The night of the grand trip was upon us.

We gathered on the platform on top of Luceria, home of Draven and Serena, and the castle residence of Calliope. I could see Mount Zur from there, with lights flickering inside our GASP base. The entire Novak clan was present, along with some of our closest friends and allies, ready to bid Derek, Sofia, and their group a fond farewell for the next couple of weeks.

Lumi prepared the interplanetary spell, while Harper, Serena, Jovi, and I offered some last-minute advice to our travelers. They’d opted for an open form of transport, directly inside the spell’s light orb, so they could see everything as they traveled across the galaxies toward Meahiri.

“We left a transport capsule behind your resort on Strava,” Harper said to Derek. “It also has all the ingredients and instructions for casting an interplanetary spell for your return.”

“The best animals to hunt come out after midnight,” I added. “There are plenty of daytime critters, too, but the nocturnal ones have the truly delicious blood. Oh, and there are these really cool trees just behind the resort, with massive, heart-shaped fruit. I bet Corrine and Ibrahim will love those.”

“Absolutely!” Jovi chimed in. “They taste like honey and passionfruit and happiness, all rolled into one!”

“And we’ll have Bowie to communicate with you in real time, if we need to,” Sofia replied, holding the tech sphere in one hand.

I nodded. “Yeah, if you need to. Though, frankly, I doubt you’ll have time. There are just so many wonderful things to see and do there!”

“Did you pack your smartphones and cameras?” Harper asked Derek.

“We all did, yes,” he replied. “Mom.”

Harper grinned. “Good. We connected your phones to your earpieces and Bowie, too, for ease of communication if you decide to venture out separately. Take videos and snap photos of everything. We haven’t done any in-depth explorations ourselves,” she said. “We were more focused on making sure the planet was safe and uninhabited, and then on building the resort, so we didn’t get to enjoy it the way you will.”

Vivienne frowned slightly, then pointed at four metallic egg-shaped capsules, each capable of fitting up to six crew members, lined up on the platform’s edge.

“What are those?” she asked.

“Those are ours,” I replied. “We figured we might as well start developing something that wasn’t entirely dependent on swamp witch magic. They’re transport shuttles. They’re mostly human-based tech but powered by magic. They can withstand up to four trips, tops, over distances of up to eighty light-years. They’ve got swamp witch protective shields, and they can be steered, piloted quite easily.”

“Thing is, the interplanetary spell is a very simple, A-to-B kind of thing,” Harper added. “We can maneuver the shuttles, set courses, and change them as needed. We’re hoping to come up with longer-range and more resistant models soon, but these are a really good start.”

Corrine raised an eyebrow, looking impressed. “When did you make these? Who helped with the magic parts?” she asked.

Kailani cleared her throat, then smiled. “I helped,” she murmured. “After my sessions with Lumi, I’d meet with Jovi, Harper, and the rest of our gang here, and just work on different models. These are the best ones we’ve come up with. We’ve done a Strava trip with them already. It wasn’t easy to do all this under your noses, but hey, we pulled it off! These pods can last another round before they’ll need parts changed and stuff.”

“Kale, these are amazing,” Ibrahim replied, his eyes wide as he stared at the shuttles. “Do they have all the interior mods? You know, unlimited oxygen, gas and fuel recycling, exhaust systems and whatnot?”

Kailani nodded. “Yup. The ventilation systems are perpetual and circular, running throughout each shuttle. They basically last forever, provided the structure is intact,” she explained.

“Well done!” Ibrahim exclaimed.

Arwen put an arm around Kailani’s shoulders, then dropped a kiss on her temple. “My kid’s a bit of a genius, obviously. I can’t wait to show these to Mona and Kiev when they’re back.”

“Yeah, no kidding!” Xavier exclaimed. “I do hope you’ll make more of these while we’re away. We’ll definitely need them for future missions.”

“We certainly intend to get more done over the next couple of weeks,” Kailani replied, blushing. Hunter, who was standing next to her, gave her a soft nudge.

“See? Told you they’d be thrilled.” His smile amplified the color in her cheeks. I barely contained my grin, noticing the chemistry. Hunter was probably unaware or in denial of it, while Kailani was utterly quiet about it. As if it took a rocket scientist to spot the flames.

Derek took a deep breath, then went around to each family member to hug us all goodbye. Ben and Rose reassured him that everything would be okay.

“We’ve got everything covered while you’re away,” Rose said to him. “We’ve got the agenda and our plans set out.”

“Good,” Derek replied, then gave her and Ben a warm smile. “But please, both of you, don’t overdo it. Take time to rest and be with your families, too. Workaholism never did anyone any good.”

“Says Dad, after ninety years without a vacation,” Ben shot back, chuckling.

Xavier and Vivienne hugged Victoria and Bastien, then Aida, Field, Dmitri, Jovi, and Anjani. Xavier took an extra minute to kiss little Voss, who was gurgling and cooing in his mother’s arms. Xavier was beside himself whenever he made eye contact with the baby.

“I swear, it feels as though Voss can see right through my soul,” he muttered.

“Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Bastien replied.

Aida chuckled softly. “Maybe he’s just aware of how positively awesome you both are,” she said.

“Ah, that definitely explains why he looks at me that way,” Jovi cut in, grinning with pride as he established eye contact with little Voss, who was growing a little bit faster than regular humans—it probably had something to do with his Hawk genes. He’d already surprised Aida and Field with his development, but Field had reassured her that it was just a temporary growth spurt. Apparently, all the Hawk brothers had fast-forwarded like this through the first few weeks of life. Voss was looking more like a three-month old, now, rather than a few days. The baby reached a hand out, prompting Jovi to lean in close enough for Voss to instantly grab his curly hair and pull. Jovi yelped from the mild pain. Aida laughed as she untangled Voss’s fingers from Jovi’s hair.

“Yeah, now we know why he’s interested in you.” I chuckled. “You’re his favorite toy.”

“I’m his favorite something. That’s good enough for me,” Jovi replied. “He’s growing up a little too fast, don’t you think?” he asked.

“Hawkish growth spurt,” Field said, smiling. “It’ll tone down soon.”

“Well, now we know he’s definitely inherited something from you,” Jovi chuckled.

Lucas and Marion hugged Avril and Heron. As usual, Lucas was quick to remind Heron how important his daughter was to him.

“I feel like I don’t say this enough,” Lucas said flatly, “but, then again, I never get tired of saying it, either. Heron, look after my girl, or I will skin you alive.”

Heron nodded firmly, his lips pressed into a thin line, while Avril discreetly covered her mouth so as not to be seen smiling.

“Count on me, sir,” Heron replied.

After a minute-long glare, Lucas scoffed, then nodded, as if satisfied with Heron’s response. Then he and Marion joined Derek, Sofia, Xavier, and Vivienne in the middle of the interplanetary spell’s pentagram.

Aiden and Kailyn said goodbye to Hunter, while Varga and I hugged and kissed our grandparents, Claudia and Yuri.

“You two be good,” I said, putting on a serious face. “Don’t get into any trouble while you’re there.”

Grandma Claudia laughed. “Oh, honey, it’s like you don’t know me at all,” she replied. “I will do whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want. And your grandpa’s going to have to put up with it, whether he likes it or not.”

“Don’t worry, Lenny,” Grandpa Yuri added, the corner of his mouth twitching. “I’ll keep an eye on your grandmother and bring her back in one piece.”

Grandma Claudia exhaled sharply, slowly shaking her head. “Almost two decades in, and I’m still wrapping my head around this whole grandmother business.”

“Hey, that’s cool!” I replied, laughing lightly. “I like you just the way you are. You’re not the classic grandma type, and that’s perfectly okay.”

“I concur. I prefer having awesome grandparents like you. No offense, grandma, but you actually get cooler with age,” Varga smirked, then dropped a kiss on her forehead. He worshipped Grandma Claudia—he was a lot like her, in fact. Despite his usually calm demeanor, Varga had a wild side, and that had always made Grandma Claudia extra happy to assist him in breaking some of the “house rules” as a kid.

“That’s because she spoils you rotten, then blames your grandfather,” our mom, Ruby, chimed in.

Grandma Claudia smirked, then hugged her and my dad. “That makes me a very smart grandma!”

Kailani said goodbye to her grandparents, as well, then stepped back with the rest of us, as we moved away from the interplanetary spell’s pentagram. Lumi assumed her position in front of Derek and the others, then took a deep breath.

“Is everybody ready?” she asked.

Derek and Sofia, Xavier and Vivienne, Lucas and Marion, Corrine and Ibrahim, Aiden and Kailyn, Cameron and Liana, and Grandma Claudia and Grandpa Yuri all nodded simultaneously, then gave us a final round of winks and smiles.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Derek muttered.

Lumi chanted the interplanetary spell’s incantation. By the time she uttered the last words, a bright orb of white light swallowed the entire group, humming as it grew larger. Lumi took a couple of steps back, then slowly raised her arms out from her sides.

As if responding to her movements, the orb rose from the platform and hovered above us for a few moments.

It then shot into the night sky with lightning speed.

Seconds later, it was just a tiny sparkle against the starry, dark indigo celestial backdrop.

Jovi gently squeezed my shoulder, breaking me out of my brief moment of stargazing. I looked to my right and found him smiling.

“The telescope has been connected to a camera feed and a screen, both here and in the Great Dome, back in The Shade,” he said. “We’re recording everything. The view’s a tad grainy, as if shot through a Strava satellite, but it’s good enough to tell us the basics.”

“Thanks. They’ll be fine, though. I’m not worried,” I replied, then shifted my focus back up into the night sky.

“I know, I know,” Jovi said. “But, just so you know, the recorder was also set to react to movements in and around the resort. We’ll check on them once a day.”

My heart was pounding, and only then did I become aware of it, for some reason. I took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply.

“Okay,” I replied. “I get that you’re worried for no real reason, but there’s no need to project that on me,” I added, giving him a wide grin.

He raised an eyebrow at me. “I’m not the one whose heart is threatening to jump out of her chest.”

I paused.

I’d forgotten about his wolf senses. Jovi, Dmitri, and Aida were perfectly capable of sensing and accurately assessing my vitals. The slightest change in my pulse, an erratic heartbeat, a sucked-in breath—they could easily spot and identify it all.

In a way, Jovi was reading me like an open book.

“Okay, fine,” I grumbled, crossing my eyes as I scowled at him. “So, I’m not completely comfortable with this. It’s totally normal. They’re my family, and they’re going far away. I know we sent them somewhere safe, but I can’t help it. I’ll be fine.”

“We’ll all be fine,” Varga cut in. “We’re all worried, you know. Some of us more than others. It’s what families do, though. We needlessly worry. I think it comes with the job description.”

I chuckled, and Varga rested an elbow on my shoulder.

We all looked up this time, trying to catch one last glimpse of the interplanetary spell, before it vanished into the vast darkness of space. I had no reason to be worried. I knew that.

But like Jovi had just said—they were family. I couldn’t help it.