“I know,” he said softly before taking my face in both of his hands. “You cannot run blindly to what you think is me⁠—”

“The stones were leading me home . . . I . . . I thought they had led me to you⁠—”

“If you had stuck to the arrow, it would have.” He tipped my face back, those blue and white eyes searching my face like I held the answers to life.

Traitorous tears pooled on my lashes before sliding down, but his thumbs brushed them away. “I was scared . . .”

“I know,” he whispered back. “That is why I came.”

“I can’t get out of my astral projection⁠—”

“Because you are not in one.” He pressed a kiss to my lips, then backed away, dropping his hands. “Go home, Gali, and do not return to Seelie.”

“But how am I here⁠—”

“The answer to that is complicated and one I cannot dare speak of here.” He glanced at something over my shoulder and nodded, then turned his gaze back to me. “But know the reason is the same as the reason your stones led you home to me. Go home, Gali⁠—”

“Everest, wait⁠—”

Darkness swallowed him whole . . . and then he was gone.

“Everest . . .” I stared but the shadow he disappeared into was gone. I sighed and pushed my hands through my hair. “Dammit.”

“Hey—”

“SHIT!” I threw my hands up and magic shot out of them . . . and flew right at Tenn’s face. I cursed and tried to grab ahold of the smoke but that only made it worse. “Fuck, sorry!”

“Nah, go ahead, this is fun to watch.” Tenn chuckled.

I dropped my hands and grunted. “Dammit.”

“Everest called me over, so I’ll let you have that moment.” He grinned and closed the distance between us and held his hand out. “All right, Cousin, ready to go home?”

“Please. As fast as unhumanly possible.”

He chuckled and scooped me up. We were soaring through the purple sky, but I was too frazzled from my soulmate to see anything other than the flapping of Tenn’s white angel wings. Within seconds we were flying through the gate and landing in the front yard of Coven Headquarters. I followed Tenn through the front door to find everyone else sitting there. Waiting.

I scowled. “Did none of you go in?”

Tegan shook her head. “I cannot, as we’ve discussed before. But Thorne and Sage requested only Tenn follow. If they needed the help, Tenn was to call, but we weren’t needed.”

I nodded and plopped down on the couch. “Well, judging by what I just watched Saffie do with a smile on her face, I’d say I’m not surprised you weren’t needed.”

Savannah cackled. “Assassin Saffie strikes again. I love when she does that. It’s gnarly and graphic as fuck.”