To think I’d believed loving Brenton meant losing the only other person who felt like home. But Brenton, stubborn, golden-hearted Brenton, never asked me to choose. He simply made space.
And somehow that space kept growing.
As with our time in Vistos, Alastor had folded himself into the quiet corners of our days, his dry humor and unspoken loyalty weaving into more than friendship, into family. The rest of Brenton’s family and friends had claimed a place in my chest until it felt crowded in the best possible way.
Maybe that was why I never went to my mother, demanding answers about Eiran or the male who’d called himself my father. Why I didn’t need a ceremony or their approval to make what Brenton and I had real. Etienne’s letter of refusal for our intended contract was already on its way to both of our parents, inked and sealed. It was proof that we were choosing for ourselves this time.
Thunder crackled above, and when I peered up, I saw Sama and Javier guiding two other dragons and their riders to us. With their wings wide, they seemed to swallow the sun for a few short beats before they descended onto the yard.
They landed with an earth-moving groan. Kassidy jumped off Solana with Javier and Callan landing a breath after.
I straightened, and with Ashara’s breath hitting my cheek, Hoshiko and Brenton made their way to me. Brenton took my waist and guided me so that my back pressed against his chest. Jasmine, Juanita, and Victoria raced toward Javier, Juanita lunging for him for a strong embrace, while Victoria waited her turn, and Jasmine hung back. The twins toddled after them, Elias and Teddy sharing a mirrored look of worry.
I angled my head to kiss Brenton’s cheek, brushing my nose against him once, before stepping toward Kassidy. Her gaze swept over me, lingering on the jagged ends of my new haircut, to Brenton who stood on one side and Alastor and Etienne on the other.
Alastor’s shadows crawled over my boots before they slinked toward Kassidy and Callan. His shadows were familiar now, centering me and giving me courage to face whatever lay ahead.
Remorse flickered across Kassidy’s features, but she held herself steady, meeting my attention with earnest eyes. “I owe you an apology,” she said. “I was cruel to you. I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry for doubting you, Finley.”
“I prefer groveling over a simple apology,” I said, letting my lips spread into a grin.
From behind me, Brenton laughed.
“Gratitude will be accepted as well,” Alastor said.
I smirked at the way Kassidy eyed Alastor’s creeping shadows, the way her throat moved with her swallow.
“Of course,” Kassidy said. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for our dragons.”
“We’re happy to have been able to help,” I said.
Kassidy’s smile came cautious. “Your new haircut suits you.”
“You mean the one she gave herself, borne from every fierce and defiant bone in her body?” Brenton asked, in a tone that was dry, if not a little menacing.
Kassidy held her own, angling her chin up the same way I often did. “I should never have lifted my blade at you, but the new cut makes you look even fiercer.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and shifted to bump my shoulder against Brenton’s. “You still owe me an ugly haircut.”
He laughed, and the tension between us broke.
But then Kassidy’s attention swept past me to where Javier talked to the younger girls. Where Victoria held her hand against Nalari, brushing along her smooth scales.
A whimper, soft and broken, hitched from her parted lips. She took a step forward before she retreated, her back colliding with Callan’s chest. Callan took her elbow to steady her.
“She . . .”
I stepped between them, blocking Victoria’s view.
“Victoria is exactly where she belongs,” Brenton said, voice stern.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Elias go still, the easy set of his shoulders going taut. Beside him, Teddy leaned closer to Javier, their heads bowed in conversation.
Alastor’s shadows slithered across the green ground, their long ribbons moving like serpents. While he remained unmoving, I felt his protective intent.
Kassidy lifted her hands, palm out. “I don’t mean her any harm,” she said, her words spilling together. “I was told she was dead, but here she is.” She let out an airy laugh. “Alive and obviously well taken care of.”
Teddy and Elias came to us, their hands linked and stepping as one. It was Teddy who spoke first. “Our dragons will teach her your ways,” she said. “And when she is older, she can choose her own path, wherever that may lead her.”
