Page 155 of Maksym

“We cannot pull them out and drop them back into their old lives as if nothing happened.” My voice held. I noticed because I had expected it not to. “Some of them will have families who reported them missing. Some will not. Some may have been compelled beyond immediate recovery. Some may have been fed on for months or years. Some may be addicted to venom if the kindness of venom was used. Some may hate every supernatural creature they see. Some may not be safe around humans for a while, depending on what was done to them.”

Maddie’s hand had gone to her mouth.

Nikolay’s arm shifted around her shoulders.

I kept going because stopping now would have been worse.

“They will need medical care from people who understand vampire feeding trauma. Human or supernatural legal identities restored if possible. Safe housing. Financial support. Therapists who know enough not to institutionalize someone for telling the truth. Protection from Lucian’s remaining associates if or until we take them all down. Some may need their memories protected from human authorities who cannot understand the full circumstances.” My hands had moved to the table. “And they need choice. Or as much of a choice as safety can give. Not just another powerful person deciding what happens next because it is convenient.”

Devon made a small sound.

I looked toward her.

Her eyes were wet, luminous in the dim cabin. Kazimir’s hand rested over hers, his thumb still, his face unreadable except for the terrible focus in his gaze. I wondered if fallen angels felt human suffering differently, or if she simply had the misfortune of caring without armor thick enough to make it manageable.

“I want to be part of that,” I said. “However it takes shape. I don’t know what that means yet. A fund. A trust. A protected residence. Legal advocacy. I don’t care. But if I survive tomorrow’s hearing without committing contempt in seventeen jurisdictions, I want to help build whatever comes after.”

My voice remained steady.

My eyes did not.

They went bright at the corners, heat gathering there with humiliating insistence. I blinked once, slowly, and refused to look away from anyone.

“I escaped,” I said. “They haven’t been able to do that on their own.”

The silence after that did not feel empty.

It felt occupied by every person none of us could see.

Maksym moved.

Not dramatically. He simply leaned toward me, one hand coming up to cup the side of my face. His palm was cool, steady, and I leaned into it.

He pressed his lips to my forehead.

Not my mouth.

That would have been too private for this many witnesses, too easy for desire to soften what needed to remain clear. His kiss landed above my brow like a vow given where thought lived.

“I will make it happen,” he said quietly. “For you. And for them.”

The words entered the cabin and stayed there.

No flourish. No grand speech. No royal declaration designed to impress the witnesses around us.

Lucia closed the laptop at last.

The final image of Lucian disappeared, but the room did not lighten.

Doc leaned back, one hand rubbing over his jaw. “We’ll need secure intake sites.”

Remy nodded. “I can prepare temporary wards around whatever location Maksym chooses. No scrying. No tracking. No uninvited thresholds.”

“Nikolay,” I said, turning toward him before I could think better of it.

His gaze lifted.

“You know supernatural law. If some of these people were compelled into signing documents, giving consent, transferring assets—”