“I know you won’t.” He salutes her casually, to which she stands taller, snapping her heels down and standing at attention like a good little soldier.
My mouth drops open, and she just winks at me and follows Grayson out. I’m the last to leave the building, and when I finally make it outside, dumbstruck at how that all backfired so quickly, I find Grayson alone outside the building, waiting for me.
“What just happened?”
Grayson spins on me, and even if I was mad a minute ago, it’s all forgotten when he pushes me up against the wall. “I fucking missed you, mate. I can’t tell you what it did to me to have you gone.”
His lips crash onto mine. I want to be angry, but I’ve momentarily forgotten why. He holds me like that, and I melt into his kiss until a familiar red truck rumbles down the road. I scent Doc before I even hear him, and Grayson sighs, reluctantly letting go of me.
“I guess I have to share you now.”
He didn’t mean with my other mates, but that’s right where my dirty mind goes. And he knows it too, his eyes lighting up with mischief. “Later,” he promises.
And then I’m bombarded by my found family—starting with Doc and Hilde—and it takes us over an hour to make our way home.
It feels strange to be back. Like a lifetime has passed in only a few days.
Doc and Hilde walk us back through the heart where a dozen locals do their best not to overwhelm me with hugs. Grayson, sensing my exhaustion, sends everyone off, and we finish our walk back to the cabin just ahead, holding hands, not talking.
The anticipation of it all is almost too much. Just being home with Grayson and Orion again. Seeing Silas back in his old environment. Wondering how long he’ll stay.
I haven’t seen or heard Ghost since we last parted. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell Grayson who he is to me. I’m not sure why I don’t.
Grayson watches me intently, but says nothing, and I appreciate that. I can tell he has questions. Instead, he runs his fingers over my arm, then tugs my hand tighter. “I missed you, mate.”
A smile pulls at my lips. Like a curtain drawing back, a peek of sun shining through, it lifts my mood right along with it. “I missed you too, Grayson. So much.”
He sighs, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Grayson be unsure.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Around the bend, the cabin comes into view. We both pause at the same time. Taking in the structure, knowing what awaits us.
“We shouldn’t have left you,” he says finally.
I shake my head. “I don’t know about that, Gray. You did what you had to do. You couldn’t have known—”
“Couldn’t have?” he rasps, stepping in front of me, blocking my view of the house with his giant frame. “Fuckingshouldhave. Ishouldhave known. The witches were already on our land. I should have killed Stance. I should have stayed—”
“You can’t get lost in should-haves, Grayson. Regret is useless.”
He’s quiet for a moment, then lets out a harsh laugh, scrubbing his face. Then he wraps his arm around my shoulders, tucking me close. I breathe him in deeply. The cinnamon fire warms my heart.
“Kendrick said something similar to Orion the other day.”
“Kendrick?” I tilt my head up. “Everyone keeps talking about this guy. Am I going to meet him?”
Gray goes still for a moment. His expression shutters, but he shakes it off. “Yeah. Yes, you’ll meet him.”
I nod, just as the front door swings open. Orion emerges in faded jeans and a threadbare white t-shirt. His blond hair sticks up at odd angles, like he’s been running his fingers through it. When he breaks into that grin of his, I nearly melt.
“Firefly, you’re home,” he says with so much conviction it makes my heart squeeze.
“I’m home,” I agree. “Finally.”
He leaps off the porch and rushes closer, pulling me into a hug, lifting me right off the ground. My legs swing and I giggle into his chest.
“You smell so good.”
