"What the—"
"You okay?" Asher asks, already scanning me with that hyper-focused gaze.
I nod, still catching my breath. "Yeah. I think so."
"Flat tire," Kayden calls, already out and circling the car.
Asher jumps out next, and I follow, stepping onto the gravel.
"You don't have a spare in the trunk, do you?" Asher asks, already sounding like he knows the answer.
Kayden scratches the back of his neck, sheepish. "I… might've forgotten to put it back in after the last time."
Asher's arms cross. "I had a spare. Inmycar."
"But it's not here," Kayden says with a shrug and a grin.
"No. It's not," Asher replies flatly.
"What do you want me to say?Oops?" Kayden grins wider. And for a second, they're just brothers. Bickering like humans do. No blood, no fangs. Just mutual irritation and mileage.
Asher exhales sharply and pulls out his phone. He steps away to make a call, calm and efficient as usual.
I lean back against the car with a sigh. Of course there's a delay. There always is. The universe seems committed to keeping me from getting where I need to go.
Kayden ambles back over, a familiar mischief in his eyes.
"Looks like we've got time to kill. How about we do something productive, nymph?" He nods toward the trees. "Maybe grow a new grove. Plant some tension relief."
I give him a flat look.
When he leans in, I swat him. Not hard, just enough to make a point.
"No, thank you. And you, sir, are on official time-out."
He smirks. "Not the first time. Won't be the last."
He leans against the car beside me, smug and unbothered.
Asher returns, slipping the phone back into his coat. "Someone's bringing spare tires. They'll be a while."
He settles on my other side, all composed calm, one shoulder against the car.
And just like that, the three of us stand there in a row. The sky overhead is a dull, cloud-washed gray, early March chill stillclinging to the air, but the wind's gentle today. The forest is quiet. The road is empty.
And for once, nothing feels urgent. No one's chasing me. No one's bleeding. It's still. Like we're just... people.
Two vampires. One runaway nymph. Waiting for roadside assistance. I start chuckling. Then laughing. The kind of laugh that bubbles up when you least expect it and just takes you.
Both brothers look over—Asher's brow raised, Kayden visibly intrigued.
"It's just—" I gesture around us, still laughing, "look at us. This is absurd. A nymph and two vampires, stuck on the side of the road like we're in a car commercial gone rogue. It's so… normal."
Asher's lips twitch into a smile. "Supernatural life has its mundane moments."
Kayden snorts. "Yeah, well, nobody's making a reality show out ofthis."
And somehow, we're all laughing then. Not a sarcastic laugh, nor a defensive one. Something lighter. Something like peace. Even if it's just for that moment.
