“Isaak didn’t touch me in a way I didn’t want to be touched,” I snapped before I could stop myself. I didn’t want to be angry with him, not when I’d finally found him—not now that he was safe. But he was making it impossible. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and still he didn’t trust me.

Ceilos turned to me, his eyes fixed on mine. They looked so hurt. Guilt washed over me, and I started to open my mouth to apologize, but the words died on my tongue. I didn’t want to apologize. All I’d done was tell the truth.

Finally, Ceilos was the one to say, “I’m sorry, Nadin. Listen, let’s not fight, all right? We’re together again. That’s all that matters.”

He reached his hand out to me. I stared at it for a long moment before slowly moving to take it. His fingers were warm in mine. He smiled at me, and, reluctantly, my own lips turned up as well. “Yes,” I said. “That’s all that matters. I’m so relieved that you’re safe.”

He pulled me close to him, and I automatically put my arms around his waist. The rain trickled down around us, cool and fresh, and I tried as hard as I could to ignore the hollow feeling growing in my chest.

Chapter 33

“Emil,” I stammered, looking back and forth between him and Eos so fast I thought my neck might snap. “What the hell? What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” he said matter-of-factly. He glanced past me at Dad, who had jumped out of bed and was staring at Emil like he’d seen a ghost. “And you.”

“You know him, too, Isaak?” Eos asked.

I blinked at him for a minute, my brain—still feeling like it was short-circuiting after the sudden appearance of Emil—trying to process jumping back and forth between English and Iamoan so rapidly. “Yes,” I finally said. “He’s… I know him.”

Emil fixed one of his piercing black eyes on me. “You speak their language?” When I nodded, he said, “Tell them I say thanks for the lift.”

I translated this to Eos. Then I asked, “Where was he?”

“The same place we found your father, and where Nadin says she found you—in the hills outside Hope Renewed. But this one was prepared. He was carrying an oxygen tank.”

I laughed. Of course he torquing was. Emil was nothing if not thorough. He’d obviously thought this through much more than my dad—or I—had.

“How many more visitors from your world should we be expecting, Isaak?” Eos asked wryly.

“I don’t know,” I said, frowning at Emil. He looked like he was itching to jump into the conversation. Knowing him, he’d probably start taking notes the second someone got a pen into his hands. “I’ll let you know if I find out.”