Page 2 of Aryn

The end is coming, or they’re taking us home.

“To the other side, naturally,” Sovran responds. “My prophecy has waited a long time for you all to be here together.”

“Your prophecy?” Bash demands.

My attention snaps to Sovran’s face the moment the words land. That faint tilt of his lips holds steady as he nods, though a deep sorrow settles across his features. “Yes,” he agrees softly. “My prophecy.”

“Wow,” Cameron drawls, peeking from behind the protection of Ronan’s bulk. “So you’re the one we have to thank for all this.” He gestures around at the sweltering day.

“The weather is… an unfortunate side effect,” Sovran says with a grimace. “One I didn’t foresee.”

“Unfortunate,” Cameron snorts. “Alright, here’s a question. If you did all of this, can’t you just undo it? Snap your fingers and make it better again? I’m sick of the fuckin’ heat.”

Ronan tenses, ready to defend his mouthy mate, but Sovran only purses his lips and shakes his head. “It is not so simple.”

“Well, why not?” Cameron demands. “You didn’t think about putting an off switch on this shit?”

Sovran’s lips pull tighter, irritation bleeding through his composure. “It is not so simple anymore. I do not have the powers I once had.”

The scientist in me overrides my subservience, and the words rush out before I can consider them. “Powers you once had? So you have them no longer?”

Sovran’s eyes meet mine directly for the first time. Golden flames lick behind his irises, showcasing the power he claims to have lost. “Remnants are there, yes,” he says after a stretch. “Fractions of what I once carried.”

“Where’d it go?” Cameron asks.

Bash crosses his arms, that familiar thoughtful expression bunching his forehead. “Cameron might not have asked it in the most eloquent way, but the question is valid. What happened to your power? How did you lose it, and why? Is that why you’re here instead of…” He trails off, gesturing vaguely towards the sky.

Sovran follows his hand, flicking his eyes to the clouds. “Those are questions that cannot be answered with a few simple words. It’s a long story, and I’m afraid we must start at the beginning.”

Ronan has composed himself, deeming Sovran not to be a threat for the moment. He steps forward, shoulders thrown back with the same assertive confidence he always carries. “You said you’ve waited for us to be together.”

Golden curls fall in front of Sovran’s shoulders as he nods. “I have.”

Ronan stares at him a moment, then gestures toward the common area where we share most of our meals. The cauldron sits over the fire, surrounded by a circle of logs we use for seating. Beyond them are the rough-hewn picnic tables and benches Reyes and Lillith built. There’s plenty of room for everyone.

Ronan must be thinking the same thing. “Why don’t we eat while we talk? You must be hungry from your travels—”

“Yeah, how exactly did you get here?” Cameron cuts in. “Cause I’m just putting it out in the universe that if you can fly, that would come in really handy.”

Sovran glances at him, a faint crinkle forming at the corners of his eyes as he rolls his shoulders. His wings shift and flex in the light before disappearing altogether. “Sorry to disappoint, but I drove. My vehicle is hidden within the forest.”

Cameron leans closer to Elas. “Okay, but he didn’t deny he can fly.”

“He didn’t,” Elas agrees, before August shushes them both.

Ronan glares over his shoulder, but Cameron only arches a brow in a silent dare. With a quiet laugh, Ronan turns back to Sovran with the most diplomatic smile I’ve ever seen him wear. “It sounds like you have a lot to share. Best to go into it with a full stomach.”

“When did he turn into Mr. Hospitality?” Cameron mutters.

Sovran glances over Ronan’s shoulder, his eyes crinkling further in a way that makes him appear almost human. “A meal would be wonderful,” he agrees. “Gather any of your people that aren’t here. This is a long story—one I don’t want to share twice.”

My spine snaps straight at the authority in his tone. Ronan rolls his neck, clearly feeling the weight of it too.

“Would a please be too much to ask?” a voice says from my left. I turn to find Cato leaned toward Sakane’s ear. The redhead’s eyes find mine before sliding down my chest and pausing.

I fight back a smirk as I remember the way he watched me fight. It isn’t like me to show off, and I haven’t felt the need to prove myself since I was much younger. But ever since Cato came into the village, he’s looked at everyone with that same disdainful boredom. He speaks to me like he thinks he’s above being here, and something inside me snapped. Besting Elas in that brawl was my impulsive way of showing him size isn’t everything.

Did I need to do it shirtless?