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I nodded. “Yes. I won’t let you read it, but please know there’s nothing any of us wouldn’t do for you. Wey understands why you had to go, and he will have done his best to help Nica understand, too. Believe me, when they see you again, hold you in their arms again, you’ll all figure out how to move forward.”
Braz’s sleepy voice came from behind Theon. “You should listen to him, angel. He’s right.”
Biting his lip, Theon nodded, settling in to go back to sleep. “I love you both.”
“And I love you,” I said, pulling him closer.
Braz rolled toward Theon, spooning in behind him, and rested one huge arm over both of us, settling his hand on my hip. “I love you, too.” He squeezed my hip, and I met his gaze over Theon’s head.
I smiled, just a little, enough to show him I understood. Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips to Theon’s forehead and let myself drift. Our reunion with Nica and Wey may be tumultuous, but it would be joyous, too, and I couldn’t wait to see Theon whole again.
23
Nica
When the alert sounded through the air, Wey and I lurched out of bed and quickly dressed our naked bodies. It was a series of specific whistles, telling us that we had strangers—perhaps enemies—entering our camp’s territory from the southern end. Once we were both covered in our weapons, we headed out together, ready to protect our camp and fellow Resistance members.
We found our place on the front line, right beside Kasper. On our other side, Sephiran joined us. Cedric would stay back and tend the wounded, although he’d been training hard and could defend himself if need be. But we wouldn’t let that happen. We’d stop whoever dared attack our camp first.
It was as if the entire camp held its breath as we waited for the trespassers to cross the treeline. The tension was palpable, so thick you could cut it with a knife. My tiger itched to be released, to run free, to attack, to make someone bleed.
A familiar face came into view, and the nervous excitement of an oncoming battle fled from my muscles as I relaxed.
Jedrek. The fae warrior who’d been delivering letters.
Part of me was excited to see him. It meant a new letter from Theon. But the other half was filled with anger. Seeing him meant a letter from Theon, which meant that my little bird was still off in some faraway land that Wey and I had no hope of ever finding.
Kasper called out, “Hello, friend.”
Jedrek smiled at him and held his hand up in a wave. “Hello, dear gargoyle. I hear you’re gearing up for a fight.”
Kasper nodded once.
Jedrek waved his hand toward the trees. “We’ve come to assist you, Kasper.”
“We?”
Jedrek smiled widely, and a few more fae—I counted eight—stepped through the trees. It looked as if they’d melted straight out of the tree trunks. As if one moment they hadn’t been there, and the next, they appeared out of thin air.
I blinked, taking them all in, a sense of relief filling me as I appraised their battle-worn muscles and the many weapons they carried strapped to their bodies. It was clear that these fae were warriors, and if I was being honest with myself, we needed all the help we could get if we truly planned on winning the battle in Tisak.
As Kasper and Jedrek continued their conversation, my eyes caught on movement at the center of the group. I blinked once. Twice.
And then all the air left my lungs as I gasped and took off at a run.
Theon.My Theon.
He was stepping through the trees with Florin on one side and Braz on the other. My little bird was here. In the flesh.
Kasper yelled after me, but I didn’t halt my steps. How could I? This was Theon.My Theon. I hadn’t seen him in over seven months, and now he was here. Right in front of me.
Wey was only a step behind me, just as eager as I.
Theon held his hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the bright morning sun. He scanned the area, and the moment he laid eyes on me, he lit up brighter than the sun itself.
He took off at a run, and before I knew it, he was crashing into me. I caught him in my arms with ease, wrapping him up tightly as his arms went around my neck and his legs around my waist.
“Theon,” I breathed as I buried my nose in his neck and took what felt like my first true breath in months. His scent surrounded me, and I didn’t think I’d ever smelled anything so wonderful in my life. It had been so long since I’d smelled him, since the sweet scent mixed with his natural musk had wrapped around me and filled my lungs. His scent had long since disappeared from his pillow, and I’d dearly missed that last connection to him.
