Glimmer madea soft sound against Junie’s neck. Her scales shifted, pulsing from amber to a deep, glowing gold that Junie had never seen.
Acceptance, she realized. Her familiar was offering acceptance.
“Glimmer likes you now.” Her voice came out thick. “That’s new.”
“Should I be honored?”
“You should be terrified. She has high standards.”
Leo’s mouth curved into the closest thing she’d seen to a genuine smile. “I’ll try to live up to them.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Not the heavy, weighted silence from before—this was easier. Softer. The silence of two people who had said the hard things and were still sitting across from each other, hands entwined.
“What happens now?” Junie asked.
“What do you want to happen?”
She thought about it. About the weeks of tension and denial and stolen glances. About last night—the blood and the fear and the kiss that had felt like coming home.
“I want to try.” Her words came slowly, testing each one. “To try. Not the deflection and running away I usually do. Giving this—us—a real chance.”
“Even though I’m a control freak who spent weeks fighting what I should have embraced?”
“Even though you’re a control freak.” She felt her lips curve despite herself. “Although, for the record, I reserve the right to remind you of that frequently.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
“And I’m still terrified.” She added. “That hasn’t gone away. I’m probably going to panic and try to push you away at least three more times before I figure out how to do this.”
“I know.”
“And my magic is still unstable, and my shop is still destroyed, and there’s still a jackal shifter out there who wants to hurt everyone I care about.”
“Also true.”
“So this isn’t exactly starting from a position of stability.”
Leo leaned forward, closing the distance between them. His forehead rested against hers.
“For the first time in years, you’ve made me feel like I can breathe.” His murmur brushed her skin.
“That’s either romantic or concerning.”
“Both, probably.” He pulled back enough to meet her gaze. “We can figure out the details later. The investigation, the future, where we go from here. Right now, I need to know—are you in? No more running?”
Junie thought about running. About the safe, comfortable life she’d built—alone in her apartment, surrounded by potions and chaos, never letting anyone close enough to hurt her.
It had been safe. It had also been lonely.
“No more running.” Her voice was steadier than she felt. “But I reserve the right to occasional strategic retreats for emotional processing.”
“Acceptable terms.”
“And you have to be patient with me. I’m not good at this.”
“Neither am I.”
“And if Glimmer decides she hates you again, you can’t take it personally.”
