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A rustle cut through the quiet below. Twigs snapped.

Then the groaning of branches. Heavy breathing. A scrape of bark.

Something was climbing. Coming closer.

Fast—though not as fast as he usually would’ve made the ascent.

“Let’s go on a quest, Kato,” came the panted muttering. “Let’s go rescue adamsel,Kato.”

Skye sighed, briefly considering shooting a few bullets toward the ground before thinking better. That would just give the bastard more to complain about.

“ExceptthenI’m going to ditch you at the first opportunity. No note. No parting goodbye.”

“We spoke before I left,” Skye said, not bothering to raise his voice.

Not that it mattered. Kato just kept going, breathless and complaining.

“And then after I find the fair damsel—after we kill the traitors and takeallthe glory for ourselves—then what? Do we come back? Maybe touch base with our noble, self-sacrificing brother who risked his life for our love?”

A pause. Just enough time for Skye to hope that maybe he’d fallen.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Skye hung his head.

“After all, we’ve earned it right? A little time forus. To rest, recover—reconnect—at what can only be described as a luxurious inter-dimensional spa!”

A branch snapped.

“Oh, what’s that? It’s a hell loop, you say?” A sharp exhale. “But like, you know, aluxuryhell loop. One with enchanted grottos. Hot showers.Actual beds.”

A hissed, “Motherf—” was cut off by another creaking branch.

“Did anyone ask Kato if he wanted a bed?No. Kato got dumped downstairs. Still well within earshot, mind you, of the two star-crossed lovers dry-humping in the loft while he teetered on the brink of death.”

There was no teetering. There was barely a wave as Death passed by at a distance on his way for someone else.

Hands burst through the thick veil of leaves and branches at his feet, gripping the gnarled tree trunk. A shock of red hair appeared next, followed by a set of shoulders, then with a grunt, a torso as his brother pulled himself up.

Kato climbed a few feet higher, then hopped, pushing off the trunk and freefalling for half a heartbeat—only to catch himself on a nearby branch.

He gave a careless smile from where he hung. “Miss me?”

Skye shot him an irritable glare before turning his attention back to the forest below. “Your leg seems fine now,” he pointed out dryly. “Not exactly the picture of misery you’ve been painting all morning.”

“What, this old thing? Nah, it’s killing me. I just decided suffering up here next to you would be more fun.” Kato adjusted his grip, shaking loose a spray of water from the surrounding foliage as he pulled himself up to sit. “Seriously, though,” he grunted, swinging a leg over the branch. “Did you really need to climb the tallest tree in the forest just to brood? That’s a bit dramatic.”

“I wanted to get a look at where we’re going. Anything on your end?”

“Just trees,” Kato panted, making a show of settling in like that would somehow disguise how hard he was breathing. “You?”

“Same.” And that made Skye nervous. It had almost been too easy, too quiet, since they set out that morning. A heavy stillness hung over the forest, the kind that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“You know, I think I finally figured it out.” Kato’s smile was all sharp edges as the breeze ruffled his hair. “The reason you seem so… twitchy lately.”

Skye spared his brother a glance. First, he wasn’t twitchy. Second— “Do youeverstop talking?”

“Not when I’m onto something. And this—” Kato sighed, shaking his head. “This is officially a pattern. It’s fascinating, really. Every time Taly’s out of sight, youpine. The quiet, tortured gazes. The sighing. The tension.”