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Also, I love you, and I’m sorry I ran away. I know you’re not the Shadow King. Bane was, and I’m pretty sure he killed our mother. Seeing him again brought up a lot of old, buried memories for me, and Kelley said that Bane confessed that he’d murdered Mom to her a year ago. Kelley is full of shit, but I don’t think she was lying about that.
Everything I remembered…
Well, it pretty much confirmed that Bane is responsible for Mom’s death.
But I also remembered that you were the one who rescued me that day and every day since.
But not by being my bossy big brother. You saved me with sleepovers and taking me to the playground and listening to my kid problems and letting me stay up late and watch movies with you and your friends. You saved me with love, Maxim. You have a great big heart under all the alpha stuff, and it’s more powerful than you know.
If you end up ruling our people, I hope you’ll use that heart as often as possible.
Trust me, it’ll be your superpower.
All my love,
Dee
By the endof the note, I’m fighting tears.
“What does it say, Maxim?” Sam asks from behind me.
I hold up a finger, needing a second to pull myself together before I talk to my team. I kneel down, my throat tight as I meet Diana’s large yellow eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry I forgot that for a while. Can you forgive me?” I ask in a rough voice.
She lifts her wings for “yes.”
“And can we start fresh?”
She lifts them again and gives an enthusiastic shake.
“And if I die tonight, will you take care of Willow and the baby for me?” I ask, my throat squeezing even tighter. “I know you’ll do a great job with that. And a great job ruling our people.”
The next thing I know, I have a mouthful of feathers and claws scrabbling at my chest. Sam and the other unit leaders come to my defense, but by the time they reach my side, I’m cradling Diana in one arm, where she’s curled into a ball with her claws tucked, looking embarrassed.
“It’s okay,” I tell the team. “I think that was…a hug.”
Diana hoots in affirmation and Sam’s eyes go wide. “Is that…” She trails off with a shake of her head. “That can’t be… Can it?”
I forgot that Sam used to babysit Diana way back in the day, when we were both fresh out of high school. She must be able to sense my sister’s spirit inside the owl, too.
I nod and hand over the note, “Yes, it is. It’s Diana. And she says help is on the way.”
By the timethe sound of another helicopter approaching fills the air, my team has been brought up to speed on the contents of the note and a heated debate is underway.
Sam, as usual, is playing devil’s advocate—arguing that Diana might be being used by this Axe person, and it’s all a trap. Cox is insisting we should at the very least see what this Axe person has to say, and Liam is arguing that we don’t have time to waste and should make the first move before Kelley and her forces take the option out of our hands.
The helicopter, however, stuns us all into silence.
“Positions!” Cox shouts to our troops. “Anti-aircraft team assemble.”
“Wait,” someone else calls out from inside one of the parked choppers. “It’s one of ours. We spotted it on the radar a few minutes ago and made contact. Hermione’s on board and…”
“And what?” I demand, stalking across the grass toward the chopper with Diana still in my arms, glaring at the young man at the computer panel. His name is David, I think, and I know he’s new to the force, but— “I should have been made aware of this the moment it showed up on the radar, soldier.”
“I know, sir,” he says, gulping. “It just looked like you were in the middle of something, and I—”
“We’re at war. News of incoming aircraft trumps good manners, even if the aircraft is one of ours,” I say, gentling my tone as Diana shoots me a look that seems to remind me to exercise my softer side. “Why is Hermione here? She was supposed to stay back at the tower.”
“The cloaking spell was interfering with our communication systems. She couldn’t get through to anyone and has important information,” he says, his thin throat working as he swallows and adds, “from the new Pathfinder. Your fiancée, who um, who is…with her on the chopper, sir.”
