“All of us needed help to remember.” I piped up from my spot. “Nothing to be ashamed of.” They both shot me a glare and I shrugged. “Just trying to help. I figured it’s tiring being a badass all the time. It’s nice to let others support you on occasion.”

Angel had actually imparted that advice to me in the realm, which she may not remember.

Their glares didn’t cease. “Completely not tiring,” Shadow said bluntly.

“Agreed,” Angel added, and I just smiled because they were adorable… and scary. Always scary.

Shadow wasted no time placing his hand on her forehead. Angel closed her eyes briefly, and I felt the burst of power that came from them both, near knocking me off my seat. Angel flew across the room, her wings shooting out to stop her from slamming into the walls. Scrambling to my feet, I was prepared to jump between them if a battle broke out, but Angel just shook her head a few times, finally meeting my gaze. “Mera.”

She’d known me before, but until this moment hadn’t truly known, known me. I ran toward her because of course we had to hug again, both of us holding on for many minutes.

It had been too close to almost losing them all.

When we were all hugged out, we sat and caught up. I quickly got her up to date on what had happened on Shadow’s and my side after Dannie, and where we were at now.

“What’s the plan to defeat the Danamain?” Angel asked, leaning back in her chair, mulling over everything she’d heard.

“Shadow’s friends have all gone to their worlds to gather their most powerful spells, energy, and artifacts,” I said quickly. “Len has some stones that will hopefully prevent her from stealing our memories again, and the others are bringing their strongest weapons and abilities to the table. We need the firepower to trap her in a prison, which will drain some of her energy. If that works, we’ll attempt to remove the stone from her… in whatever way necessary.”

“Mera is hoping that she’ll release it on her own,” Shadow added, “always trying to save us, even when we’re barely redeemable.”

He wasn’t just talking about his mother. “I would never give up on you,” I assured him, squeezing his hand. “And while I’m mad at her as well, I believe Dannie deserves a chance.”