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“Whoever or whatever conspired to put us together has quite the sense of humor. We were certainly forced to work for this.”

“Mm-hmm,” I sigh. “Lucky, lucky us.” I nuzzle his cheek with my nose and add, “I want you. I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you as often as you need to hear. I accept you. All of you—sarcastic deflections, protective instincts, Jersey Devil adaptations, devilish good looks, and all your lingering guilt about things you couldn’t control.”

His skin shifts to warmer crimson, tail tightening slightly around my waist.

My fingers trace the curve of his horn with practiced ease. “And Dante?” I wait for his gaze to find mine. “I love you, too.”

As crystal light shifts to indicate approaching dawn, we remain wrapped in each other’s embrace, the mate bond dancing with contentment between us. Outside these walls, hunters still lurk and dangers wait. My father’s obsession remains unsatisfied, the threat still hovering at the edges of our sanctuary. Yet in this moment, wrapped in Dante’s wings with his tail secure around my waist, those threats feel distant compared to the connection we’ve reclaimed.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dante

I shouldn’t be replaying the life-altering intimacy I shared with Blair last night, especially since I’m certain my smile is so wide that my friends are all aware that we’ve mended all fences.

“Message intercepted from Frost Analytics frequency,” Volt announces, electricity crackling through his golden feathers as he strides into the room. “Addressed specifically to Blair.”

My skin shifts to obsidian as the Thunderbird places a crystal communication device on the stone table. The sanctuary’s senior council members exchange wary glances.

Blair’s expression remains carefully neutral, though the mate bond contracts with sudden tension between us. “What does it say?”

Volt flicks it on and the device projects a holographic message into the air. William Andrews appears—tall, distinguished, with silver-streaked hair and piercing eyes that hold an uncomfortable resemblance to Blair’s analytical gaze.

“You have my daughter. I demand her immediate release or an army will descend upon your mountain and will wipe out every creature in it. I’ll be at our old research outpost in the western valley tomorrow at midday. Allow her to come. Alone. Or suffer the consequences.”

The message ends, leaving heavy silence in its wake. My jaw tightens, betraying emotion I can’t fully suppress.

“Absolutely not,” I break the silence first, wings pulling tight against my back. “It’s obviously a trap.”

Blair’s eyes find mine across the table. “Probably.”

The council members debate the strategic implications, the risks of an invasion, the risk to Blair. Through it all, Blair remains silent, her analytical mind visibly processing options.

“I won’t go,” she finally says, setting her tablet down with deliberate precision. “He’s bluffing. I don’t believe he has an army at his disposal to rescue me, nor do I believe he knows the exact location of this sanctuary. The risk to the sanctuary is too great if he’s somehow using the meeting to confirm our location.” She rises, gathering her materials with practiced efficiency. “The subject is closed.”

Later, I find her at the eastern outlook—a rocky ledge overlooking the valley where crystal formations catch the afternoon light.

“Your father has impeccable timing,” I say, announcing my presence. “Just when we’ve finally found our way back to each other.”

“He always did have a talent for disruption.” Her voice carries forced lightness.

Moving closer, I let my wing brush her shoulder—gentle contact that sends warmth cascading through our bond. “You surprised them back there. They expected you to want to go.”

“I’m afraid,” she admits after a long silence, the confession clearly costing her. “Not of hunters or weapons. But of standing before him and declaring who I’ve chosen to be. Who I’ve chosen to love.”

The last word emerges so quietly I might have missed it without cryptid hearing. My skin shifts instantly to that iridescent shade I can’t control when I’m around her.

“Blair…”

“Don’t get me wrong, Dante, I’m not ashamed of you. I’m incredibly proud of you, and the mate bond we have is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I guess there will always be the little girl in me that still wants her father’s approval, the love he was never able to show me after my mother died.”

She stands staring off into the distance. All I can do is to wrap my now fully healed wing around her while my tail finds her waist, supporting her while I let her brilliant brain process these strong, conflicting emotions.

“I’m going to meet him,” she says suddenly. Her expression is set—the kind that says her mind’s made up and there’s no use arguing.

“You’ve changed your mind?” My skin darkens with immediate concern.

“I need to face him. To finally stand before him, not as his apprentice or his daughter, but as the person I’ve chosen to become.” Her voice strengthens with each word. “To tell him directly that I choose this life, this community.You.”