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Her voice is soft at first, almost hesitant, but it grows stronger with every note. The melody is haunting, pulling at something deep inside me. I glance at Dane and Xar, both of them completely still, their attention locked on her.

She finishes the song – our song – and the last note hangs in the air like a heartbeat, delicate and lingering.

“Bloody hell,” I mutter, breaking the silence, my voice low with something closer to reverence than sarcasm.

Xar nods, his voice calm but firm. “You’re incredible, Eviana.”

Dane leans forward slightly, tone soft but sincere. “Thank you. For sharing that with us.”

She doesn’t answer right away.

Her gaze darts between us, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. She clutches the neck of the guitar just a little tighter, her fingers stilling on the strings like she’s grounding herself. There’s a war happening behind her expression – one I’ve never seen this close. Not fear exactly, but something raw anddefensive, like she’s waiting for one of us to ruin the moment. Or for herself to do it.

And then...she doesn’t.

Instead, she draws in a slow breath, one hand brushing her hair behind her ear as she stares into the fire.

“I’ve spent so long guarding every piece of who I am,” she says, voice barely above a whisper. “Not because I wanted to be alone, but because it felt safer that way. Safer not to need anyone. Safer not to hope.”

She swallows, eyes on the flames. “But...I’m tired. Of hiding. Of carrying everything alone. Ofbeingalone.”

Her voice is steadier now, but there’s a tremble just beneath it. Not of weakness. Not of regret. Just truth.

“I’ve been so quick to push people away,” she admits quietly. “But...maybe I don’t have to anymore.”

Xar gives her a small smile. “You don’t.”

Dane nods. “Not with us.”

And me? I flash her my best grin, even as something tight and warm coils in my chest. “Definitely not. You’re stuck with us now, Evie. For life.”

Her lips twitch slightly, and she glances back down at her guitar, her fingers brushing over the strings like they’re still holding her steady.

As the storm rages outside, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she’s starting to let us in.

Not all the way. Not yet.

But it’s a start.

XAR

The storm is still raging outside, wind battering the walls and howling against the windows, but in here, the house feels calm. Not silent – never that, not with Blaise – but there’s a different energy now. Softer. Tentative. Maybe even hopeful.

Eviana is in the kitchen, moving between the counter and the stove with careful precision. Dane’s nearby, helping her with something – probably tea, maybe food – but from where I stand in the doorway, it’s clear she’s keeping her distance. Not physically, exactly. Emotionally. Her shoulders are tight, her movements clipped, like she’s running on instinct and fraying at the edges.

And I get it.

She just laid herself bare with that song. Just let us see a part of her she’s kept locked up tighter than a vault.Honey.We’d been chasing that name for months, never guessing the woman behind it had already slipped into our lives under a different one.

And now that we know?

Now that Iknow?

It’s hard not to be overwhelmed. Her voice wrecked me. That softness. That strength. The way it cracked open something inside me and stitched it back together in the same breath.

But I can’t let her see that. Can’t let her think this changes everything. Can’t let her believe we only want her because of her voice.

Because what I want is all of her. The fire. The fear. The way she said she dreams of being loud. I want that for her. I wanther– not her talent. Not the mystery. Just her.