Page 161 of A Wild Darkness

“Ben must be cooking something good,” Sebastian says as we walk down the hall of the West Wing, headed for the dining room. “I can smell it from here.”

With my hand in his, we hear the chatter before we round the corner into the room.

“Breakfast at midnight is always a good idea,” I say.

River and Lux are sitting next to each other on one side of the table, and Christian is across from them. The lit fireplace burns on the far side of the room, making the atmosphere warm and inviting. The three of them are engaged in casual conversation, but then the room erupts in laughter from something Christian said.

“Hey! There you guys are.” River smiles excitedly as Sebastian pulls out my chair.

“Where’s Aunt Mae?” Sebastian scoots his chair in next to me.

River sips his water, then sets it down. “I think she’s in the kitchen with Ben⁠—”

The door to the kitchen flies open and out walks Ben, followed by Mae, holding covered stainless steel serving dishes.

“Hello, family!” Aunt Mae exclaims when she sees us, then she places the food in the middle of the table.

“Hi,” I greet her, followed by the rest of the them.

“Hope you guys are hungry.” Ben places two more dishes on the table and chuckles. “What am I saying? This family is always hungry.”

Aunt Mae takes the seat at the end of the table, her face bright and wide-eyed for it being the middle of the night. And then for the first time in what feels like forever, everything is quiet. As we all serve ourselves eggs, fruit, and other breakfast choices, it’s not silence that I’d describe the tone in the room, but a calm quiet. The kind that settles after a storm.

The secret society is gone and Silas is gone. The constant fear that’s lived beneath my skin for almost a month has finally loosened its grip. And for once, nobody is undercover. Nobody is lying and nobody is trying to kill us. Well, probably not. With this group, there are no guarantees.

Poe chooses that moment to leap onto the table. The tiny black kitten lands directly in front of Sebastian’s plate.

“Absolutely not,” Sebastian says, grabbing him and setting him back on the floor at his feet. A small meow escapes his throat, and it makes me smile. Such a simple sound, but a simple sound that comes from a home.

Poe jumps right back up again.

“Your cat doesn’t respect you,” Christian teases.

Sebastian gives Christian a side-eye and sets the kitten down again. “My cat is a criminal.”

“He learned from the best,” River quips.

Sebastian narrows his eyes.

Christian grins at both of them, clearly entertained.

Lux reaches down and scratches beneath Poe’s chin as he makes his way from chair to chair.

I take a bite of my food, but my gaze comes back to Sebastian. My heart tightens. Is this what belonging feels like?

He catches me looking at him, but I don’t glance away from embarrassment. Because after everything—the fake dating, the near-death experience, the secrets and confessions and conversations—there’s no more pretending.

“You okay?” His voice is quiet enough that only I hear it.

I blink. “Fine.”

“Liar.”

I smile.

He rests a hand on my knee, and it’s exactly where I want it to be forever. I only want his touch, his hunger, his obsession.

“It’s nice being here,” I admit.