48. Thayla #3
I’m honestly happier than I can express that over the years, they completely mended their friendship.
Granted, Iric says it’s trauma bonding between them from the damage the goddess did to the two of them.
I don’t push that subject, though.
They’re immortal. They’ll figure it all out, eventually.
The porch falls into a comfortable silence as my men and I are left alone. I sink farther into the swing as they all claim a place with me, stretching my blanket out until it covers them as well.
Kyzen settles beside me, his arm immediately finding its familiar place around my shoulders. Amick’s hand comes to rest on my thigh as both Creed and Riven reach over them to touch me.
Riven’s fingers disappear into my hair, slowly massaging my scalp while Creed’s hand settles against the back of my neck.
The steady rhythm of Riven’s humming drifts through the quiet night. Above us, the stars glitter endlessly across the sky. I smile.
“It still feels surreal sometimes, doesn’t it?”
No one answers my whisper of a question at first.
They don’t need to. Their souls and our bond speak a book’s worth of words with a single flutter.
“It feels like an eternity,” Kyzen says at last, his thumb brushing across the impression of the timepiece in his pocket that I gave him all those years ago. It still thuds to the beat of my heart. “Every second spent with you is better than the last.”
His eyes meet mine, warm and unwavering.
My, time has changed this man of mine.
He doesn’t shove his hands into his pockets anymore.
His gaze doesn’t grow distant. The sunsetter with a sword going through it that’s still tattooed on his heart—that could’ve been removed by a couple of beings now—doesn’t bother him at all.
If anything, it reminds him daily of how much he appreciates our time together.
Amick laces his fingers through mine and squeezes.
“I spent so many years searching for answers to so many different things. But you…still to this day, are my little anomaly. You’re my never-ending text, Mysenta.”
Emotion catches in my throat.
“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?” I ask.
A quiet, tender smile touches his lips, and I smirk at his adorable dimple. He doesn’t hide it from the realm anymore, but it’s still mostly reserved for me.
“It’s old Valorian with an Edistoia dialect,” he says. “It means my guiding star.”
My mouth parts, and he laughs low, rubbing my bottom lip with his thumb.
Creed lets out a soft breath beside us, stroking my neck in a soothing caress.
“Yeah,” he says. “Sometimes it does feel surreal.”
My gaze finds his.
“Not because I can’t believe we made it. I always believed we’d find a way. It’s everything that came after.”
A small smile tugs at his lips, and his thumb pauses beneath my ear.
“I didn’t take the time to stop and truly think about what was in store for us after. I focused on the task, the responsibilities, the realm as a whole. Not the little things.”
He glances toward the stars before looking back at me.
“This is what feels surreal. The hundreds of beautiful, peaceful, ordinary days strung together with the people I love. This is what I live for.”
Me too, my sweetling.
Riven chuckles quietly, still combing his fingers through my hair, and we each face him, knowing he’s about to break the loving moment with something maddening.
“You know what my favorite song is?” he asks.
I tilt my head and laugh low.
“You have thousands.”
“True, but I do have a favorite.”
My brow furrows as he closes his eyes for a moment, listening to the tune in his head.
“Your laugh when I tease and everyone else scowls. Your little hum when you’re reading and don’t realize you’re doing it.”
A grin pulls at my lips.
“The tiny sigh you make every night when you crawl between us in bed, and the way you whisper our names and say I love you when you think we’re asleep.”
I suck in a small rush of air. He opens one eye and grins.
“You snore a little too.”
My mouth gapes open.
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do.”
Everyone laughs, agreement clear in the smiles they’re trying to hide.
Riven’s softens.
“See?” He hums. “Every note you make finds a home in my heart. You are the song that I’ll always sing.”
A quiet laugh escapes me, and I wipe at the tears gathered along my lashes.
“I love you.”
Three simple words.
They’ve never felt big enough. Not for everything we carried. Everything we survived. Everything we’ve become. Every dream they’ve made come true.
The bond in my heart swells, and their souls wrap their love around mine. They don’t release their grips, and I savor the sensations as the porch swing rocks gently beneath us. The night air brushes against my skin.
Riven’s quiet humming drifts back through the silence.
Creed’s fingers continue to brush my pulse.
Amick’s hand holds mine, never letting me go.
Kyzen’s power keeps us in the blissful moment.
Above us, the stars continue their endless dance across the sky.
They always will.
New souls will arrive. Others will leave. Children will grow. Friends will become family. The realm will continue changing, just as it always has.
But them…
Four souls.
Four hearts.
The four greatest loves I’ll ever know.
That will never change.
They will always be mine.
And I will always be theirs.
The End