Chapter 39
Nova
I don’t remember the last time I woke up wanting to stay exactly where I am.
I’m warm, but it’s not the burning kind. And it’s definitely not the fever that’s been crawling under my skin for weeks. Just… warm. Safe. Kyron’s arm is still around my waist, his chest pressed against my back, and for a long moment I just lie there, letting myself feel it.
His lips brush my shoulder.
“Hey.” His voice is rough with sleep. “We have to leave for the meeting in thirty.”
I make a sound that’s not quite a word.
He laughs softly against my skin. “I’m getting in the shower. You should start moving.”
His arm slides away. The mattress shifts as he gets up. I hear his footsteps cross the room, the bathroom door close, the water turn on.
I don’t move.
I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, feeling better than I’ve felt maybe in my entire life.
Last night.
Last night.
The way he kissed me—like he’d been holding back for weeks and finally let himself stop. The way his control cracked when I pulled him closer. The way he teased me before sliding my underwear down my legs, that smirk in his voice when he said “Are you sure?” like he already knew the answer.
The way it felt when he was inside me. The way he said my name.
And underneath all of it—this sense of rightness. Like I’d made the only decision that made sense. Like my body had known before my brain caught up.
I press my thighs together without meaning to. Heat pools low in my stomach—the good kind this time.
I didn’t know it could feel like that. I didn’t know I could feel like that.
I want to do it again.
The thought surfaces without permission and I feel my face flush. I want to do it again. Tonight. Tomorrow. Every night for the rest of my—
The others.
The thought cuts through the haze.
I slept with Kyron. In a house full of men who are all… what? Waiting? Watching? I kissed Locke on the porch. Trey in the living room. Kyron carried me through the door while I had my legs wrapped around him. And now I’ve—
They’re okay with it.
The memory surfaces. All those conversations I half-heard, all those looks they exchanged when they thought I wasn’t paying attention. The way Locke said “You don’t need permission to act on what you feel. Not with us.”
They know. They’re okay with it.
I take a breath. Let it out slowly.
Okay. Okay. I can do this.
I’m about to push myself up when there’s a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opens. Beckett.
“Hey.” I smile without thinking.
“Hey.” He steps inside, clothes folded in his arms, and then he stops.
His eyes move over me. Slow. Taking in the sheet pulled up to my chest, my bare shoulders, my hair a mess against Kyron’s pillow. His gaze lingers just long enough that my skin prickles.
Something shifts in his expression. Mischief. Like he’s just confirmed something he already suspected.
Oh crap.
I feel the heat climb up my neck.
“I can explain—”
He shakes his head, that almost-smile still playing at his mouth. “You don’t need to explain anything.” He crosses to the bed, sets the clothes on the edge. “You’re glowing. It looks good on you.”
My face goes hotter. I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips.
“Here.” He nods at the pile. “It’s the best I could find after what happened to your room, but we’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks, Beckett.”
He nods, his eyes holding mine for just a second longer than necessary—something warm there that I feel more than see.
Then he’s gone, closing the door softly behind him.
I sit there for a moment, sheet clutched to my chest, smile still on my face.
Okay. I can do this.
I get dressed quickly—soft gray joggers, a black t-shirt that’s definitely not mine but fits well enough. I can hear the shower still running as I slip out of Kyron’s room and head downstairs.
The kitchen is full.
Vaelor’s at the stove. Rane’s at the table with his phone. Locke’s leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee.
Nobody’s talking.
That’s the first thing I notice. The kitchen is never this quiet. Someone’s always bickering about something, or Rane’s narrating whatever he’s reading, or Vaelor’s humming while he cooks.
Right now? Silence. Like they are trying very hard to act normal. And failing, miserably.
I stop in the doorway.
Rane looks up first. His mouth twitches.
Oh.
Oh.
They heard us.
“So,” Rane says, way too casual. “Sleep well?”
My face goes hot. “Um. Yeah.”
Locke takes a sip of coffee. Doesn’t look at me.
“Loudly.”
Vaelor chokes on something. Rane’s grin cracks wide open. I want to sink through the floor.
“Oh my god.”
“Thin walls,” Rane offers helpfully.
“Very thin,” Vaelor adds, not turning from the stove.
“I hate all of you.”
“No you don’t.” Rane’s enjoying this way too much.
The laughter settles. I cross to the table and drop into a chair, burying my face in my hands.
Locke’s voice cuts through, softer now. “You look happy, Nova.”
I peek through my fingers. He’s watching me—something warm underneath the smirk.
“That’s what matters.”
Vaelor sets a plate in front of me. Eggs, toast, fruit. I look up at him and he’s smiling—that warm, steady smile that makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay.
“Eat,” he says. “We leave in twenty.”
Right. The meeting. The Nightmare Order conversation that’s definitely not just about the fire.
I pick up my fork.
At least today can’t get any worse.