos magic sparks and fizzles, exhausted. His eyes are red-rimmed, wet, and he keeps blinking like he’s trying to hold himself together through sheer force of will.
Torric catches my eye. He shifts his weight, creating an opening.
Aspen does the same. A subtle repositioning that saysgo.
I don’t hesitate.
I walk toward him. Finn looks up as I approach, and his expression — devastated, vulnerable,wrecked— nearly stops me in my tracks.
“Hey, Malrik.” His voice cracks. Tries to be light. Fails. “Come to watch the Ed parade? It’s very exciting. That one just bumped into that other one. Riveting stuff.”
I don’t take the deflection.
I step into his space. Close. Closer than I’ve ever let myself get.
“Finn.”
His jaw tightens. The tremor in his hands gets worse.
“I’m fine,” he says. “Totally fine. Just learned I’ve been magically tethered to the love of my life since childhood, no big deal. Happens to everyone. Very normal Tuesday.”
“It’s not Tuesday.”
“Whatever day it is, then. Point stands.”
He’s trying so hard. Working so hard to be okay. To be the one who makes everyone else feel better.
I reach out. Cup his face in my hands.
He freezes.
“You’ve carried her longer than any of us,” I say quietly. “Longer than anyone should have as a child, especially alone.”
His breath catches. His green eyes go wide.
“Let someone carry you for a while.”
“Malrik—” His voice breaks. “I’m not— I don’t need— it’s fine. I’mfine.”
“You’re not fine.” I brush my thumb across his cheekbone. Feel the dampness there. “And you don’t have to be.”
Something cracks in his expression.
“She doesn’t know yet.” My voice drops. Just for him. “But I do. And I won’t forget.”
