52. Cato
Cato
The van rumbles through the forest, and the trees close around us like old friends. When we pull into the clearing and the village comes into view, a wave of relief hits me so hard I have to blink back tears.
My heart feels like it’s split in two. Half of it is waiting in the red moonlight of Elyra for me to return. The other half knows we’re home.
The dense canopy filters the evening sun into soft green light that almost burns my eyes after the warmer tones of Elyra’s sky. Plants and flowers grow everywhere, and after so long in the cold, the warmth and life are almost overwhelming.
The village looks exactly as we left it.
Laundry hangs between trunks, smoke billows from the cauldron over the fire, and the garden is in full bloom.
The only change is the new pen that’s been built beyond the greenhouse.
Boomerang serves as a lazy sentry outside the fence, lifting her head to examine us before returning to her nap.
Inside the pen, the two goats chew their cud in the shadows, with their weird rectangular eyes tracking our movement.
We park, and I’ve barely stepped out of the van before we’re swarmed.
Ego flings herself into my arms and Sakane joins the hug, muttering about how he thought he’d never see me again.
Bash and Xeni stand a little further back, and once the others release me, Bash pulls me into a tight embrace.
His arms are like steel bands around me, and I choke out a laugh when he lifts me off the ground.
“You reckless son of a bitch. I thought I might never see you again.”
I laugh and hug him back just as hard. “Missed you too, big guy.”
Aryn is suddenly at my side, shoving a hand against Bash’s chest. His tail curls possessively around my waist to yank me closer.
“That’s enough,” he says, posture tense.
Bash’s brows shoot up. “Whoa, Aryn. What the fuck?”
Aryn doesn’t let go of me, just sets his jaw. I can tell his instincts are fighting his logic. Most of him knows Bash would never be a threat, but the other part clearly needs to stake his claim.
“Hey,” I say softly.
Aryn stares at Bash for another long moment before his eyes climb to mine. He swallows roughly and shakes his head, trying to snap himself out of it. His pupils are wide, though, and his tail squeezes tight around my middle.
I huff a quiet laugh. “This is going to take some getting used to, isn’t it?”
Bash openly gawks while the others glance between us, unsure of what’s happening. I can’t say I blame them. My past is littered with revolving doors and no repeats, never even bringing a hookup back to my place in case they got attached.
But right now, the only thing that matters is the uncertain, confused way Aryn is looking at me, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself.
“Hey, darlin’,” I say, using the pad of my thumb to smooth away the worried crease between his brows. “What’s got that pretty face all puckered up?”
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs.
“For what?”
He tosses his head again, eyes helpless in a way that’s so unlike him it hurts my chest. “For being—”
I yank him forward and pull his lips to mine. The tension in his body loosens as he melts into my arms, kissing me back like we’re the only two people in existence. When we separate, he’s calmer, if a little sheepish.
“I’m sorry, Bash,” he says, holding my eyes. “For as long as we spent studying it, I wasn’t ready for how territorial the bond would make me.”
The group is silent as we turn to face them. Xeni’s eye widens, moving over our bodies until it lands on the red mark peeking out of my sleeve. “Wait…”
Sakane’s eyes get even wider. “You?”
“Hey, fuck you too,” I retort with a scoff.
Ego only stares, then bursts out laughing. “You two? Finally? Can’t say I didn’t see this coming a mile away.”
My face heats, but I lean into Aryn’s side, letting him pull me closer. “Yeah.”
Bash passes me a look that says a hundred things I understand without words.
There’s the concern he always carries, laced with worry about whether I’ll be able to handle this.
I give him a tiny nod, and whatever he sees in my expression makes him relax.
The smile that tilts his lips is genuine, and a touch relieved.
It softens the guilt that he feels about leaving me behind once Xeni came back into his life.
Bash’s eyes move to Aryn. “You’ll take care of him?”
“I swear it,” Aryn responds solemnly. Reflex pushes me to argue I don’t need to be taken care of, but the emotion in Aryn’s voice makes me fight the urge. Instead, I pull him closer as he rests his head on my shoulder.
Bash nods and glances at me again. “Did you behave?”
“Not a chance,” I say with a laugh.
Xeni crosses his arms and tosses his hair. “Okay, if the love fest is over, we need details. Surely this isn’t the most exciting thing that happened. You’ve been gone for almost a damn month.”
The rest of the village has gathered, and Sovran’s low conversation with Elas flows over the space between us. Just as I open my mouth to snap back and tell Xeni to be patient, the second van pulls through the clearing.
Everyone’s attention shifts to it as Ronan parks and exits. He opens the sliding door, and Ailynor and her guards step out. Shock silences the chatter.
“And who are they?” Xeni demands.
Ailynor’s eyes snap to him, and understanding washes over her face as she takes him in. Never thought I’d be in the position to protect Xeni, but Aryn and I both tense as she steps closer, shoulders back with that authority she can’t shake.
Sovran hurries over, likely sensing the same potential conflict. “Allow me to introduce Ailynor.”
Xeni’s brows flick together as confused murmurs come from the others. Ailynor sizes him up, glancing over his horns and hair before locking onto his eyepatch. “You look like your father.”
Xeni’s chin lifts in challenge. “I’ve always thought I was much prettier, personally.”
Ailynor’s eyes narrow. “Arrogant, too.”
“I have my moments,” Xeni says with a shrug. “But if you’re stepping into my home to accuse me of being like my father, I’ll stop you right there. I’m not him.”
“Watch how you speak to the Vaelor,” Baelith sneers from behind her.
Elas openly gawks. “The Vaelor?”
Xeni sizes Ailynor up, brows lifting ever so slightly. “You’re the one who tried to overthrow him.”
She smirks. “And you’re the one who killed him.”
Xeni huffs. “Job well done to both of us, then, I suppose.”
Her expression shifts to one that’s almost amused, and my guard finally lowers. “Wait,” Elas says, shaking his head, “we can’t just breeze past this information. This is the Vaelor? The Rebel Queen?”
She glances his direction with a regal nod. “I never did shake that name. You must be Elas. My son has told me all about you.”
“Your… son?” Elas responds, eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he glances toward Ronan at her side.
Ronan nods, giving Elas a soft look that he shares with few others. “So much has happened. We have a lot to catch up on.”
“Wait,” Reyes interrupts, shaking his head. “You mean to tell me you are actually royalty? Like you aren’t already cocky enough without it? Oh dear gods, we’re never going to hear the end of this.”
Ronan fights a smile as a few chuckles spread through the group, but when he spots Nyx, his face turns serious. He steps closer, resting a gentle hand on Nyx’s shoulder.
“There is much to share,” Ronan says. “We met so many amazing people.”
“People?” Nyx asks curiously.
“Family from a lifetime ago. New friends who helped us along the way. Even some curious little Drüinae, just like you,” Ronan teases gently. “They waited a long time to hear what happened to you.”
Nyx’s eyes grow enormous, already shimmering with tears. “My family?”
“Your family,” Ronan confirms. “Your sister served the best mushroom stew any of us had ever eaten. Can I pass along the hug she asked me to give you?”
Nyx’s entire face crumbles as he crashes into Ronan’s arms, allowing Ronan to swallow him into an embrace so loving I damn near tear up myself. Reyes gives Ronan a watery smile, his fingers running through Nyx’s long green hair in silent comfort.
Everyone is suspiciously clearing their throats as we try to give them some privacy. Sakane glances around at the new faces. “You brought the damn queen back with you?”
“We did,” Aryn says. “She needed to see this for herself.”
“What’s the world like over there?” Sakane asks. “Was it an adventure?”
Memories replay in my mind—the battles and swordfights, the creatures and landscape trying to kill us at every turn. Hanging over the edge of the world with nothing but Aryn’s grip to keep me from falling.
“It was the adventure of a lifetime,” I finally say. “The world is incredible. It’s beautiful and terrifying, and the people are…”
“Also terrifying?” Ego chimes in.
I shake my head. “Good. The people are good.”
The two of them exchange a surprised glance when my eye catches on a glint of light shining off Rhael’s hair.
He walks at the edge of the forest, running his hands over leaves and bark and staring up into the blue sky in awe.
I call his name, and he glances over before heading our way, moving in that ethereal way he has.
“This is Rhael,” I explain. “He’s here as a diplomat.”
“To do what?” Ego asks with a snort.
Rhael flashes her his most poised smile. “To build relationships between our people and yours, and to understand the differences between our worlds.”
“Rhael is also an artist,” Aryn says with a fond smile toward him. “He paints the human world based on what he’s read about it.”
“How does it compare to seeing it in real life?” Sakane asks.
“It is…” Rhael starts, but when he meets Sakane’s eyes, he sucks in a breath. A faint flush forms underneath the chains that drape across his cheeks. “It is gorgeous,” he blurts with wide eyes.
Sakane grins back and I snicker, though Bash kicks me in the shin and shoots me a glare. I clear my throat, ready to change the subject when Sovran speaks up.
“There is much we must discuss,” he says. “But first, our travelers need rest. It has been a long journey.”
Everyone agrees, and Ronan tells Ailynor they’ll set them up in the empty homes. The crowd disperses as I search for a short-statured Lindae.
“Sprocket,” I shout, glancing among the heads until I finally spot her sauntering over. She settles beside Ego, resting a hand on her hip and tucking a finger under her waistband.
“Find somewhere else to be tonight.”
Aryn chokes as Bash and Xeni laugh. Sprocket only lifts a brow. “I think I can manage that,” she says, giving Ego’s hip a squeeze.
“Damn it,” Sakane whines. “What about me?”
Rhael gestures between the buildings, then drags a hand down his braid. “Perhaps you could show me around the village?”
“Oh,” Sakane breathes, cheeks flaming as he smooths his hair. “Yeah, I could, uh, I could do that.”
If I wasn’t so ready to rest, I’d hang out longer just to watch the awkwardness, but instead, I wrap an arm around Aryn’s waist. “Come on,” I murmur against his ear. “You and I have a date with the shower.”