From the kitchen, I could hear Milo's gentle instructions as he tended to Zane's wound, their voices a low murmur of comfort and care. The scene was strangely domestic, a moment of peace in the chaos our lives had become.
Winter followed my gaze, a small smile tugging at her lips. "We're quite the team, aren't we? A werewolf, a half-fae, a necromancer, a bureaucrat, and whatever the hell I am now."
"Don't forget the inter-dimensional horror with jazz hands," I nodded toward Horrace, who responded with a musical chuckle.
Winter laughed, the sound easing some of the tension between us. "How could I forget? He's the most normal one of us all."
I found myself smiling in response, unable to resist the pull of her happiness even as my wolf continued to growl in discontent. This wasn't what I wanted—sharing her attention, her affection, with others—but for now, it was what I had.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Milo
Iwas tending to Zane's wound in the kitchen, trying to focus on the task at hand rather than the heat radiating from his skin. The magical injury had partially healed thanks to the antidote Winter had applied, but it still needed proper cleaning and dressing.
"This might sting a little," I warned, dabbing the wound with antiseptic. My fingers brushed against his bare chest, and I felt my face flush.
Zane watched me with those mismatched eyes, amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. "You're blushing, Necromancer."
"I am not," I lied, focusing intently on the bandage I was unwrapping. "It's just warm in here."
"Mmm-hmm," he hummed, not believing me for a second.
I leaned closer to inspect the injury, painfully aware of how near my face was to his chest. The wound was healing well, the magical poisoning completely neutralized, but it would still leave a scar. Another mark to add to his collection.
"You need to keep this clean," I instructed, trying to sound professional. "Change the bandage twice a day. No strenuous activity for at least 48 hours."
My hand lingered on his skin, my fingers forgetting their purpose as I felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my palm. I stopped talking mid-sentence, momentarily lost in the sensation.
"And?" Zane prompted, his voice dropping lower that sent shivers down my spine.
"And..." I swallowed, trying to remember what I was saying. "And, um, no getting into fights with werewolves in hallways."
Zane laughed, the sound rich and warm. "That might be difficult to avoid." His eyes sparkled with mischief. "Especially when I've got something worth fighting for."
My entire body went hot, from my neck to the tips of my ears. I was certain I resembled a tomato more than a person at this point.
"You know," Zane continued, his tone casual but his eyes intent, "for someone who can raise the dead with a snap of his fingers, you get flustered remarkably easily."
"Raising the dead is easy," I muttered, finally managing to apply the fresh bandage. "It's the living that complicate things."
"Speaking of complications," Zane caught my wrist as I finished with the bandage, his touch gentle but firm. "Did you mean what you said in the factory? About never being with anyone?"
I froze, mortified that he was bringing this up now, with Winter and Rook just in the next room. "Can we not talk about this here?"
"Why not?" His thumb traced circles on the inside of my wrist, sending jolts of electricity up my arm. "Are you embarrassed?"
"No," I lied again, then sighed. "Maybe a little."
Zane tugged me closer, until I was standing between his legs where he sat on the kitchen stool. "You shouldn't be. There's nothing wrong with waiting for the right person."
I couldn't meet his eyes, focusing instead on a point just past his shoulder. "It wasn't really waiting. More like no one was ever interested."
"Now that," Zane's free hand came up to tilt my chin, forcing me to look at him, "is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
Before I could respond, he pulled me against him and whispered in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. "Do you still want me to show you what you've been missing, like I suggested in the factory?"
