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I saw Vorzyr move to take the necklace, clearly to put it on for me, but then he stopped himself and settled back amongst the guys.

Emotion took me. He’d realized, they all had, that it needed to be me.

To put it on and take in what it meant—that I was accepting who and what I was. And this necklace… finally wearing it… was me taking pride in myself as well.

Rising above that previously internalized fear.

Transcending preconceived notions running rampant about me.

Choosing hope despite this recent Celestial Plane development.

I swallowed hard, then opened the clasp.

And then I sealed it around my neck and laid the pendant on my chest, gazing down at it and breathing in the moment, cataloguing it.

It was made all the more profound by my men gathering around me and taking it in with me.

“Perfect,” Kai said.

I snapped my fingers, a spark of my magic emanating, and then I was clad in the outfit Kai had suggested, the necklace all the more prominent against the white of my wrap top.

“Damn,” Nyx said, licking his lips salaciously. I chuckled as I saw him shift his weight and work to tamper it down. “Gotta focus on the Crossborn presentation… gotta focus,” he started uttering like a mantra.

“Right there with you,” Vorzyr said, even as heat blazed in his eyes as he looked me up and down. “I need to focus up for this meeting with Cornelius.”

“We’ll be fine,” Kai assured him. He told Nyx, “I’m done with the facts and figures for your presentation. You’re all set.”

“Thank you so much, Kai.”

“Anytime.”

“I’m so sorry I can’t be there with you at Grandfather’s to—”

“Stop,” Vorzyr said, cupping my cheek. “Like Kai said, we’ll be fine. And this invitation from Ryker is important. You absolutely need to do this.”

“He’s right,” Kai added. “No apologies. This is your moment. Take it.”

“You’re being so sweet. Beyond justbest behaviorterritory.”

“It’s weird as fuck to us as well,” Vorzyr jested.

“Hey,” Nyx cried. “He’s been working really hard at it long before today.”

We all chuckled at that, the levity doing wonders for all of us.

And then I wrapped my arms around them and pulled them in close, the three of them responding until we were all entangled in front of my closet.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll be sure to bring the dirtiness later,” Kai uttered. He brushed his thumb over my cheek, both dark amusement and lust dancing in his eyes as he rumbled, “Our dirty little slut.”

“Allours,” Nyx uttered

“Goddess,” Vorzyr growled, possessiveness and earnestness warring for top billing.

I loved it. All of it.

They were here with me in every way.

They were here in spite of what was coming, of the burden bearing down on me from on high, of the complications that being with me brought along with it. The dangers, the challenges, the endless fight it would surely be to be calledmine.