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I didn’t think, I just ran for them. My arms were already around the massive shifter before I understood what was happening. He tensed in surprise but didn’t pull away.

“Thank you, Salvator. Thank you so fucking much,” I murmured over and over, pressing my face into his naked chest, eyes shut tight.

My voice was shaking. Actually, my entire body was. I’d only noticed after his arms wrapped around me to hold me close. Awkwardly, as if he’d never done it before, Salvator rubbed my back in what I suspected was meant to be soothing.

It felt like forever since I’d breathed again. A lifetime. Watching Lev come so close to death was terrifying in a way nothing had ever been. I didn’t expect it to affect me so much, but when the tears started to pour down my face, I realized how scared I’d been to lose him.

Sighing, I finally pulled away and gave the shifter one of the biggest smiles yet, hoping it’d express how grateful I was. How he’d saved me a world of agony. He didn’t have to, but he did.

Salvator was a good man.

“You did good, Sally,” I teased.

He stared down at me, arms still holding tight. Hair fell over his face and his eyes beamed a light-brown, different from the typical fathomless abyss. Then, as if he couldn’t help himself, a smile ghosted across his mouth. Mine grew. But his immediately disappeared when he glanced up.

“Little rebel?” I heard someone call out.

I turned, suddenly aware I was hugging a very naked Salvator in front of the only man I was meant to hug naked. Shame hit hard and swift, and I distanced myself without another thought.

“Big beefy man tantrum incoming,” Ryker whispered to Tometi, no longer visible so it was only Salvator and I who heard it.

Lev, ever the insightful friend, cleared his throat. “Um, aren’t I the one you should be hugging, Niks? I’m the one who almost died and all.”

“Oops,” I said with a sheepish grin.

And just like that, the tension melted.

I was taken into Silas’s arms and checked over. He swiped away all the remaining tears with his jaw clenched tightlyenough to reshape his face. He didn’t say another word, just guided me away from the devastation we’d caused and the very uncomfortable moment that came after.

“So…last night didn’t go as planned. Guess it’s on me for expecting it would,” Lev quipped with a laugh, paging through the book we’d stolen. He took a long sip from his steamy cup of tea, while I nibbled on a piece of toast Silas had insisted on making for me.

“It was still fun, all things considered,” I offered, tapping the text. “But it’s good we didn’t—”

“Die? Get you kidnapped?” Lev supplied, monotone.

I stole a glance at the two towering men nearby, who hadn’t spoken much since the weird thank-you embrace. “I was going to say argue.”

Lev tilted his head and considered my statement. “Wow! You’re right. Should we get them checked? You think it’s contagious?”

Hiding a smile, I pretended not to hear Silas click his tongue and mumble something about a cute wanker mouthing off. “Better safe than sorry. Who knows what we’ll do if we catch it.”

“Dance?”

I glowered at him, but Lev acted as if he didn’t notice. Sighing, I returned to the task at hand—learning how to corrupt my gem. I checked my notes, still no further into my quest for answers.

The ritual to send Rilas back was straight forward enough. Thanks to Grandmother, I knew the feeling and how to use magic to draw symbols, but I couldn’t summon the old magic until I’d achieved a perfect balance. Nothing in the journal or theDark Fae Society book explained how to do that. It almost felt intentional at this point, like it’d been left out of everything my grandmother and mother had covered in theirs for a reason.

Why hadn’t they talked about how to corrupt the gem? Was it out of fear I’d do it too soon?

Dugan said he’d been asked to wait until Silas came looking for him as Dugan and not Trevion. The more pieces I gathered, the more I understood that each piece had been left with the intention to be found at a certain point along the way. So was the next piece one I wasn’t meant to find yet, or had I missed it altogether?

The silence that permeated the space was a heavy one as I reviewed a page I’d read through enough times to memorize it.

Silas leaned back against the countertop, his eyes never leaving me. “Well, love? What do we think? Can you summon the old magic, as you say?”

Tired, I rubbed my temples and shook my head. “I’m still not sure how to corrupt the gem enough to make it grey and achieve the right balance.”

Salvator grunted, his jaw ticking. “Grey? Balance?”