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GIDEON

“ W hat the shit is going on over there?” Beau stands beside me where the group of us observe, from a distance–along with Trigger who’s head I’m stroking to keep him from running over there–Winnow petting Seraphine like a wounded cat as she sobs. Violently.

Holy fuck, she’s actually healing her.

Or torturing her.

It’s hard to tell from afar, judging by the weeping alone.

“Your guess is as good as mine, brother.”

Harlan and I exchange a knowing glance. He may not know exactly what or who Winnow is but he suspected she was something more from the moment he laid eyes on her, and if I’m honest, I’m a little jealous of that.

Levi’s eyes are narrowed at me with suspicion. I hold his gaze for a moment, and through it, I can tell that he knows something is up, he just can’t discern what.

In my peripheral vision, I see movement, and I return my gaze to Winnow as she and Seraphine stand and begin making their way back to her car.

As they near, I realize Seraphine, for the first time in her life, is wearing a look of undeniable shame. As though she finally recognizes the havoc she’s wrought and feels genuine remorse. Her eyes briefly lift to mine as she reaches her car door.

“I’m sorry.”

And I am… speechless.

Seraphine climbs into her car, and my muscles immediately tense. Swiftly closing the distance between me and Winnow, I’m half-expecting Seraphine to do something insane. Like fucking try to run us all over.

I pull Winnow behind me just as Seraphine starts her car, and she calmly reverses before disappearing down the driveway.

Winnow’s eyes are a little red and puffy but she’s smiling up at me as I grasp her by the shoulders and examine her. “It went well,” is all she says.

I’m still reeling at how this all went down when Winnow further shocks me by daintily pinching the grip of a Beretta 86 like it’s diseased.

“Here. She had this on her.”

Cursing under my breath, I relieve her of the gun, and I’m instantly furious with myself that I ever let Winnow talk me into letting her wander off alone with Satan.

She smirks up at me. “It would take a lot more than that to?—

The sound of crackling, similar to that of a campfire but louder, cuts off Winnow’s sentence.

Immense pressure, akin to a plane’s take-off, suddenly presses down on us.

Winnow gasps, eyes going wide in the same moment that I turn to follow her gaze, already cocking the Beretta and flipping off the safety.

Ultraviolet light—similar to the color of lightning—gradually tears through the air in front of us and parts wide to reveal two women, one of whom has horns vaguely similar to Winnow’s, and a well-dressed man with pale green skin.

Harlan, Levi, and Beau, also, already have their guns trained on the trio in front of us.

I mistakenly attempt to tug Winnow behind me just as she gives a squeal of delight, and smacks me away so she can rush forward toward the slender brown-haired woman wearing a crown and an elaborate dress. “Theia!”

Theia clutches Winnow against her. “Divine mother of fuck, I’m so relieved you’re alright. We’ve searched everywhere for you.”

Her cousin.

Her fantastical family is here.

Though I can’t help but notice the other female doesn’t look entirely pleased to be here. Nor does the mint-green man with pursed lips and small tusks.

“Would you put those things down, please?”

Winnow’s admonishing command snaps my attention back to her as she tugs her semi-reluctant looking cousin in my direction. “Theia, this is my soulbound, Gideon Kincaid. ”