Page 46 of Martyr (Sterling Falls Rogues #3)

TWO MONTHS LATER

I blow out a slow breath and look up at the house.

It was a foundation a few weeks ago, and then a skeleton of framing, and now…

it’s a house . The air smells like saltwater, and wide windows in the back of said house give gorgeous views of the ocean.

The siding is finished, the blue-gray color striking against the backdrop of ocean and sand.

The interior is finished, as of the contractor’s army of trucks pulling away a few minutes ago.

Artemis burned down the last house that stood here.

And Saint’s first love died somewhere around where I’m standing.

But when Kade proposed building something new on this property for the four of us, his cheeks flushed, Saint didn’t object.

And our golden girl has no idea.

But I think she’ll be okay with it—she likes to build over her trauma.

Speaking of, she’s been busy rebuilding Bow & Arrow and helping Kora get Elodie settled back into Sterling Falls. Saint, Jace, Wolfe, and Apollo have been working on clearing out the rest of the Cyclopes imbedded in the city.

The sheriff’s sister is awake—and so is the sheriff. And Malik Barlow, for that matter. Still not sure I like him, especially since he barged into my life and threatened to keep Artemis away from me… but that was months ago.

Pre-invasion.

Kade wipes the sweat from his brow with the hem of his shirt.

He has some new artwork across his chest and biceps, curtesy of Saint.

The latter has split his time between helping his friends and repairing his tattoo shop.

The huge front window was smashed in at some point, and there was graffiti across the walls. Some of his stuff was stolen.

The devastation on his face…

But the people responsible are gone or dead, and that has to be enough while he cleans up the place. He tattooed a vine going up Tem’s leg, from her foot up to her hip. It has thorns and flowers alike, and it moves with her so well it seems almost part of her.

Gotta say, I’m really freaking glad the dude got his memory back. There was a darkness in him for a while. I imagine that’s the Saint that Artemis had to deal with after Nyx was first killed and Jace asked him to live with her.

At least Kade and I were able to run some sort of interference on that front. Kade was more effective at getting Saint to cut it out, but I was always down to comfort Tem when it got to be too much.

How did she handle it alone the first time around?

“You’ve got a look on your face,” Kade says.

I scowl. “No, I don’t.”

“The surprise is going to go over like a rainbow.”

“That is not a saying.” I glare at him. “You’ve been hanging out with Gabe too much.”

Kade just shrugs.

And that’s another thing— Gabriel . And Lyssa.

Shortly after the whole holy-shit-she’s-awake reveal, she opted to return to Isle of Paradise. And, the most surprising plot twist of all: Gabriel opted to go, too.

And that lasted approximately six weeks before he got kicked out.

Guess a psycho can’t truly ever change their stripes.

Anyway—Kade got the late-night phone call from Dr. Hawthorne, demanding someone come get Gabe immediately. That she was at her wits’ end and was going to chuck him into the ocean if he stayed another night.

Maybe she didn’t say it like that , but I like to read between the lines.

So Kade and Gabe have been crashing together in Tem’s condo, while Tem, Saint, and I have been sleeping at the Bow & Arrow apartment. I’m pretty sure Kade would rather be plastered in bed with us, but he’s been deemed Gabe’s babysitter.

And yes, I call him Gabe purely to irritate him. Even in my inner monologue.

“We shouldn’t order furniture, right?” Kade asks.

“Right…” I head up the newly set stone walkway and go inside. It smells fresh and new and like drying paint. The floors are light wood throughout, the bedrooms upstairs have carpet. “Tem doesn’t know, and she might have some design ideas.”

Kade laughs. “Well, her condo is full of refreshing taste. I bet she’d do a better job than us.”

“Okay, so we surprise her with an empty house and then hand over a credit card for buying shit?”

He nods emphatically. “That sounds great.”

I dust off my hands and laugh. “Sold.”

We lead a blindfolded Saint and Artemis up the walkway. The stone is smooth under our feet. The house is lit up from within, and the glow spills out across the front. The sun has already disappeared behind the hills to our left, but the sky is brilliant shades of orange, pink, and midnight blue.

“This is ridiculous,” Tem murmurs. “Can I take this off?”

“Almost.” I kiss her cheek, just below the edge of the tie banded across her eyes. “It’s worth it, promise.”

A flutter of nerves lights up in my stomach. I hope it’s worth it.

Beside Tem, Saint shuffles along. We stop them, and they automatically reach for each other. Their hands thread.

Saint has to know where we are. We talked to him about it, so naturally he would remember… right?

Oh God, what if we asked him and he wasn’t really paying attention and he gave us a half-assed yes so we’d leave him alone, and he didn’t realize what he was signing up for, and Kade and I just spent all this time and money and sweat building this house for us when Saint is about to have a panic attack and refuse to step foot inside it?

Kade elbows me.

“ Oof .” I shoot him a look.

“What happened?” Tem asks. “Are you okay?”

She cranes around to peek at me, even though she can’t see shit.

“All good.” I glare at Kade.

The bastard just smirks at me.

“Ready?” he asks.

“So ready,” Tem agrees.

He undoes the knot at the back of Saint’s head, and I do the same for Tem’s. I let the silk flutter away, then move around so I can see her reaction.

She blinks fast, her gaze down on the walkway. Then, slowly, it lifts to the house. She stares at it, then around. She takes in the ocean, the street at our backs…

Here it comes.

“I burned it down.”

Saint scoffs. But his expression is full of wonder, too. “You did us a favor with that. This is… better.”

“And that’s just the outside,” Kade rumbles. He gestures for the front door.

Tem leads the way. She doesn’t hesitate, although she does seem confused. Her brows remain furrowed. Saint trails after her, and Kade and I exchange a glance.

“You suddenly get nervous?” I whisper.

He nods quickly.

Great . Butterflies fully engaged, we follow them up the wide porch steps and in through the front door.

Tem spins in a slow circle in the middle of the living room, which is straight through the foyer and down a short hall. She bypassed the staircase and arched doorway to the formal dining room. The kitchen is on the left off the living room, all wide open with a huge island. For, uh, entertaining.

The chandelier our contractor hung in the living room earlier today makes her golden dress sparkle.

Tonight also happens to be the grand reopening of Bow & Arrow for Sterling Falls residents. Tourism hasn’t rebounded yet, but as we ease into the warmer months, there’s been a general optimism about it.

We all need a healthy dose of optimism, these days.

“This is… ours?” Tem’s voice is timid and not at all like her.

“If you want to share it with us,” Kade replies. He takes her hand. “What do you think?”

“I…” She focuses on Saint. “You’re okay with being here?”

He nods and offers her a quick smile. “They checked before, and yeah—I’m more than okay making a life here with you.”

Tears fill her eyes.

“All of you,” he finishes.

Kade grins and spreads his arms. “Family.”

“Family,” we echo.

We already survived the worst. Now, hopefully, ahead of is only the better .

THE END