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I lifted my head. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” His voice was low, rough. “I feel like for the first time in my life, I really am okay. Better than okay. Happy.” He kissed my shoulder. “Just where I am supposed to be and why I am here. Is that too much?”
I smiled at him. “No, it’s not. Always say whatever you want to me. I’ll do the same with you.”
“Good.”
Content to stay cuddled in his embrace, I waited longer than I usually would to move off him. It gave me the minutes to feel him start to soften inside of me. I kissed his lips before I pulled myself away. “Thank you, Gunnar.”
“Thank me? Should be the opposite of that, Raven.” He hugged my body to his and leaned us both back again. “I’m totally devoted to you. I always will be. I knew that before this, and I’m more sure now. Don’t ever leave. Spend your life here with us. Give up the idea of going back. Just be here, with us.”
I touched the side of his face. “If that’s what you all want.” My heart raced, imagining it.
“It is. It’s what we all want. I can speak for them on this. Trust me.” His smile was slow. “Stay forever.”
I brushed a strand of his blond hair out of his eyes. “I will.”
“Good.”
Even as I spoke the words, I could hear the laughter of the universe reverberating in my head. Did I really think I had a say over what happened to me? I never had before. Could it actually be possible that could change?
* * *
The next morning, Crew finally flew us back home. If the others overheard the time between Gunnar and me, there was no indication of it, just their usual banter back and forth. The weather was nice, despite the lightning show, so after storing the shuttle, we walked together back to their bar.
“Do you think there are others on the planet that you don’t know about?” I asked Mace as we stepped inside. “Like, other Lightning Men hiding out in a cave someplace or something? Waiting?”
He shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure. There was a time I would have tried to find out, but at this point, if they’re here and not bothering our people, then I’m going to leave them alone. If they become an issue, they’ll be handled.”
It made sense. Without Clarke’s death squad killing anyone on the planet who fell out of line, it wasn’t like they could police the entirety of their world. Clarke could—which was why my father and so many others died when he first showed up.
I shook away the cobwebs of the past and smiled brilliantly at him. “Is there anything I can do to help today?”
He pointed at the kitchen. “Let’s get started on the pies, after we clean up.”
I loved that idea. “Are you guys open every night or are there some nights that you’re closed?”
He blinked. “We’ve been off because we were obviously in the woods and what not, but usually we’re open every day. It might be a good idea to start closing a bit, like every Monday. Then we could all spend time together, just us. We could go into the woods or the mountains or take that shuttle and go somewhere else—we could even visit the coast. Just to be together. A day off every week for family time, what do you think?”
What a beautiful idea. A day off. Of course, since I was staying, I should find work to occupy myself, so I could earn my day off with the rest of them.
“What are you thinking?” He tugged on the end of my hair, so I met his gaze.
“Lots of things. I’ll go get that shower.”
I never had to consider my life before, since its course seemed predestined. If I got to make choices, I wanted to make good ones.
13
THE WEAPONS ARE BEHIND THE BAR
The Frog and The Bull got really busy that night. The door seemed to practically remain open all night as people came and no one wanted to leave. The regular humans mixed with the enhanced, which would have made my head spin at home, where only Amias would deign speak to us normal humans. There were more of each crowd than I would’ve imagined, though no children arrived, just adults, and the regular folks were getting really drunk. The former Super Soldiers drank too, but it didn’t seem to make them drunk, which fell in line with what I knew about them. They couldn’t get drunk.
I never drank alcohol back home. I wasn’t opposed or anything, but it was against the rules, and I mostly followed rules. But Ransom poured all night, and I kept cleaning glasses. In the kitchen, Mace would cook up food to order while Gunnar served their many customers. I wasn’t sure what Crew did exactly, except it seemed a bit like crowd control. Everyone talked to him, and he wandered around eyeing all of them.
Ransom nodded to me. “It’ll clear out soon. Anytime now. I think this crowd was mostly to see you.”
I waved my hand. “I’m not that interesting. They could see me on the street.”
