Page 32

WREN

“I’m telling you, she was into me,” Juan protested from his spot on the stool at Arcane, a burger and fries in front of him as Clyde, Dina, Puck, and Franco looked on.

Franco let out a snort of amused derision. “Dude, she flipped you off as she walked to her car.”

Juan just grinned. “She’s fiery. Likes to keep me on my toes.”

“She’s probably going to take out a restraining order,” Puck muttered.

Juan glared at him. “You’d know all about that.” He turned to me. “Isn’t he supposed to stay one hundred yards away from you now?”

I choked on a laugh as I slid Clyde a refill of his Coke.

“Hey,” Puck protested, pulling me into his arms. “I’m Birdie’s favorite.”

I patted his chest. “Of course you are, buddy.”

A growl rumbled from his throat. “I’m not your buddy.”

Franco covered his laugh with a cough. “Caught in the friend zone, huh?”

“I’ll show you the friend zone,” Puck muttered, tipping me back and taking my mouth with his. His tongue stroked in, that taste of smoky whiskey filling my mouth. I moaned, the world going a little blurry around me.

As Puck straightened us both and pulled his mouth from mine, sounds of hoots and hollers filled the air from various patrons. It was my turn to glare at Puck. “You didn’t.”

He just grinned at me. “Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.”

“You didn’t seem like you minded it all that much, girlie,” Clyde said, amusement lacing his tone. “If you had, you’d have put that Brit on his ass.”

“Hey,” Puck protested. “I could take her.”

“Keep telling yourself that, boy,” Clyde muttered, reaching for his burger.

I couldn’t help but giggle. Gods, I loved this crew.

And as I filled more drinks for Dina to hand out at the tables, I realized I was glad I hadn’t run.

Because these people were becoming my family.

Not just the guys but also Dina, Clyde, Juan, and Franco.

They were giving me something I’d never had before. A home.

As I reached for another tall glass, I caught sight of an envelope beneath it. Frowning at my name scrawled across it, I picked it up and opened it.

These days, I was braced for a threat from Bastian, the remaining Death Walkers, or even the dark mages. But I found something else entirely. I tugged a woven string bracelet from the envelope.

It was six different shades of blue, and as its smell reached my nose, I recognized Kingston’s mint and pine scent, along with something else. Magic? I tugged out a piece of paper and scanned it.

I see you, Little Warrior. Blue eyes that melt from one shade to the next. Eyes that take in everything around you. That see more than anyone else. Eyes that make everyone feel seen, too. This bracelet has an enchantment that should help with your headaches. I love you. – King

I struggled to swallow, countless emotions clogging my throat. I couldn’t break, not here. But the fact that King had woven this and then took it to someone to imbue it with protective magic meant more than I could say. And that he’d written those three little words? I almost couldn’t process it.

“Can I help you put it on?” Puck whispered, his lips grazing my ear.

I turned, searching his green eyes. “You knew he was doing this?”

“He left at three this morning to make it back before we left for work. Asked me to put the note somewhere you’d find it.”

Phantom pressure constricted my sternum. “Yes. Will you help me put it on?”

Puck took the bracelet from my hand and tied it around my left wrist. It shimmered faintly in the lights from above, assuring me the magic was there. “He knows he messed up,” Puck said softly. “He’s trying to make it right.”

“I know,” I croaked, then looked up at Puck. “I’m scared that he thinks he can separate me from Bastian but won’t actually be able to.”

“He already has,” Puck said, certainty lacing his words. “That moment was a shock, but he sees who you really are. He knows it to the depths of his bones. He just needed time to process it all.”

Gods, I wanted Puck to be right. I hoped it with everything I had. But the more I got in this life, the more I had to lose. I knew better than most that the things you loved could be torn away from you in infinite ways.