"Aamon!"
Luke's voice cut through the quiet like a knife when he noticed the fresh tears rolling down Jade's face.
They had been rotating shifts for days talking at Jade, trying to drag her back from whatever she'd been trapped. It had become routine in the worst way: check her breathing, check her color, sit with the unbearable stillness, pretend they weren't afraid.
So when Luke noticed the wet streak sliding down Jade's cheek, he reacted like the world had just cracked. Luke surged to the side of the bed, staring at Jade's face in disbelief. "She's crying!"
The door opened immediately after, as if Luke's shout had summoned them.
Aamon entered first. Zeth followed, then Levi, and Zoe last, pushing in with a tense, determined energy like she'd been prepared to fight the air itself if it kept Jade asleep.
Luke pointed at Jade's cheek as if it were evidence in a trial. "Look!"
Zeth leaned in, eyes widening, then he grinned and couldn't help himself. "If I had to lie here and listen to you drone on about your notes for hours, I'd cry too."
Luke glared. "I was being helpful."
"It's a miracle she didn't wake up just to strangle you," Levi muttered.
But the room felt lighter for the first time in days. Hope flooded it, bright and immediate. Even Levi's irritation carried a strange edge of relief. Zoe didn't waste time. She crossed the room and wrapped both arms around Jade, lifting her partly off the pillows like she was trying to shake her awake by force of affection.
"Jade!" Zoe said, her voice loud and trembling. "You're still in there somewhere. All you have to do is open your eyes!"
Jade didn't wake, but her brow tightened slightly, like the sound was reaching her.
Levi stepped forward and rested a hand on Zoe's shoulder. "You're going to break her before she's even awake. Enough."
Zoe froze, then released Jade carefully back onto the pillow, laughing awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, okay. I got a little excited."
Her smile returned, stubborn and bright. "It's good news though. She's going to get up soon. I'm sure."
That earned nods from everyone, even Luke, who couldn't resist looking smug about being right.
Zoe clapped once, as if she could clap life into Jade. "I know. I'll go out and get us some drinks. Jade will want one when she wakes up."
Zeth smiled. "Yeah, sounds good."
Levi nodded. Luke waved a dismissive hand like this was beneath him but didn't object.
"Alright," Zoe said, backing toward the door. "I'll be back in a bit. Let me know if anything else happens, okay?"
She left, the door clicking softly behind her.
Luke looked around, suddenly uncertain without Zoe's momentum. "Should I keep reading my notes?"
Zeth made a face. "You've been reading for hours. I'm pretty sure she wants to wake up just to tell you to stop."
Levi tilted his head. "Maybe it would help if she hears something else now. Take a break, Luke."
Aamon's gaze remained on Jade, but he spoke to Luke without looking away. "You've done well. Go rest. I'll stay with her."
Luke's pride softened into something almost sincere. He stood and bowed slightly to Aamon. "Very well. Good night, Jade. Hopefully you'll see me in the morning."
Zeth and Levi murmured their goodnights too and slipped out, leaving Aamon alone with the soft sound of Jade breathing and the faint wetness still tracking down her cheek. Aamon sat down at the bedside. He took her hand again. Lifted it. Pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it.
Jade inhaled sharply. Aamon froze, every muscle going taut in a single instant. His eyes snapped to her face, searching for movement. A twitch. A flutter. Anything.
"Jade?" he said softly.
Her eyes didn't open but her breathing changed. Slightly quicker, like her body had heard him even if her mind was still drifting. Aamon brushed the side of her face with his other hand, thumb sweeping away the tear. His voice dropped low, private, meant for her alone.
"Come back," he murmured. "Come back to me, Magpie."
Inside the darkness, Jade stopped running.
She stood still, staring at her own hand as if it belonged to someone else. The warmth of Aamon surrounded her like distant sunlight, but the sensation on her skin was different. More intimate. More personal. She felt the kiss.
Her heart lurched, and a new warmth bloomed through her that had nothing to do with fire or shadow. Her cheeks burned even in the dark. He had kissed her hand. Jade squeezed her eyes shut and tried to picture it. Aamon lifting her hand. Aamon's mouth against her skin. His attention focused only on her.
Her mind betrayed her immediately, filling in possibilities she wasn't ready for. Visions of Aamon pulling her close. Of his lips brushing hers. Of warmth swallowing her completely. Heat surged through her body. The darkness around her pulsed as if it didn't like it.
In the dark, the pinprick of light ahead suddenly looked closer. Jade's breath caught. She was so close. Just a little further and she'd be back. She'd see them. She'd see him. She wouldn't have to chase voices anymore.
She started running again, feet pounding against nothing, arms reaching for the growing light.
Back in the room, Aamon watched color return faintly to her face, like someone lighting a candle inside her.
"There you are," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Just open your eyes."
Meanwhile, Zoe headed back toward the house with a bag of goodies slung over her shoulder, half-humming to herself. She passed the night bar and slowed. A familiar face slipped through the doorway ahead. Zoe stopped dead on the sidewalk. "No way." She stared for a long beat, then muttered, "It couldn't be." Curiosity and suspicion won. Zoe turned and entered the bar.
Inside, music pulsed low. The air smelled like alcohol and heat and cheap perfume. Zoe scanned the crowd, weaving between tables with practiced confidence. Then she spotted him.
A thin man in a disheveled business suit sat at the end of the bar, arm around a giggling woman. He brushed shaggy gray hair back from his forehead and adjusted his thin glasses as he spoke, the woman leaning in like she couldn't get enough.
Zoe smiled sharply. She walked up behind him and flung an arm around his shoulders. "Hey sweetheart. Sorry, but I'm going to have to steal this hottie from you now, okay?"
The man twisted around with an irritated glare that instantly flipped into delight.
"Zoe!" he said, standing quickly. "Come to join the party? The more the merrier, right, sweetness?" He looked back at the woman he'd been charming. She looked offended and excused herself in a hurry.
"Ah, damn," he sighed, slumping back onto his stool and chugging his beer. "Oh well. She probably would've been boring anyway."
Zoe sat beside him, grin widening. "Oz."
Oz adjusted his glasses again and gave her a lazy, pleased smile. "I was wondering where I'd take my next victim, but if you're here…" His gaze slid over her with amused interest. "That means the house is ready?"
Zoe hesitated, then sighed dramatically. "Sort of. Things are… different this time."
Oz raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
Zoe took a deep breath and started talking. At first it was coherent. Mostly. Then the drinks stacked up. The words got looser. The story tangled, repeated itself, fell over, got back up. By the time Zoe got to "and then the mortal got lost in Interstice," she was slurring.
Oz laughed, utterly entertained. "Aamon befriending a human? That's hysterical."
"I know," Zoe hiccupped, chugging another beer. "But you'll never guess who saved her."
Oz stopped listening somewhere around the third loop of "and then Levi got weird." He did, however, gather three facts:
There was a mortal. She'd been missing. Zoe was absolutely not sober enough to be trusted with sharp objects, prophecy, or stairs.
Oz leaned in and said, gently, "Zoe. You're drunk."
Zoe slapped his arm. "Wait till you meet her!"
They laughed loudly, stumbling out together and back toward the house like two disasters holding hands.
On the patio, Oz pointed at the bag Zoe had been hauling. Zoe shoved it into his arms. "This is for when she comes back," she said with a grin that didn't fully land.
Oz blinked. "Right."
Zoe waved him off. "Put it inside for me. I need to call it a night."
She staggered away toward her own place. Oz stood there, swaying slightly, then wandered into the house with the bag. He set it on the table and started up the stairs.
Halfway up, he paused, blinking blearily at the hallway. "No idea which room is mine."
He shrugged and opened the first door. Inside, a young woman slept in a soft pink bed. Lust sparked in Oz's eyes instantly.
"Well," he murmured with a crooked grin, "I guess I picked the right room on the first try."
He closed the door behind him and drifted toward the bed. Jade didn't stir. Oz flopped face-first beside her, then lifted his head and stared at her like she was a new toy he hadn't decided how to play with yet.
"Hey, woman," he slurred. "Are you going to entertain me, woman?"
No response.
Oz poked her cheek. "Woman. Awaken."
Jade didn't move.
Oz sat up, annoyed. "Come on, woman. I wanna play."
He straddled Jade and leaned closer, burying his face near her neck line to inhale her scent.
His smile widened. "Oh, Zoe, you naughty beast. You really do spoil me."
His gaze skimmed Jade's nightgown with hungry curiosity. He traced the outline of her shape in the air above the fabric, shuddering with anticipation. He brushed his thumb over her lips. "Don't worry virgin girl, I'll be gentle."
"Would a kiss make my sleeping beauty rise?"
Oz leaned down, lips hovering just above hers. Then his stomach lurched violently. He bolted for the bathroom and retched.
A moment later he rinsed his mouth in Jade's bright pink bathroom, "How rude of me." Oz murmurs as he wipes his face with the back of his hand, laughing at himself. "That's not sexy at all, is it?"
He returned to the bed, staring at Jade like she'd personally offended him by being unconscious.
"What's with you, virgin girl?" he muttered. "So still. Not fun at all."
Then he sighed, slumping. "Fine. You're right my sleeping beauty, we shall wait for breakfast. After all you will need your energy."
Oz slid back into bed and wrapped his arms around Jade, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply before passing out.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The voice was a boom that shook the room. Oz yawns awake lazily and stretched like he owned the place.
Aamon stood at the foot of the bed, eyes flaring with ember-light.
Oz smiled lazily. "Good morning, Aamon. What brings you into my little love nest so early?"
He tightened his arms around Jade in a deliberate provocation.
Aamon's voice turned lethal. "Release her. Now."
Oz blinked, feigning confusion. "Hold on." He laughed. "Don't tell me this is your play toy?"
Aamon stepped forward.
Oz's smile sharpened. He ran his tongue down Jade's neck, slow and obscene. "I just want a taste—"
Aamon ripped him off the bed with such force Oz's back slammed against the wall.
"How dare you defile her with your filth," Aamon snarled, and his fist struck Oz's face with a blistering heat that left Oz gasping. Oz recovered instantly and lunged, and the two of them crashed through the room in a blur of violence. Furniture toppled. The canopy curtains tore. The air trembled with power.
And in the chaos, no one noticed Jade stirring.
Inside her mind, the pin of light exploded outward. Sound slammed back into her: shouts, movement, a harsh thud, something breaking. It was too much, too loud, after so long in silence. Jade's head pounded. Her body felt heavy and wrong, like she'd been stitched back together imperfectly. She tried to move and the world lurched.
Aamon threw Oz toward the doorway, fury ringing in his voice. "Leave the house."
Oz staggered upright, ready to strike again. Then a soft, broken voice cut through the fight like a thread pulled taut.
"Aamon…"
Aamon froze. He turned slowly as if afraid to believe what he had heard. Jade was sitting up, eyes barely open, hair tangled, face pale. She was starting to struggle to stand from the bed; her knees buckled immediately the moment she put her weight on them. Oz surged forward to catch her, but Aamon moved faster. Shadow flashed. Aamon was at Jade's side in an instant, arms around her, lifting her like she weighed nothing.
Jade clung to him with a sob. "Aamon," she whispered, again and again, like it was the only word she knew.
Aamon held her tight, stroking the back of her head. His voice softened into something almost human. "Shh. I'm here. It's okay now. You came back."
Jade's voice was hoarse, weak, but urgent. "Is it really you? Are you really here? Am I really here?"
"Yes," he murmured. "I'm here. Shh. It's okay. You're safe now." He lifted her and placed her carefully back on the bed, brushing hair from her face, wiping tears with his thumb.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know," Jade whispered. "What happened?"
Aamon handed her the cup of water from the nightstand. "A lot," he said with a faint smile.
And Jade, half-dead and half-dazed, still managed to blush as she took the cup and drank like her life depended on it.
Oz stared at them like he'd discovered a new species. His eyes wide, mouth agape. "Just what the hell is that thing?" he breathed. "No way she's mortal."
Aamon's head snapped up. The ember-light in his eyes flared again. "Why are you still here?"
Heat rolled off him, fabric near his shoulders beginning to singe. Jade's hand tightened around his arm. The rage drained from him as if she'd pulled a plug. Aamon gazes down at her with a warm smile that causes Jades heart to quicken.
Oz went very still, watching in stunned disbelief. He bowed, quickly. "Forgive me, Sovereign. I mistook this room for my own when I stumbled in last night."
"Oz." Aamon says calmly without looking at him.
"Yes?" Oz says as he stands, feeling unnerved.
"If one hair is out of place—" Aamon's voice cut like steel. "If you ever even think about touching her again, I'll break it off."
Oz nodded, sudden caution replacing his shock.
Jade's panic spiked anyway, terror that she'd woken from one nightmare into another. She clutched Aamon's sleeve, and the fear eased again.
Oz's expression softened into performative charm. "Forgive me, Sovereign. I assure you nothing occurred. I was not in the right state to perform last night." He tilted his head, smirking. "Though I'd be more than happy to participate in this pure treat."
He winked at Jade. Jade feels her body tense as she is reminded of how angry Aamon had been at the misunderstanding between her and Levi. She wasn't sure what had happened, but this felt like the same situation.
Tears flooded her eyes suddenly. "Nothing happened," she burst out, voice cracking. "Not with Levi and not with him. I'm sorry. Please believe me. Don't be mad anymore. I don't want anyone else I only want—"
Aamon pulled her close and kissed her. Really kissed her. It was deep and fierce and terribly real, as if he'd been holding himself back for days and couldn't anymore. When he finally pulled away, he wiped Jade's tears with his thumb and smiled softly, voice low. "Don't cry anymore. I know nothing happened. I know."
Jade stared at him, stunned into silence, her whole body warm with shock.
"JADE!" Zeth's voice blasted in like a trumpet. He appeared, eyes wide, grinning like an idiot. "Hey guys! She's awake!" He plopped onto the bed and messed up Jade's hair immediately. Suddenly wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.
Jade laughed weakly, still dazed. "Hi…"
Zeth's grin softened. "You had us worried. How you feeling?"
Levi and Luke entered a moment later. Levi looked awkwardly relieved. Luke looked like he'd been waiting his entire existence for this moment.
"It's nice to be back," Jade said slowly. "But I'm not really sure what happened."
Her stomach growled loudly, betraying her. Jade blinked. "Also, I'm starving." He face blushed slightly.
Luke's face lit up with maternal horror. "Of course you are, darling! You've been asleep for days. You must be famished!"
Levi cleared his throat. "I'll call Zoe and tell her you're awake. She wanted to make you something good. Anything you want."
Jade stared at him, confused by the politeness. "Oh, that's so nice. Anything is fine."
"Good," Levi said, and for once he didn't sound like he wanted to eat her.
Zeth patted her head. "We're just happy you're okay."
Jade's smile faltered. A whisper of fear crept in. "I… I am awake, right?"
Luke scoffed, offended on behalf of reality itself. "My dear Jade, of course you're awake. Whatever would make you think otherwise?"
Jade's gaze slid to Levi. "He's… different." All eyes shifted to Levi. Jade swallowed hard, memory surfacing in flashes: Levi's grip, Levi's cold smile, Levi's threat.
Levi rolled his eyes. "That's old news. Your dramatic disappearance and this one's incessant concern warmed my cold heart." He jerked his chin toward Aamon. "Try not to make a habit of vanishing. It's inconvenient."
Jade blinked, still wary. She looked to Aamon. "You're not angry anymore?" The image of Aamon burning the world around him flashes in her mind for a beat.
Aamon's expression softened. "I let my temper get the better of me. It's okay now. There is no misunderstanding."
Jade exhaled, relief shaking through her.
"And all debts have been paid!" Zeth announced brightly, like he'd been waiting to say it.
"Debts?" Jade echoed, confused.
"Yep," Zeth said. "Levi saved you from Interstice. He doesn't owe you anymore. No more Reaperlings."
Levi added, dry as dust, "As long as you stay out of trouble."
Jade looked at Levi, hesitant, then said quietly, "Thank you."
Levi grunted, as if gratitude was poison.
Jade rubbed her temples. Her mind was still foggy. She couldn't remember Interstice clearly, only fragments: darkness, a colorless world, children that weren't children, Grimm's voice like whispers. A question about falling. Something about blood.
Her stomach growled again, louder, dragging her back to the present.
Luke squeezed her hand and stood. "I'll go call Zoe," he declared. "You need food immediately."
Jade smiled faintly. "Okay."
Luke swept out, already planning the most dramatic breakfast in history. Jade's gaze shifted to Oz, who stood near the door, smug and watchful, like he belonged anywhere he chose.
Oz cleared his throat and stepped forward with a smile designed to make people forget their own names. "Hello, sleeping beauty. My name is Oz."
Jade shuddered at the nickname and unconsciously leaned closer to Aamon.
"Oh, uhm. Hi. I'm Jade." She says meekly and Oz smiles.
"Pleasure to meet you. I do apologize for all the commotion a moment ago." Oz says with a menacing smile. His eyes moved over her in a way that made her feel as though he is undressing her with his eyes.
"I think I can make it up to you," he purred a moment later leaving Jade feeling like a bird in a cage with a hungry lion.
Jade's pulse spiked again, Aamon's arm tightened around her just slightly. Oz's grin widened, predatory and amused. Jade swallowed, staring at him with the sickening sense that waking up wasn't the end of danger.
This was just the beginning of meeting the monsters who would soon call her friend.