She lay back down against his chest, listening to the slow rhythm of his heart. Their marks pulsed in sync, his blue, hers silver, a quiet call and response.
“You said something before,” she murmured. “During. In another language.”
He caught her hand again, brought it to his lips. “I forgot myself.”
“What did you say?”
He was quiet for a while. His thumb stroked her knuckles.
“Your name, mostly. In Abyssal.”
“Just my name?”
“Among other things.” He pulled her closer, tucking her against his side. “Things that don’t translate well.”
“Try.”
Another pause. When he spoke, something had shifted in his tone. “There’s a word; it doesn’t have an English equivalent. It means something like ‘the one who ends wandering.’ Like finding home after centuries of movement.”
Ava’s chest tightened. “You called me that?”
“I called you several things.” His fingers resumed their patterns on her back. “Most of them embarrassingly sentimental for someone my age.”
She smiled against his skin. “We should probably discuss what this means. For us. For the arrangement.”
“I think we both know what it means.”
“The arrangement just became real.”
“It was always real.” His voice was soft, certain. “We just needed time to admit it.”
She traced the edges of his mark, watching blue light ripple beneath his skin like bioluminescence. “This does change everything, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” A pause. “Thank Mammon.”
She laughed, and the sound felt easy. Natural. Like something she could do for a very long time.
Outside, the ocean rolled against the shore. The moon had shifted, casting new shadows across the tangled sheets. For the first time since she’d walked into Grimm, Malphas & Associates, everything felt right.
“The partners are going to know something’s different,” she said. “Tomorrow at the gala.”
“Good.”
“Lilith is going to be furious.”
“Fine.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “You’re not worried?”
His eyes caught the moonlight, something molten shifting behind them. “Ava, I’ve faced the Barons of Hell, argued with gods, and once had to explain to Malphas why I accidentally signed off on demolishing his favorite building in 1922.”
“Youwhat?”
“Long story involving a miscommunication, a very persistent poltergeist, and some truly atrocious architecture.” He cuppedher face. “The point is, Lilith’s tantrums barely register anymore.”
“What about the liability issue? The verification?”
“What about it?” His thumb brushed her cheek. “This is as real as it gets. Let them verify that.”
