"Fine-schmine. The Sanctuary is finally fixed, and we can deal with everything else. You've been running yourself ragged formonths, so you deserve a break. Hell, you deserve a long-ass vacation, but I know you too well, so I won't suggest that. You can manage a nap, can't you?"
"But—"
"If you don't get into bed and sleep, I'll stand here and make sure you do," he threatened, and I sighed. There was no fighting him when he went all stubborn like this, so I removed my shoes and slid under the covers.
"Your arm—"
"It's okay," I said before he could finish his sentence. Sleeping with my arm attached wasn't comfortable, but removing it in front of Keoni... I wasn't ready for that either.
Keoni didn't look happy, but didn't push, probably because he knew exactly how I felt.
He waited for a beat, then said, "I'll come fetch you at lunchtime. I want to find you right here in bed, okay?"
"Yes, Keoni."
"Good."
He left the room, and I waited until the clatter of his cart faded away before removing my arm with a click. The arm was a masterpiece, Draven's finest work, and yet I could never love it. It—or rather, the lack of my real arm—was a constant reminder of the day I lost Rei.
I placed the arm on the nightstand, then closed my eyes.
Surprisingly, I fell asleep in minutes.
Eight
Keoni
It'd been three dayssince Zephyr and Nolan fixed the Sanctuary, and absolutely nothing had gone wrong.
I'd gotten so used to the little issues that I realized I'd stopped noticing them only when they ceased to be.
Like that one spot in the corner of the sky in Forest that sometimes showed daylight at night and a black sky during the day. Or the flowers that had smelled of wet soil, and the mud that was fragrant as flowers. Little, stupid things that said something was wrong without causing trouble.
All of them had disappeared when the whole Sanctuary flashed with the colors of Nolan's and Zephyr's magicks. Since then, not a single thing had gone wrong.
"Can I tell Khush now?" I asked as I peered at Zephyr. We were in his office because he refused to stop working. Apparently, even with the Sanctuary in order, my mate had a lot of work to do. I had to do something about that. Zephyr needed some time off—he'd more than earned it—but he was the kind of person who wouldn't easily hand over control of his job to someone else, which was why I hadn't managed to find a way to get him out of here yet.
Zephyr glanced up, then blinked a few times as he processed what I'd said. "You can, but be honest with them. If it were up to me, I would want to wait and watch for a few more weeks. But Dustin's due date is coming up, so if they're adamant about having the baby here, tell them Nolan and I will do everything in our power to keep everyone safe."
I smiled, then squeezed myself beside him so I could lean down and kiss his cheek. He gave me a startled look, and I smiled before retreating to the other side of the desk.
Since Khush had chewed me out last time for calling and waking Dustin from his nap—he could be a tad irrational when it came to his pregnant mate—I chose to text him.
Me: Hey, K. I have news.
Khush: What's up?
I grinned at his speed, then tapped out a reply.
Me: Nolan and Zephyr fixed the Sanctuary a few days ago. You can come home!
Khush: A FEW DAYS AGO?! Why am I only hearing from you now?
Me: They wanted to make sure everything was working right first. They said there's still a slight chance something could go wrong, but they promised to keep you safe.
Khush: I just told Dustin, and now he's trying to pack. I gotta go before he pulls something. Will the headmaster portal us home?
"Khush is asking if you'll make a portal for them," I said, and Zephyr glanced up from his notebook, a puzzled look on his face.
