Page 62 of Your Final Resting Place

“Elion?” My insides twisted with nerves.

“They arrived right after Gideon started holding up traffic. Saw the whole thing. Dragon fight, fire, lightning, we fuckin’ killed it. SOS Hotel style. Although . . . the spicy fae didn’t seem pleased. Probably because we killed a whole lot of this fancy bridge too. Humans seem real attached to it.”

The bridge behind us had an alarming tilt to it, and some of the cables had snapped. Others were frayed. It probably wasn’t safe. But it had caught my fall from its tower, and I hadn’t been small or light. All things considered, it had held up pretty well.

I leaned into Victor, and smiled at Zee bouncing with adrenalin. Wow, was it really over? Was this what a happy ending looked like?

“Let’s get you out of sight . . .” Victor steered me toward an unmarked black van, using it to shield us from the camera flashes and phones pointed our way.

There was no hiding now.

I lowered myself gingerly to the van’s side step just as Elion’s distinctive figure carved from the crowd of cops and glided over.

“Adam.” They nodded a greeting to Zee and Victor. “It’s good to see you’re awake. I had my concerns and was about to send over the EMTs. Victor, however, assured me you were alive.”

“Your heartbeat was strong,” Victor said. “You just needed time.” There was more to his concern. He’d been afraid Elion would have their people take me away and lock me up after that huge display of power. Just because we’d won, didn’t make us safe.

But I was alright, even if I did feel as though I’d been run over by a freight train. “Are we going to be arrested?” Looking at the destruction all around us, it seemed unlikely they’d let us go free. And then there was the fact I’d clearly lied about being human for a long time.

“Not right now. But there will be extensive questions. You’ll all need to give statements when you’re feeling up to it, although we of course have several thousand witnesses to your very public display of power, Adam.”

“Yeah.” I winced. “Kinda hard to be stealthy when you’re the size of an airliner.”

“It’s possible I may be removed from this case, as I’ve been more than personally involved for some time. However, I will make sure the truth is told. Gideon Cain will suffer the full wrath of the justice system for all his crimes.”

“I made some assumptions about you, and I was wrong,” Victor said. “I apologize.”

“We all made assumptions. When I first saw you three, I assumed you were all mad. I very quickly learned that’s only half of what you are.” Their twitching smile suggested they were joking—or not. It was hard to tell.

“May I have your coat?” Zee asked.

Elion smiled politely. “No.”

“Fair. I guess. However, I don’t know if you noticed, but I did just save the world. Adam helped. Victor didn’t do a fuckin’ thing, as usual. He has pretty privileges, so we let it slide.”

Victor arched an eyebrow and a slow smile tugged on the corners of his mouth.

“What?” Zee asked.

“You used my name.”

“No I didn’t.”

“You did. Elion and Adam witnessed it.”

We nodded. “You did, Zee,” I said.

“I’d never say that. Because if I had, it would mean I like him, and I don’t . . . Like him. At all. Not even a little bit.” Zee showed us just how little by pinching his finger and thumb together. He wasn’t fooling anyone.

Elion’s bemused expression caught my eye, and I chuckled. “May we go home?” I asked. “It’s been a wild night and I’m dead on my feet.”

“You may. An agent will visit in the morning to take your statements, and Adam, there will be an SSD test to ascertain your Lost One potency and risk factor to the public. It goes without saying, do not try to leave the city.”

I wouldn’t be able to lie and sweet talk my way out of that one. But that was tomorrow’s problem. Today, I was done for. I just needed my bed and my two favorite people tucked in beside me.

Elion bowed their head, swept their tinted green locks back, and turned to go.

“Oh, uh⁠—”