Alastor’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t look away. On his lap, his fingers flexed before he curled them into fists, the only sign that Javier’s words hit something raw.
“I came back,” he said, words slow but steady, his attention solely on Javier, “because I didn’t want to be someone else you lost. But my day will come, Javi. And when it does, you’ll have to learn how to live with memories without letting them swallow you whole.”
Javier looked away, and the quiet that followed was louder than any wail or scream.
A shiver snaked down my spine as my magic coiled around the truth in Alastor’s words. At the weight of secrets I sensed he kept.
Through our bond, Brenton jerked, a small, involuntary flinch. It was enough to know he felt it too. Not just the truth behind Alastor’s words but how near it might already be.
Javier barked out a laugh, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes. “Great pep talk, Alastor. Really uplifting.”
The tension in the tent loosened marginally, but it wasn’t enough to erase the weight. And then, instead of retreating like I expected, Javier straightened his shoulders and pushed forward.
“Delaney”—his shoulders inched down—“she met her soul-bound mate and left to be with him in the human realm. I don’t blame her, but I’m tired of being the one who stays while everyone leaves.”
“Javi—”
Alastor interrupted whatever Brenton was about to say with a sharp shake of his head.
Javier exhaled, slow and hard like the words had been stuck in his chest for too long. “Sama and I have been talking. He wanted me to visit Vistos before any of this happened. He wants to move back here, but only if I move with him as his rider. I think I want to.” He drew his shoulders back, meeting Brenton’s gaze head-on as if he expected Brenton to pass judgment. “Actually, I know I want to. I can’t tell you everything, but the dragon riders of Vistos protect a lot more than just this realm.”
Javier didn’t fidget or look away but waited. Not for permission, though. He seemed to seek Brenton’s approval. He’d grown from a boy to a man to a warrior in such a short time, and my heart ached for all he’d lost. Sadly, the reality was that you lost many in both life and battle, and there was no protecting Javier from that.
“It would be a fresh start,” Brenton said, letting the words settle before he continued, slower this time. “Just remember this family you keep restructuring? It still exists. You’ll always havea home in Niev. Whether it’s Alastor’s place, mine, or Teddy and Elias’s. You also have Everly and George. Donnie, Nate, and Ry.”
“You’re forgetting Sierra.” Everly’s voice came light, but her smile fell before she continued. “You have good reason not to want to speak to George, but the point is you have family.”
“And our family isn’t perfect. We have plenty of flaws to go around.” Brenton’s throat bobbed as his words came out rougher. “But even through the hurt, we’re there for each other. I don’t think you’ll ever really know how much it meant to Teddy that you were there the day the twins were born. And every time you’ve shown up before and after.”
“Teddy’s been there for me in ways I didn’t know I could count on.” Javier’s admission was both tentative and sure.
The moment lingered, softening the air around us, then Alastor’s voice cut through the quiet.
“Before you move, you’ll make amends with Teddy,” he said, his tone serious but not unkind, while his shoulders sagged deeper into the pillows. “And speak to Elias.”
Javier’s eyes moved from Alastor back to Brenton, giving his head a single nod. “I will,” he said. “Alastor gave me these memories. Elias and Teddy’s. For a year, I’ve known why they did what they did. How Teddy wasn’t just protecting Elias and George but protecting me too.”
My mind swirled.Protecting him?But before I could chase that thought, Javier continued.
“I forgave them a long time ago,” he admitted. “That part . . . that’s not the part I’ve been stuck on. What I can’t get past is me. Because for a while, I compared them to my parents.” His lips twisted in distaste. “And there was no comparison.” He drew out a long string of air. A shaky sound I felt more than heard. “No matter how hard I tried, I could never make my dad proud, so I stopped trying. But with Elias . . .” He dropped his attention to his hands, knotting them on his lap. “He was proud of me for justbeing me. And Teddy paid attention. She stood up for me in ways my mom never had, even before she got sick.” Javier’s fingers tightened around his knee. “And I hate myself a little for that. Because even knowing what they did, I still think they’re better parents than my own were.”
Across from him, Brenton’s expression softened as he reached out, his hand covering Javier’s where it still gripped his knee. “You can forgive yourself,” he said quietly. “Your parents were who they were. Teddy and Elias are who they are. And they’re still here, Javi. What you feel for any of them . . . those emotions were earned through your experiences.”
Javier huffed out a laugh that cracked halfway through. “Maybe one day.”
No one rushed to fill the silence that followed. Brenton’s hand stayed on his while Alastor’s body molded deeper into the pillows. His breaths grew slower, heavier as exhaustion pulled him quietly into sleep.
I sat there, watching them. The unspoken loyalty, the shared history, I was only beginning to understand. My heart ached with it.
The astral realm waited for us, both in demand and welcome. But for a heartbeat, this fragile stillness was the entirety of my life.
Chapter
Thirty
FINLEY
Enteringthe astral realm felt like stepping into silence. Like the quiet between heartbeats. Everything here shimmered with a stillness that wasn’t quite still. Threads of magic drifted in the air, unseen by anyone who didn’t possess death magic.
