Two Weeks Later

Finn

I flipped the coin between my fingers, unable to let go of it. I'd found it a while ago while unpacking some of my older stuff, and after my last therapy session, I'd dug it out of the cabinet and been unable to put it away.

"What's that?" Levi asked as he climbed into bed beside me, and I moved closer to him, turning so I could snuggle into his chest. I handed the coin over to him, and he rubbed his thumb over the smooth, silver surface.

"Remember the man I told you about, the one who rescued us and brought us to Mistvale?

" Levi nodded, and my eyes slid to the coin in his hand as I thought back to the day everything had changed.

"He gave one of those to each of us. He said that if we were ever scared or in trouble, all we had to do was hold that coin and think of him or call his name, and he would be here. "

"Did you ever use it?"

I smiled, then shook my head. "I thought I would have to.

I kept it on me for a long time, switching it from pocket to pocket after every shower, putting it under my pillow when I went to bed.

I think it took me a whole year before I accepted that my dads really were good people.

Then I put the coin in a drawer, and it stayed there until now. "

Levi pressed a kiss on top of my head, then handed the coin back to me. "What made you take it out now?"

"My last session with Dr. Griffin, we were talking about the past, and I said something about wanting to thank Max for saving me. They reminded me of the coin. I hadn't even remembered the coin, much less telling them about it, until they mentioned it."

"Do you want to call him over then? To say thank you?"

"Is that crazy?"

Levi shook his head, then nudged my chin until I glanced up at him. While I was taller than him, I preferred lying like this when we were in bed. It made me feel smaller, protected. "It's not crazy at all. I think it would make him happy."

"Yeah?"

Levi nodded, and I smiled. "It's late, so I'll call him up tomorrow. Will you be there with me when he comes?"

"Of course. I want to thank him too. "

Every time I thought I couldn't love him more, he said something to make me rethink my stance. I placed the coin on the nightstand, then leaned up to press my lips to his, and before long, I forgot all about the coin, Maximus, and everything else.

"Maximus, are you there? I need to talk to you," I murmured, my fist tight around the coin, my other hand in Levi's. The coin got warmer in my hand, silver light slipping out between my fingers, and between one moment and the next, Maximus was in front of me, a sword in his right hand.

He scanned the area around us, but when it was clear it was just me, Levi, and Greta in the backyard, Maximus slid his sword back into its sheath.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said when I found my voice, then ducked my head sheepishly. "Sorry, I should've mentioned there was no danger.”

Maximus waved me off, then glanced curiously between me and Levi.

He was a handsome man, tall with a warrior's build, short black hair, and kind, honey-brown eyes.

He was dressed in practically the same outfit as last time, dark pants, dark shirt, with a belt holding his sword and a bunch of wicked-looking daggers.

Always ready for a fight, wasn't he? He hadn't changed at all, but that wasn't really strange for a supe.

"It's okay," he assured me, and I smiled.

"This is Levi, and his familiar, Greta. He's my mate," I introduced, then turned to Levi. "Levi, this is Maximus, the man who saved our lives."

Levi let go of my hand to step forward and shake Maximus's, his smile wide. "Thank you so much for what you did for Finn and the others. When I saw the place empty, I thought the worst had happened. I'm glad that wasn't the case."

"You saw the place?"

I explained the whole thing to Maximus, and he shook his head.

"I'm glad you're doing well. If I'd known of your existence, I would've found you and brought you here as well."

I knew Maximus meant it, and I wished I'd remembered to mention Levi back then. If I hadn't buried all thoughts of him to keep the grief at bay, could I have found him sooner? I'd never know, but I did know he would've had a better life, one he never got to experience because of me.

"It's not your fault, either of you," Levi insisted, his eyes boring into mine because he could read me like a book.

"And my life after that hellhole wasn't bad.

I traveled all over and made friends, got a ton of experience in all kinds of things.

I don't regret it. Any of it," he insisted, and I nodded.

This wasn't the first time we'd had this conversation, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"I'm glad you're doing well," Max said, clearly sensing the need for a change of topic. "How are your siblings? And the others?"

I told him what everyone was up to, and he seemed delighted by it. I was glad I'd called him, because talking to him did feel good, like closure.

"Max, I called you here because I wanted to thank you for everything you did for us. I don't know where we would be without you. You saved our lives, and gave us the chance to have an actual childhood. Thank you."

Maximus looked a little stunned by my words, so I went ahead and gave him a hug as well. He stood frozen for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him tightly for a long moment before stepping back, and then ducked my head to wipe my eyes before the others could notice.

When I glanced up, Max was busy doing the same, which made me chuckle.

He glanced up, then smiled at me. Then, he reached out and ruffled my hair like I wasn't a fully grown twenty-seven-year-old but still the same kid he'd rescued.

"Keep the coin. You can still use it. If you're ever in danger or just need help, call me and I'll be there. "

I nodded mutely, and Maximus tilted his head at Levi in a nod before disappearing.

I still didn't know what kind of supe he was.

No supe I'd ever heard of had the ability to teleport save for demons, but demons were chained to a master and couldn't act of their own free will, which clearly wasn't the case here.

When I turned to look at Levi, he had a shit-eating grin on his face, and I just knew I needed to be wary of whatever came out of his mouth next.

"What?"

Levi

"You have a type," I said, making his brows furrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have an itty-bitty crush on your white knight."

Finn blanched, glancing between me and the spot where Maximus had stood moments ago. I wondered what Maximus was, but it'd seemed rude to ask him that, and I didn't think Finn knew.

"What? No way! I'm just grateful to him because he saved us. That's it."

"Sure, sure," I said in a tone that implied I didn't believe him at all. I'd seen the starry-eyed way he'd looked at the man, and while I might be a teensy bit jealous, I didn't mind too much because his crush looked more like a hero-worship thing than any real romantic interest.

"Greta, Levi's being a jerk," Finn complained, and Greta—the traitor—hissed at me.

"Oi, don't forget whose familiar you are."

In reply, Greta stomped her feet and hissed at me, and I raised my hands in surrender before she could turn her butt toward me. I'd managed to avoid getting sprayed so far, and I intended to keep up my streak.

"That's better," Finn said with a smug grin. "Come on, Greta, let's make ourselves some lunch."

The two went inside, and I sighed before following them in, my lips curving into a smile.

I'd moved to Mistvale because I'd been bored and wanting to be closer to nature, and coming here was the best thing I'd ever done.

Mistvale had changed everything for me, and I sent a silent thank-you to past me for deciding to move here.

How much longer would it have taken our paths to cross if I hadn't moved here? How many more years would I have spent believing Finn and the others were dead?

The thought was enough to make me shudder, and I shook the what-ifs off as I joined Finn in the kitchen.

"Oh, Papa invited us over for dinner. Dada and Dadi are visiting, so it's going to be a big meal. Penny and Dean are portaling in for the night too."

I'd talked to Finn's grandparents—Jai's parents—on video call before, but this was the first time I'd be meeting them.

While Finn's grandpa was the quiet type, his grandma was a delightful woman.

She'd offered to teach me Hindi when I'd told her about my wish to learn, proudly telling me how she would be happy to teach 'another grandkid. ' How could I have said no to that?

"A full house? Awesome! Are we taking Greta?"

Greta, who'd been sitting on the counter watching us, stood up on her hind legs, making me chuckle.

"Are you seriously threatening us? About this?"

She hissed, making me snort, and I gave up. "Fine, you can come. But don't come crying to me when Padfoot chases you all over the house."

She gave me a look that I translated to "As if that would ever happen," and I shook my head because it had happened before, more than once.

After a filling lunch, Finn and I retreated to our bedroom, locking Greta out. It'd been a long week, and we'd barely had any real time with each other.

We spent the afternoon in bed, touching, kissing, making love, and reacquainting ourselves with each other. Some days, all I wanted to do was lock ourselves in and spend the day worshipping Finn, giving him pleasure the likes of which he'd never felt before.

The only reason I'd never tried it before was I was afraid his family and the whole damned Mistvale clan would break down the door and come in if we went no-contact for a whole damned day.

Never having had a family that cared so much, I liked how nosey they were, but I knew it drove Finn crazy sometimes. I supposed I would feel the same once the shine wore off in a few years, but until then, I intended to enjoy all that love and attention.

Once it was time for dinner, we showered together, got dressed, then made our way to Finn's dads' place with Greta in tow.

The last time we'd talked, Raphael had mentioned he was in talks with the adoption agency to adopt a kid in his early teens who might be an incubus, and I knew Finn was hoping for some updates. So was I.

The dinner with the whole family was a loud, boisterous event, especially once Raphael announced their application had been accepted and the family would be growing by one. Finn and his siblings were delighted by the idea of having another sibling, and I loved seeing Finn's eyes sparkle with joy.

We stayed so long we ended up spending the night in Finn's old room, which his dads had turned into a guest room but would soon be the new kid's bedroom.

I pulled Finn close, and he buried his face into my chest, his hand sliding under my t-shirt to rest against my heart.

He'd been doing a lot better sleep-wise recently, and while there would always be some bad nights, I thought we'd gotten through the worst of them.

I knew there was a possibility the nightmares and anxiety would return every time something big happened in our lives, but whenever that happened, I would be there to love and support Finn, to take care of him.

"I love you, my dhal," he murmured sleepily, making me smile .

I pressed a kiss into his hair, then breathed him in as I closed my eyes. "I love you too, Gin. Sweet dreams."