Izzy:WE DID IT???
Orion:Nicely done, Brigade.
Asher:I TOLD YOU WE'D SAVE THE TOWN!
I laugh—sharp and breathless and full of relief.
Asher loops an arm around my shoulders, grinning so wide it's almost ridiculous. "We did it."
"We did," I repeat, and the words settle into my chest like a victory drum.
My phone buzzes again.
Sebastian:Celebration at the diner. I'm buying.
Mica:You're damn right you are.
Wylder:I'm in.
Clara:Same!
Asher:You had me at victory pie!
Poppy:Meet you there.
Asher pumps his fist. "We destroyed Tharuzel’s holdandvictory pie. Best day ever."
I wrap an arm around his back, and we walk toward his truck. For the first time in weeks, the weight on my shoulders feels lighter.
Emberwood is safe.
And the Life and Death Brigade just proved we're more than a ragtag group of misfits.
We're the real deal.
Because Asher and I were positioned in the park of the town square, we’re the first two to arrive at Biscuits. The diner smells like coffee and all the comfort foods of life. It's amazing. “We’re going to need the party room, boss. We’ve got a celebration crew coming.”
Tanner smiles through the kitchen pass-through window and grins. “Oh, yeah? What are we celebrating?”
I think about how to phrase that in mixed company. “Freedom of the people.”
He understands immediately and smiles. “Well, all right. Let the celebration begin.”
Marty grins. “I’ll help you set up.”
Asher takes a look at the lunch crowd he’s already dealing with and waves away the offer. “We’ve got this, big guy. We’re completely housebroken, and this is our second home.”
Marty winks. “I guess that makes you kids family.”
“Yeah, it does,” I say.
Asher lights up. “Can I be the hot but exhausting black sheep of the family?”
“You got it.”
The two of us head into the private room and start pulling out the chairs stacked in the corner. In no time at all, we’ve got enough chairs set around the two tables we’ve pulled together that we’re ready for the festivities to begin.
Tanner comes in to check on us and gives me a hug. “Congratulations! Tell me all about it.”
