Huh.
It’s okay to Just. Be. Happy.
“Right now, there is nothing I believe more.”
A relieved smile breaks over Nix’s beautiful face, and he jumps up into Gideon’s arms.
He places the softest of kisses on Gideon’s nose, and each eyelid, and finally on his mouth like a benediction.
“Good, because I have plans for a Happily Ever After, and you may not know it, but you play a starring role.”
Joy bursts through Gideon at the words, and he has to swing Nix around before whispering, “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Jay honks the horn, and the world comes rushing back in.
The distant hum of vacuum cleaners and the clinking of glassware drift out from Connall’s front door—sounds Gideon hadn’t even registered until now.
He hadn’t noticed how the world had faded away, how time had stilled for just a moment.
Now that it’s all back—the noise, the movement, the rhythm of life—Gideon can appreciate the fleeting, quiet space they’d shared.
Just the two of them, caught in a moment outside of everything else.
Finn
The safe house—mansion, really—that Lauren had arranged for them was stunning.
Designed by a Were, it had been exactly what they needed after weeks of being shuffled from one temporary spot to another.
Even Finn, who prided himself on being flexible, had let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders sagging when he spotted the garbage bags stuffed with their nesting materials sitting in the foyer.
The moment they stepped inside, Luca had one of the bags open, burying his face in the familiar mix of laundry and blankets.
Within minutes, he was practically spilling the fragrant contents onto the marble floor in his eagerness to inhale the comforting scent of home.
Rowan, freshly shifted back to human form, had finally managed to haul him away and up the stairs to find the pack bedroom, while Grayson and Leo followed behind, hefting the bags up after them.
Jay had disappeared toward the back of the house with Nix hot on his heels—no doubt doing his habitual walk-through of every nook and cranny.
The sounds of pots and running water meant Gideon had somehow found the kitchen—and thank the Goddess, because Finn was starving.
Turns out that tackling a madman and sustaining a grade-three concussion could really ramp up a man’s appetite.
The concussion had initially brought with it nausea and dizziness, which had thankfully faded, leaving behind only a persistent headache.
The pain behind his eyes abates suddenly—the relief so abrupt it could only mean one thing.
There’s a giggle from overhead, and Finn glances upward to see Nix peeking over the banister at the top of the stairs.
There must be another set of stairs somewhere in the house.
Better?Finn hears over their mental link.
“Yes, thank you. How are you doing that?”
Nix throws a leg over the railing and, with a drawn-outweeeeeeeee, slides all the way to the bottom, landing with arms flung high in triumph.
