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“Ronin didn’t ask for me to follow him around after that, but I did.” Avi grabbed his tea and held it up to his mouth, grinning behind the rim. “He told me to fuck off more than once, but I would laugh or bring up some other topic to talk about. Eventually, he opened his brewery and hired me. Theon came along shortly after.” He took a sip. “Ronin never asked us to follow him. We just chose to.”
Avi stared down at his steaming cup with a glinting gaze. “In a way, he saved us all—gave us a reason to keep moving forward in this shitty world. I can’t speak for the others, but I can tell you not once has Ronin ever failed us. He’s too stubborn and always tries his hardest.” He lifted his head to look at her. “Believe in him, because I promise you, he will not give up on you or your child.”
Moisture gathered in her eyes, and she smiled, nodding, because Ronin was a beautiful soul, and she was honored to be a part of his life.
She caught a fleeing tear from the corner of her eye with the back of her finger. “Thank you for sharing with me, and for always being kind.”
Before Avi could get out a response, Naia threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him with extra force, knowing his brawny build could take it.
Avi lifted his tea out of the way, stiffening beneath her.
After hearing his story, it made her ache to imagine him younger, alone, and not knowing when he would get his next meal.
“Thank you for keeping me alive,” she murmured. “I am sorry you had to experience the pain of having parents who failed you. You are not alone, and I promise you I will be a better mother than both of ours ever were.”
Avi relaxed under her. “You’re going to kick ass at it, Goddess.” One arm came around to return the hug, squeezing her tightly.
She pulled away and playfully flicked his nose. “And my son will have much to learn from his Uncle Aviel.”
Tears welled in the witch’s eyes. He tried to blink them away, but they escaped down his scruffy cheeks.
“Fuck,” he spluttered, dropping his head and wiping at his face. “Don’t let Theon see me like this, or he’ll give me shit for the rest of my life.”
Naia laughed.
November arrived with a crisp twinge in the air.
Ronin and Naia stood side by side, admiring the massive tree that now stood where Kaleo’s inn once was. The trunk of the tree was as wide as a whale’s mouth, and its low, historic branches sprouted from the ground like a spider’s legs.
“I wanted to bring you here to show you this,” Ronin said. “After the inn burned down, the tree grew from the ashes.”
She glanced over at him. He was bundled in a baggy black sweatshirt, his shoulder-length strands hidden beneath a snug beanie. His cheeks and the tip of his nose were the color of a cherry. The image reminded her of her last memory with Kaleo, and a sharp pang twisted in her heart.
They were one and the same, but it stirred up the traumatic end of his lifetime as Kaleo. A tragic end he did not deserve.
“It is an ash tree.” Naia looked up at it. A brassy shade dusted the leaves of the top branches. The wind rustled through the limbs of the tree, causing a gentle cascade of butterscotch leaves to fall to the ground.
Ronin cracked his knuckles from inside his pant pockets. “According to some rumors, they tried chopping it down a ton of times, but the next day it always reappeared, bigger than what it was before. Eventually, they gave up and let it be.” He grew still for a moment. “It’s weird to think I was Kaleo in my past life. I wish I could remember those times with you.”
Naia shifted her weight on her feet to lean her arm against his, knowing the small form of physical connection would be enough to ease his busy mind. “I can remember for the both of us and show you my time with Kaleo as much as you want.”
“It’s not the same,” Ronin muttered in a brooding tone.
Naia strolled underneath the limbs. “My father spoke of nature often during my studies as a child. Ash trees possess strong roots with the ability to puncture the shell of the Land of the Dead, and their branches can reach up into the Land of Entity.”
“A divine tree,” Ronin concluded. “You think he grew it from the Land of the Dead?”
“I have no doubt. I learned after my punishment how Father had somehow hid my presence on the island. It is why it took Marina so long to find me.” Naia pressed her palm to the rough exterior of the bark, savoring the faint connection she had to him. Without Wren, his presence in her life felt distant.
“Let’s name him Ash.”
Naia swung around, stunned by Ronin’s proposal. “What?”
He hung his head back and peered through the tree limbs. The mid-morning sun turned his irises the color of maple syrup. “Ash Vale. To honor your father.”
“Ash Vale Kahale.” A lump expanded in her throat and she smiled. “Though that would only be his alias name.”
“I see you’ve been reading our family journals.” Ronin strolled over to her, slipping his hand over her hips from behind and onto her lower belly.
