“You’ve got that little crease in your forehead that you get when you’re thinking too hard about something,” Killian observed with a hint of teasing behind his gruff voice. I took a minute to sigh as we both watched Ryder do a terrible job of hiding from the kids in a game of hide-and-seek. Ever since we’d returned home from our fight with Ishida, he’d been different. Happier, despite all that had happened. He could see his sister, Ally, in Emersyn’s eyes, and it healed a piece of him that had been broken since she’d been taken.
“I can’t stop thinking about… God, everything.” I blew a breath into my cold hands to warm my frozen fingers before releasing another wave of heat. It settled over us like a cozy blanket, chasing away the chill.
“Is this about your brother?” Killian inquired with a scowl on his face. He hadn’t hid his dislike of Birdman, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him. As much as the tests said there was a genetic link between us, he didn’t feel like someone important to me. I had a family, the one I’d chosen, and that was stronger than sharing a bloodline.
“Yes… no… maybe a little,” I admitted, not even sure how to put my tumultuous emotions into words.
“We can only focus on one day at a time,” Hiro reminded me, as he used his power to grow some green sprouts through the layer of snow for fun. I had a feeling my Kitsune was just as tired of the snow as I was.
“That’s easier said than done.” I gave him a weak smile before turning to watching Ryder disappear around the corner, only to trot back out in his Ceraptor form, making the kids cheer. Emersyn especially loved seeing him in his shifted form, and I always giggled when she called him a unicorn, though she’d been sad by his lack of rainbow coloring. Together, we’d made rainbow accessories she liked to clip into his mane, making him what she called a ‘pretty pony.’ Luckily, Ryder never minded, simply happy to see the little girl smile.
“Okay, then let’s take it one problem at a time.” Hiro interlaced our fingers and gave me a little tug, jerking his head toward our cabin. I waved at Ryder, who was now giving pony rides to the children. His velvety coat shone onyx against the crystalline snow, and he nickered at me before trotting away like a dressage horse, showing off for the kids.
Killian followed behind us until we were back in our temporary home. Leaning down near the fireplace, I heated my hands and sent a blast onto the logs, happy when they went up in flames and crackled nicely. Settling on the couch, I watched the dancing blaze before glancing at the picturesque windows on either side, which showcased the snowy landscape.
I shrugged out of my winter coat while Hiro stood in front of the fire, warming his hands. “Alright,” he started, spinning on a heel to face me. “What’s bothering you the most?”
“It’s hard to pick just one.” I set my jacket aside, curled my legs up onto the couch, and leaned into Killian’s broad, warm frame. He was wearing a long-sleeve burgundy shirt that stretched over his thick biceps. The color worked with his deep red hair and light complexion. The scent of clovers and magic billowed around me, and I breathed deeply, letting it settle my nerves. Killian’s arm went across the back of the couch behind me as I nestled into his side. “But I guess if I had to start somewhere…” I trailed off as I gathered my thoughts and decided where to begin. “We have so much more to worry about now that Emersyn is in our lives. We need to make provisions for her in case…” My words dropped off for a second time as my tongue refused to form the rest of the sentence.
“In case something happens to us?” One dark eyebrow rose behind Hiro’s dark-rimmed glasses as he took a guess at the direction of my thoughts. I had to give it to him, even without Damien present, he always seemed to know what I was thinking. We were that connected.
“Yes. It’s a real concern.” I wrung my hands together as I thought it through. While technically Emersyn was in Ryder’s care as her only living relative, she’d been spending a lot of time with Angela, Theo and Molly’s mother, and had taken to her immediately, given her soft personality and motherly ways. With all seven of us living in one cabin, space was limited, and it’d been difficult to add a six-year-old to the mix. Though it had been sweet as hell to watch the guys pile onto the sofa, loveseat, and makeshift beds on the floor so Emersyn could have her own room, it’d taken a toll after a few nights, and the grumbling during our training sessions from sore muscles and hurting backs had made us reconsider our living arrangements while we prepared for the war. When Angela had stepped in and insisted she take Emersyn at night, none of us had complained. I thought the guys felt like they were being selfish for enjoying having me to themselves again, but the truth was, we were soon to be mated, and we needed the ability to be together without little eyes watching our every move. “Luckily, Emersyn loves Angela. I don’t know the logistics of extended families in matings such as ours, but she’s almost like a grandmother to Emy. Would it be selfish to ask her to raise Emersyn if something happened to us?”
“I don’t see why not, but that’s something we should discuss with Ryder. I know he’ll be grateful you’re thinking through the logistics that none of us want to ponder. I think we’ve all been through enough hardship to know we need to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best,” Hiro reasoned as he took a seat on the coffee table in front of me, leaned forward, braced his arms on his jean-clad knees, and folded his hands together. “If he’s amenable, we’ll approach Angela with the idea.”
The breath I released took some of my tension with it, and Killian slid his arm from the couch to my shoulders and squeezed lightly, lending me his support. “Thank you. I can’t stomach the thought of something happening to her. I’ve been in enough foster homes and I—” My voice hitched. “I never want that for her.”
Killian’s anger was palpable, but it wasn’t directed at me. It was all aimed at my past and the shit I’d lived through. He turned his nose into my hair and inhaled deeply, calming himself with my fragrance and the tingle of our mingling magic. “We’ll make the provisions, but we’re not going to need them in the end. We’re going to win, and we’re going to live happily ever fucking after,” he growled as though he could force that outcome through sheer will alone.
I tipped my head up and kissed Killian’s scruff lined jaw. “I know we will, but I won’t rest easy until I know everything is in order.”
“It’s a smart move,” Hiro agreed gently from his place in front of me. “But I agree with Killian. We will destroy the rest of the Council, and then we’ll go home.”
“Home.” I closed my eyes and pictured their house—the room they’d given me, the living room where we’d played Twister, the kitchen I’d spent countless hours cooking in with Damien, the backyard where I’d shifted for the first time. “I miss it.”
“Me too,” Killian confessed. “I can’t wait to get home.”
Behind us, the door open and closed as we spoke, and the addicting scent of ocean mist washed into the room.
“Are you talking about home?” Theo asked, and I nodded, focusing on him as he strode around the couch carrying a thermos and a handful of plastic mugs. “Damien told me where you all were, and I caught the edge of your conversation when I came in.” He smiled sheepishly and set everything down next to Hiro on the coffee table. “I brought these outside for you all, but I see you’ve moved to a warmer spot.” Theo’s cerulean blue eyes roamed over where I was cuddled against Kill, and he smiled softly.