Page 97 of Storm of Stars
I rose to my feet, and she pulled me into her arms before I could say a word. We sank into each other, the yearsof heartbreak and terror and sacrifice pressing down, and somehow lifting, just for a moment.
“Thank you, Ava,” I whispered into her shoulder. “Thank you for keeping my brother safe.”
Her arms tightened around me until it felt like she’d never let go. “Thank you,” she said hoarsely, voice shaking, “for avenging mine.”
We stood like that for a long moment, wrapped in an embrace built from threads of pain and strength and remembrance. The loss of her brother would always be a part of us, a flame that refused to extinguish, but right now, for just this moment, it felt like a quiet ember. Not burning. Not suffocating. Just there, reminding us of how far we’d come.
I pulled back and smiled at her as she wiped tears from her eyes, brushing one from my own.
Behind me, I heard Jax shift, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I found him staring curiously at Zaffir.
“Who are you?” he asked, head tilted, voice soft and shy.
I smiled, brushing a hand over Jax’s hair as I glanced toward Zaffir and the rest of the Wildguard.
“Sprout, this is Zaffir,” I said, brushing a hand through Jax’s hair as I introduced him. Zaffir sank down to one knee, resting on the balls of his feet until he was closer to Jax’s level. The warm light from the windows caught the hint of emotion burning in his golden eyes as he offered Jax his hand.
For a moment, Jax just studied him. His wary gaze, sharp and assessing for a boy so young, flicked from Zaffir’s hand to the rest of him, and then to me.
“Did you help Bex save the world?” he asked quietly, brushing a strand of hair from his own forehead.
My breath lodged in my throat, and I felt the sting of tears rising. My little boy thought I saved the world.
Zaffir smiled, soft and genuine, as if the question itself was an honor. “She didn’t need my help,” he said, voice low and confident, “but I’d do anything for her.”
Jax watched him for a long moment, then gave a shy nod and placed his small hand in Zaffir’s. The sight nearly undid me.
Ava spoke up then, brushing hair from her tired, sun-creased forehead. “You recognize Thorne and Briar from the screens, right, kiddo?”
Jax glanced over, blinking at the tall, serene man and the luminous woman beside him. “I like your songs,” he said shyly to Briar.
Briar sank down until she was closer to him, smiling that warm, open smile that had brought strength to so many of us. “Then I’ll teach you some,” she promised, brushing a hand across his shoulder, and Jax beamed.
“And this is Ezra,” I said, leaning closer to the man who was quietly holding the edges of the room, watchful and wary until now.
Jax crossed to him, craning his neck to look up, and offered the kind of bold, unfiltered statement only a child can make. “I like your name,” he announced.
Ezra’s deep chuckle rumbled from his chest as he sank down to Jax’s level, brushing hair out of the boy’s eyes. “Then you’ve got good taste, kid,” he said, smiling.
“Come on,” Thorne said, heading to lead Ava and Jax down the long hallway. “Let’s get you settled, maybe a hot bath, some fresh clothes.”
Jax glanced back over his shoulder, brushing hair from his eyes, a hint of worry tugging at the edges of his voice.
“Don’t worry, Sprout,” I promised softly, brushing my hand over his. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He gave a shy smile and tightened his grip around mine before releasing it and following Ava and Thorne down the hall.
I watched until they disappeared, until the sound of their voices ebbed into silence. The world was still broken. The ruins of Praxis still smoldered in places. But for the first time in a long, long while, I had a big family. And that family was whole. We were together. We were here.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
Bex
My nerves feltlike frayed threads as we stood at the entryway of the medical building. The place was run down, bustling quietly with activity, and yet every sound felt muffled, every color too sharp. Jax and Ava had been back with us for two weeks now, and every second felt like borrowed time. Even that felt like too long to wait for this moment, after all the years of desperation and heartbreak. But things were still tense in the city, and resources weren’t easy to secure right away, even as Edgar worked to redistribute them fairly.
I tightened my grip around Jax’s hand, brushing my thumb over the small, faint scars that marked his skin. This was supposed to be a hopeful moment. But I felt rooted to the spot, unable to take a step, unable to breathe.
