My eyes widened as more connections took hold. Luca lifted me up in a tight embrace. “You’re like the Cowardly Lion. Except far from cowardly but just as scary at first. Then I got to know you, and you ended up being the sweetest of all,” I exclaimed.
He gently put me down, brows raised. “Are you not well, my little dragon? Perhaps this is not a good time to be leaving.”
I patted his arm, grinning wide. It was all silly, but it was helping me not cry. “No, this all just reminds me of a story from my realm.”
I turned to Yosef, who stood with his arms limp to the side, eyes unusually expressive with curiosity. I stood in front of him and then spread my arms. “Come here, my Tin Man. I thought you didn’t have a heart in the beginning, but I was wrong. And I’m thankful for that. It was your heart that ended up saving me. Saving us all. And I sound so corny.”
He shook his head slowly, wrapping his arms around me. “Tin Man?” He kissed my cheek. “You are kind of warm, maybe you should stay another night.”
I reluctantly pulled away. “No, I’m being silly. All I’m missing is my dog, Toto.”
Yosef frowned. “You came with a dog? Why didn’t you say anything?”
I began to laugh, knowing I had to look unstable, but I didn’t care.
“So, who’s the Scarecrow?” came a familiar voice from behind me.
My heart leaped to my throat as excitement and joy flooded me. He was back. And he knew all my references. “You. And I don’t care what anyone says, you do have a brain.”
I turned and ran to Xander, practically tackling him to the ground. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who says I don’t have a brain? Tell me. I’ll kill them.”
I shook my head and then pressed my lips to his, kissing him so hard I lost my breath. His arms tightened around me, and I inhaled the scent of him. I would miss this man. I would miss them all. Could I really leave? Maybe the messenger idea was good enough. No, I had to go home and at least settle my affairs. I had to trust their war would end soon.
I moved away from Xander, not looking at his face. “What made you change your mind about letting me go?”
He grabbed my hand, looking down at our joining fingers. “Because I’m not letting you go.”
I gently pulled my hand away from him. I could not have this right now. He was going to still make this difficult. “I have to go, Xander. You know that.”
He nodded, a mischievous smile on his face. “I’m going back with you.”
My heart jumped. What was going on? I looked over to Yosef as if he would have the truth because Xander had surely snapped and lost his mind.
Yosef crossed his arms, cocking a brow. “He’s telling the truth. We wanted to surprise you. We got approval from the court early this morning.”
Luca puffed out a sigh. “I lost the coin flip.”
I spun around, confused. “Wait, huh?”
Xander snorted. “I convinced them to let me search for any Nodoorians in the human realm as well as taking out their allies. Also, to build an alliance with your people. The court realized that not all humans from your realm are a waste, thanks to you. We already have some soldiers in your realm, so I have people I can join. This also allows me to protect you in case anyone comes seeking revenge for Nigel.”
I wanted to argue that I didn’t need protecting, but I didn’t care, really. Having Xander come back with me felt like a miracle. I was soaring inside.
I clapped my hands, doing a two-step, and this time I did cry, but they were happy tears. I looked to Luca and Yosef. “Are you coming, too?”
They each shook their heads, eyes still radiating sadness. And just like that, my excitement paused.
Luca gave me a lopsided smile. “We need to stay here and fight.”
Yosef rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the portal space. “Let’s open the portal. Take care of our mate, Xander. Your bond is indirect but still there. We know that from the healing, so support each other if you start to feel weak from being away from us.”
We both nodded in silence, the mood going solemn again. They weren’t leaving with me. Xander was better than nothing, but it didn’t lessen the hurt.
“Keep the fight going on the other side, brother,” Yosef continued.
Xander gave a salute just as the portal opened behind us.
I turned to look at the mass of swirling, colorful lights against a backspace of darkness. It looked like the milky way. It was beautiful and a bit terrifying.
