The cottage would be okay.It had to be.
“That was incredible,” Orlando breathed.“I’ve never seen magic that strong.”He paused and cocked his head.“Well, I’ve never seen magic at all.We don’t have a lot of demons out there.”
“Nice to know where I stand,” Seymour grumbled.
Nymon could hear voices now, and he knew they really were running out of time.
“All right,” Seymour said as he extended his hands.“Everyone, grab me.”
They gathered together, with Tex supporting Nymon and Orlando carrying Nymon’s bags, while Ridge had his hand on Kael’s shoulder in a way that suggested he wasn’t letting go for anything.
Nymon took one last look at his cottage, now covered in plants, and closed his eyes.His chest ached, but he could feel Tex’s steady presence through their bond, and that made it easier.It would hurt for a while, but he’d be fine.It was the right choice, the only one he could make.
“Ready?”Seymour asked.
Nymon took a breath and nodded without opening his eyes.He’d never shimmered before, and he worried about how it would feel.He knew he wasn’t in his home anymore when he felt the wind in his hair.He had to open his eyes now because they had to cross the shield, but beyond it lay Nymon’s future.
And his freedom.
Chapter Seven
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TEX STOOD IN THE BACKYARD, watching the space where the greenhouse would go.The contractor had promised to start next week, and Tex was already imagining how Nymon’s face would light up when he saw it.His mate deserved a space to work with plants, and the apartment Tex had lived in before hadn’t cut it.
Not that Nymon had complained.He never had in the three months since they’d left Starhaven.
Through the kitchen window, Tex could see Nymon moving around inside, preparing snacks for their guests.Nymon still moved carefully through the house sometimes, like he was afraid of breaking something.Hopefully, he’d get used to it soon, and it would feel like home to him.It wasn’t just the house, though.Last week, he’d stood in the grocery store for ten minutes just staring at the produce section.Tex hadn’t seen much of Starhaven, but he imagined that with the town being so isolated, they didn’t have the abundance offered in grocery stores here.
But Nymon was adapting, slowly but surely.More importantly, he seemed happy.
“The greenhouse is going to be amazing,” Orlando said, appearing at Tex’s elbow.He’d become a frequent visitor, often bringing Liam with him.Liam had been a precious help when it came to planning the greenhouse, and Nymon loved talking about plants with him for hours.“Liam’s already planning what plants to recommend.He’s been researching steduna demon magic for weeks.”
“Nymon will appreciate that.”Tex smiled, thinking of how his mate’s eyes had lit up the first time Liam had started asking him detailed questions about magical plant cultivation and how he could replicate it as a human.
“Are Ridge and the others inside?”Orlando asked.
“Yeah.Ridge has been here since this morning, helping me move some furniture.”Tex didn’t mention that Ridge had been distracted the entire time, constantly looking around as if he expected someone to suddenly appear.He hadn’t said anything, but Tex suspected he knew who Ridge was looking for.
They headed back inside, where the living room was finally full of furniture.They’d had to buy it because Tex’s apartment had been much smaller than the house he and Nymon had bought.Ridge was sprawled on the couch next to Jethro, a bear shifter whose massive frame made the furniture look child-sized.Milton was setting up what looked like a complicated board game on the coffee table.Both of them had trained with Tex and Orlando to become assassins, and they were close.
“No, no, you’re doing it wrong,” Milton was saying, rearranging pieces.“The resource cards go here, not there.”
“It’s a board game, not surgery,” Jethro grumbled, but he moved the cards anyway.
Liam was in the kitchen with Nymon when Tex walked in, the two of them deep in conversation about soil pH levels and magical energy transfer.Tex had no idea what any of it meant, but he felt warmth bloom in his chest watching his mate engage so easily with his friend.Nymon had been nervous about meeting Tex’s people, even after already meeting Ridge, Orlando, and Seymour.He’d been worried they’d see him as an outsider.
Instead, they’d welcomed him like he’d always been part of their group.
“When’s Kael getting here?”Orlando asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
“Should be any minute,” Tex answered.“He texted that he was on his way.”
Kael had settled into life outside Starhaven with surprising enthusiasm, considering how scared he’d been to leave Starhaven.Once he’d gotten over his initial terror of everything that he’d never experienced before, he’d thrown himself into doing just that.He’d settled into Tex’s old apartment once Tex and Nymon had moved out, and it was close enough to Nymon for him to be comfortable with but far enough that he wasn’t always underfoot.The council had readily agreed to help him support himself until he could do so on his own.Tex suspected they wanted information on demons from him and Nymon, but so far, they hadn’t asked.Not that Kael was worried about that.He’d started exploring the world, and every week brought a new obsession.
This week, apparently, it was pizza.
Kael had discovered how good pizza was three days ago and had been texting Nymon nonstop about it.When Tex had suggested ordering some for tonight’s gathering, Kael had practically vibrated with excitement through the phone.
