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“I know.”
“Youaremy sister.”
Ruth closes the distance between us, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. And the rest of our words are muffled by the other’s hair. Statements like,I’m sorry, I love you, I’m glad you’re better now, thank you for staying with me.
And then a pair of arms circles around us. I see the burns on his neck as Niles makes this a group hug, humming his approval that we made up.
“Niles! Let them have their moment.” Chekiss. It’s always Chekiss scolding Niles like a child. Ruth and I giggle.
“They practicallybeggedme to join in,” Niles argues.
“Uh. No, we did not,” Ruth mutters against my shoulder.
“Shhh.” Niles pats the top of Ruth’s head. “Don’t ruin the moment.”
Everyone takes a seat around the fire, getting comfortable as the sun begins to set. The fall air drops to a chilly temperature, not cold, but low enough that we all lean into the warmth of the fire.
DaiSzek trots back to us, looking curiously at our new audience.
“I haven’t seen black beastie since…” Niles trails off. And by the glazed look in his eyes, I’m there with him. In the sand. The burning pikes. DaiSzek locked in the cage. Niles’s screams surround me. A hollow sound that bounces off the trees, spinning in the air over my head. I wince, placing my hands over my ears, careful not to draw attention.
But DaiSzek’s cinnamon eyes lock on Niles, redirecting his path to him. Paws sinking into the soil. Head lowered in a nonthreatening approach. Niles stiffens, looking between Dessin and me for help. I nod encouragingly, and DaiSzek lowers himself to the ground, carefully laying his fat head in Niles’s lap.
“No. Fucking. Way.” Niles is starstruck, mouth hanging open, eyes glued to the black fur tickling his legs. He looks up at us like this might be a mistake, like, at any moment, DaiSzek might realize he accidentally rested his head on the enemy. And,naturally, he’ll rip Niles’s face off.
Ruth smiles, cooing at the interaction. “He must like you now!”
But Niles is still sitting with his back straight as a rod, unmoving, unblinking, and unwilling to make a sound.
I spit out a laugh. “Pet him!”
“Uh, no thanks.”
As if DaiSzek has sensed the fear seeping from Niles’s pores, he licks the burns on his hand, slow, intentional motions meant to show us that he is not a danger to the man who saved him from the cage on the beach.
Niles releases a breath. His face drooping at the contact. It takes him a moment to process, but his hand finally reaches down to stroke the top of DaiSzek’s head, softly combing through his shiny fur.
“Now that we’ve wasted a portion of my life ogling at Niles and DaiSzek, we should discuss what comes next.” Dessin doesn’t fail to steal the magic from the moment like a little monster that sucks the fun out of everything.
Honestly, I’d rather not think about what comes next. I’ve been through the wringer, and I took everyone through hell with me. I want nothing more than to enjoy the company of my family. No talk of war. No talk of Vexamen.
“Demechnef probably knows I’m alive by now. Aurick would have had Skylenna followed.”
I nod. I definitely was followed. But they kept their distance, so it didn’t bother me too much.
“They’ll give us a little time, but not much. And I’ve been thinking…” Dessin gives me a sidelong glance. “We’ve been warned that there’s going to be a great war soon. And judging by the way the colonies were all so invested in Skylenna and me, I think it’s a safe bet that we’re important to ending that war.”
“You’re suggesting that we work with Demechnef.” My annoyance with the proposal isn’t masked. Why would I want to work with the people who ruined my life? Who ruined the lives of us all?
“Not exactly,” Dessin says, turning to face me. “I’m suggesting we force them to workforus.”
Warrose snorts. “And while we’re at it, let’s outlaw the lady-doll regimen and ban the oppression of our women.”
“Skylenna is different now. She has the ability to uncover any weakness. Theoretically, she could even figure out what Judas’s purpose is in all this. He is the one that warned us about the war after all.”
I want to smile at Dessin’s confidence in me. It’s always been the other way around. We’ve relied on him for everything.
“You think I can change the power dynamic?”
