Page 179 of Moon Chosen

“How is this possible?”

“Moon magick and Nik refusing to take no for an answer,” Mari said simply as she rebandaged the injury.

O’Bryan reached out and took her hand. “I owe you my life.”

“Then make it count. Be kind. Be truthful. And most of all, don’t ever harm an Earth Walker.”

“You have my word on that,” O’Bryan said. Then he grinned, looking like his old self. “Nik didn’t tell me you were so pretty.”

Nik watched Mari’s cheeks flush pink. Then Rigel padded up to them, sticking his nose in O’Bryan’s face and making them laugh.

“It’s the pup! It’s so good to see him.”

“His name is Rigel,” Mari said, shooing him away gently. She met Nik’s eyes. “You should carry him back now. He’s going to need a lot of rest.”

“Carry me? In front of a girl as pretty as you? I’m not dead enough to be okay with that—or at least now I’m not. Help me up, Nik.”

“Cuz, I don’t think—”

“Well, I know you don’t always think, but maybe you should keep Mari from knowing that for at least a little while longer,” O’Bryan teased, which made Mari laugh softly.

Nik sent his cousin an exaggerated scowl, but his heart was filled with happiness. “Fine. It’s your leg and your pain. You know if you fall down those stairs and break it I’ll just have to carry you back up here—in front of Mari—so she can fix you up again.”

“Stop being such a worrier!” O’Bryan said.

He and Mari together helped O’Bryan stand, and then, leaning heavily on Nik and moving slowly and carefully, they descended the stairs with Mari and Rigel following them.

“O’Bryan! By the Sun’s glory, you’re alive!” Sol rushed to them, enfolding O’Bryan in a hug.

They stood there like that, Nik, his father, and his beloved cousin, linked through touch and love and gratitude, because of a girl who shouldn’t have been born. As he gazed at Mari, Nik felt his world shift, expand, and change irrevocably.

“He needs to lie down,” Mari said quietly, breaking the spell that surrounded the four of them.

“Of course—of course,” Sol said. “I’ll lead, just like on the way here.”

Nik nodded and told O’Bryan quickly, “We snuck Mari in. We didn’t have time to answer Tribe questions. It was too close with you.”

“Bloody beetle balls, I almost died, didn’t I!”

Nik shook his head at O’Bryan’s excited tone. He and Mari exchanged a look, and she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, you almost died. Nik really should carry you back,” Mari said.

“As usual, Mari’s right,” Nik said.

O’Bryan snorted. “No chance of that, Cuz.”

“The three of you stop chattering and follow me,” Sol said.

Barely suppressing relieved laughter, the three of them did as Sol commanded.

None of them noticed the figure in the shadows who slowly, stealthily, followed, too.

***

Mari made sure the hood of her cloak was pulled securely around her face and Rigel stayed close to her and quiet, but she couldn’t help feeling light and almost giddy with happiness as she waited in a shadowy alcove outside the Transition nest for Nik, Sol, and Maeve to resituate O’Bryan within. The Tribe’s Healer hadn’t returned, but the consensus was that she would be making rounds soon, so Mari waited outside. And she did so happily. The city in the trees fascinated her. She wished it was day, and she could see everything—explore everything. For just that moment Mari allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to live in the sky among such beauty—to be accepted as Leader and to have a life that wasn’t filled with struggle and Night Fever. She thought about Nik’s eyes on her as she’d danced her name and drawn down the moon. It had seemed as if he’d looked within her and glimpsed her spirit.

The wind, which had picked up noticeably, whipped around Mari, making her shiver even as she enjoyed the sounds of the Tribe’s chimes and bells tinkling in time with the elements.