Page 80 of Wraith (Deviant Assassin #1)

The three of us lie tangled together in the aftermath, sweat cooling on our skin as dawn light filters through the curtains.

Kiera sleeps between Wild and me, her breathing finally even and peaceful for the first time since I've been back.

Her face is soft in sleep, free of the hyper vigilance that's kept her alive for eight years.

I came here to kill him.

The thought hits me with startling clarity as I watch Wild's chest rise and fall. When I first tracked Kiera down, when I saw her with the FBI agent who'd been hunting her, my plan was simple: eliminate the threat, reclaim my wife, disappear into the shadows where we belonged.

Instead, I'm lying here with his arm draped over both of us, his fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on Kiera's hip. The same hands that could put a bullet through my skull are gentle as they touch what we both love most.

How the fuck did that happen?

The irony isn't lost on me. I spent eight years convinced Kiera had betrayed me with another man, ready to kill anyone who dared touch what was mine. Now I'm sharing her bed—sharing her—with the very agent who'd been hunting her, and it feels more right than anything has in years.

Wild stirs beside me, his green eyes opening to meet mine in the dim light. For a moment, we just look at each other—two killers who found something worth more than the hunt.

"You okay?" he whispers, careful not to wake Kiera.

Such a simple question, but loaded with meaning. Am I okay with this? With him? With the way everything's changed?

"Yeah," I murmur back, and realize I mean it. "You?"

His smile is soft, genuine. "Better than okay."

Kiera shifts between us, her hand finding my chest even in sleep. The trust in that unconscious gesture undoes me. After everything—the lies, the manipulation, the years of believing I'd lost her forever—she's here. We're here. All of us, choosing this impossible thing together.

I trace my finger along Wild's jaw, feeling the slight rasp of stubble. He doesn't pull away, doesn't tense. Just watches me with those intelligent eyes that see too much.

"I was going to kill you," I admit quietly.

"I know." His hand covers mine where it rests on Kiera's waist. "I was going to arrest her."

"And now?"

"Now I can't imagine a world where we're not all together."

The honesty in his voice hits me harder than any physical blow. This isn't just about sex or shared desire. It's about family. About finding the missing pieces of ourselves in the most unexpected places.

I think about Phoenix's reaction when I told her about Wild. How she'd laughed and said it figured that I'd fall for someone just as stubborn and protective as I am. How she'd immediately started planning ways to integrate him into our small, strange family.

"Phoenix is going to love you," I tell him.

"Think so?"

"She already does. Anyone who'd burn their life down for me is automatically family in her book."

Wild's thumb strokes over my knuckles. "And the twins?"

I glance down at Kiera, thinking of Crue and Cassius waiting for us at the academy. Two boys who've seen too much, lost too much, but who still have the capacity to love fiercely. They'll adapt. Kids always do.

"They'll be fine," I say. "Better than fine. They'll have three people looking out for them instead of one."

"Three very dangerous people," Wild points out with dark humor.

"The best kind of protection. Besides, there will be more than just us standing watch."

We fall silent, listening to Kiera's steady breathing. Outside, the world is waking up, but in here, time feels suspended. Sacred, almost.

I came here expecting to reclaim my past. Instead, I found my future.

Wild shifts closer, his body warm against mine with Kiera pressed between us. The position should feel crowded, competitive. Instead, it feels complete.

"No regrets?" he asks.

I think about that. About the years of anger and pain, the mistakes that led us here, the blood on all our hands. About Zephyr's lies and Colton's betrayal and the twisted game that nearly destroyed us all.

"Only one," I say finally.

"What's that?"

"That it took us so long to get here."