Page 82 of Till Death

“It was a good plan, huh, Paesha?”

The Huntress mussed the little girl’s hair. “Sure, it was.”

“I made you this.” Quill stepped forward, handing me a rolled piece of paper. “And Elowen got me the paper and the paints, so it’s from both of us.”

Unrolling the parchment, I couldn’t help the warmth that spread through me, the heart-wrenching sweetness at her depiction of the group, me included. Orin and I stood together in her painting, and she’d been so meticulous about including the small dagger on my thigh. Everyone was there. Hollis, with either a sword or a massive needle, it was hard to tell, though the needle made more sense. Althea, with a big heart drawn onto her chest and a smile on her pretty face, Paesha, drawn in feathers as if she were dancing, and she’d drawn herself holding Boo’s paw while Elowen held a birthday cake.

“It’s incredible. Thank you.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, wishing I could dart up the stairs as I spiraled into a place that knew I didn’t really deserve this kind of love. But equally, I wanted to take this moment and freeze it, holding it tenderly for as long as I could. Because, though Requiem was so, so broken, in our own way, we were not. And maybe I truly did belong here.

“Don’t cry, or I’m going to cry,” Althea said, stepping away from the stairs as she held out something rolled in brown paper.

“Really, you don’t need to go through the trouble.”

“This is an honor, Dey.”

Opening the package as everyone stood in a circle watching me, I worried that whatever may be inside, I wouldn’t have the reaction they expected, and they’d be disappointed. But when I peeled back the final layer and stared down at the dagger in my hand, I nearly stumbled.

“Thea…” I forced a breath into my lungs to steady my racing heart. “Gods, Thea.”

She bounced on her toes again. “It’s a twin to Chaos. But I like to think of her as a counterpart. The curves in the handles are opposite, so one for right, and one for left. I matched the design as closely as I could, and Elowen picked the ruby. I was hoping you would call her Serenity. Because they are day and night. Darkness and light. Chaos and Serenity.”

Elowen had been standing at the door with hands clasped to her chest and small tears in her eyes. “I hope you like it.”

I didn’t have words at all. There wasn’t a word in our language that would convey the gratitude. And it wasn’t about the blade, though it was a masterpiece. It was the gesture. The knot in my throat grew larger, my nose tingling as I struggled for breath, hoping to hide the tears that made me weak.

Drawing in a steady breath, I thanked Elowen and Althea, but when they moved in to hug me, I turned rigid. Awkward and unable to convey anything that I was feeling. They were warm, and I was cold, and that’s the way all of these weeks between us had been. But neither had faltered in their kindness. Not when I was sneaking around the house because I didn’t think they would give me answers, nor when I was angry and defiant. They were kind. And I was not worthy.

“My turn,” the frail voice of the old man in the back said, bringing a large package out from behind his back.

I moved to stand before him, knowing that at any moment I was going to fall apart, and I’d have to run. But measured movements and his steady, calming gaze held me in the moment as I tugged the laces on his gift and let the paper fall away.

“It will fit you perfectly,” he promised as I pulled the black clothing from his hands, holding the leather to my chest. “I’ve reinforced your pockets for blade tips and made the fabric more breathable. It’s darker than your other outfits, as well. I’ve been experimenting with a dye that will keep you hidden.”

I didn’t understand how they could all give me things that would help me be the monster they’d once hated me for. The tears were genuine and the pounding in my chest, deafening. “Thank you,” I managed.

“I tried to tell him the dye was unnecessary, but he didn’t listen,” Paesha said. “You’ve got that shadow thing down.”

Orin cleared his throat.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t a nice gift,” she said, tossing me another parcel. “Mine’s just better.”

“Technically, I had a hand in that one also,” Hollis said, a lightness to his voice I wished I could bottle and keep forever.

“Fair,” she countered. “But maybe don’t open that one in front of the kid.”

Drawing back, I pinned her with a questioning gaze. She lifted a shoulder and moved toward the kitchen. “You’ll see.”

“I wish I could find the words to thank you all. They just don’t exist.”

“We know,” Quill answered, setting Boo on the floor. “Can we have cake now?”

“Dinner first,” Elowen ordered, pushing her to follow Paesha.

“Come with me,” Orin whispered over my shoulder as the others shuffled into the kitchen, his smoky voice walking down my spine, stealing my breath.

He took the pile of gifts and set them on the couch before holding out a hand. I let my eyes trail down the gap where his shirt wasn’t fully buttoned, the blush heating my skin as I searched for those dark veins and found nothing but his knowing stare.

“When you’re done gawking…”