Page 158 of Aryn

“And her son-in-law,” Ego adds.

“They aren’t married,” Xeni argues, lifting his and Bash’s entwined hands to kiss the ring on his finger.

Cato rolls his eyes. “They’re mated, dipshit. It’s the same damn thing.”

“Is not,” Xeni counters.

“Regardless,” I say over their bickering, “she’s not the type to sit back once she decides something matters.”

Bash nods, tracing lazy patterns on Xeni’s arm to calm him. “She’s already talking about mobilizing forces. The question is how many, and how fast. If we can open enough rifts and get enough people working together like Sovran said… we might actually pull this off.”

“Yeah,” Cato argues, “except we don’t even know where the rest of the rifts are.”

I frown as I glance down at him. “Yes, we do.”

He scrambles to sit taller, jaw slack. “What?”

My brows pinch as I gesture vaguely toward the house. “We’ve talked about this before, I’m sure of it.”

“Bold of you to assume he was listening,” Xeni says with a smirk.

I shake my head, still focused on Cato. “That’s what my research was about. Those notes I brought with me from Ljómur have locations of dozens of rift sites.”

He scoffs before shaking his head. “You mean all those times I made fun of you for reading in the shadows, you were actually studying?”

My lips twitch. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.” He shoots me an incredulous look, but I don’t give him time to carry on. “I spent decades researching how to get back home, Cato. I didn’t stop just because I was free. Hells, if anything, it made me work harder.”

Ego takes a sip from her mug, staring into the trees. “Well, whatever happens, it’s going to be messy. The military won’t just roll over, and you already said our tech is a lot more advanced.”

Cato sighs, nodding. “The soldiers in Elyra can’t imagine the weapons here.”

Bash hums thoughtfully, twisting his mug in his hand as he purses his lips. “The humans who’ve been living under their control for so long are complacent. They’re going to need convincing this isn’t another trap, and I’m not sure that’s possible anymore.”

I tighten my arm around Cato, urging him back into my side. “It will be. It has to be. We have something they don’t—the truth. We know how to use the prophecy, and now we have the Vaelor on our side. If anyone can rally the kind of numbers we need, it’s her. She’s done it before.”

Cato looks up at me. “Sovran swears he has pockets of rebels all over the place just waiting for a chance to fight back. Hells, we met some of them after we escaped Atlanta.”

Ego takes another long sip, then lets out a burp far too loud for her size. She thumps a fist against her chest with a grin. “You guys sound like you’re planning the victory marches already. Are you trying to skip the part where we start having fun?”

Cato chuffs a laugh. “It’s been fun, baby. This feels like the part where we finally start winning.”

Bash raises his mug with a grin. “To winning, then. And to not dying in the process.” We clink our drinks together, the sound swallowed by the cicadas.

Cato takes a long drink and glances around. “Where’s Sakane? He’s missing out on the good ale.”

Ego hiccups. “Yeah, Sprocket really outdid herself with this batch. It’s getting me drunk and I like it.”

Xeni grins and shakes his head. “Rhael wanted to watch the sunset. Said he needed to see it a few more times so he can paint it properly when he gets back. Nyx and Reyes were taking him up to their outlook, and Sakane weaseled his way along.”

“Baby’s got a crush,” Ego croons.

Bash furrows his brow with a frown. “He doesn’t need to get too attached. They’ll be going home soon. I imagine that’s going to be the big discussion tomorrow. Ailynor already said she’s got too much to plan and needs to be back with her generals. She’s been gone for weeks already.”

The conversation winds down after that, and the group breaks up to head to bed. Ego stumbles a little, but waves Bash off when he tries to help. Cato and I walk back to our house hand in hand, closing ourselves into the quiet of our home. We move through our familiar bedtime routine, and I watch as Cato pulls off his shirt, the bite mark from a few nights ago still visible on his pec. He catches me looking and smirks.

“Like what you see?” he asks, tossing the shirt toward the hamper.

“Always,” I reply, stepping behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist. I press a kiss to the back of his neck. “I can’t believe this is our life now.”