Evylin shook her head. “Blount doesn’t love me. He wants to use me.”
“What do you want me to say?” He shrugged. “Hewitt and I both have one aim: making you happy. Why is that a bad thing?”
She met his gaze with a strange adamance. “Maybe I don’t want to be the one everyone sacrifices for. Maybe, for once, I want to be the one taking care of you.”
Deckard frowned, confused by the sentiment. “So long as you’re happy, I have no needs.”
Slowly, a bewildered smile came to her lips. “You selfless idiot,” she whispered fondly. Then she stepped forward, rolled onto the balls of her feet, and kissed him. “I love you.”
“I love you,” he replied, slightly perplexed by her behavior. “Now, do you want to see your uncle or not?”
Her smile grew brighter. “I do,” she said.
“Come with me, then.”
Deckard led her a short distance forward until he found a good, secluded spot. They walked together to a giant, overgrown tree with dry roots where they could sit. The light was growing dimmer, but they were less than five minutes from the camp. Even if they stayed out for an hour, they’d easily find their way back.
Summoning Hewitt’s ghost took minimal effort. Deckard had grown so used to it over the past month that it was nearly second nature. He merely willed it, and the man was before them with his unruly beard, leather armor, and crossed arms.
“About bloody time,” Hewitt said, standing at the base of the tree across from them.
“Sorry,” Deckard replied. “Things got . . . messy.”
At his side, Evylin stared at her uncle, joy, sorrow, and longing all wrapped around her like thread around a spool. “You’re here,” she breathed.
Hewitt’s steely gaze landed on her, a soft smile on his lips. “And you’re here,” he said, gravelly tone softened. “I’m glad for that.”
Catching the shimmer of tears in Evylin’s eyes, Deckard took the initiative for her. “We have quite a lot to tell you,” he said.
Hewitt studied them, taking in their closeness. “You’re staying together,” he said more than asked.
Evylin let out something between a sob and a laugh.
“We are,” Deckard confirmed.
“While I hate to second-guess you,” Hewitt raised his brow, giving Evylin a pointed stare, “you have fooled me once. There’s no backing out, is there?”
This seemed to dry up Evylin’s tears. She straightened her shoulders. “Not that it’s any of your business,” she said sharply, “but no, there’s not.”
Hewitt turned to Deckard, brow raised. “No?”
Deckard chuckled nervously. “Certainly not.”
“Good.” Hewitt drew up then, giving them each a firm nod. “I’m glad to hear you’ve gotten your affairs in order. Now, tell me about this mess you’ve gotten yourselves into and why it’s taken you so damn long to talk to me again.”
Over the next long while, Deckard and Evylin explained the past several days. The sun set, casting the sky in a deep purple blue. The forest grew colder, and Deckard wrapped his arm around Evylin to keep her warm. They talked through their time as Renaul’s captives, their escape, their time with the Alliance, and their Bonding. Hewitt was wary of the concept of the Bond but accepted it readily enough. He wanted to meet Brea to ensure she was fit to train Evylin and Ethenn. He found Deckard’s revealed classification as a Space Mage uninteresting so long as it didn’t affect his ability to release him. When Deckard assured him that it would not, he went on to explain the process of summoning and releasing ghosts.
“I want to keep you around in the meantime, though,” Deckard said. “I’d like you to train Thom, Rafferty, and myself. Maybe Vayden, too, if he’d like to join. And I want you to spendas much time with Evylin as you can. I’ll have to be there, or at least nearby, but we only have a few weeks left, and I want to make the most of our time with you.”
Hewitt nodded, a rare smile coming to his lips. “I’m proud of you,” he said. “Of both of you.”
Deckard was surprised at how much the praise made his heart swell.
“I shouldn’t have this extra time,” Hewitt said. “I know that. The dead are supposed to be dead. But I am thankful for it, if only because I get to see you happy, my Evie. I get to see you live the dream you and Ryen shared. And to me...” He shrugged. “That’s worth everything.”
Evylin cried then, and Deckard held her since Hewitt couldn’t.
Once her tears dried, Deckard looked up at the ghost. “Would you like to come back with us?” he asked.
