Whatever he was about to say is cut off by Drom’s arrival. She sweeps her twin up in a bear hug and spins him around. I almost warn her to be careful with him, but he’s laughing, his earlier consternation gone, so I let it rest. Soon Lyre and Scorpia arrive as well, complaining at Drom to let them have a turn with him, while Drom spins him around and around and murmurs words too quiet for us to hear into his ear.

Calm settles over me. We’re together at last. I smile at the thought, standing back to watch my sisters pry Drom off of Pol and give him their own greetings. Scorpia is as enthusiastic as always, Lyre a little more subdued, though she splits into a wide grin when Pol reaches down to ruffle her hair.

Yet somehow, there’s still a pit in my stomach I can’t quite identify, a subtle fear hanging over my head. Maybe it’s Momma’s absence I feel looming over me, or the lack of true absolution for what I did to Pol. Or maybe it’s the fear that this can never last. No matter what it is, the others don’t seem to feel the same. It only serves to remind me that a space remains between us.

Still, I manage to quiet the fear in my heart and smile when the others look my way. At least now I feel ready to step forward and start to cross that gap. At least now I feel that it’s possible. And for the first time, I feel that I deserve it.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Together

Scorpia

As the council members step forward to greet the Gaian retinue, Shey and I are squeezed together. I murmur an apology, struggling to find a way to give her space without stepping on any council members’ toes. But to my surprise, Shey leans into me rather than recoiling from my touch. When I hesitate, she glances up at me, and one of her hands moves to grasp mine. I’m shocked to feel bare skin against my own—the first time I’ve felt or even seen her hands without gloves. I wrap my fingers around hers.