27. Stellan
Stellan
The room smells like cooled coffee and nerves.
No one says it, but we’re all waiting for the same sound—footsteps on the stairs.
Seth sits at the counter, fingers drumming once against the wood before going still.
Jace perches on a stool nearby, spinning a knife between his fingers in that restless way he does when tension sits too heavy.
Zira leans against the wall, arms crossed, eyes fixed on nothing.
Theo’s silent by the window, Gray stands near him with his arms crossed, and Rhett stands near the door with his jaw set tight.
The breakfast plates are still scattered across the bar. The coffee’s gone cold.
We’re all bracing.
Then I hear it—her laughter, bright and unguarded, filtering down from upstairs. The sound fills the space like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, and for a heartbeat, the tension in the room eases.
Thane’s voice follows, low and softened in a way it never is around the rest of us. I can’t make out the words, but the tone is unmistakable—intimate, easy, the kind of closeness that doesn’t need an audience.
Bree appears at the top of the stairs, still laughing over her shoulder at something he said. Her hair’s loose, feet bare, and she’s wearing one of Thane’s shirts—sleeves rolled up, hanging past her thighs. For a moment, she’s just a girl in love.
I let myself believe it could stay that way .
She hits the last step and turns toward us, smile still bright. “Morning.”
Then she sees our faces.
The joy drains in a breath. Her smile falters, her eyes moving from one person to the next, reading the weight we’re all carrying.
“What happened?” she asks quietly.
The silence greets her first. Then the weight of what we have to tell her.
I’d give anything to keep that light on her face. But some truths won’t wait.
I clear my throat. The sound is louder than I mean it to be.
The others look at me—unspoken consensus that I’ll be the one to tell her.
“Nyx was here,” I say, keeping my voice even. “This morning. She came alone.”
Bree blinks. “Nyx?”
She repeats the name like tasting a memory she hoped was gone.
“Yes,” I continue. “She left a coin. Said she came with a peace offering. That she wants to talk.” I pause. “To you.”
Her expression shifts—confusion bleeding into disbelief, then settling into something calmer. Focused.
Thane appears behind her on the stairs, his hand settling at her lower back. She leans into the touch without looking away from us.
“A peace offering,” Bree says slowly, like she’s testing the words for traps. “From Nyx.”
“That’s what she claimed,” Zira mutters from her spot against the wall, arms still crossed. “I wouldn’t trust it. ”
“Peace offering, huh?” Jace spins his knife once more, then catches it. “Maybe it’s poison. Or coupons.”
Bree’s mouth quirks—half a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. But the humor lands, cutting through the tension just enough to let everyone breathe.
She steps fully into the room, moving toward Jace first. Her hand settles on his shoulder, squeezing once. “Thank you for making me smile when I probably shouldn’t.”
Then she turns to Theo, her fingers brushing his arm briefly. A grounding touch that pulls them all back together.
She steadies us without trying to. That’s what she does—pulls chaos into orbit.
She exhales slowly, then her expression shifts—softening into something more focused. Strategic.
“Zira,” she says, turning to face her. “I need intel on how to get back into the sanctuary and what it looks like now. Anything you know.”
Zira nods once, sharp. “I’ll tell you everything.”
Bree’s gaze moves to Jace. “Find out what provisions we can take from Mo. And how we can work off payment.”
“On it,” Jace says, already moving toward the back.
“Theo.” She looks at him steadily. “See if you can get a vision of what it looks like inside the sanctuary. Anything that might help us.”
He nods, eyes already distant with the weight of what she’s asking.
“Gray.” Her voice gentles slightly. “Can you shift and check the perimeter? Try to follow Nyx’s scent. Get an idea of where she went and make sure it’s safe.”
Gray’s jaw tightens, but he nods.
“Rhett, go with him,” she continues. “Show Seth how it’s done. ”
Rhett glances at Seth, then back at Bree. “Got it.”
Her gaze finds Wes next. “See how many Feeders in town are willing to make the journey to the sanctuary with us.”
Wes straightens, surprise flickering across his face before he nods.
Finally, she looks at Thane, then at me.
“Thane and Stellan, you’re with me.”
Her gaze sweeps the room again, landing on each of us in turn. Seth. Theo. Gray. Rhett. Wes. Me.
Then she squares her shoulders.
“We meet back here. We face it together,” she says, voice quiet but carrying weight. “No running. No hiding.”
I thought the crown would make her dangerous. I was wrong. It made her certain.
Rhett nods once, sharp and final. Gray shifts closer to her side without seeming to decide to. Wes exhales shakily but doesn’t look away.
Bree glances toward the counter where the coin still sits, humming faintly against the wood.
She exhales slowly, then looks back at us.
“All right then, back here in an hour,” she says. “Then we’ll see what the bitch has to say.”
The room breaks into motion.
Zira pushes off the wall, heading out of the room, phone in hand.
Rhett straightens, shoulders squared. Theo moves toward the coin with a frown, studying it like it might reveal something if he stares long enough.
Jace smirks like the world just got interesting again as he disappears in his search for Mo.
Seth crosses to the window and closes the blinds .
We move like a single thing. Not perfect, not polished — but together.
Whatever waits outside won’t find her alone.
The coin hums louder for a moment, then goes silent.
The air holds still, charged and waiting.
For the first time in a long time, I’m not afraid of the storm.
We are the storm.