“You should keep him, then,” Finley said, tapping her shoulder against Etienne’s.
Etienne scoffed, but I caught the smile he bit back. “What would I do with a cat?”
I shrugged. “Luana’s been a great companion.”
At the sound of her name, she lifted her head and angled her nose toward me like she knew I was bragging about her. I stroked the broad curve of her head, running my fingers over one of her floppy ears before giving it a gentle tug.
“The cat might be a good pet.” I eyed the little menace who kept in step with Etienne as if he knew we were talking about him.
“You’d have to name him, though,” Finley added.
“Frisky,” Etienne said without hesitation.
Alastor’s chuckle came out low. “What would you do with a cat, pray tell?”
Etienne lifted a shoulder, the corners of his mouth tilting in a sheepish grin. “I only meant, he’s frisky. That’s all.”
“You probably shouldn’t keep him,” I added. “You don’t seem like a cat guy at all.”
Finley giggled, squeezing my hand once before pressing a quick kiss to my shoulder.
“You’re all assholes,” Etienne muttered.
Laughter echoed through the heavily wooded forest. Trunks rose like giants reaching for the sky. Their branches tangled high above us, weaving a canopy so thick it swallowed the sunlight with only thin streams of gold filtering through the leaves.
It didn’t matter how often I stepped into the Sali oak forest. It didn’t seem real, but more like a place that only existed in dreams.
When we reached the pond, the cat, or Frisky, darted ahead again. While Alastor untied his boots, I knelt in front of Finley to do the same for her. Her fingers wove through the messy strands of my hair, and when I looked up at her, all I saw was the love I had for her reflecting in her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking,” Alastor said, rolling up his pant legs before he dipped his feet into the shallow edge of the pond.
He sat on a damp pile of leaves and turned to face Finley and me. Finley offered her hand to steady me as I kicked off my boots and lowered to sit between her and Alastor. I didn’t need the help, but I let her give it anyway. Because it was her and the way she showed her love.
To think, I believed I could lose this when the love we shared was threaded through us.
Etienne settled beside her while Luana stretched out behind us. The water lapped at our feet, a cool contrast to the heavy warmth in the air.
“Next time you train with Eiran, it might prove useful to build in meditation and breathing exercises to center you both,” Alastor said, his attention on the rippling water. “When Zaichaattacks again, that focus could be the difference between who holds control and who doesn’t.”
For several beats, no one spoke. The wind rustled the canopy overhead, sending streams of sunlight across the pond. Frisky brushed against Etienne’s arm before he sat like a little sentinel at his side.
Alastor folded his hands loosely on his lap. “Will you try it with me?”
“Yes, of course,” Finley said.
“You’re going to breathe in through your nose, hold it for ten counts, and release through your mouth. Slow and controlled, so you dictate the pace and not panic.”
He guided us through it, and I did as he said. The air was rich with the summer heat and the scent of damp earth. Beside me, Finley’s shoulders lifted and fell with each practiced breath. To my surprise, Etienne followed too.
In and out. Over and over again. Listening to the easy cadence of Alastor’s voice and letting calm wash over me.
As time ticked by, some of the tension in Etienne’s jaw eased. His hands, clenched as if always ready to fight, stilled against his knees.
Frisky chose that moment to leap onto Etienne’s lap and curl into a tight ball. Etienne’s smile was filled with genuine joy, and when he ran his hand over the cat’s back, Frisky arched into the touch.
The rhythm of Alastor’s voice and the sound of the water pulled me in. The world didn’t quiet very often, but for a few breaths, it did.
The fight was coming. I felt it in the way Finley’s and my bond trembled with our magic. When it came, we’d face it together.
