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Before he answers, Creed takes a step back, reaching for my hand and turning me to face the house. Brax is standing on the porch with his parents flanking him, and there’s a softness to his shoulders that I’ve never seen before.
“The five of us have spent all day going over everything that has been tried and failed before so we can see what fresh options we may have of getting out of here. I’m not going to lie, Raven, nothing was working. I was certain it was completely going to shit.” He glances away from me, the frustration getting the better of him, but he quickly regathers himself. “That is, until Brax arrived.”
My gaze flickers to my hotheaded gargoyle, who was sleeping soundly beside me just moments ago.
“What changed?” I ask, following Creed’s lead as he moves toward the porch steps.
“Not to give him an even bigger ego than he already has, but he really did show up and see everything from a different perspective,” Eldon states from my right, Zane a step beside him.
“I made them see that we can use the shadows here to draw you in too. Then, we can see this through together. As a team. Like we always do.”
I gulp, nodding in agreement at Brax as a soft smile takes over my lips. The silhouettes can aid them pulling me through to the Realm of Shadows? Hope consumes me. “We’re really here? Together?”
“We’re in our dreams, so not quite the same, but it’s more than what we had,” Brax offers, and his mother strokes a comforting hand down his spine before turning to me.
“We’ll give you guys a few minutes to chat, then I think we have a lot to go over together when you’re ready.” Her smile reaches from ear to ear as she glances over each of us before stepping inside, her husband right behind her as the five of us stand together.
It feels surreal, overwhelming, and joyous. So fucking joyous.
As if sensing the emotions rippling through me, each one of my guys inches closer. Creed’s fingers tighten around mine. Eldon’s hand finds the small of my back. Zane circles behind me, grabbing my waist as he presses a kiss at the nape of my neck, while Brax moves to stand before me, towering down like the strong gargoyle he is, tipping my chin back to look up at him.
With each of them touching me, my heart feels whole. Relief floats off me in waves. It feels so strong. I’m certain I’m going to see it cascade around me.
“How are we touching?” The question falls from my lips without thought.
“I don’t know, but I don’t care either,” Eldon murmurs, making me smile.
“What I want to know is if I can fuck you right now, Dove. Prove you’re real,” Zane whispers against my ear, making me shiver.
“Maybe next time, asshole. We really do have a lot to discuss. Remember?” Creed grumbles, putting a stop to the idea immediately.
“Fucker,” Zane utters under his breath, and I snicker, the same taunt running through my mind too. But there must be things I need to know if how I got here is anything to go by.
“If you’re cock blocking, Creed, you better lead the way,” I state, earning a grin from Eldon at my other side.
Without another word, the five of us head inside, happy to bask in each other’s proximity as they lead me to the kitchen. Steaming mugs of hot cocoa are waiting on the dining table. Much to Zane’s disappointment, I take the seat between Creed and Eldon and wrap my hands around the warm mug.
“Thank you,” I breathe, my gaze traveling to Brax’s mother, who smiles back at me in response. “It feels like forever since I’ve seen you all,” I murmur before taking a sip.
“The longest period of time in my life, Dove,” Zane declares from his spot on the other side of Eldon, wedged between him and Brax.
“How did you get me here like that?” I ask, aware that we clearly have things to catch up on, but I need to understand this first.
“It was Brax’s idea,” his father explains. “Depending on how you look at it, fortunately or not, Eldon, Creed, and Zane can’t see the shadows. Just like we can’t unless we use a special apparatus that we built, but for Brax, it’s different.” He waves a hand at his son and I follow the movement with my eyes.
“Communicating with the shadows is… weird, but easy enough.” My eyes widen. Easy? How? I haven’t communicated with them at all, and I feel like I’m constantly surrounded by them. “Once I appeared here in my dream and thought about it, I created a safe zone in the yard out back, generating energy that lured them closer. Mention of a pretty pink-haired necromancer was an easy enough discussion. It seems you hold a lot of hope for more than just us, Shadow,” Brax states, making me frown in confusion.
“Wha—”
He waves his hand, interrupting my question before I can jump ahead.
“They were happy to help. Even the shadows can feel your pureness. Your strength, resilience, all of it. They know you’re not here to wield your magic to use them at your will.”
“Why would I do that?” My nose crinkles in distaste at the thought.
“Exactly. You’re the piece of the puzzle that fixes all of this, we just don’t know what that looks like or how we’re going to do it, but we’re all here together. Ready to fight. Not for the next generation or for the Elevin Realm. Not even for Silvercrest Academy. We’re all ready to fight for you.”
I gape at Eldon, his words hitting me hard in the chest. Slowly, I start to shake my head.
