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“And he is welcomed. No harm came to him.” Tral crossed his mighty arms and raised his chin as if needing his physical strength to justify his actions. The way he watched Runa wasn’t the same as when I’d spied on them the night Syn bit me.

Back then, he’d looked at her as a guest: an unknown, nameless girl who may or may not survive a trance that he unwillingly approved. But now? Now, he watched her like she might burst into flames at any moment.

“He wasn’t allowed to go into the lupic until you and Solin were fully coherent,” Tral stated. “The ash tattoos needed to be completed, but he heard you cry out and—”

“I tried to get to you.” I ran my hand down her arms, immensely grateful that the burn between us was still there. The hum in my crescent-moon mark comforted me, threading with my pulse, almost as if our blood pumped through the same heart. “I hated hearing you in pain.”

She smiled just for me. “I’m okay, Darro.”

My name on her tongue did things to me.

Things that made a shadow slip free and slip through her hair with a night-ribbon caress.

The Spirit Master appeared behind Runa.

Tral’s disapproving expression broke into the broadest grin.

Striding toward the other tall male, Tral exclaimed, “By the fire, I was so worried. Three days, Solin!”

The two males embraced. They were almost the same height, although the Fire Reader was slimmer and leaner than the chief. Their hair shimmered with the same blue-black shade in the moonlight, and their noses carried the same straight shape. Even their dark eyes were similar, revealing to anyone who noticed that they were more than just leaders but kin.

Their embrace was fierce and fast.

“Don’t do that again.” Tral laughed, patting Solin on the shoulder and tugging on one of his braids. “You should’ve told me your duties as Fire Reader were getting too much for an old man. Next time you need a break, tell me before taking a nap that lasts so long.”

Solin chuckled. “Next time I propose a shared trance, remind me not to.”

“Deal.”

Solin glanced at Runa. “Then again, I’ll have no need to do another.”

I couldn’t stop the flare of night.

It whipped out of me, tangling around my waist.

The Fire Reader’s jaw clenched; Runa subtly moved to my side. She ran her fingers over my knuckles, leaving a wake of heat.

Swallowing hard, I yanked back the shadows, flinching as they dissolved unwillingly.

Tral shook out his bulk and tried to return the conversation to something somewhat normal. “So, brother, are you ready to feast after such a long nap?”

Solin rubbed his bare stomach. “I could eat an entire bison.”

“Good because that’s what’s been roasting all day.”

Runa gave Zetas a half-pat, careful to keep her wounds free from wolf hair. Syn stayed by her hip, glaring at me with warning.

It seemed we had yet another fanged chaperone.

For the first time, I actually questioned their steadfast attempts to keep Runa and me from touching.

My back tensed as Solin padded barefoot toward me. The bison fur around his hips hung low, and a string of animal teeth clicked softly down his moonlit chest. I narrowed my eyes and stood to my full height, grateful that even though the Fire Reader was tall, I was taller.

His eyes locked onto mine.

I tensed for a fist or a curse, but he surprised me by saying, “Thank you for keeping Runa safe. I don’t know how she woke from the trance without me or how she slipped unseen from the lupic, but she told me you found her.” He glanced at Runa. “I’m grateful you were there at the right time.”

His entire demeanour changed to one of affection and pride the moment he looked at her.

I didn’t like this male.

I didn’t trust this male.

The way he watched her.

The love he held for her...

My hackles prickled, and I rested my palm on the small of her back, stroking the beads of her spine with my thumb.

She inhaled and caught my gaze but then relaxed into my soft petting, leaning closer and soothing the darkness snapping with its black fangs inside me.

Solin didn’t miss the way she swayed toward me.

Clapping his hands, Tral raised his voice at the milling crowd, “Our beloved Spirit Master has finally awoken! Gather around the fire. Pass around the feast!”

A crest of happy hoots and hollers spread around the night-kissed camp.

The hunters dispersed from around us, placing their spears down and going to join their loved ones passing large platters of food around. The central fire blazed with fresh fuel, and the energy around the camp switched from waiting and worried to one of celebration and contentment.

Solin came toward Runa, bowing his head. “Runa, will you come stand with Tral, Tiptu, and me at the top of the fire, please? We will announce your name, your spirit guardian, and your newly adoptive status within our people.”

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