Chapter 9
Kaia
My eyes open to sunlight.
Softer this time. Warmer.
My ribs ache. Not the stabbing kind—just a deep, annoying throb. I’m weak. But I’m not dying.
Good enough.
Mouse is glued to my side, purring hard enough I feel it in my bones. Bob’s guarding the foot of the bed like he’s expecting someone to burst through the door. The newer shadows have parked themselves against the walls—tense, but not freaking out.
So… that’s something.
I sit up carefully.
Pain. Manageable.
I can do this.
A knock at the door.
“Kaia?” Finn’s voice. Bright. Cautious. “You decent?”
“Define decent.”
The door cracks open and Finn pokes his head in, grinning when he sees me sitting upright. His chaos magic flickers around his hands—calmer than usual. More focused than frantic.
“Look at you,” he says. “Vertical and everything.”
He steps inside, smirking. “Kaia, I know you don’t need my help, but—”
“I can walk by myself.”
“Sure you can, Trouble. But have you seen Torric and Aspen? Big. Scary. Very stabby when people they love get hurt. So just… let me help before they invent new ways to kill me, yeah?”
My ribs disagree loudly.
He offers his hand like he already knows I’ll cave.
Fuck it.
I take his hand.
Carl darts forward, wrapping around Finn’s ankle. Bob yanks him back with a sharp tug, snarling.
Mouse huffs.
Finn glances down. “Your shadows have opinions today.”
“They always have opinions. I don’t ask for them.”
“Fair.”
We slowly make our way out of the room, while I try, and fail to keep my breathing even.
The stairs suck.
Every step pulls at my ribs. Finn sticks close—not hovering, just… around. Annoying. Helpful. Both.
“Survival Tip #368,” he mutters as we pass a creaky step. “Don’t come between a Berserker and their Valkyrie.”
“Is that what I am now?”
He glances at me. Grin softening. “You’ve always been theirs, Trouble. They’re just gonna be less subtle about it now that you almost died… again.”
We pass people in the hallway. We’re greeted with warm nods. Respectful glances. Kieran’s people. They know him. Trust him.
“You doing okay?” Finn asks.
“Yeah.”
“Liar.”
I glance at him. “I’m functional.”
“That’s what I thought.” He grins. “Progress.”
The smell of warm bread and something herbal drifts up. My stomach growls.
Finn nudges my shoulder. “See? Your body agrees with me. Breakfast fixes everything.”
“Does it fix almost dying?”
“I mean… it helps.”
The main room is bigger than I expected. Wooden beams. Sunlight through wide windows. A long table set with plates and cups.
And everyone’s there.
Torric and Aspen sit opposite each other, bracketing the table like bookends. Malrik’s got a clear view of the door—shoulders relaxed but his eyes land on me as soon as we walk in. Kieran sits near the head of the table, posture perfect even though I know he’s hiding bandages under that shirt.
And Darian.
He’s sitting opposite where I’m clearly meant to go. Between Torric and Aspen. Watched. But included.
He’s eating quietly. Head down. Not speaking unless spoken to.
The tension isn’t hostile anymore. Just… wary.
They’re being careful, I get it.
Finn guides me to the seat between him and Kieran.
Kieran’s posture shifts when I sit. Just barely. The smallest easing in his shoulders.
I move to sit—and suddenly my shadows converge at once.
Bob positioning himself like a bodyguard. Carl darting between my feet. Patricia’s notebook blazing. Linda hovering protectively. Mouse pressed against my ankles, purring hard.
The others follow from the corners of the room, clustering close like they’re all trying to help me sit.
It’s… a lot.
The table notices.
Torric’s mouth twitches—almost a smile.
Aspen’s ice-blue eyes soften.
Malrik watches with quiet fascination.
Finn grins. “Entourage.”
Kieran’s gaze flickers to the shadows, then back to me. Something unreadable in his expression.
Even Darian glances up briefly before dropping his eyes again.
I finally manage to sit and Torric slides a plate toward me like nothing happened. “Eat.”
“Bossy,” I mutter, stabbing a piece of bread.
“You’re still pale,” Aspen says. “You need food.”
Finn elbows me. Carl tries to elbow him back and hits the table instead.
“See? Told you. The twins will have my head.”
Malrik smirks. “Your breakfast plate is a disaster, Finn.”
Finn glances down at the chaotic pile of bread, eggs, and something that might be jam. “It’s organized chaos.”
“That’s not a thing,” Torric says.
“It is now.”
My shoulders loosen.
Just a little.
For the first time since we left the sanctuary, the group feels… almost normal.
The banter keeps going. Light. Easy.
God, I missed this.
Torric teasing Aspen about giving me his soup last night.
Finn cracking a joke about Malrik’s “resting disapproval face.”
Malrik pointing out that Finn’s shirt is on backwards.
Kieran watches silently. But there’s something softer in his eyes. Relief, maybe.
And Darian—
He eats slowly. Politely. Doesn’t speak unless spoken to.
But he’s here.
And no one’s shutting him out.
I set my fork down.
The sound is louder than I meant it to be and the table goes quiet.
Everyone looks at me.
My chest tightens. But I need to say this.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “All of you. For what you did.”
No one speaks.
“I should have listened. I pushed too hard. I was…” I swallow. “I was wrong.”
Silence settles—thick, real.
Malrik leans forward, voice low. “We know how badly you want to find Seren.”
The words hit somewhere deep. I shift in my seat. “You’re right. Just… not for what it cost us.”
Kieran’s hand lands on the table near mine—close enough I feel the heat coming off him. “We didn’t lose anything that matters, Kaia. We’re all still here. Still standing.”
I shake my head. “That’s not the point.”
Finn studies me—really looks at me. “That’s exactly the point,” he says quietly.
My breath catches.
Darian clears his throat. “I’ve never seen a group work so effortlessly together. Not without years of training.”
“Speak for yourself,” Torric mutters.
“He’s right,” Aspen says quietly. “You and I might have trained our entire lives. But not together. Not like this.”
Something in my shoulders loosens. I didn’t even notice I’d been holding that tight.
Kieran speaks again, steady and sure. “We’ll find her, Kaia. For you.”
I meet each of their eyes. Conviction. Unity. No hesitation.
Tears well before I can stop them.
“Is this a group bromance I’m not aware of?” I try—and fail—to joke.
No one laughs.
Finn’s hand lands on my knee. Warm. Grounding. Mouse nudges my ankle gently.
They’re with me. All of them.