“Keep her alive, stormling,” she said with a sharp smile. “I’ll want grandchildren eventually.”
“And on thathorrifyingnote,” I spluttered while pretending my face wasn’t burning, “have a safe flight back to your floating castle in the sky.”
She laughed as she turned to Cas and Koa, exchanging final words over the increasingly agitated huffs and snorts of the wyrms. Then, with one last nod to all of us, she and Caelyr strode toward their mounts.
Scales rippling with excitement, the wyrms lowered their heads in greeting as their riders approached. I felt the familiar tug of longing mixed with relief, the same emotions I’d always associated with Mum’s visits, wanting her to stay even as part of me counted the minutes until she was gone and I could breathe again.
“I’m going to head inside,” Seri said, and I blinked, surprised.
“You don’t wanna watch them take off?”
“This moment belongs to you three.” She smiled a knowing smile. “I’ll see you when you’re ready.”
Before she turned away, she paused and looked at the three of us, and there was something in her gaze, something tender and aching and fierce.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever said it outright, but I’m proud of you. All of you and each of you.”
Cas shifted from one foot to the other. Koa stilled, his eyes wide. Me? My damn mouth dropped open.
“I’m proud of who youare, not just what you’ve survived. Proud to be your wife, proud to walk beside you, and proud of how you love each other. Relentlessly. And you let me be part of that bond. You let me belong. And that’s a gift I’ll never take for granted.”
Ko made a soft sound, then kissed her gently, carefully, reverently, like the sacred creature she was.
“You were never outside it, beloved,” he whispered against her lips. “From the moment we found you, you were a part of us.”
“Same.” Cas’ voice came out like ground glass as Ko stepped back. “Louder.”
Seri smiled and, when her stormcloud eyes found mine, the words crawled up my throat like briar vines, prickling and catching. Too many. Too much. I couldn’t get any of them out, so I just gave a sharp nod. Bit my lip. Leaned down and pressed my forehead to hers.
“I know,” she breathed. “I know.”
Then, with a last squeeze of my hand, she walked away. Not leaving me or us. Not shrinking herself. Just giving space. Because she understood this was about the brothers who’d held me together long before she ever arrived.
Sanguine mortis,I loved how our girl could read hearts better than I could read minds.
Mum and Caelyr settled into position as the wyrms’ long bodies uncoiled like living smoke. Then they were airborn, leaving ghostlights in their wake, little wisps of star matter that clung to the trampled grass like dandelion fluff. Brumous snapped at one, then spat it out with a disgusted sneeze.
All sparkle. No meat,he complained.
Like so many times before, Cas and Koa moved to my side without a word, one on each side, their shoulders brushing mine in silent solidarity.
Deferred, she’d said. Not discarded. Not denied. Just delayed. As if love could be put on layaway.
“Mahina was the only mom who ever made me cookies,” I said after a minute.
Neither Cas nor Ko replied. They didn’t need to. They just stood there breathing through it with me, three boys in a field, watching the sky take something away again.
But this time, not everything.
When the first star appeared, Cas cleared his throat.
“There’s cake.”
“Strawberry,” Ko clarified.
Cake!Brummy’s tail thumped.Now alphas smart!
Laughter bubbled up, raw and cleansing. I glanced back at the star-marked lawn. The ghostlights pulsed once before winking out, and my fist tightened around the cloud amber.
