I smiled again.
I heard her before I saw her. Soft steps in the hall. Bare feet on stone. My chest went warm in a way that had nothing to do with dragon fire. I turned toward the doorway without thinking.
She was wearing one of my shirts. It reached her knees, and the sleeves covered most of her hands. The fabric swallowed her, and it made me go very still. Seeing her like that could make me come undone.
“Hello,” she said, like she wasn’t wrecking me just by existing.
I crossed the room in three strides and pulled her into me. I kissed her once, quick and soft, more a promise than anything else. She gave me a shy,sleepy smile.
“You look like you belong here,” I said.
Caliban cleared his throat.
She glanced down at herself and flushed. “I’m sorry. I don't have any more clean clothes.”
Caliban waved a hand. “You look perfectly acceptable. Would you care for some French toast?”
Arthur blinked. “Why was I not offered French toast?”
Caliban ignored me with great dignity and handed her a mug. “Coffee.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking it with both hands.
Caliban turned his full attention on her. “Now. Tell me all about this adventure you went on with the alpha. I am currently attempting to determine which parts of Arthur’s account are plausible.”
She laughed brightly and leaned into me, fitting against my body just right.
I decided, in that moment, that whatever she said would be the truth.
I took the long way.
Canada fell away beneath my wings, all cold forests and open sky. I loved it there. The quiet. The way the land did not ask questions.
Artemis was warm against my back, hands clinching my scales, steady and trusting. Every part of me wanted to keep flying. To take her somewhere without schedules or doors orobligations. I wanted her with me. Always. The thought of not being beside her pressed sharp and physical behind my ribs.
But she had a life. A home. A job she had earned. Loving her meant honoring that, even when it hurt.
I landed in the clearing near her building and shifted. The moment my feet hit the ground, I pulled her into me. I needed to feel her against me.
“I don't want to leave you,” I said into her hair.
“I know,” she said gently. “But this isn’t goodbye.”
My body did not agree, but I nodded anyway.
We walked like that to her building and up to her floor, pressed together as if we were quietly daring the world to separate us. The city felt strange after everything we had seen. Loud, yet fragile and smaller than it used to be.
We had barely reached her door when Eloise’s door flew open.
“There you are,” Eloise announced. “I knew it.”
Artemis blinked. “What. You could sense me?”
Eloise waved a hand. “Intuition.”
Artemis tilted her head. “So, you’re a witch now?”
They embraced. I stepped back, watching them. This was her home. Her anchor. This mattered.
