Aamon's arms were warm.
Jade didn't know why that was the detail her mind latched onto first, but it was. Warm, solid, and certain in a way nothing in her life had ever been. For a single breath she forgot the bar, forgot Levi's fingers on her skin, forgot the way fear had snapped through her bones like a whip. For a moment, she was just a girl in the embrace of someone who cared.
She felt his chest rise as he inhaled. Then, carefully, Aamon tightened his hold. Jade's hands hovered at his sides, clinging to his button up shirt, unsure where they were allowed to exist. Part of her expected to be punished for leaning into comfort that didn't belong to her.
But there was nothing.
Just… him.
Aamon lowered his chin slightly, enough that his breath brushed her hair. "You're still shaking," he said quietly.
Jade tried to laugh. It came out small and broken. "I know." Jade swallowed, eyes stinging again. She hated tears. She hated that they came so easily around him. She hated that some part of her already trusted him more than she trusted herself.
"I guess I am still trying to catch up with everything. It's a lot, even for me." Jade explained.
Aamon felt the tension in her shoulders finally leave as she let out a long exhale before she continued to speak. "I was really in danger," she whispered. "I thought it was just… theatrics."
"Theatrics are Levi's favorite flavor of cruelty," Aamon muttered. Then he hesitated, and Jade felt it. Felt the precise moment his mind split between instinct and restraint. His hand lifted, slow, deliberate, and touched the back of her head. Jade went still.
Aamon's fingers threaded into her hair like he was learning the shape of her. Like he needed to prove to himself that he could do this without harming her. "I'm sorry," he said again. The apology landed like a stone. Heavy, real. Not a performance.
Jade stared at him, stunned by the raw edge under his control. He looked like the kind king the old stories warned you about. The kind who did not ask the world for permission to keep what was his. He was the kind of king who would lay claim and die to keep his word.
His thumb brushed her temple, wiping away a tear she hadn't noticed falling. "Magpie," he said, the nickname low and oddly intimate, "you ran out of the house with a head full of fear and walked straight into a predator's mouth."
Jade's stomach flipped at the name and the scolding wrapped inside it. "I needed air."
"You needed someone to tell you to stop punishing yourself." He released her slowly, as if he didn't want to, and stepped back. "Come. We're not staying here."
Jade blinked. "Where are we—"
Aamon glanced toward the main lab, where Zeth and Levi had been waiting. "We have work to do. You'll get answers later."
Jade's mouth opened to argue.
Aamon's expression dared her to try.
She shut her mouth. Not because she couldn't fight him, but because she didn't want to ruin the first moment of peace she'd had in days.
Together they stepped out of the office and into the dim, sterile glow of the lab.
Zeth was spinning lazily in a rolling stool, boots pushing off the tile in slow circles like he was trying to grind a hole through the floor. Levi stood at one of Jade's work tables with a stack of folders splayed open, flipping through papers as if he owned the place.
He didn't look up when the door opened. He didn't have to. His awareness sharpened anyway, the way a shark knows when blood hits water. Zeth did look up, though, and relief crossed his face so quickly Jade almost missed it.
"You done making up?" Zeth asked, too casual to be casual. His eyes flicked to Jade's face, taking in the dried tears and the way she held her shoulders like she expected to be hit. Then his gaze slid to Aamon's hand. To the tiny hand he was pulling along. He saw it. The absence of burns. The impossible truth. Zeth swallowed and looked away like he didn't want to acknowledge what it meant.
Levi finally lifted his head. His cold eyes dragged over Jade, unhurried, as if appraising a blade he'd almost bought. "So," he said softly, "the human survives."
Jade's spine stiffened.
Aamon's voice turned flat. "Levi."
Levi smiled. It didn't touch his eyes. "Relax. I'm not touching her. I'm merely observing the anomaly you've collected."
Jade bristled. "I'm right here."
Levi's gaze sharpened with faint irritation. "Yes. That's the issue." He said slowly, a smile that was more threat than friendly plastered across his face.
Zeth laughed, jumping up from the chair. "Oh, ignore him. He's exhausting at the best of times." Zeth smiled, a real smile and it put Jade at ease.
Levi returned to the documents. "At least I'm useful." He mused under his breath. His fingers paused on a page, and a flicker of satisfaction crossed his expression. "Ah."
Levi held up a newer article, glossy print still smelling faintly of fresh ink. "Bingo."
Zeth crossed over and read aloud, brow rising. "State-of-the-art museum now open in backyard town…" He glanced at Aamon. "You think this is it?"
"It's the only thing in this city that smells like money and vanity," Levi said, tapping the headline. "And where there's money and vanity…"
Zeth's eyes widened. "Oh?!"
Levi sighed dramatically, as if Zeth's surprise offended him. "Yes. Oh."
Zeth slapped Levi on the back with genuine excitement. "Nice! Look at that Levi, you can be useful."
Levi's shoulder jerked under the contact. He looked like he wanted to bite Zeth for touching him.
Aamon stepped closer and took the paper from Levi without asking. He showed the document to Jade. Her heart gave a strange little tug when she saw the photo: the museum's glass-and-steel front, lights blazing like a beacon. And there, in a smaller image near the bottom, was a man Jade recognized too easily.
Pretty. Polished. Too perfect.
"That's Luke." Jade said casually.
Aamon's mouth curved faintly. "You recognize him?"
Jade pointed at the picture, suddenly energized to be discussing something normal. "Luke is the guy I told you about. He had those organisms that glowed like your eyes. He said it was his prized possession."
Jade thought for a moment, suddenly remembering that she had been scared to tell them the entire story because she didn't know how Aamon would react.
"I mean, I thought I told you. Maybe it's nothing. I mean he's just a museum guy. I'm sure if he has something that glows like your eyes it's just a coincidence." Jade tried to explain herself but even as the words left her mouth, she knew she was reaching.
Aamon didn't correct Jade. He just folded the article once and tucked it under his arm. "This is good work, Levi. I expected we'd have more difficulty tracking the others."
Levi dipped into a shallow bow that screamed I deserve applause. "Naturally."
Jade's stomach tightened again. "So Luke is… a demon Prince too?"
Zeth nodded, grinning. "Yup. The Prince of Pride."
Jade frowned. "How did I miss that? I mean, he's so pretty and clean. I never would have guessed…" Her words trail off as Jade falls into thought.
Levi made a face. "Don't tell him that. His ego is already the size of a cathedral."
Zeth and Aamon both laughed, neither denying it.
Jade rubs her arm, a discomfort falling over her. "Is he going to… do what Levi did once he knows I am involved with you guys?"
Zeth rested a hand on her head, gentle but the coldness in his fingers made her flinch. "Don't look so scared, Jade. It won't be like meeting this one." He jerked his chin at Levi.
Levi's gaze turned icy. "Careful, broken bird."
Zeth sticks his tongue out like a child, then ignores Levi completely. "You already know Luke. And having a mortal to brag to will make him happy, not angry."
Levi scoffed. "He'll brag to a lamp post if he thinks it's listening."
Just as Levi was raising his hand to pound Zeth on the top of the skull, Aamon cleared his throat, and the air shifted immediately. The joking died. Even Levi straightened.
"What time does the museum open?" Aamon asked, his gaze falling back to Jade.
"Seven," Jade replied automatically.
Aamon nodded once. "Then we return to the house. You rest. In the morning, I will accompany you to the museum."
Zeth's brows pulled together. "Is that really a good idea?"
Aamon's gaze turned toward him, calm but sharp. "Explain."
Zeth gestured vaguely at the lab around them. "What if they drag in another Prince?"
Levi leaned back against the table with a cold smile. "What if she forces another favor out of one of us?"
Zeth snapped his head toward Levi. "That's not what I meant."
Levi's smile sharpened. "It's what I meant."
Aamon's voice dropped a fraction. "Enough." The word wasn't loud, but it was absolute.
Aamon's attention returned to Jade. "It's your choice."
All eyes fell on her. Jade hated being stared at. She hated being the variable. She looked down at her hands and then blurted the first practical thought that jumped the fence in her mind.
"Do you have cell phones?"
Silence. Zeth blinked at her. Levi looked personally offended. Aamon tilted his head slightly.
Jade pulled her phone from her back pocket and held it up. "One of these."
All three stared at it like she'd produced a cursed relic.
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Why is it glowing?"
"It's the screen," Jade deadpanned. "It's… normal."
"How does it function?" Aamon asked, more curious than suspicious.
"Radio waves," Jade said. "Signal. If I see something in the lab, I can tell you instantly."
Levi folded his arms. "Ridiculous. How? Magic doesn't exist in this realm."
Jade sighed like she was explaining gravity to a goldfish. "Like this."
She unlocked her phone, opened her contacts, and tapped Luke's name. The photo popped up. Jade felt an odd prickle in her gut seeing his face now that she knew what he was.
She typed quickly:
Hey Luke, sorry to bother you so late but I was hoping I could meet with you early in the morning before you open the museum. It's really important.
Zeth watched in fascination. Levi watched like he expected the phone to bite her.
A moment later, the phone chimed.
Jade held the screen up.
Good evening, love! Of course I'd love to see your beautiful face in the morning! 6:30 okay?
Zeth let out a sharp laugh. "Love?"
Jade's cheeks heated. "Ignore that part."
Levi's mouth twitched. "He flirts like a peacock."
Jade sent a thumbs-up emoji and held the phone higher. "See? Instant."
Zeth stared like he'd just witnessed a miracle. "I didn't know humans could perform magic."
"It's not magic," Jade said, trying not to laugh. "It's technology."
Aamon took the phone from her and turned it in his hands, examining the screen, the buttons, the smooth glass. His expression wasn't mocking. It was… almost childlike curiosity.
When he'd satisfied it, he handed it back. "Then the plan stands."
He looked at Zeth. "You will acquire these devices for us."
Zeth's grin returned. "Sure thing, sir."
Aamon's gaze shifted to Levi. "You will remain at the house with Zoe. Prepare Luke's room. He returns with us tomorrow."
Levi's eyes narrowed, envy flickering like a pulse under his skin. "So I do chores while you go collect princes."
"You do what I command," Aamon replied evenly.
Levi's jaw tightened. Then he dipped his head, just enough to be obedience. "As you wish."
Jade checked her phone again and yawned hard. "It's almost eleven."
"Then we go home," Levi said, too smoothly.
He stepped toward the center of the group with a thin smile, extending his hands outward as if inviting them into a dance.
Zeth and Aamon each placed a hand on Levi's arm without hesitation.
Then they looked at Jade.
Jade frowned. "What are you—"
"Teleportation," Zeth said lightly, like that should answer everything.
Jade's stomach sank. "I don't like the way you say that."
Levi's smile widened by a fraction. "It's not for your comfort, human. It's for efficiency."
Jade swallowed, then stepped closer and placed her hand on Levi's sleeve the way the others had.
The air snapped.
Wind tore through the lab like a living thing. Papers skittered across the floor. Jade's hair whipped into her face. Instinct made her grab the nearest solid object, which unfortunately happened to be Levi.
Her fingers clenched in his coat.
The world lurched.
For one terrifying heartbeat, Jade felt weightless, like her organs had forgotten where to sit. Sound collapsed into a deep roar, not wind exactly, but something hollow and massive, like standing too close to the mouth of the ocean and hearing the dark beneath the waves.
She shut her eyes and held on.
Then the roar broke into laughter.
Jade opened her eyes slowly.
They were in the kitchen of the new house, warm light spilling over counters and half-unpacked boxes. Zoe was doubled over laughing at the table, a mug in her hand like she'd been mid-sip and almost choked.
"You two look adorable!" Zoe cackled, pointing. "I didn't know you had it in you, Levi!"
Jade blinked, confused, then realized she was still clinging to someone like a frightened child.
She looked up.
Levi's face was frozen in pure, offended shock. His lips were parted like he'd been about to say something cruel and her grip had derailed the whole performance.
Jade's hands flew off him as if he'd turned into a hot stove. "Sorry!"
Zeth's hand landed on her head, steadying her. He chuckled softly. "It's okay, Jade. It was just teleportation."
Jade stepped back, mortified.
Levi straightened his clothes with sharp, irritated movements, smoothing wrinkles where her hands had crushed fabric. "If I knew that was all it took…" he began, a cold smile creeping across his face.
Aamon's fist came down on the top of Levi's head with a clean thunk.
Levi yelped. "Ow! Jeez, Aamon! Was that necessary?"
Aamon stared at him, expression flat and dangerous.
Levi rubbed his head, scowling. "She grabbed me, okay? I didn't ask for it."
Aamon didn't respond, but Jade caught it: the slight tension in his shoulders, the way his gaze flicked to where Levi had stood too close to her.
Zoe slid in beside Jade and looped an arm around her with friendly force. "So," Zoe said, grin wicked, "do we have a love triangle going on?"
The air immediately thickened.
Levi stiffened and glared at Zoe. "As if I'd ever have relations with that thing."
Jade flinched at the word thing.
Aamon's jaw clenched so hard she heard it.
Without a word, he turned and strode toward the balcony door.
Zeth watched him go, then sighed like a man resigned to cleaning up a mess he didn't make. "You should get some rest, Jade."
Jade nodded, exhaustion crashing over her now that adrenaline had nowhere left to live. She followed Zoe and Levi to the couch, the kitchen spinning slightly from the long night and the leftover emotions in her system.
Levi sat like a sulking king forced into a peasant's chair. Zoe sat with legs sprawled, elbow on the back cushion, casual as if demons appearing in her living room was a normal Tuesday.
"It's going to be great having everyone together for once." Zo said after Levi explained the plans to her.
Levi rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're so happy about."
Zoe snickered. "Because it's our first family reunion, you idiot."
Levi scoffed, but his mouth twitched like the idea pleased him against his will.
Jade's head tipped back against the couch cushion. The warmth of the house, the safety of being inside, the sheer weight of everything she'd learned and survived all pressed down at once. Her eyelids drooped.
Zoe's voice softened, just a little. "You're out," she murmured, noticing Jade's slow blink.
Levi looked down at Jade, eyes narrowing in appraisal again.
"Even you have to admit," Zoe said quietly, almost to herself, "she's interesting for a mortal."
Levi didn't answer, he only stared at her. Intently studying her.
Outside, through the glass, Aamon's silhouette was on the balcony, cigarette ember glowing in the dark like a star that refused to die. Zeth stood beside him.
Levi's gaze flicked to the balcony for a brief second. Something ugly flickered behind his eyes, quick as a knife. Then he looked away, jaw tightening.
"Interesting," he repeated flatly, like the word tasted bitter. "Yes. That's one way to put it."
Zoe rose, stretching, and headed for the balcony to join the others. Jade didn't even feel her own breathing slow. Sleep took her where fear couldn't follow, at least for a few hours.
Levi sat very still, watching her. Something deep down told him she was not just an ordinary mortal. The fact that the others were not willing to acknowledge that yet infuriated him.
Outside, the night swallowed the house whole, and somewhere in the city a museum waited, lights gleaming over glass and steel, as if it already knew it would become a battlefield by morning.