Page 76 of Wraith (Deviant Assassin #1)

Hours later, I'm finally clean. The hot water washed away Zephyr's blood, but the memory of his death lingers like smoke in my lungs. Not regret—never regret—but something heavier. The weight of finality.

Wild is sleeping, the pain medication finally pulling him under. Blade and I sit in the chairs by the window, watching the sun climb higher in the sky. The silence between us isn't uncomfortable—it's contemplative.

"How do you feel?" he asks quietly.

"Different." I search for the right words. "Like I've been holding my breath for eight years and can finally exhale."

His hand finds mine. "And us?"

I study his profile—the sharp cheekbones, the scar along his jaw, the careful way he holds himself even now. "Terrified," I admit. "I don't know how to be part of something like this."

"Something like what?"

"A family." The word feels foreign on my tongue. "I've been alone for so long, Blade. Even when I was married to you before, I was still... guarded. Waiting for you to leave."

"I'm not leaving." His grip tightens. "Not again. Not ever."

"And Wild?"

"What about him?"

I turn to look at the man sleeping in the bed—golden hair mussed, face peaceful for the first time since I've known him. "He gave up everything for us. His whole life."

"Because he chose us over duty. Over what other people expected him to be." Blade's voice carries respect, something I never thought I'd hear when he talked about Wild. "That takes courage."

"You respect him now."

It's not a question, and Blade doesn't pretend it is. "I do. Doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy for him."

I smile at that. "Competition keeps things interesting."

"As long as we remember we're on the same team now."

The weight of that settles between us. We're not fighting over obstacles made by others. We're fighting for something far more important. Us.

"I need to know you're both all in," I say. "Because if we do this—if we really try to make this work—I can't have either of you changing your mind when it gets complicated."

"When has anything with you ever been simple?" Blade asks with a wry smile.

"Fair point."

"I'm in, Kiera. Completely. The question is—are you?"

I think about that. About the life I could have with them. About waking up between two men who love me enough to put aside their rivalry. About building something real and lasting and uniquely ours.

"Yeah," I whisper. "I'm in."

Wild stirs in the bed, his eyes fluttering open. When he sees us watching him, his smile is soft and genuine.

"How long was I out?"

"Few hours," Blade answers. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got shot." Wild pushes himself up carefully, wincing. "But alive."

"Good," I say, moving to the bed. "Because we have things to discuss."

His eyebrows rise. "Such as?"

"How this is going to work. Rules. Boundaries. Expectations."

Blade joins us, settling on Wild's other side. "Leave it to you to want to negotiate a relationship."

"I want to do this right," I defend. "We all have baggage. Issues. If we're going to make this work, we need to be honest about what we need."

Wild considers this seriously. "What do you need, Heathen?"

"Honesty. Communication. And patience while I figure out how to trust again."

"Done," they say simultaneously, then glare at each other for the synchronicity.

I laugh—actually laugh—for the first time in what feels like forever. "See? We're going to need ground rules about letting the competition between you go."

"Never going to happen," Blade says.

"Not a chance," Wild agrees.

"At least you're unified on something," I mutter.

Wild's hand finds my face, thumb stroking my cheek. "We're unified on what matters most."

"Which is?"

"You," Blade says simply. "Protecting you. Loving you. Building something real with you."

The sincerity in their voices undoes me. After years of walls and suspicion and surviving alone, the idea of being chosen—of being fought for rather than fought over—is almost too much to process.

"I love you too," I whisper. "Both of you. Even when you drive me insane."

"Especially then," Wild says with a grin.

The moment stretches between us, full of promise and possibility. Tomorrow there will be challenges—logistics to figure out, boundaries to establish, a whole new dynamic to navigate. But right now, in this room filled with golden light, we're exactly where we're supposed to be.

Together.