Page 116 of Hunger & Harmony

“Don’t look so doubtful. You did that with no time to prepare or think it through. It was you who saved us. Me, the band, those fans, and even my aunt, no matter how much she rejects you.” He looks at me earnestly. “You deserve acknowledgement. I only wish I could give you so much more.”

My lips part in awe. I didn’t think about it like that. I just did what I could manage.

“I . . .”

When I trail off, he cups my face.

“This isn’t the end, okay? We’ll do what it takes. You’ve already proven you can.”

The times he wanted to fix everything by himself are long gone. That’s been replaced with the certainty that I’m not only his equal but someone who can be a part of the solution, too.

My bottom lip trembles again, and he lessens my fears with a soft kiss. He used to taste like surrender. His lips are now ardent against mine.

A knock sounds at the front door. I swallow the lump in my throat, hoping it’ll take my sorrow with it.

“I’ll get the door,” he says.

Waiting on the couch feels like a lifetime. He returns with Arteria behind him.

After my eyes meet Niko’s again, I ‌look at Ezren. He’s a visible wreck, emerald eyes rimmed with red and tear stains. His clothing is disheveled, switched from the stage outfit to a hoodie and sweats. He shuffles somberly behind Selene, whose strides are subdued. Even Ryel seems disturbed, though for once, he doesn’t look at me with venom as they take their spots in my living room.

Ezren collapses to my left. I smile sadly when he opens his mouth to say something, only to cough on a sob when he tries. I clasp his hands and lean against him. Selene remains standing next to Niko. Ryel hangs back by the wall.

“This is fucked up,” Ezren chokes out a second later.

“It is,” Selene says before she looks at me. “But we know what has to happen.”

I’ve been dreading this, but there’s no other choice.

“I have to go.”

Ezren sniffles, shaking his head.

“No, that isn’t fair,” he whispers. “Y-You saved us, Cadie. You shouldn’t be punished.”

“This isn’t a punishment,” Niko says, and I hold Ezren’s hands tighter. “If she stays . . . it would negate everything she did.”

As much as my heart constricts, I know he’s right.

“I denounced Niko openly. It doesn’t make sense to stay, right? That would undermine my words, and . . .”

I stare across the room at Niko. Tears well up, threatening to pour out as I hold myself.

“This is protection,” Niko says, staring back just as tenderly, just as broken. “Survival.”

Selene nods solemnly. Ezren is still sniffling, but he remains silent.

“Mendax is resolute,” Ryel says, adjusting his crossed arms. “The prophecy may or may not be correct, but this is a loophole.”

While far from warm, his dogmatic frost has thawed enough for him to acknowledge that. I’m not sure how he and Niko smoothed things over, but the last thing I want is their brotherhood fractured. Ryel is difficult, but he’s family, right?

I nod silently.

“Yes. It’d be best for Cadence to go,” Selene agrees quietly. “To publicly pull back. I don’t know why the Order thinks they can wield her, but something isn’t right.”

“Someone betrayed us,” Ezren says, and my mind returns to Lorelai.

Do they know? Should I say something?