I jumped out of the hatch and hurtled down the gangway, leaping into Navan’s arms with a shriek of pure joy. He gripped me tight to his body, spinning me around and around, his face nuzzled into my neck, breathing in the scent of me.

“Riley… Riley… Riley… My love, my only love,” he whispered.

I snuggled into him, holding on for dear life. “I love you, Navan. I love you so much!”

“I love you more than you’ll ever know.” A smile spread across his face; I could feel the happiness of it against my neck. “Rask, it’s good to have you back in my arms.”

With happy tears streaming down my face, I flashed him an ear-splitting grin. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” He laughed softly, brushing the tears away from my cheeks.

As I clung to him, pulling him in for another desperate embrace, I realized something was wrong. One of his wings was out, instead of tucked beneath his shoulder blades, and there was something wrong with the top section of it. Instead of the organic leathery skin I was used to, it was forged from some kind of artificial material that had been crudely stapled onto the top part of his wing, the metallic stitches looking like something out of a monster movie. With this new artificial piece attached, I guessed it prevented him from tucking the damaged wing away again—I’d seen the same thing before, with Aurelius, whose fake wing always trailed limply. Mort had mentioned Navan getting into a mishap with a landmine…

“What happened to your wing?” I asked, looking up into Navan’s eyes.

He grimaced, cupping my face in his hands and leaning in to kiss me before speaking. “Brisha forced me to go on one last campaign before she’d let me come here to get you. There was a skirmish at the border. Their numbers were greater than we’d expected, and they took us by surprise. A fleet came in from the east without warning. I was trying to disarm one ship by fixing an electromagnetic pulsar to the engine port, when some guy fired at me from behind with an incendiary rifle—it fires explosive bullets, and one of them tore right through the top of my wing.”

“So no landmine?”

He kissed me again. “That came later. It exploded right in front of me, but I managed to get out with just a few scrapes and bruises. I had a huge cut across my chest, where some shrapnel caught me, but it was nothing a bit of healing tonic couldn’t fix.”

I wondered if that was what had stopped my climpet from working, because his had been cut out by the shrapnel, but I didn’t want to ask him about it here, with everyone watching. Sarrask, Kaido, and Ronad were still waiting at the top of the gangway, giving us our space, but I knew they could hear everything. I really didn’t want to get too sappy with them eavesdropping.

“Are you okay now? Is there anything we can do about your wing?” I asked, pressing my hands to his chest, trying to feel for the climpet. Sure enough, there it was—a tiny dot beneath his t-shirt. If it was still there, then it couldn’t have been the shrapnel that took it out.

He shook his head. “Brisha was all out of her experimental wing-healing serum, so she had one of her medics stitch this on instead. She’d been giving the serum to the generals and soldiers in her army since the beginning of the war, as the wings are usually the first things to get hit, and the supplies had dwindled. Anyway, there was a halt in production, and I didn’t like the idea of waiting another two weeks for it to be ready. I mean, I can still fly, but I’m a little wobbly, and not as quick as I used to be. I’m still getting used to it.”

I leaned up to kiss him tenderly on the lips. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could kiss all of your aches and pains away.”

He smiled. “That’d be better than any serum.”

“And the others? How are they?” I asked, tracing a little trail of kisses up the curve of his neck.

He gave a frustrated sigh, bringing a stop to my kisses. “I haven’t been able to get in contact with them since this morning. They were fine when I left, but the signal keeps jamming whenever I try to reach their comm devices.”

“Do you think something might have happened to them?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping we could try and get in touch with them through one of your devices, in case it’s just my transmitter.” His tone was tense. “Someone might just want to silence me, but they won’t know about your device.”

Shaking off the worst-case scenarios screeching through my head, I held his face and looked deep into his eyes, centering myself. “How did you find us, anyway?”

“I was already near the house when a ship whizzed past me and descended onto the driveway. As soon as I saw Gianne and Aurelius step out, I knew I had to stay close, ready to attack if she did anything to you,” he explained. “Instead, I saw Aurelius and the soldiers bring out my father. I thought it best to stay hidden until they’d left, and hope that you and Ronad were still hiding inside somewhere. Then, I saw what happened to the house.”

I pulled a face. “Sorry about that… We didn’t really have much of a choice. I’ll explain it all to you later. Right now, I think we need to put those three out of their misery.”

He looked over my shoulder to where Ronad, Sarrask, and Kaido were standing at the top of the gangplank. As if sensing his cue, Ronad barreled down the slope toward his brother, throwing his arms around Navan. I ducked out of the way, not wanting to become the middle of an awkward sandwich. They embraced, slapping one another on the back, smiles spreading across their faces.

“It’s so good to see you, man!” Ronad cried, shaking Navan by the shoulders.

Navan chuckled. “It’s good to see you too, Brother.”

Navan’s smile faded as Sarrask approached, walking slowly down the gangplank. I sidled up to where Navan stood, determined to keep things amicable. They stared at each other for a moment, like two beasts of prey circling, sizing each other up. A scowl had formed on Navan’s face, his eyes glittering coldly, and I knew things could only go badly if I didn’t step in.

“Be kind to your brothers,” I whispered, slipping an arm around his waist.

He glanced down at me, stunned by my words. “What?”

“I said, be kind to your brothers.”

“Have they done something to you?” he asked, worried. “Have they brainwashed you?”

Kaido cleared his throat as he took up a position beside Sarrask. “You misunderstand the term ‘brainwashed,’ if you believe that is what has happened to Riley. A person who has been brainwashed does not know they have been brainwashed. So, even if she had been, your question would be moot.”

I smiled. “I think what Kaido is trying to say is, no, I haven’t been brainwashed. These two have been helping me out. It turns out Kaido is pretty cool, if you treat him with the respect he deserves. And Sarrask… Well, Sarrask is currently atoning for a couple of sins.”

“Sins?” Navan replied.

I nodded, giving him a brief rundown of what had happened back at the house, with Gianne’s surprise arrival. I explained how Sarrask had been responsible for her going there in the first place, as she had wanted to catch Jareth deceiving her after receiving leaked information about his secret alchemy lab. I reasoned that he was sorry now and wished to make amends for the poor choice he’d made.

“He knows the danger he put us in, and I genuinely believe he wants to prove how sorry he is,” I said, casting a pointed look at Sarrask. “That’s why he’s here with us, because he’s ready to change his ways. He already helped us blow up the house, at Jareth’s request, even though there was a lot of information still hidden away in the lab. He could’ve been tempted to wait for the researchers, and try to stay in Gianne’s favor, but he made the right choice, this time.”

Sarrask looked down at his feet. “I wish I hadn’t done it, but I did, and I can’t change that. Riley’s right—now I’m trying to make amends for it.”

Navan seemed placated now that he knew more of the story. There were still a few more things he needed to know, namely about Jareth and Aurelius, but all of that could wait until we had some time in private. I still had to tell him about Seraphina, too. The prospect of that was weighing so heavily on my shoulders that I thought they might snap at any moment, bowing beneath the pressure. All I wanted to do was wrap him in my arms and melt into his embrace, spending days on end in a love nest somewhere, the way new lovers are supposed to, but everything else kept getting in the way.

“I’d also like to apologize for kissing Riley,” Sarrask announced suddenly. I whipped around to glare at him. Ronad looked just as shocked, glancing between me and Sarrask. Kaido didn’t seem bothered, but that was just his way.

What the hell did he think he was doing? We had an agreement never to bring it up ever again, and yet here he was, casually announcing it to the one person who really didn’t need to know. My decision to keep it from Navan hadn’t been a selfish one; I just didn’t want to be the cause of a brawl between brothers.

“What did you say?” Navan asked, his eyes narrowing.

“I said, I’m sorry for kissing Riley, too. That’s another sin I wish to atone for.”

For a moment, Navan said nothing, though there was ice in his eyes. Then, the look of anger dissipated, leaving a still calm that unnerved me more than an expression of rage ever could. “Fair enough. I’m sure accidents can happen, and you’ve been honest enough to tell me to my face,” he said.

“Thanks for being so cool about it. It wasn’t something I intended to happen. I just got caught up in the moment and kissed her. I shouldn’t have done it, and I’m sorry.” I really wished Sarrask would just shut his mouth before someone shut it for him.

Navan smiled. “I accept your apology.”

Sarrask’s shoulders relaxed. “I’ve got to say, Brother, that’s a bit of a relief. I really thought you’d—” A sharp right hook caught him square in the nose before he could finish his sentence. Blood trickled from his nostrils. He pinched the bridge of his nose and gaped at Navan. “I guess I deserved that.”

Navan glowered at him. “You deserve a hell of a lot more than that, but I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of getting a punch in,” he spat. I held on to Navan’s arm.

“I really am sorry, Brother,” Sarrask muttered, tilting his head back as he moved toward the front gate of his cottage, which had lavender-painted walls and a white picket fence. “I’ll be inside, fixing this mess.”

Kaido frowned, folding his arms across his chest. “What did you gain from punching him, Navan?” he asked. “Riley has selected you as a mate, not Sarrask. Even in your absence, Riley was not attracted to other potential mates, such as Sarrask or Ronad. So, in this way, you are already the winner. Did you hit him as a display of strength, to reinvigorate Riley’s ardor for you? Or, perhaps, to make him look even less desirable to Riley, who might be swayed if she thought you were no longer the alpha male?”

I stifled a laugh, knowing it would only annoy Navan. His temper was running high, and I knew he wouldn’t take kindly to me making fun of the situation. No doubt he already thought Kaido was mocking him, even though Kaido was only trying to make sense of it all by comparing it to what he knew of the animal kingdom.

“Why don’t you go inside and help Sarrask with his nose, Kaido?” I suggested, looping my arm through Navan’s.

“Have I said something offensive again?” he asked, looking to me for guidance.

I smiled kindly, wanting to reassure him. “Not at all, Kaido. It’s just not a good time.”

Apparently satisfied with my response, he turned around and headed through the gate, walking up the path and through the front door of Sarrask’s cottage. Not wanting to be the third wheel, Ronad took his cue and made himself scarce by heading back up into the ship.

“I’ll start unpacking some of the things we brought with us from the house,” he called back, before disappearing into the belly of the ship. He was using it as an excuse to hide, and I didn’t blame him.

“Sarrask kissed you?” Navan muttered, turning to me with furious eyes.

I kept my expression calm. “It was nothing, Navan. He’s already apologized to me for doing it. I think he was just confused, or something.”

“How did you end up in that position?” he hissed.

I felt a prickle of anger inside me, but I held on to my rationality. “I didn’t put myself in any position, Navan. I don’t appreciate you saying something like that, as though it was my fault,” I said calmly. “Sarrask and I were having a heated argument. He must’ve gotten carried away, because he lunged toward me. I pushed him away as soon as he did it, and that was that. You’re making something out of nothing.”

“You let him kiss you. I don’t think that’s making something out of nothing.”

“I didn’t let him kiss me, Navan! You’re already angry, and you’re not thinking clearly. If you were, you’d realize how silly you’re being,” I insisted, wrapping my arms around him. He moved his face away, refusing to look at me. “Navan, you should know this by now—I only have eyes for you!” Proving my point, I grabbed him and pulled him toward me, pressing my lips against his with all the pent-up frustration I’d been feeling since the moment we were separated. I pressed my body against him, letting my tongue explore his mouth as my hands ran through the soft buzz of his dark hair. I wanted to feel every single part of him, and had we not been out in the open, I would have.

Breaking away with a gasp, I left Navan reeling, his eyes glazed over, his mouth set in a goofy grin.

“Do you believe me now?” I asked.

He smiled, scooping me up into his arms. “I believe you.”

I wished we could have stayed like that a while longer, but there was too much work to do. I stared into his eyes, leaning in to kiss him deeply, savoring one last moment of pure, selfish joy.

“There’s a lot we need to discuss,” I said, shattering the fantasy. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

He set me down, his fingers intertwining with mine. After telling Ronad where we were going, and throwing a blanket around my shoulders, the two of us set off down the winding trail that led to the edge of the glistening lake, before veering off toward the trees, sticking to the shadows. I was still waiting for Queen Gianne to come for us after the blast that destroyed the mansion, but something seemed to be keeping her away. At least here, hidden by the canopy, she wouldn’t be able to see us from the sky.

I turned my gaze to the lake. Water always soothed me, and I hoped it would give me the strength I needed to get through the things I had to tell him. It would mean pushing away everything I wanted for myself, but this wasn’t just about me anymore. It wasn’t even about me and Navan anymore.

The weight of Seraphina’s fate loomed over me. The time had finally come to get it all off my chest.