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“Sure,” I teased again, my voice low with amusement. I let my gaze sweep over her one last time before tugging us gently away from the bed.

Leading us out the door, I tried, really tried, to leave the heavy tension behind. But in that short hallway, it followed us like smoke, clinging to my skin and pulsing in the air around us. Every step was a reminder that desire didn’t switch off just because you walked away from it. And from the way she looked up at me, her eyes wide and soft like a startled doe, lips parted just slightly, I knew she felt it too.

Grinning down at her, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Trying to ground her. Ground us both. When we turned the corner and reentered the main room, Kleitos and Martha were still curled into each other, just like before. It stirred a flicker of suspicion in me, something I didn’t have the capacity to unpack just yet.

Arianna sat in one of the spare chairs, and Bomani rested beside her in his human form. The two were mid-conversation before all three pairs of eyes suddenly snapped toward us.

And just like that…

Three knowing expressions.

“I hope you found my spare room,” Arianna snickered, her eyes scanning both our faces with far too much amusement. “Because if you went into my room with all that heavy breathing back there, I swear I’d have to fight you again, Alex.”

Raising a brow, I ignored the not-so-subtle jab. “Spare room?” I asked, folding my arms. “You mean to tell me you had an actual room available, and had me sleeping on a floor palette?”

Arianna gave a casual shrug, the smirk tugging at her lips unrelenting. “If it’s any consolation, I did let Martha and Mark use it first.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course she had. Back then she was still calling me bastard king and watching me like I might explode into flames at any moment. Trust hadn’t exactly been on the table yet.

Kleitos chuckled quietly to himself at our exchange, at least until Arianna mentioned Mark and Martha sharing a room. His body stiffened subtly, his brow furrowing just enough for me to notice. “Alright, give the poor boy a break,” Kleitos said at last, his voice smooth but tinged with something else. “I’ll go lay Martha down so she can sleep.” My mother still rested peacefully in his arms, her head tucked into his chest, her legs draped comfortably across his lap. His hold around her was effortless, one arm hooked beneath her knees, the other wrapped around her waist.

With barely a sound, he rose from the couch, her sleeping form cradled gently against him, and walked past us toward the back room.

Bomani rose from the floor, his massive frame unfolding to full height. No matter how many times I saw him shift back into a man, it still surprised me how huge he truly was. Thick bands of muscle wrapped around his arms, shoulders, and torso like living armor. He placed a steady hand on Arianna’s shoulder as he passed, then approached me and Valentina. “For your first real fight,” he began, “you didn’t get to do much, but the way you held your ground before everything went sideways? You did well. You carried yourself like a leader.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly with interest. “I’m curious about that glow from your chest. I don’t think I’ve ever come across anything quite like it.”

He reached out and placed his hand over the spot where the light had bloomed. The moment his palm brushed against me, that low hum, one I’d been trying to ignore since it started, flickered to life again. It was subtle, but insistent, like it recognized the energy in him and wanted to rise to meet it.

I forced the feeling down, burying the pull deep inside me. I wasn’t ready to unpack whatever that was. “You and I are in the same boat,” I said honestly. “I have no clue what it was either.”

Footsteps approached from behind, and a hand rested gently on my shoulder, squeezing with quiet reassurance. Warm breath rolled against the back of my neck, drawing my attention. I turned to see Kleitos standing behind me, his expression calm. Valentina turned with me, her focus shifting to him as well.

His gaze met mine with a soft, knowing smile. “Well,” he said, “you won’t be in the dark about that much longer, son.” Kleitos hand rose to the red mark around his eye, the one I’d once mistaken for a burn. He touched it gently, tracing the edge with his fingertip before letting his hand fall. He looked around the room, his eyes settling on each of us with quiet gravity. Then he sighed, turning back to me. “I never thought I’d be showing this room what I’m about to show you,” he murmured, mostly to himself. The disbelief in his voice didn’t dull his certainty. He wasn’t unsure, just surprised it was finally time.

“Show us what?” I asked, watching him carefully, refusing to break eye contact.

Kleitos closed his eyes. A stillness swept over him.

Then the air shifted.

A breeze stirred from nowhere, rustling through the cottage and flickering the fire in the hearth, until it extinguished completely. Warmth vanished with it, leaving the room draped in a chill, save for the body heat we shared. The energy around him changed. Subtle at first, then undeniable. His body began to vibrate, fast enough to blur. So faint it was easy to miss… unless you were watching for it.

The red mark on his eye ignited, glowing a blinding white.

And then…

Something pulled from him.

A shadowed arm emerged from the side of his face, stretching outward, bracing itself on his shoulder. It looked like smoke was made solid, shifting and rippling, flickering between substance and absence.

Then a face followed.

A face that mirrored Kleitos.

The entity, this spectral version of him, dragged itself free of his body with agonizing effort, Kleitos’ body tensed in pain. His jaw clenched, his hands curled. But he held steady.

The creature, if that’s what it was, flickered between silhouette and flesh, shadow and light.

It was him, and not him.