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Gritting his teeth, he hated that he wasn’t sure at all. “I’ll get some. I’ll get her settled and?—”

“I’ll leave some outside the door,” Theon cut in. “Luka, stay with Auryon.”

The brothers didn’t speak as they descended the stairs, and when they came to the second floor, Axel silently turned into his room, kicking the door shut behind him.

With a heavy sigh, he went to the bed, lowering onto it. He didn’t let her go, but continued to hold her tightly to him. Kat shifted, a soft moan coming from her.

“Hey, kitten,” he whispered, leaning back and tipping her face up to his. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Sore,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”

His mouth dropped open. “What could you possibly be apologizing for?”

She blinked at him several times, as though it took her a minute to process his question. “For getting hurt.”

“For getting… Gods, Kat,” Axel sighed, pulling her back into him again. “I knew I wasn’t good for you to be around, but I never imagined— I should be apologizing to you.”

“You are a Legacy,” she whispered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, pushing matted hair back from her brow.

“You don’t apologize.”

Something twisted in his chest at her words, but he shoved it aside. “Do you want to clean up some?”

“Yes, please.”

He nodded, helping her to her feet before guiding her to the bathroom. Leaving her to it, he left the bathroom door open when he went to the bedroom door. Sure enough, Theon had left a bottle of blood. It was over half gone, likely the rest of his weekly ration. Theon probably needed it after fighting the Augury and then battling him again upstairs, and Axel recognized it for what it was.

A peace offering.

He drained the bottle, setting it aside before he went back to the bathroom. He found Kat still fully dressed, struggling with her shirt, as if she was too tired to even properly lift her arms. Stepping forward, Axel gently brushed her hands aside. Whenshe lifted her face to his, he said, “I’m only going to help, nothing more.”

She nodded, letting her hands fall to her side. Once he had her sweat-laden clothes peeled off of her, he led her into the shower, keeping the water lukewarm. Then he quickly stripped off his shoes, socks, and shirt before stepping in beside her. She leaned against him the entire time he washed her hair, whispering instructions about what hair products to use and how.

After he’d helped her dry off, he put her in one of his shirts, simply for the ease of being able to button it quickly. Leaving her in the bathroom, he went to the closet and quickly shucked off his soaked pants. He changed, grabbing a pair of sleep shorts for her as well, but when he came back out, she had already made her way to the bed and was nestled into the blankets.

Axel didn’t even debate the decision. He couldn’t have slept away from her tonight if he’d tried. Something in him demanded he stay near, watch over her, protect her.

So he slipped beneath the covers, settling in beside her, and when she turned into him, her soft breaths drifting across his bare skin, he curled his arm around her, keeping her close. He savored every rise and fall of her chest, running his fingers over the wound on her arm. Sleep wouldn’t find him tonight. Not until she woke, and he was sure she was fine would he even attempt to rest.

As the night hours slipped by, he found himself thinking back to their time in the archives.

“This contends that the Fae were created to keep the balance.”

“Then the Fates would have been involved.”

“Or the Fates required something be done, and this was the answer.”

What if the Fae were the answer to something that needed to be corrected?

What if the Fae were never meant to serve the Legacy at all?

What if, in the end, the Fae had saved them?

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THEON