As for Zane, he sprawled half off the bed, which was why we always kept him between us. Otherwise, he’d end up on the floor before morning.
But what beloved wants, beloved gets, I thought smugly.
“Comfortable?” Cas rumbled against the top of her head.
“Mmm. Warm.” One of her hands drifted up to brush along my jawline, catching on the old scar there. “And safe.”
Zane snorted in his sleep, knee jerking upward in a dream-fueled twitch that nearly upended him from the bed, but I caught his ankle without looking and yanked him back onto the mattress.
“Still fights imaginary foes in his sleep,” I sighed.
“Maybe he’s battling more bubbles,” she giggled.
Good. She deserved all the happiness in the world after what she’d endured. And just because of who she was.
Sometimes, whole days could go by without me thinking of how we found her. Other times, I couldn’t get it out of my head. The brutally infected cut on her arm. The deep contusions on her chest and thigh. The welt on her jaw. The bruise on her temple. The fang-rottedshoeprints—
“Koko? Your heart’s racing.”
Before I could spin a lie about residual arousal, which waspartiallytrue, Cas saved me.
“He’s mentally cataloging tomorrow’s mission parameters. VR headset perfectly adjusted to fit you? Check.” His fingers walked up her ribs like a general reviewing troops. “Spy-eye drones synced to holo-projectors? Check. Zane-proof restraints to keep our resident goblin from improvising? TBD.”
I snorted, tension bleeding from my shoulders as Seri dissolved into giggles again, a sound sweeter than silver bells in winter air. Her laughter hitched when Zane rolled onto his side and flopped a long arm across all three of us, his face in the back of my neck and his fingers brushing Cas’ jaw as he muttered about “bubble warfare.”
Snickering at that, I drifted toward sleep with a content sigh. I’d found a way to give Seri agency while also keeping my brothers and myself sane. When it came to her safety, yeah, we’d be the villains if necessary, but none of us liked it. Better to find the middle ground where we could all win. Seri could participate without risk, and we could focus on the hunt without the distraction of worrying about her.
Compromise. The bedrock of all good marriages.
7. Waiting For Them
Casimir
I traced the perimeter of the hologram table, mentally reciting its dimensions for the hundredth time. They hadn’t changed, of course.
If only people were so easy to quantify.
My gaze drifted to Seri, who knelt next to Brumous, her arms tight around him. She hadn’t left his side since she woke up this morning. Her protectiveness mirrored my own, and seeing her there made my chest tighten with something I couldn’t reduce to data points.
Ko’s solution to our current dilemma was elegant in its simplicity. Seri wanted to participate in the hunt; I wanted her safely away from danger. The compromise? She would run operations from Evermere’s security room using the spy eyes, which would transmit everything back to the hologram table. It kept her secure while giving her agency.
“She’s not demanding to be on the front lines,” Ko had reminded me. “She’s only asking for a seat at our table.”
Win-win, as Zane would say.
I cleared my throat.
“Everyone’s here. Let’s begin.”
Zane lounged against the weapons cabinet, spinning a knife between his fingers. Koa tinkered with one of the spy eyes, his dark brows furrowed in concentration. And Seri claimed the desk in the center of the room, one hand still fisted in Brumous’ ruff as he sat next to her, her gray eyes bright with anticipation.
“Tomorrow’s mission—”
“—is perimeter sweep only,” Ko cut in, his eyes flicking to Seri, who only blinked at him and smiled.
I shot him a look. I didn’t need my briefing interrupted, but his addition wasn’t incorrect.
“Standard check for magical residue,” Zane added with a smirk. “Should be boring as my left nut.”
