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Ryker clutches me back with a desperate, crushing intensity, wrapping his muscular arms around my waist and drawing his wings around us until we’re completely enclosed in darkness. He buries his face in the crook of my neck, weeping openly, his tears hot against my skin.

"I have a family," he chokes out, his voice raw and breaking into shuddering gasps. "I... I wasn't just... I have a brother, Teagan. I have a brother."

"You have a brother," I echo, rubbing his back, kissing the top of his head, holding him as tight as my human arms will allow. "His name is Julian. He's waiting for you, Ryker. As soon as midterms are over, I'm driving you up there myself."

Ryker pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes red-rimmed, wet tears streaming down his purple cheeks, looking so intensely vulnerable and painfully handsome that my heart aches with love for him. He reaches up, his large, trembling hand cupping my face, his thumb gently wiping away a tear on my cheek.

"We found him," Ryker whispers, his voice filled with an awe so deep it breaks my heart. "We actually found my home."

"We found it," I say softly, smiling through my own tears as I press my forehead against his. "Together."

Ryker lets out a shaky, breathtaking laugh that sounds like a prayer. He leans in and presses his lips to mine in a kiss that’s completely different from any we've shared before. It’s a kiss I’ll cherish in my heart forever.

When he pulls back, his blue eyes are shining, clear and filled with peace. He looks down at the photos lying on the mattress, then back up at me, a soft, beautiful smile spreading across his face.

"Julian," Ryker repeats quietly, testing the name on his tongue as if tasting a memory that is finally, miraculously coming back to life. "My brother's name is Julian."

"Yes," I say softly, wrapping my arms back around his shoulders and leaning into his solid, safe warmth. "And he's going to be so damn proud of the gargoyle you've become."

Chapter twenty

Ryker

The solid weight of Teagan’s hand laced firmly in mine is a stark reminder that I might be his bodyguard on paper, but the main threat is over. We’re together because we want to be, not because of some professional obligation.

For the first time since I stepped foot onto the Creepin U campus as a lost gargoyle seeking a purpose, I’m walking across the quad with my head held high, my wings relaxed against my back, and my tail swishing in rhythmic satisfaction behind me.

We aren't hiding. We aren't keeping a professional distance. Teagan’s slender fingers are tangled perfectly between mine, his grip tight and confident.

And I’m not the only one who has noticed the shift. Every direction I turn, whispers drift on the breeze like falling leaves.

"Is that that the K-drama actor?" a vampire girl in a oversized knit sweater mutters to her witch companion on the library steps.

"Yeah, Teagan Dae," the witch whispers back, staring wide-eyed at our joined hands. "And that's the gargoyle who flattened that stalker at the Masquerade Ball! Did you hear the rumors? I was on the other side of the dance and didn’t see anything. Apparently, he spread his wings and pinned the guy like a ton of bricks."

“That’s hot.”

“Right, they both are.”

"Wait, are they together?"

Teagan doesn't just pretend not to hear them—he freaking revels in it. He tilts his head toward me, his bright purple hair catching in the sunlight. A gorgeous smirk tugs at his plush lips. He chuckles under his breath, squeezing my hand playfully.

"You're preening," I murmur in his ear.

Teagan glances up at me through his long dark lashes, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. "Maybe just a little. But do you blame me? I gotta show off my boyfriend."

Boyfriend.

Damn, that word. Warmth fills my chest. For ten years, I’ve been a man with no history, no name to anchor me to a past, and no clear path forward. But right now, hearing Teagan call me his boyfriend in broad daylight, surrounded by hundreds of gossiping students, I feel maybe life works in mysterious way. That maybe, just maybe everything led me here, to him.

"Have you ever thought that I might be the one showing you off?" I bring his knuckles to lips. " I need to stake my claim before you become even more famous. Although, people really are starting to stare."

"Let them stare." Teagan, steps closer so his shoulder brushes against me. Even with his thick designer platform boots, he barely reaches my chest, making our size difference glaringly obvious to everyone around us. He looks like a delicate, vibrant beauty next to a purple beast. "After everything, after the way you protected me, and after that file we read together... you think I'm going to hide you away in the suite like a secret? Not a chance, Ryker. You're mine."

My heart races. The dossier he handed me last night with the photos of the bespoke atelier in upstate New York, the sketches matching my exact style, the news of another purple gargoyle who looks just like me, is sitting safely on Teagan’s desk back in the suite. My mind is still processing the overwhelming reality that I have a family out there, a brother waiting for me. But right here, right now, looking at Teagan’s radiant, stubborn face, I know the most important person in my life is standing right here.

"So, boyfriend, huh?" I whisper, letting my tail curl possessively around his calf as we walk. "I think I like the sound of that. Although mate might be more accurate."