day,” Hallen said, mostly grunting. “He has more potential. He is a good ally for the fae.”
“Something it must pain you to admit,” Kairi said with laughter in her tone.
Charity ignored them, sweeping the backyard with her gaze.
“The Second will find this garden abominable,” Kairi said. “Even I can see it is all out of—”
A huge black wolf pushed slowly through the foliage, its brown eyes rooted to Charity. Magic washed into her middle and then back out again, Devon’s surge answered by her own. Apparently, after the link was broken, close proximity was needed to reconnect. She’d have to talk to Penny about that, but right now, she barely stopped from fluttering her eyes, his magic still so reassuring. It still felt so good. Lord, how she’d missed it.
He walked forward with his head held low and his hackles raised, a predator seeing someone unexpected in its territory. Someone he didn’t want there.
Kairi and Hallen fell in beside her immediately, wary and alert, ready to draw their swords should the need arise.
A burst of green magic surrounded Devon before his human form rose from a crouch. She couldn’t help but feast her eyes on his cut and powerful body.
“Why are you here?” he asked, his tone rough.
Uncertainty flared within her. Anger rose to mask it. “You didn’t say goodbye, you prick.”
He took a step toward her, his muscles popping, as though he were keeping himself from rushing her.
“Charity, the Flush is your future,” he said. “You’re an Arcana. You’re fit to rule. You belong there.”
She steeled herself and took a chance. If she was going to get rejected, it wouldn’t be because she was vague about what she wanted.
“I belong with you,” she said.
His chest deflated, as though he had just lost a battle. “Karen, the Seer, said I had to leave,” he said, taking a few steps toward her before stopping himself. She could see it took him effort to do so. “I would’ve done it anyway. You deserve to be in that beautiful place with your people. You deserve a crown, Charity. I’d just hold you back.”
Her heart broke and tears came to her eyes. Kairi had been right—he hadn’t wanted to leave her, and it had cost him dearly to do so. She could see the pain vibrating through his body. Wow, had the tables turned from when they’d first met.
“Go inside,” she said to Hallen and Kairi. “Go figure out the electronics.”
“The what—” Hallen grunted, probably because Kairi had elbowed him.
They backed into the house, leaving Charity and Devon alone.
“Remember when we first met?” she asked, smiling through her trembling lips. “You thought I would hold you back. And yet you let me stay. You helped and protected me, even though I was a huge pain in your ass.”
“It was my duty,” he said, taking another step. “And I quickly saw it was worth it.”
“It is still your duty. Is it not still worth it?”
He shook his head. “My duty was to leave. To walk away so that you could have a life.”
Like a puzzle getting its last piece, it all clicked together. She laughed and looked at the blessed blue sky overhead.
“Your duty was to drag me out of the Flush, and the fae with me,” she said, blinking through the tears. “Are we positive that Karen doesn’t work for Vlad? Or that Roger wasn’t resorting to Vlad’s tactics?”
Devon shook his head, his eyes roaming her face. His hands balled into fists, clearly his attempt to keep himself where he stood.
“Do you know what the Seer told me, Devon? She said, ‘When you find your true home, you will know. And with that home you must stay.’ When you left, you took my home with you. You gave me no choice but to follow you.”
“I don’t…”
“Understand?” She stepped toward him, all her uncertainty melting away at the longing on his face. The blind hope he clearly didn’t think he had a right to. “You are my home, Devon. You are the walls that protect me. The roof that keeps the elements from reaching me. The person who grounds me and assures me that I have a place in this world. The Flush was ugly and empty without you. The Brink would be, too. I was living a temporary life when I met you, chasing a future without putting down roots. You’ve changed that. I have found my purpose within your pack. I have finally found my people.”
He took another halting step, as if he