Chapter 29
I’m not even jealous.
Okay, I’m not that jealous that Bhodi made Malia scream the palace walls down. Twice. I’m just…miffed that I didn’t think to gatecrash her shower.
When the pair of them appear in the living room, fresh faced and even more freshly fucked, a hint of pale pink blush colouring Malia’s cheeks, I can’t help but grin.
“Good morning, Mai-Tai. Sleep well?”
“Great thank you.”
“And your shower?”
Her blush deepens. “Amazing.”
I chuckle and pat the seat beside me. “Good. Come here.”
I love that she doesn’t hesitate to join me, but the second she sinks into the plush couch beside me, I change my mind. Grabbing her carefully, I pull her onto my lap and wrap her in an enormous bear hug.
She giggles for a moment and then melts into my embrace. I take a deep breath and relax.
She’s here. She’s safe. She’s back where she belongs.
And I plan on never letting her go again.
“I missed you, Mai-Tai.”
“You too, Cove. So much. Waking up not dead was great and everything, but when I realised it meant maybe not seeing you all again, it felt like a crueller punishment than death,” she confesses with a sniff.
I stroke her hair and hold her tighter.
“Not gonna happen,” I vow. “A world where we’re not together doesn’t exist, Mai-Tai.”
“That’s what I told her,” the prof says, coming into the room with Reef, wheeling a trolley loaded with breakfast goodies.
“Oh my god, that smells amazing,” Malia breathes, scrambling off my lap and rushing over to investigate what’s on offer.
“And not a nut or an olive in sight,” the prof jokes. The pair of them laugh and I raise my brows, wanting in on the joke.
“Let’s just say we did a lot of foraging in the other world,” Malia explains.
“If I never see a fig again in my life, it will be too soon,” the prof adds.
I chuckle at their banter, grateful for the lightness and normalcy of the moment.
“Oh my god, is that bacon?” Malia squeals.
We all laugh.
As Bhodi pours out coffee and fruit juices and we gather around the trolley and help ourselves to the delicious spread that the prof and Reef have prepared, I can’t help but steal glances at Malia. She looks beautiful as ever, but also different somehow, her eyes holding a newfound spark.
We all dig into the delicious breakfast spread, and a sense of contentment washes over me. The familiarity of our little group banter, the laughter that fills the room, it all feels like coming home after a long journey.
Malia looks radiant as she devours a bacon sandwich, her eyes sparkling with happiness. It’s moments like these that make me grateful for every breath I take, for every heartbeat that keeps me going.
Reef catches my eye and gives me a knowing smile. We’ve been through so much together, faced countless dangers side by side, and yet here we are, alive and well, enjoying a simple meal in the comfort of our safe haven, with the ones we’d thought we’d lost forever.
The professor raises his glass in a silent toast, his gaze lingering on each of us in turn. There’s a silent understanding between us, a bond forged in fire and tempered by the trials we’ve faced together.
Once we’ve eaten and cleared away, it’s time to make a plan.
“So…” Malia tentatively breaks the silence. “What now?”
“We need to find out who the traitor is,” the prof replies. “And discover what the Shadow Legion’s imminent plans are, try to work out which Council members, if any, can be trusted, and come up with a plan of attack for keeping the Shikari out of Aerwyna.”
“Simple,” Bhodi quips sourly.
“I’m probably forgetting other things,” the prof adds with a nod. “Reef?”
“Probably,” I cut in. “It’s already a lot though. At least we have all of our memories back. It should help.”
Reef nods, his brow furrowed in thought. “We should start by gathering all the information we have and see if there are any patterns or connections we’ve missed,” he suggests.
Bhodi leans back in his chair, rubbing his temples. “I’ll track down some of my contacts in the underground network. They might have heard something useful.”
Malia frowns, her mind clearly racing with possibilities. “What about me? I want to help but I don’t know what I can do.”
“It’s not really safe—” the prof begins.
“None of us are safe. But you’re not all planning to hide away in a palace, so why should I?”
We exchange nervous glances. Will the prof tell her?
“Malia, you already died once,” he begins softly.
“I didn’t die.”
“It hurt like you did,” I whisper.
The fierce determination etched on her face softens for a moment before returning. “Vance died too.”
“And I almost died,” Bhodi pipes up.
“What?” Malia whirls on him.
“Helpful, dude,” I snark at him, curling my lip and shaking my head.
“Let’s not get off track,” Reef says hastily, trying to regain peace. “We’re all here now and that’s all that matters. But we want to keep it that way, which means being extremely careful. I think, where possible, we should stick together or at least operate in pairs, and someone should stay with Malia at all times.”
“I’m not being held prisoner here!” She shouts, surprising us all with her outburst. “I don’t care how fancy this place is, I’ve spent too much of my life trapped to go back to living like that!”
I lay a hand on Malia’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. “No one is suggesting that, Mai-Tai. We just want to keep you safe. We’ve all been through too much to risk losing each other now.”
Malia takes a deep breath, visibly trying to collect herself. “Sorry. I know, Cove. I’m sorry, it’s just hard. I don’t want to be a burden or a liability.”
I grimace, knowing only too well that Malia’s been made to feel like that her entire life, and hating that we’re close to doing the same.
“You’re not,” Reef chimes in, his expression softening. “You’re an important part of this team, Malia. And we need you with us.”
The professor nods in agreement. “Reef is right. We wouldn’t have come this far without you.”
Malia smiles gratefully at them, her eyes shining with determination. “Okay, I’ll stay close and be careful. But I still want to help in any way I can.”
“We wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” Bhodi says with a smirk, lightening the mood. “And I can think of a way or two you can help.”
Malia smacks him with a cushion, laughing. “Pig.”
“Yeah but I’m your pig, and you love me.”
“Ugh.”
As the banter continues, a surge of warmth fills my chest. Despite the uncertainty looming over us, this camaraderie and shared humour acts as a shield against the darkness threatening to seep in.
After the levity settles back into a more serious discussion about our next steps, we delve into the details of our plan. It’s clear that each of us holds a crucial piece of the puzzle, and only by working together can we hope to unravel the mysteries that surround us. The professor’s eyes gleam with determination as he outlines our tasks, his intellect a guiding force that inspires confidence in all of us. Reef’s steady presence reassures me, his analytical mind already piecing together clues that had eluded us before. Bhodi has already reached out to his underground contacts and I’m left wondering what I can do.
Stay with Malia and keep her safe I guess.
Looking at her laughing with Bhodi, it feels like I got the best deal.