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“Gabe was there,” I whisper, grinding my face into his collar to keep back the tears.
“I thought he was on the Great Pork Rind Hunt?” Charlie asks.
“The other Gabe. Older Gabe. Future Gabe. I talked to him, Charlie. He heard me. He warned me.”
“He was there? In the library?”
I nod.
Another warm hand rubs my shoulder. Linen and cloves with a hit of wool and leather. My-Gabe.
“Doctor Prince said that spell thinned the Veil. Could it have thinned the Veil between present and future as well as between our plane and Klotho’s?” Darwin asks. The pricking behind my eyes eases as my boys draw close and our connection tightens.
“Makes sense,” Charlie says. “Sounds extra dangerous with a side of doom. Enough-a reading from that book, bean. You brought the wild magic back. You don’t need the spells in the Acta.”
“I need to know as much as I can before I face Da, Chaz. What if one of those spells makes the difference? I only got two to go.”
Charlie blows out a breath but doesn’t object further. “Lords has some questions. I told him a half-hour, no more. Dar’s text said you have a concussion.”
“Hada concussion,” I correct, because I still don’t fancy being woken up every two hours or whatever Charlie’ll get in his head if he thinks I’m still concussed.
“Hot meal. Hot bath. Hot tea. Warm bed. That’s what me mum always said when I got knocked about on the pitch.”
I’m not going to argue with Mrs. Miller’s wisdom. “Can we eat in the man cave? I want to cuddle up.”
“It’s not a man cave,” the boys chorus.
I snort into Charlie’s chest, inhaling his woodsy scent. Wherever we go, whatever we do, Charlie Miller will always smell like home to me.
“Course we can,” Charlie says. “Whaddo you want, bean? I’ll order it.”
I want ridiculous comfort food. “Lasagna. And curly fries.”
Chuckles circle me.
“Lasagna and curly fries it is.” Charlie kisses me on the forehead. “Go get in the snuggler chair. Gabe’ll cuddle you. Dar and I’ll sort dinner. You need anything?”
“Dinger,” I say, trying not to whimper.
“I’ll get Dinger,” Darwin says. He presses a kiss to the back of my head. “It’s okay, Teddy. I should have realized in the Infirmary you were putting on a brave face. It’s okay to lean on me and Gabe, too.”
I turn in Charlie’s arms. “It weren’t that. I just wanted to get home where we’re all safe. I guess I understand better what you were saying last night.”
Darwin sighs and strokes my hair.
“We’ll be each other’s safe place,” Charlie says, reaching out an arm to Darwin. The fae boy steps in, Gabe presses against my back, and the four of us lock together, our quaternion flaring, creating a golden circle in which we truly are, for a moment, safe.
* * *
The Mr. Blackis not overly impressed when we ignore him to relocate to the man cave. With a giant teddy bear.
I curl around Dinger in the snuggler chair. Gabe kicks off his unlaced Docs and climbs in behind me.
“I forgot to tell you earlier, you look hot.”
He does. With the recent wardrobe upgrade, Gabe’s coming further and further out of his hoodies. Today he’s wearing a kilt in Darwin’s plaid over black leggings that show off his runner’s muscles. One of Darwin’s white dress shirts is untucked over the kilt and topped with a buttery, black leather vest. It’s just the right counterpoint to Darwin’s suits; together they look like a power couple.
In our trackies, Charlie and I are letting the side down.
