Page 77 of Echoes and Oaths
Raven, the only woman among them, had traded her usual jeans for a slim black jumpsuit and boots that still looked like she could sprint a mile if necessary. Her messy bun hadn’t survived the night, and a few strands framed her face as she laughed, sharp and genuine, at a memory one of them actually voiced aloud. Taboo, but they’d swept the area before the ceremony.
Berserker thumped a heavy boot on the table leg as he leaned in. “I’m just saying, if I ever say I’m thinking about getting married, someone better stop me. Like, physically.”
“You’d terrify the officiant,” Specter deadpanned.
Rook smirked. “Assuming you survive to the altar.”
“Odds are slim,” Phantom added, still fiddling with the cutter.
“Appreciate the support, assholes.” Berserkergrinned. “With friends like you, I’ll never get married. Totally fucking awesome.”
Just then, Jinx walked over, his tux jacket unbuttoned, a dark smudge of icing at the edge of his shirt sleeve from where Teo had smashed a cupcake into his arm earlier. He looked relaxed, loose in a way only they would recognize. Tonight, he was finally happy. The evidence was everywhere.
“Well, look at this rogue’s gallery,” Jinx said, sliding into the open space beside Raven and snagging one of the bourbon bottles from the table. “We keep this table together too long, and someone will report an international incident.”
“Only if Rook keeps talking about your dance moves,” Demon replied with a grin.
Jinx groaned. “That was not a dance. That was Teo dragging me into a sugar-fueled stampede.”
Raven tilted her head. “Looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
“I was,” Jinx said, quieter this time. “Never thought I’d get this.”
For a moment, they all sat with that truth. The idea that any of them would live long enough for a day like this. A glorious sunset, vows, and peace, if only for a few hours.
Then…
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
Berserker’s phone vibrated against the table.
He grabbed it, eyes scanning the encrypted message. His entire body shifted instantly, the relaxed lines of a wedding guest sharpening into the ready poise of a killer.
He stood. “Got a call sign ping. Unscheduled.”
Rook’s phone lit up a second later. Raven’s did, too.
Rook’s voice was low as Ring’s voice came over all of all their comms. He tapped his ear. “Where?”
“Madrid. Secondary target surfaced. High-level intel, time-sensitive. We have a primary for immediate extraction if confirmed hostile.”
Berserker stood without a word, finishing his drink in a single swallow. He placed the glass on the table. Raven followed suit, pulling a tie from her hair and twisting it into a ponytail.
Berserker glanced at Jinx, one brow raised. “You good if we slip out early?”
Jinx gave a single nod. “Always.”
Raven’s gaze softened slightly. “Tell Eira goodbye for us.”
“I will.”
As they turned and walked away, slipping through the barn doors into the falling night, Jinxwatched them go. Not with worry, but with understanding. It was the life. Always waiting, always watching. But just this once, for today, he wasn’t part of it.
He turned back to the laughter and firelight, to where Teo was now sleepily curled on a blanket on Mrs. Macy’s lap, and Eira dancing slowly with her mother.
His life was right here.
And it was good.
