Page 75 of Finn's Solace

"This is Levi, and his familiar, Greta. He's my mate," I introduced, then turned to Levi. "Levi, this is Maximus, the man who saved our lives."

Levi let go of my hand to step forward and shake Maximus's, his smile wide. "Thank you so much for what you did for Finn and the others. When I saw the place empty, I thought the worst had happened. I'm glad that wasn't the case."

"You saw the place?"

I explained the whole thing to Maximus, and he shook his head.

"I'm glad you're doing well. If I'd known of your existence, I would've found you and brought you here as well."

I knew Maximus meant it, and I wished I'd remembered to mention Levi back then. If I hadn't buried all thoughts of him to keep the grief at bay, could I have found him sooner? I'd never know, but I did know he would've had a better life, one he never got to experience because of me.

"It's not your fault, either of you," Levi insisted, his eyes boring into mine because he could read me like a book. "And my life after that hellhole wasn't bad. I traveled all over and made friends, got a ton of experience in all kinds of things. I don't regret it. Any of it," he insisted, and I nodded. This wasn't thefirst time we'd had this conversation, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"I'm glad you're doing well," Max said, clearly sensing the need for a change of topic. "How are your siblings? And the others?"

I told him what everyone was up to, and he seemed delighted by it. I was glad I'd called him, because talking to him did feel good, like closure.

"Max, I called you here because I wanted to thank you for everything you did for us. I don't know where we would be without you. You saved our lives, and gave us the chance to have an actual childhood. Thank you."

Maximus looked a little stunned by my words, so I went ahead and gave him a hug as well. He stood frozen for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him tightly for a long moment before stepping back, and then ducked my head to wipe my eyes before the others could notice.

When I glanced up, Max was busy doing the same, which made me chuckle. He glanced up, then smiled at me. Then, he reached out and ruffled my hair like I wasn't a fully grown twenty-seven-year-old but still the same kid he'd rescued. "Keep the coin. You can still use it. If you're ever in danger or just need help, call me and I'll be there."

I nodded mutely, and Maximus tilted his head at Levi in a nod before disappearing. I still didn't know what kind of supe he was. No supe I'd ever heard of had the ability to teleport savefor demons, but demons were chained to a master and couldn't act of their own free will, which clearly wasn't the case here.

When I turned to look at Levi, he had a shit-eating grin on his face, and I just knew I needed to be wary of whatever came out of his mouth next.

"What?"

Levi

"You have a type," I said, making his brows furrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you have an itty-bitty crush on your white knight."

Finn blanched, glancing between me and the spot where Maximus had stood moments ago. I wondered what Maximus was, but it'd seemed rude to ask him that, and I didn't think Finn knew.

"What? No way! I'm just grateful to him because he saved us. That's it."

"Sure, sure," I said in a tone that implied I didn't believe him at all. I'd seen the starry-eyed way he'd looked at the man, and while I might be a teensy bit jealous, I didn't mind too much because his crush looked more like a hero-worship thing than any real romantic interest.

"Greta, Levi's being a jerk," Finn complained, and Greta—the traitor—hissed at me.

"Oi, don't forget whosefamiliar you are."

In reply, Greta stomped her feet and hissed at me, and I raised my hands in surrender before she could turn her butt toward me. I'd managed to avoid getting sprayed so far, and I intended to keep up my streak.

"That's better," Finn said with a smug grin. "Come on, Greta, let's make ourselves some lunch."

The two went inside, and I sighed before following them in, my lips curving into a smile.

I'd moved to Mistvale because I'd been bored and wanting to be closer to nature, and coming here was the best thing I'd ever done.

Mistvale had changed everything for me, and I sent a silent thank-you to past me for deciding to move here.

How much longer would it have taken our paths to cross if I hadn't moved here? How many more years would I have spent believing Finn and the others were dead?

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