Thorn snorted. “Familiarity breeds contempt.” And with that warning, he left them alone.

Nick watched as Xev stared at Aeron in utter disbelief. He circled around him as if he was afraid to touch him.

“You’re corporeal? How?”

“I borrowed a little blood.” Aeron cast a sheepish gaze toward Nick.

Xev gaped. “He didn’t kill you for it?”

“Not yet.”

Shaking his head, Xev held his hand out to Aeron, who hesitated before he took it. Xev pulled him in for a man hug. “Thank you, little brother.”

Aeron nodded.

Xev kissed him lightly on the head before he released him. He stepped back and met Nick’s curious stare. “I owe him my life in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.”

Nick held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I don’t judge. My own life’s too screwed up for that. To each, his own.”

As everything slowly returned to normal, Nick and Kody went upstairs with Aeron and Xev to give the berries to his mom and Caleb and return them to normal.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Nick asked as they carefully dispensed the berries’ juices.

Aeron gave him a droll stare. “You’re not seriously asking that, are you?”

He’d barely finished speaking before Caleb woke up, choking and gasping. The minute he saw them in his room, he cursed Xev. “What’s he doing in my house?”

Xev sighed heavily. “Nice to have you back, brother.” He vanished a minute later.

Nick let out a tired breath. “You know, he saved your life today.”

Caleb glared at him and scoffed. “No, Nick. He took my life when he allowed my enemies to have my wife’s. And I wish to the gods that you’d never allowed him to go free.”

“Is that why you’re trying to bargain for your freedom?”

Caleb scowled at him. “What new paint fumes have you been inhaling?”

“Livia told me that you’d been summoning stronger powers in an effort to break free of me, for a while now.”

Caleb pressed his hand to his head as if he had a severe migraine. “What? Are you totally stupid? Wait. It’s you. I know that answer.”