The only one unaffected was Evie.
“Natalya…” She pushed past Maya, limping towards the demonic embodiment of ruin that had just materialized.
Natalya spun in their direction, eyes fiery scarlet and teeth sharp as needles, but despite how horrifying she looked, Evie kept going undeterred.
Violet flooded into Natalya’s eyes. Her claws retracted, her skin smoothed over, and her monstrous appearance fell away as she rushed to Evie and pulled her into her arms.
“You were scared.” Natalya’s voice trembled.Allof her trembled. “You were so scared. I hurried, but you were gone, and… I thought…”
She leaned back, cupping Evie’s face as though to ensure she was really there.
“What happened, darling? Are you alright?”
“I’m okay. My ankle hurts a bit, but that’s all.” She smiled, eyes glistening. “Maya saved me. She stopped them before they could do anything. She refused to leave me behind.”
Natalya stared at Evie, baffled.Stunned. Then she turned her brilliant violet eyes on Maya, relief and awe glinting within them.
“Thank you.” Natalya spoke the words like a vow. She pulled Evie near again, sighing as though it was the first free breath she’d taken in hours.
Maya didn’t respond. She swayed, dropped the knife, and when she reached for a nearby tree, trying to catch herself, her hand slipped on the frozen bark. She collapsed in the snow, eyes closing, and her hand still grasping Harper’s.
“Maya?” Harper kneeled next to her. “What’s wrong? Are you injured, or—”
“I’m okay.” She let out a wheezing sigh. “Just tired. And relieved. I didn’t know if it would work.”
Harper frowned, confused, when shouts filled the forest. But these didn’t come from behind them, but from the direction they’d been running.
Dozens of Chains came sprinting through the trees. Some carried melee weapons, some of them firearms. They ran past, following the tracks left by the fleeing lycanthropes.
“You planned this?” Harper asked.
“Sort of. With how scared Evie was, I knew Natalya was coming. No amount of reason or caution could keep her away. I hoped she could get in contact with Aleksander and get his forces to help, but… maybe the storm killed the phone lines. I couldn’t wait for her. The marked trees were for her benefit, so she would know where to go. I made sure Nell knew to explain it all. And I told her that she couldn’t panic either, even though Natalya would probably be really fucking scary when she showed up.”
Harper could easily imagine that. Having to answer furious questions from the demon she’d just seen would test anyone’s resolve.
“But… that still doesn’t make sense,” Harper said. “How didyouknow where we were?”
Maya smiled. That enviable, gorgeous smile, whose appearance could still make Harper fall silent.
“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense.” She lifted her hand, caressing Harper’s cheek. Brushing cold tears away from her skin. “I don’t know how it works. How I work. I don’t know why I am this way or what let me be so lucky that I get to be in your presence. But I know this. That no matter what happens, I will always be able to find you. Even if my mind doesn’t know where you are, my heart always will.”
Golden light fell between the trees. The sun had risen past the clouds, its rays streaking through the naked branches and casting a warm glow on Maya’s face.
“I love you too, Harper. I think I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you.”
The words were pure warmth. Harper smiled, tears welling in her eyes.
“Are you serious?”
Maya flashed a grin. “You know me. I love being serious.”
Harper laughed, the noise catching awkwardly between sniffling breaths. Because she believed her. Believed her with no constraints. The words nestled so assuredly within her chest that she wouldn’t ever be able to dismiss them.
Harper leaned down, taking Maya’s face in her hands, and kissed her. She forgot the cold biting at her skin and the remnants of fear still lingering in her body. Forgot the sorrow she had been fighting and all the awful events of this terrible night.
None of it mattered. All she wanted to feel right then was the warmth of the morning sun and Maya’s soft lips, resting against hers.
Chapter 42
