Chapter 17
We got back to Manchester around nine that evening.
Silence lingered inside the car, and it felt as though, once we got home, everyone would disappear into their rooms.
To recover.
Mentally.
But that clearly wasn't Dwayne's style.
Determined to monopolize Lars's attention, he used the excuse that Airis and I would be leaving for Vuduarus the next day to throw a small private party.
Which, naturally, meant forcing the squad members to help him make pizza.
I would've bet good money that, for once, he was trying to impress—or maybe even amaze—Lars with his culinary skills.
His persistence amazed me every single time.
Dwayne got his heart broken often, yet he never shut himself off from new possibilities.
Unlike me, he wasn't afraid of disappointment.
And I desperately wished I knew how to be like that.
Standing on the rooftop we'd decorated for the party, I stared out over the cozy, occasionally chaotic streets of Manchester.
The smell of freshly baked pizza and tomato sauce drifted up from the kitchen downstairs.
And I couldn't believe I might have to leave this life behind.
Maybe forever.
I hadn't asked Airis about it.
I didn't want to hear an answer I might not be ready to accept.
But another part of me understood that my disappearance would keep my friends safe.
From Harold Moss.
Or from the other threat the Raars had warned us about.
My thoughts kept circling back to their words.
What if that other threat was even more dangerous than Harold?
“Cold?” I heard Airis ask.
A second later, he stopped beside me, his gaze settling on Manchester's nighttime skyline.
“I wouldn't even be surprised if it turned out you were warming the air around me.”
A quiet smile tugged at my lips.
Over the past few days, Airis had revealed an entirely different side of himself.
Beneath his cold exterior, he was the kind of person who felt like a warm blanket.
The kind who wrapped people in comfort without even trying.
The kind who made them feel safe.
Needed.
Important.
The kind who created a comfort zone that was dangerously difficult to leave.
And Airis had far too much in common with people like that.
Which was exactly why they frightened me the most.
Because there was always the risk of losing your head first—
and only afterward realizing you'd lost your heart, too.
“After everything I’ve learned about you,” Airis said, “I’ve only become more convinced that leaving you unattended is a dangerous idea.”
“And what exactly did you learn?” I asked, glancing briefly at him.
At the sharp line of his profile, illuminated by the moonlight and the fairy lights strung across the rooftop.
“That your close friend took part in illegal street races as a minor, that you and Gwendolyn are perfectly capable of burning down a garage—and someone’s artwork—in the name of justice after they betrayed Dwayne...” Airis listed calmly.
I clicked my tongue before I could stop myself.
“You can judge me all you want, but if I had the chance to change anything in my life, I wouldn’t.”
The comparison of Airis to a human blanket instantly vanished from my mind.
People like that weren’t supposed to get under your skin so quickly.
“I’m not judging you,” Airis replied. “I’m just surprised by how many secrets your life in Vuduarus holds. And by how much danger seems to surround you.”
“I can be dangerous too,” I admitted. “And if it weren’t for my friends, I would’ve proven that to the world more than once.”
After a brief pause, I added,
“The four of us are far from perfect. But at least we don’t pretend to be better than we are. We are who we are.”
Silence settled between us again, slipping comfortably back into its familiar place.
“You’ve got a pretty good punch,” Airis said, breaking the silence. “I didn’t expect you to know how to fight.”
“Gwendolyn taught me a few tricks,” I said with a shrug, realizing the smile on my face wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“But your techniques are different.”
“I always preferred the easier approach. Gwendolyn liked the harder one.”
Another pause followed.
This one felt different.
Slightly awkward.
Charged with something neither of us seemed willing to name.
After our conversation at my parents’ house—and my disappearing afterward—it felt like we’d somehow grown more distant.
Not that we’d had enough time to become truly close.
But I couldn’t call us strangers anymore, either.
“Hey, are you two planning on helping at all?” Dwayne called, interrupting my thoughts.
He was wearing a soft blue kitchen apron.
“I thought I shouldn’t interrupt your attempts to seduce Lars,” I said with a smile, turning fully toward him.
Dwayne clicked his tongue dramatically.
“I’m one hundred percent sure he’s into me, but he’s giving me absolutely nothing to work with,” he complained.
As he spoke, he kept glancing at Airis, clearly hoping for some kind of support.
“Stop whining already,” Gwendolyn grumbled as she stepped onto the rooftop carrying two bottles of rum. Mike followed close behind, balancing a large wooden board piled high with homemade pizza.
“We’re supposed to be celebrating Ria before she leaves for the magical world, and you still can’t put your love life on pause.”
“If you haven’t noticed, my love life is on life support right now,” Dwayne muttered, though he still helped Mike set the pizza in the center of the folding table.
Meanwhile, I moved the plates aside to make room.
“Easy for you two to say.” Dwayne looked from Gwen to Mike. “Your relationship is perfect. And Ria somehow ended up with a ridiculously hot mentor. What am I supposed to do?”
“I can always lend you the ridiculously hot mentor,” I said with a wink, pretending not to notice the cool breeze Airis directed straight at me.
Well.
That was new.
“We still haven’t completely decided whether this mentor can actually be trusted,” Gwendolyn declared, eyeing Airis suspiciously.
That caught me off guard.
I’d thought she’d accepted him almost immediately.
“He assigned you the best members of his squad. What more proof do you need?” Camille asked as she stepped onto the rooftop carrying a huge bowl of salad in one hand while pushing back her wild red curls with the other.
“And who exactly decided you’re the best?” Airis asked lazily as he walked over to the table, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Justin replied, carrying another wooden board loaded with pizza.
“He’s just too proud to admit it,” Lars added, arriving last with two bottles of tonic water.
“And you’ve all spent too much time living in Vuduarus,” Airis commented, nodding toward the rum bottles Gwen was already pouring while Camille took the tonic from Lars and began mixing the drinks.
“We spend more time here than in Istarus,” Camille said with a shrug. “Besides, it’s not like something exciting happens there every day.”
“Maybe we should all try relaxing for once?” Dwayne suggested, grabbing two glasses and handing one to Airis. “Forget you’re the boss for one night and loosen up a little.”
With an almost imperceptible sigh, Airis accepted the drink but made no move to taste it.
Then Dwayne handed me a glass with much less rum—exactly the way Gwendolyn had asked him to.
Everyone knew I got drunk ridiculously fast.
“I propose a toast,” Dwayne announced with a grin, somehow managing to look everywhere except at Lars.
“To new friendships.”
“And not just friendships,” he added. “To getting to know Noveris.”
I raised a brow and glanced at Airis.
I hadn’t realized he trusted them with something that important.
Without drawing attention to himself, he stepped closer until he was standing just behind my right shoulder.
While everyone else continued talking, Airis leaned down slightly and whispered near my ear,
“Why shouldn’t I trust them too, if you do?”
My glass nearly slipped from my fingers, but an invisible force—or, more likely, Airis himself—kept it steady.
Something warm unraveled inside me so suddenly it almost hurt.
Did Airis even realize what his words did to me?
“Cheers!” everyone called out.
Pulling myself together, I clinked glasses with the others.
I could feel the warmth of Airis's body just behind me while the cool drink burned its way down my throat.
“And now,” Dwayne announced, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes, “I suggest we become even more civilized and play board games.”
“And I suggest everyone try Dwayne's signature pizza before anything else,” Gwen interrupted, already reaching for a slice with a napkin. “You won't find better pizza anywhere.”
“And I didn't even have to pay her for that advertisement,” Dwayne grinned, though the faint blush creeping across his cheeks betrayed him.
I picked up a slice of pizza, placed it on a napkin, and held it out to Airis.
“Don't worry,” I said with a shrug. “Even if it were poisoned, I'm resistant to poison.”
“I never doubted that,” Airis replied.
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't stop watching him.
I was far too curious about his reaction.
With visible skepticism, Airis took a generous bite.
Almost immediately, I watched his eyes soften with genuine appreciation.
A quiet hum of approval escaped him.
Something inside me practically leaped with triumph, leaving me embarrassingly flustered.
I quickly looked away and reached for a slice of my own.
“Damn,” Justin muttered. “I'm ready to guard you people for the rest of my life if it means eating like this more often.”
I barely managed to hold back my laughter while Dwayne suddenly found everything around him fascinating—anything except us.
I exhaled softly.
My friends were wonderful.
And I had no idea what I'd done in a past life to deserve them in this one.
But I knew one thing for certain—
I would do absolutely anything to protect them.
To make sure they could live peaceful, safe lives.
Even if it meant leaving them behind...
For a while.
******
Once we finally finished cleaning up, I stepped back onto the rooftop to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything.
That's when I spotted Dwayne, Gwendolyn, and Mike sitting near the railing.
I walked over and joined them.