52. Loss And Gain; A Blessing

Reyna

The world feels lighter, as if a dark veil has been lifted. The tension in the air is so palpable you could cut it with a knife, and I wonder how we came to be entangled in this web of darkness and light, of love and supposed betrayal.

A snarl echoes through the air; Shae’s, and I remember how it all started.

As they come closer, I notice the subtle changes that have settled over them during our separation.

New lines of worry etched onto Rune’s forehead, Malachi’s eyes dimmer than I remember, as if they’ve seen too much, and Cassian, the usually poised leader, has a ragged edge to him now.

But what hasn’t changed is the way they look at me: with a love so pure, it’s almost devastating. I’m struck by how that same love nearly got us killed, how it made us pawns in a game we didn’t even know we were playing.

“Reyna, darling, are you—” Rune starts but hesitates, as if not sure how to phrase what we’re all wondering.

“I’m me,” I say, voice thick with emotion, my vision blurring wit