Valentin
When she steps out of the bathroom with Sylvan, the sight of her knocks the breath out of me. We told Sylvan to keep her distracted so we could clean the nest, and an hour later, he emerges with that glazed look in his eyes we’d all fight him for.
And Revea’s hair is down in soft, natural waves, freshly dried, wearing nothing but someone’s t-shirt. I don’t even care whose. She looks perfect.
She looks like ours.
She smiles at us as she surveys the nest.
“You cleaned?” Her smile gets wider when she looks behind and sees the giant projector that curves across the far wall. “There’s one in here too?!”
“Come, sit, carino,” Luc says, patting a spot in the middle of the nest. “It’s starting.”
She does so without hesitation.
The opening scene of a film I haven’t watched in years flickers to life. Luciano leans in close to Revea, whispering the lines before they’re spoken. She laughs softly, nudging him when he gets ahead of himself, but she doesn’t pull away.
She never pulls away.
Her feet are in my lap, my thumb traces slow circles over her ankle, enjoying her soft gasps when I hit the right spot, committing them to memory.
Kaiden keeps pulling her back against his chest whenever she drifts too far forward, like there’s some invisible line he won’t let her cross. She melts back into him every time.
And Syl—
I glance over.
He’s focused on a single strand of her hair, carefully detangling it, smoothing it between his fingers before letting it fall, only to repeat the process again. Completely absorbed.
“On a scale of one to ten,” he says suddenly, not looking up, “how would you rate your overall heat experience?”
Luciano snorts under his breath. “Hermano—”
“What?” Syl frowns slightly. “It’s useful data. If I’m going to improve the process, I need accurate feedback.”
Revea shifts, just enough that her toes press more firmly into my thigh.
“It wasn’t a process,” she says softly with a sweet smile. Sylvan pauses. “It was… perfect.”
Something in his expression changes, almost unnoticeable, but I see it.
“So a ten?” he clarifies, to which Revea laughs but nods.
She focuses back on the film, but we all look to one another, a small, satisfied smile lining Sylvan’s face. And that’s the moment I realise this is it.
She’s it.
I lean back to admire her again. Luciano continues to whisper the next line in Spanish, her lips curving, breathing steady, body loose. No trace of tension.
She trusts us.
All of us.
“She’s the one,” Luc murmurs through the bond.
I don’t answer. I don’t need to. Because we all know it. Feel it.
The bond hums so strong Revea casts a glance around the room.
Syl tilts his head slightly, studying her. “Would you consider a microchip for a courting gift?”
Luc freezes mid-whisper, turning to Kaiden who exhales against her shoulder.
“Too soon, Sylvan,” he says over the bond.
But rather than being appalled by the suggestion, Revea smiles, shrugging a shoulder. “I’m not saying no…” Sylvan sits up straight. “But maybe not right now, okay?”
Sylvan nods once, no doubt filing that away for future reference.
“Well, I guess now’s the perfect time for this…” Luciano reaches for something on the tray food beside him. Then presses a leather pouch into Revea’s hand.
“What’s this?” She frowns, a small, curious smile tugging at her lips, deft fingers already opening the pouch.
“Since you took away our chance to ask,” Kaiden murmurs, watching from over her shoulder, “we thought it was only fair we also give a courting gift.”
“Just in case the chip idea didn’t go down well.” Luc smirks, causing her to laugh.
But it’s cut short when she sees what’s inside. She lifts it out. The metal catches the light, polished, precise, perfectly balanced in her delicate hand. Her thumb brushes over the blade… then stills.
“Revea Monroe,” she reads quietly. She turns it. “Shear Instinct.”
For a second, she doesn’t speak.
Sylvan shifts slightly beside her. “They’re Japanese steel dipped in rose-tinted dye,” he says, like that explains everything. “Hand-forged. I reviewed twelve manufacturers before selecting those. The balance should reduce strain over prolonged use.”
Her expression softens, something deeper settling behind her eyes. My hand tightens around her ankle.
“My dad, Shea, bought me my first pair of shears…” she says quietly, and the bond spikes. “It was one of the last things he ever bought me…”
Kaiden looks between us. “We’re sorry, Revea, we didn’t know—”
“No,” she cuts in, raising her shimmering gaze to meet ours. “This is… They’re…”
She studies them again, fingers slipping into the finger holes that seem perfectly moulded for her. I’ve no doubt they are.
Sylvan studies her hands. “Do you want to try them?”
She smiles. “What, right now?”
“You’ve cut Kaiden’s hair,” he continues, like he’s following a perfectly logical thread. “I’ve been growing mine out. So have Luc and Val.”
“Thanks, Syl,” Luc mutters dryly.
Her gaze flicks between us, taking it in properly now. “You’ve all been growing it out? Why? I thought you preferred buzz cuts?”
“We did,” Luc says, with a casual shrug. “Until we realised longer hair means a longer haircut.”
“And more time with your hands on us,” I add in a murmur against her shin.
“You grew your hair out for me?” A quiet laugh slips from her, her head tilting as she looks between us. Her hand lifts, fingers brushing through Luc’s hair as a soft smile forms. “That’s… really sweet.”
He tilts his head into her touch. I find myself shifting up the mattress.
“Okay.” Her fingers slip away. “I’ll cut it, but not in here, not now… After?”
Sylvan nods but his eyes are locked on the hand that just ran through Luc’s hair. Mine too.
“Sí, please,” Luc says, gaze fixed on her face in what I can only describe as admiration.
“After,” I murmur as a steady heat settles in the bond.
Revea’s heat may be over, but she’s accepted our courting gift, and she’s still here, making plans for after.
She settles back against Kaiden once more, fingers running over the shears while Luciano continues his whispered rendition of the film I haven’t watched in years.
Not since our mamá passed away. But something similar settles in my chest. A feeling of warmth, of safety.
Of home.