Page 115 of In Your Light

Hadeom had been... well, quiet. Very grateful and polite, and he seemed happier. He still had moments of darkness, but Fyn would take him into the forest in their true forms a lot—Fyn running and Hadeom flying overhead—and it seemed to help Hadeom. Like having Fyn’s friends and his brother visit regularly over the past few weeks really made Fyn shine.

Sawyer also liked the fact that they now had eyes and ears in the forest and the skies, and Ciaran did too.

Ciaran held the door to the café for Sawyer and smiled at him as he walked in. Everyone else was there, cups of tea and coffee and plates of sweet breads on the tables.

“Nice of you two to finally join us,” Fray said.

Sawyer held out his arms, his hands morphing into tentacles with blue rings. “Come give me a hug, Fray.”

He snorted. “No, thanks, I’m good.”

“What are we looking at?” Ciaran asked. Everyone was watching the group on the grass.

“Taking bets to see how long before Aurin stabs Hadeom,” Hendrix replied.

Dylan playfully swatted his arm. “He won’t. I’m telling you, he’s warming to him. Plus, those little babies love the creepy bird shadows.”

“They’re kinda cute,” Beau said with a shrug.

Everyone watched the bird shadows playing with the kittens, who were jumping and chasing. Nyx was still on Fyn’s head, and one bird shadow was now perched up on Fyn’s horn. Hadeom laughed, and all the bird shadows flitted about.

“Did... did he just laugh?” Tobin asked.

“Look at Aurin,” Ciaran whispered.

Aurin was smiling.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Otis said.

“I didn’t know the goth pigeon had it in him to laugh,” Fray added.

Sawyer snorted. “I dare you to call him that to his face.”

“Nope, he won’t be doing that,” Tobin said, shaking his head. He was still wary of going near Hadeom, let alone looking into his mind again.

Though Sawyer was sure the darkness in Hadeom’s mind wasn’t so bleak anymore. “He smiled at work the other day,” he volunteered.

“When the press release came through that Bickell’s mine project had been scrapped?” Ciaran asked.

Sawyer nodded. “Yep. And the financial investigations that’re now pending, and the political resignations that followed.”

“What are you two supposed to be working on now all the monsters are gone?” Hendrix asked. “Isn’t Tenebrae too small for two cops? Or are you both now just here to protect the godlings?”

Sawyer couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re here to protect all of us. I think Tenebrae is one of the last places on this planet that’s safe for Cern’s creatures. But yes, the godlings.” He shrugged. “Cern said he wanted me and Hadeom working here because Tenebrae was going to be home to more of us, so I’m guessing we can expect the population to keep growing.”

Ciaran sighed. “More folk of the wilds.”

Sawyer met his copper-coloured eyes and laughed. “I cannot fucking wait.”

The end