They emerged from sterile white corridors into the heat and life of the jungle, where they were greeted by the sounds Ethan had come to know: the chatter of monkeys, the songs of birds, the chirps of crickets, the rustle of creatures in the leaves. It was the world that had shaped Destiny into the woman that she was, and now it had shaped him too.

“Want to come back some time?” Ethan asked her. “I’d love to meet Mataji and the rest of your friends. And go trekking.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” she said. “We could hike as humans and hunt as tigers.”

“But first, I’m buying you a new sparkly dancing dress to replace the one that got wrecked the night we met. And then I’m taking you to a club.”

“Only two years late. Man, there’s so much we haven’t done yet.”

She sounded excited and happy, not sad. Ethan too had moved past old regrets. So they’d missed out on two years: so what? They had the whole rest of their lives ahead of them, this time to spend together.

Fiona and Carter led the way to an airplane parked on the otherwise empty airfield.

“Gorgeous plane,” Destiny remarked with a touch of envy. “Yours, Carter?”

“Yes, of course.” Carter glanced at Trio, who had frisked up the steps and was jumping up and down at the door, barking to be let in. Carol flew from Catalina’s shoulder and circled above Trio’s head, making teasing dives and swoops at him. “Those beasts better be housebroken. Maybe you should lock them in the bathroom.”

Everyone with pets glared at him.

“Trio’s better-behaved than some humans I could name,” Fiona remarked icily. “Perhaps he’s not the one who should be locked in the bathroom for the duration of the flight.”

Carter opened his mouth, then closed it. He mounted the steps without another word. Once everyone was inside, they crowded round and watched as Fiona turned on a small monitor than had feeds from inside the base. She double-checked every room and corridor to make sure no living person or being had been left inside, then hefted a small black box. Ethan recognized it immediately: a remote detonator.

“Who wants to do the honors?” Fiona asked. “Justin?”

“I’ll let someone else have a go,” he replied. “I’ve already had my shot.”

Unexpectedly, Ransom spoke up. “I’d like to.”

Fiona glanced around, but when no one else objected, she handed the box to him. He cupped it in his hands and closed his eyes for what felt like a long time before he pressed the button.

BOOM!

The shock wave shook the plane as the monitor feeds went black. Outside, the moon illuminated the cloud of dust and debris that rose from the destroyed base.

Ransom handed the box back to Fiona. Without a word, his face expressionless, he got up and took a seat at the rear of the plane.

Everyone settled in. The plane was small enough that they could all talk to each other, including the pilot. As Carter taxied down the runway and took off, Ethan and Destiny put their arms around each other. They settled into each other’s warmth and together watched the jungle and the ruins of the base dwindle beneath them.

Once they were on their way, they placed a call to Hal on a satellite phone.

“How’s Ellie?” Ethan asked immediately. “Is she still in labor?”

Hal’s rumbling voice seemed to fill the plane. “She’s fine. And so are our new twins!”

“Oh.” Ethan was immensely relieved, but also disappointed. He’d missed the birth, like he’d missed so many things in his sister’s life. “Give her my love.”

“You just did,” Hal said with a chuckle. “You’re on speakerphone.”

Ellie’s clear voice came through. “Ethan! You’ve got a nephew and niece. Hurry up and meet them.”

“I’m flying as fast as I can,” Ethan replied.

“Come straight to the house,” she said. “Hal intimidated the doctor into letting us leave early. His bear was demanding that the cubs go back to the lair, where they belonged.”

“I’ll come as soon as we land. Hey, do our parents know yet?”

“Yeah, I called them.” Ellie sighed. “Mom is on vacation in the south of France. She said, ‘Congratulations. Don’t you dare name the boy after your father.’ Dad is busy at work. He said, ‘That’s nice. I hope you won’t have the bad taste to name the girl after your mother.’”

“Well, for once I agree with them. Neither of them deserves namesakes.”

Ethan couldn’t help glancing around the plane to see how everyone else was reacting to this. Destiny squeezed his hand, and he felt as well as saw her love and lack of judgement. Lucas, who had largely been raised by a cold and hostile uncle, had sympathetic understanding in his golden eyes. But while some of the others looked angry or sad or appalled, none of it was directed at him or Ellie.

“I’ve made my peace with it,” Ellie said, and he could hear in her voice that she really had. “Hal’s parents are going to be the best grandparents ever, even if they drive Hal and me nuts doing it. And the kids are going to have the best extended family ever. They can ride on panthers and dragons and leopards and wolves—”

“And lions and tigers and bears—” Ethan put in.

“Oh my!” Ellie exclaimed, and they both chuckled. “And they’ll have the best uncle in the whole wide world.”

Ethan had to swallow back a lump in his throat before he spoke. “Thanks. Have you named them yet?”

“Got any ideas?”

“Sig and Sauer,” Ethan suggested.

“No!” Ellie exclaimed indignantly. “Any sensible ideas?”

“Cloud and Tifa?”

“No! Good Lord.” Ellie snorted, but Ethan was touched that she recognized the characters from his favorite video game, even though she’d never played a single one herself. “Anyway, you’re too late. They’re Haley Catalina and Elliot Ethan, and they’re both Brennan-McNeil. I wanted there to be a McNeil family that loves and supports each other—one that’s bigger than the two of us. We needed that for so long. And now we have it.”

The lump in his throat returned, along with a prickling in his eyes, but Ethan no longer cared about hiding his emotions. “Love you, sis.”

“Love you too.” A baby’s shrill wail rose over her voice. “Uh-oh. Here, I’m giving Hal the phone.”

Hal took the phone back, and they gave him the report on what had happened. The one thing they left out, at Ethan and Destiny’s request, was that they were mates. They’d wanted to tell him and Ellie in person.

When they were finished, Hal said, “Merlin, Roland, Pete, Ransom, Carter… Your lives have been turned upside down. You don’t have to deal with everything alone. I’d like to help you. My team would like to help you—the same thing happened to some of them. Why don’t you all stay in Santa Martina for a while, and we can help you sort things out?”

“Thank you for your offer,” Roland said. “It’s very kind, and I’d like to take you up on it. The Army’s been pushing me to retire for years, and I suppose I have to now—from the military. But I’m not the retiring type. I’d like to stay a while and talk to you about running a security company. Not as competition with yours, of course. I was thinking of the east coast.”

“I’d be happy to tell you everything I know,” said Hal. “We have more business than we can handle, actually. I’ve been thinking we needed an East Coast branch, and you seem like just the man to run it. You’d need a team, of course. But maybe you’ve already found one…”

Roland looked over the others. “I was hoping for exactly that. What do you all think? You don’t have to decide now. Take your time.”

Instantly, Carter said, “Roland, Hal, I’m just here to fly this plane. Once. And only because I owed a favor to some people on your team. As soon as it touches down, I’m taking it and flying out of your lives. Out of all of your lives. For good.”

Unperturbed by Carter’s rudeness, Roland said, “Offer still stands, any time you want to take it up.”

“I will!” Merlin said at once. “My time’s up with the Marines anyway. And I’d like to grow out my hair.”

Pete shot him a baleful look. “Maybe that’s your other power. The wizard said you have two.”

Merlin, unoffended, laughed. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair? Guess we’ll find out.”

“Welcome to the team, Merlin,” Roland said, and offered Merlin his hand. They shook hands gravely. “Pete? Ransom? What do you think?”

“Marines taught me I don’t play well with others,” Ransom said. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not joining any more teams.”

“I’ll think about it,” Pete said slowly. “East coast, huh? That’s where I’m headed anyway.”

“My offer stands as well,” said Hal. “To all of you. But I’ve got a different one for Ethan. I know your time’s up with the Marines. Do you want to re-enlist? Or would you rather join Protection, Inc.?”

Destiny locked her arms around his chest. “You’re with me, jarhead. I’ve got you now, and I’m never letting you go.”

Hal’s deep chuckle resounded through the phone. “Oh, it’s like that, is it? Congratulations!”

There was a scuffling sound, and Ellie said, “Yeah, congratulations, you pair of perfectly matched idiots. Took you two long enough to figure it out!”

A baby began to cry, and there was a bang as she apparently dropped the phone. Hal came back on. “Welcome to the team, Ethan.”

“Don’t I get a say?” Ethan asked, but he couldn’t keep a straight face. At last, he’d officially be a member of the team he’d always secretly wished to be on. And he’d be with his mate, too! “Okay, fine. Of course I want in! And thanks.”

Now two babies were crying loudly. Hal, sounding harried, said again, “Welcome! See you.” There was another scuffle, a crash, and the line went dead.

“Better get there soon,” Shane said. “Sounds like they could use another diaper-changer.”

As everyone began to congratulate and welcome Ethan, Destiny nudged him and said, “Wait a second, you guys. Aren’t you going to haze him? It’s traditional.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to be left out,” Ethan said. “Make it good.”

“You could all shift and jump him,” Destiny suggested.

“Or Shane could glare at me really hard,” Ethan added.

“That’s been done,” Destiny pointed out. “Multiple times. Go on, guys. Use your imagination!”

The rest of the Protection, Inc. team looked at each other.

“Well…” said Shane.

“Perhaps…” said Lucas.

“Maybe I could…” said Catalina.

There was a long silence. Then all of them, Ethan and Destiny included, burst out laughing.

“He already got attacked by a two velociraptors, a T-Rex, a pterodactyl, a hell pig, miscellaneous monsters, and a five-headed hydra,” Rafa said. “I think he’s been hazed enough.”

“Point,” said Justin. “He hasn’t been attacked by a Cerberus pup yet, though. Lick him, Trio!”

As his team once again broke into laughter, Ethan knew that though he was still flying above the middle of nowhere, he’d finally come home.