She smiled, tired but still sincere. “I know.”
By the time the sun dipped low enough to paint the water in copper, yellow, and red, everything was ready.
I stood at the dock with Elias, Griff, Bishop, Eamon, and Nox beside me, the boat rocking gently against the pilings.
I took one last look at the Isle of Man and the Watch base, not out of sentiment, but respect.
Then I stepped aboard.
The Isle of Man fell away behind us in layers of shadow and fading light.
Elias and Griff took the helm as the sun dipped even lower. The engine stayed quiet while the sea rolled beneath us with its ancient and indifferent rhythm. The wind carried salt and cold and the promise of big things to come.
I stayed on deck longer than I probably should have.
Nox leaned against the rail beside me, arms folded, eyes on the horizon like he was counting invisible markers only he could see. The last light caught in his hair, turning it almost silver for a moment before the sun disappeared entirely.
“Remember the warehouse outside Liverpool?” he asked suddenly.
I snorted softly. “The one where you insisted the back door was ‘definitely’ unlocked.”
“It was,” he exclaimed, feigning offense. “Just… temporarily barricaded.”
“You set off three alarms unlocking it.”
“Two,” he corrected. “The third one was you.”
I smiled despite myself, the memory rising easily. I remembered us running through rain and broken glass, laughter loud and breathless even with danger at our backs. We’dworked together so many times that the lines between command and instinct had blurred years ago.
Nox glanced at me, expression softer than usual. “I always liked those jobs best.”
“Because they went so well?” I asked.
“Because you were fearlessly in charge,” he said simply.
The boat rocked gently, and he shifted closer to me, threading an arm around my waist when I wavered just the slightest bit. His voice dropped, the teasing edge giving way to something more serious.
“I knew,” he said. “A long time ago.”
“Knew what?”
“That you were my mate.” He didn’t make a big deal of it. Didn’t watch my face for a reaction. Just said it like a fact he’d carried carefully. “I didn’t tell you because I was waiting for you to choose me too.”
My chest tightened. “You never said anything.”
He smiled, small but genuine. “You were busy building a movement. I respected that.” His gaze held mine. “I still do.”
My core squeezed tight at that, and I drew a slow breath, grounding myself in the gentle roll of the sea.
Before I could answer, Eamon’s voice carried up from behind us. “That’s enough for tonight.”
I turned to see him standing at the top of the steps leading down to the cabin, arms folded, expression gentle but firm. “You’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” I said automatically.
He raised a brow. “That wasn’t a question, mate.”
Nox chuckled and pushed off the rail. “Doctor wins.”
